7495 Heirloom Machine Sewing for Quilters by Susan Stewart
FOR SUSAN STEWART Heirloom Machine Sewing Quilters
Contents բ 8 Introduction 9 Heirloom Sewing Techniques 9 Fabrics, Laces, and Notions 12 Joining Lace to Lace 12 Joining Lace to Fabric 13 Lace Shaping 17 Repairing Lace 17 Shadow Appliqué 18 Twin-Needle Pintucks 20 Rickrack-Lace Bridging 21 Cathedral Lace Windows 23 Shaped Bias Strips 23 Seminole Lacework 26 Shaped Puffi ng 27 Reverse-Appliqué Windows 29 Turned-Edge Appliqué 32 Netting Insertions 34 Projects 34 BEGINNING HEIRLOOM Baby Quilt 41 HOT LACE HEARTS 46 CATHEDRAL LACE WINDOW Baby Quilt 50 VIOLET HEIRLOOM 56 TULIPS AND TWISTS 61 SPRINGTIME HEIRLOOM 66 JUST PEACHY 80 Blue Heirloom Pillows 87 Heirloom Baby Bonnets 92 Templates 109 About the Author
FOR SUSAN STEWART Heirloom Machine Sewing Quilters
Heirloom Sewing Techniques
բ FABRICS, LACES, AND NOTIONS Organdy and organza These are sheer, lightweight, crisp fabrics. The fi nest organdy The heirloom sewing techniques used in is Swiss cotton. It is crisper than organza, these quilts were adapted from techniques used which is usually made of silk or synthetics. The primarily for children’s clothing. Cotton batiste natural-fi ber fabrics are recommended. They and cotton laces are the standards for heirloom are available in white, ivory, and occasionally sewing, and these translate well into quilting. pastels and dark colors. Let’s look at suitable fabrics and supplies:
Batiste This is a lightweight, plain weave, soft, semi-sheer fabric. Most of the quilts and other projects have sections of embellished batiste that have been layered over quilting cotton. The fabric underneath shows through the batiste, creating several color values. One hundred percent cotton batiste is preferable to poly-cotton blends, because the blends tend to pucker and fray. Swiss cotton batiste is the gold standard for heirloom sewing Left, Swiss cotton organdy; right, silk organza for pieces such as christening gowns, but it is quite expensive. For quilts, less expensive Handkerchief linen A lightweight, domestic 100 percent cotton batiste works just even-weave linen fabric, it is available in many as well. It is usually available in white, ivory, qualities and in linen-cotton blends. This fabric and pastels. is used for appliqués and appliquéd bias strips, but in all the projects, quilting cotton may be substituted for the linen.
Netting These open-weave, transparent fabrics have tiny diamond or octagonal holes throughout. One hundred percent cotton English netting was used for the samples in the photos. It has larger holes than silk or nylon netting or tulle. It is very soft, and when combined with decorative machine stitching, it makes beautiful machine-made lace. It is expensive, but a little goes a long way. Allow for approximately 25 Left, Swiss cotton batiste; right, domestic cotton batiste percent shrinkage.
FOR SUSAN STEWART Heirloom Machine Sewing Quilters
machine, with the cord threaded through the hole and pulled between the needles and behind the foot. Colored pearl cotton can be used to create shadow-colored pintucks.
Pivoting at the miter lines
Cording inserted in the throat-plate hole
Perfecting the Pintuck To thread twin needles, if two spools of thread Adding a third row are not available, wind an extra bobbin and use that instead of a second spool. 3. Sew more pintucks alongside the fi rst one. On some machines, it is possible to place one Pivot each row of pintucks at the point where thread on either side of the tension disc. If that the stitching line crosses the miter line. Use just a few rows of shaped pintucks to prevent can be done on your machine, do it. If not, put too much distortion – three rows are often best. both threads through the tension disc. 4. Soak the fabric to remove markings. Turn If your machine has two thread guides, above the pintucked fabric upside-down on a towel; the needle place one thread in each guide. If starch and press. your machine has only one, place one thread in the guide, and leave the other outside the Corded Pintucks guide. It is important that the threads be For corded pintucks, place a soft, heavy separated above the needle so they don’t twist thread or cord under the fabric and between the and break. needles. The needles stitch on both sides of the If your machine has pintuck feet available, cord, and the zigzag of the bobbin thread sort of use a fi ve-groove or seven-groove pintuck foot. couches the cord on the wrong side of the fabric. Seven is preferred for very lightweight fabric. The cording makes the pintucks more defi ned If not, use a satin-stitch foot. and rounder. Size 12 pearl cotton works well for 1.6/80 If the fabric is too fl at, try increasing the needles and a seven-groove foot. Size 8 or 10 needle tension. If the tension must be works for 2.0/80 needles and a fi ve-groove foot. tightened so much that the thread breaks, try Some machine throat plates have a small hole using heavier 50-wt. thread in the bobbin. just in front of the foot. With these, the ball of If the fabric puckers or pulls up too much, pearl cotton can be placed under the front of the so that it forms an actual tuck instead of a SUSAN STEWART FOR Heirloom Machine Sewing Quilters
Suggested Quilting the peaks of the scallops. Stitch scallops halfway Layer the backing, batting, and quilt top; baste. between the shadow appliqué scallops and the With invisible thread, stitch in the ditch of the pintucks. Stitch scallops ½" outside the pintucks, sashing seam lines. Stitch along the lace zigzag with three loops at the peaks of scallops. Stitch a stitching, shadow appliqué stitching, outer rows of three-loop motif above the hearts. Stitch around pintucks, and all decorative stitching. the motifs in the embroidered eyelet insertion. With matching thread, stitch ¼" outside Stitch a cabled border outside the decorative the shadow appliqué hearts and ¼" outside the stitching in the center panel and sashing. shadow appliqué scallop stitching, adding loops at Add binding to fi nish the raw edges of the quilt.
SUSAN STEWART FOR Heirloom Machine Sewing Quilters
Designed, sewn, and quilted by the author 50" X 50"