Blog Tagged "Machine Piecing" - Purple Daisies Quilting

Book Lover - Books Themed Quilt Block

July 02, 2024 2 Comments

Thank you for visiting my blog for July's Quilt Block Mania!
This month's theme is "Books" and your designers have 21 new quilt block designs for you! Best of all, they're all free for the month of July 2024.

I'm really excited to share my newest quilt block design with you! It's definitely my new favorite and I think you'll love making your own. Book Lover is perfect for any lover of books, old and young! There are so many fun ways to customize the quilt block, too. I can see you using fun, novelty prints for the pages of the book, or changing the colors of the heart, or even making the pages out of treasured t-shirts. What you create will be special beyond words.

For my own block, to show my love of sewing and creating I used a favorite print from the "Maker" collection by Art Gallery Fabrics and a paint swatch print by Carrie Bloomston. I also used PURE Solids by Art Gallery Fabrics in Very Berry (the heart), Vintage Walnut (the book cover), and Tranquil Waters (the background).

Book Lover isn't difficult to make, especially if you've made any of my other Quilt Block Mania designs. The pattern features Stitch & Flip corners with other traditional piecing techniques - you totally got this!

Minimum Fabric Requirements:
for (1) 12"x12" finished quilt block: fat eighths or scraps of 4-5 colors will be more than enough.

The Book Lover Quilt Block, along with the other QBM blocks, measure 12.5"x12.5", unfinished. Each block is FREE during the month of July, so you can combine multiple blocks into a fabulous quilt or pick and choose your favorites. (Scroll down for the list of designers and links to their patterns).

Get your free download of the Book Lover Quilt block by signing up for my email newsletter below. A few minutes after you sign up, you'll receive an email with the subject line "Here's your FREE Book Lover quilt block" which will give you a link to download the pattern. Please fill out the form just once. The form will only record your email address the first time it's added.
*Please check your spam folder or search your inbox for the email subject line, if you can't find the email with the pattern.

If you signed up for any of my Quilt Block Mania patterns in the past, there's no need to sign up again. You'll receive the pattern in a separate email newsletter.

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Book Lover

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Thank you for signing up! Your pattern will be delivered to your inbox soon. ~Cristy

Be sure to join the Quilt Block Mania Facebook Group for inspiration and to share your own blocks.

Quilt Block Mania Designers:

Audio Book Quilt Block by Carolina Moore
EAT Cookbook by Patchwork Breeze
Tea and Books by Crafty Staci
Hedwig by Inquiring Quilter
The Library Quilt
Book Shelf by QuiltFabrication
Readers block by brown bird designs
Reading Bear by Colette Belt Designs
By the Book by Happy Hour Stitches
Garden Books
Bookworm by Appliques Quilts and More
Spruce Up Your Reading with a Free Bookmark Quilt Block
Retro Bookcase by Amanda Harris
Adventures of a Burlgar by Sondrasa of Art Quilts by Design
The English Patient by Flowerodg+Co
Under the Apple Tree by Epida Studio
Stack of Books by Oh Kaye Quilting
Read Banned Books by Beth Clifton
Open Book by Manderley Makes
Adventure Awaits
Book Lover by Cristy Fincher

All About Glue Basting

March 23, 2024 1 Comment

Let's dive in and revisit one of my most read blog posts: Glue Basting Basics

I freshened it up for you and updated links and images - enjoy!

Glue Basting is a game changer and is one of my favorite sewing and quilting tools. It helps me with efficiency and accuracy when I sew, which makes me happier with my results. Most of the time, when I mention glue basting to new quilters, or to experienced quilters who are new to me, I see confused looks come over their faces. But, they change their tunes really fast when they see what can be done with glue basting and how much it can improve their results.

My mom (the amazingly talented Sharon Schamber) introduced me to glue basting when she taught me how to appliqué, 24 years ago. Since then, my love for glue basting has only grown and I find uses for it in almost every sewing or quilting project. Here are just a few of the things I use glue basting for:

Precise Piecing
Appliqué
Curved Seams
Zippers
Bindings
Clothing.
Plus more!

Basically, you can use glue basting almost anywhere you would use pins or clips.

Elmer's Washable School Glue, topped with a MicroFine Glue Tip, is my go-to for glue basting. The Elmer's glue is easy to find in local stores, especially just before school starts, like now. (If you live outside of the US, I sell Elmer's in my shop, and happily ship it to you.) The MicroFine Glue Tips are made especially for my shop and fit perfectly on the 4oz bottles of Elmer's Washable School Glue. They're made from clog resistant plastic, and I find that they clog much less often than other glue tips out there.

There are other products out on the market that can be used for glue basting. I've tried virtually all of them, but the Elmer's Washable School Glue and Fine Tips combo is, by far, my favorite.

The accuracy that I can achieve with glue basting, is addicting. I love when my points match! I know you'll love it too!

Pretty, right?!

Glue basting is so simple:

Simply draw a fine line of glue inside on the inside of your seam allowance. I draw mine about 1/8" from the selvage. The glue shouldn't be right on your seam line.

Line up, or nest, the next piece with your first. Be sure that all edges are lined up, just as you would if you were pinning. Then, heat set the glued edge with a hot dry iron. Heat setting dries the glue completely, and just takes a quick second or two because the line of glue is so fine and thin. The heat setting also prevents any shifting. Awesome, right? Immediately, you'll experience more accuracy in your sewing and piecing.

Then sew as usual. When I piece, I prefer 1.6-1.8 stitch length. After sewing, press to the side.

That's it! Super easy! If you want to see glue basting in action, I have some videos for you to watch on YouTube.

Glue Basting FAQs:

Will the glue ruin my iron? No. Absolutely not. Elmer's Washable School Glue, is water soluble. If any glue were to get on your iron, it washes off easily.
Will the glue gum up my needle? No. Absolutely not. As long as you apply the glue close to the selvage, you wouldn't be sewing through the glue. Even if you did sew through the glue (like with appliqué) it won't cause a problem because heat setting dries the glue quickly and eliminates any gumminess.
Will the glue wash out of my quilt? Yes, it sure will. I always recommend washing quilts with a textile detergent like Synthrapol.
Do I need to pin when I glue baste? No. In almost all situations, glue basting replaces the need for pins.
Can I glue baste if I press my seams open? Yes, if the seam needs to be opened you can easily pull the seam apart or use a sewing stiletto to open the seams.
*My take on pressing seams open: In most cases, I would encourage you to press to the side. Pressing your seams to the side will make your quilts stronger, putting the strength of your quilt in the fibers of fabric as well as in the thread. This protects the seam and creates a stronger hold. When you press your seams open, the strength of your seam is only as strong as your thread. Open seams run the risk of popping with dense quilting, washing, wear and with time. There are times to press a seam open, for example: mitered corners and binding strips, but in most cases pressing to the side is a wiser choice.
Is glue basting faster than pinning, or just sewing and "going for it", without pins at the machine? I believe so, yes. Glue basting may take a bit more time to prep before you get to the machine. But, any extra time is made up by how quickly and efficiently you'll be able to sew everything together. The time that was spent having to unpick and resew mismatched seams will be virtually gone. Sometimes faster isn't better. Sometimes good technique and efficiency is better, especially if you're happier in the end.
Can I use this type of glue basting to baste my quilts before quilting? No. This type of glue basting is not recommended for basting your quilt to prepare for machine quilting.

If you only try one new thing to improve any aspect of your sewing or quilting, please let it be glue basting. I think you'll love it as much as I do!

Here are some examples of my favorite ways to use glue basting:

Glue basting and machine pieced hexagons are a match made in heaven! (Tutorial & Pattern in my shop!)

Prepping my strips with glue basting, before sewing, makes chain piecing more accurate and pretty darn quick.

Glue basting rows together keeps my points matched up, and I never accidentally sew over pins.

Glue basting makes Paperless Paper Piecing possible. This technique will rock your world!

I use glue basting with Piec-lique to make any type of curve, including inset circles.

When I glue baste my appliqué pieces to the background fabric, I can easily sew them down by hand or by machine. Without pins in my applique pieces, I get no puckers or distortion. Love!

Using the MicroFine Glue Tip with a bottle of Liquid Stitch (permanent fabric glue), replaces the need for fusibles with raw-edge appliqué.

I also glue baste when I make clothing. Here, I used glue basting to attach the binding/strap onto the edge of the bodice of a dress for my daughter.

Quilt bindings is probably the most popular place to use glue basting, largely due to my mom's wonderful binding video. The best part of the video is at the end, when my mom shows you how to do that final join for the binding strips. It's life changing!

When I glue baste my binding, I can stitch it down by machine or by hand, without the need for any pins or clips. It stays in just the right place, until I sew it down. Magic!

If you have the fine glue tips, my favorite way to keep the clogs away is to use the thick end of a price tag holder. Clip off about an inch and put the stick of it into the glue tip to prevent clogs. To make it easy to find on your pressing board, you can color the "T" of it with a Sharpie, or put a washi tape flag on it. (Big thanks to my friend Becca at SewPixie for these fabulous ideas.)

Glue basting can be a life changing tool. It might take a little bravery to give it a try, and when you do, I'll bet you'll never go back!

Thank you for being here!! You can also find me on InstaGram, Flickr, and Pinterest as CristyCreates.

Happy Quilting!

~Cristy

Tupperware Pitcher - Drink Themed Quilt Block

March 05, 2024 3 Comments

It's Quilt Block Mania time! This month's theme is "Drinks" and your designers have 27 refreshing quilt block designs for you! Yes, you read that right: 27 designs and they're all free for the month of March 2024. From tea to lemonade to champagne, there's something for everyone.

I'm a child of the 70's and 80's so it probably goes without saying that I grew up with cabinets full of Tupperware. As a kid, I loved (like super loved) the coordinated color combinations of bowls, cups, and containers. My cousins and I hosted the best Kool-Aid parties and felt like real grown-ups pouring Mountain Berry Punch and lemonade from the classic Tupperware Pitcher. Those were the days, right?

Tupperware set image from Selena Silvers Thrifts

These happy memories inspired me to design a Tupperware Pitcher with a quilty twist for my Drinks themed quilt block. I love how it turned out! I hope it sparks some happy memories for you too. I also included a few fun color variations for you: Pink Lemonade, Orange Juice, and Cherry Kool-Aid.

Tupperware Pitcher quilt block by Cristy Fincher for March 2024 Quilt Block Mania

Tupperware Pitcher Pink Lemonade Quilt Block

upperware Pitcher Orange Juice Quilt Block

upperware Pitcher Cherry Kool-Aid Quilt Block

The Tupperware Pitcher Quilt Block is perfect intermediate quilters who are looking to fine-tune and build their piecing skills. It features Stitch & Flip corners and traditional piecing techniques. It's a scrap-friendly block, too!

Minimum Fabric Requirements:
for (1) 12"x12" finished quilt block:

Main Pitcher Color - (1) fat quarter
Star/Juice Color - (1) fat eighth
Background - (1) fat quarter
Top of Cup - scraps
Top of Pitcher - scraps

The Tupperware Pitcher Quilt Block, along with the other QBM blocks, measure 12.5"x12.5", unfinished. Each block is FREE during the month of March 2024, so you can combine blocks into a fabulous quilt or pick and choose your favorites. (Scroll down for the list of designers and links to their patterns). After March 2024, my pattern will be available to purchase as a download in my shop for $6.

Be sure to join the Quilt Block Mania Facebook Group for inspiration and to share your own blocks.

Check out the other Drinks-themed blocks from the Quilt Block Mania Designers:

Champagne Quilt Block by Carolina Moore
Martini by Crafty Staci
You Shake Me Up
Scrappy Mug by Katie Mae Quilts
Pina Colada by Appliques Quilts and More
Cosmopolitan by Inquiring Quilter
Cups and Saucers
Bubble Tea by Inflorescence Designs
Beer Pong by Patti's Patchwork
Perfect Flying Geese
Bear Loves Cocoa by Colette Belt Designs
Coffee Bean by Sewistry
Sip & Stitch by Happy Hour Stitches
I'm a LIttle Teapot
Bit too Much by Epida Studio
Tupperware Pitcher by Cristy Fincher
Ice Cubes by Create with Claudia
Cherry by Slightly Biased Quilts
Tea for Me by Craftapalooza Designs
French Press by Oh Kaye Quilting
Sew Fresh FPP Block by San Diego Sewn
Cheerwine by Emerald Falls Quilts
Release the Kraken by Art Quilts by Design
But First Coffee by Paleofish Designs
Margarita by Sallys Sewing Circle
Iced Lemonade by Patchwork Breeze