Beginner's Quilt Class 1

      I'm starting a beginners quilt class at the Shadyside library. We meet the 3rd Wednesday of the month. I'm going to try and post the class handouts and lesson on this blog. This was from the 1st class. 9 Patch Beginners Quilt

           This quilt is made of 9- 12 inch blocks. It has 2 borders, The 1st border is 1 inch wide, the 2nd is 3 inches. The entire quilt when finished will be 44 x 44 inches. The blocks are 9 patch blocks. If you look at the blocks they are divided up into 9 sections. A plain 9 patch would be 9 squares usually alternating dark and light fabrics. In this quilt the star block is an Ohio Star (red) and the 4 other blocks are the Shoo Fly blocks. (blue) I made the sample in red, white and blue. Yours can be any colors you like. You will need a background fabric. This is usually a neutral color that “reads” solid. That means that if you look at the fabric mixed with other fabrics any print in the fabric disappears for the most part and you see one color. The other two fabric can be any color and print. I would not use a super large print since your biggest piece of is only going to be 4 inches square. The border fabric can be fabric you use in the quilt or some other fabric that compliments the center.
            For this class you will need: Equipment
1. Sewing machine in working order with extra bobbins and needles.
 2. Neutral thread, polyester thread is fine, I would not recommend the cones of serger thread. They aren't really made for sewing machines and create a lot lint.
 3. A rotary cutter and a mat, I will have a couple at class but you might want to work on blocks at home.
4. A quilting ruler, there are many types I would suggest for these blocks either a 6 x 24 inch or 8 ½ x 11 inch one. Again I will have a couple at class but you might want to work at home or not wait in line)
5. Straight pins
6. Pencils or some marking tool that you can see on your fabric. Unless my fabric is really dark I use Papermate Sharpwriter. It is a disposable yellow mechanical pencil that comes in a 4 or 5 pack. It washes out of most fabrics.
 Fabric Your fabric should be 100% cotton.
 Fabric A (background) ---------------- 1 ¼ yards
Fabric B (Red in my quilt)--------------- ½ yard
 Fabric C (Blue in my quilt) --------------½ yard
 Border 1 ------------------------------------- ¼ yard (if you are using a fabric A,B or C add ¼ to that fabric.
 Border 2-------------------------------------7/8 yard (again if you using A,B or C add this amount to that fabric)

 In the first class we also covered some basics about sewing machines since a couple of students hadn't touched a machine in years.

Some Basics about sewing machines.  

1. Find your manual and keep it with the machine. You can refer to it for so many things. How to use certain stitches or even what stitch to use. How to thread the machine, how to insert a new needle, what needle to use, all of those answers should be in the manual. There is usually a section on trouble shooting, so if something is going wrong you have a clue where to look. There is probably a diagram of your machine too. If you can't find your manual, try the internet. Do a search for the make and model of your machine along with word manual you can probably find it. Read or at least look through the manual.
 2.Clean your machine. Somewhere with the accessories that came with the machine there should be a small lint brush. If not you can use a small paint brush or buy one at a fabric store or store that sells machines. Clean open the area where the bobbin sits, remove the bobbin and the bobbin casing, (look at your manual) put any screws in a safe place. Use the brush to clean the lint and little pieces of thread from the area. Some web sites will tell you to use canned air to blow the debris away but I would not since that might blow the stuff deeper into the machine. Oil moving parts, (see below) Put the bobbin casing back together. Now go to your tension disk area. Take a thin piece of paper and run that between the discs. If you can open the head of your machine do so and use the brush to clean there. I do a quick cleaning when I change the bobbin and a more thorough cleaning when I've gone through the 4 or 5 bobbins that I have prewound. Clean the feed dogs while you have the brush out.
 3.Oil your machine. Most modern machines are self oiling, but I still put a drop or two of lubricant on any moving parts that I can reach. Use oil for sewing machines the oil from your garage will not work and will mess up the machine. You might have remove a few screws to reach places.
 4.Change your needle often. I change mine after every project at least. It's also the second thing I do if my machine is acting up, right after re-threading the machine. 5. Some sites with more details on how to maintain your machine. The last one is a diagram of a generic machine. basic sewing machine maintenance, sewing machine maintenance 2,  http://sewingschool.org/2010/11/10/meet-your-machine-anatomy-of-a-sewing-machine/
     Troubleshooting some things to check or do when the machine isn't working right.
 1. Re-thread the machine
2. Replace the needle.
3. Check your tension (especially if you have any little ones around who like to turn dials)
4. Check your manual to make sure you are using the correct thread and needle for your project.
5. If your machine won't run at all make sure it is plugged in and any switches (light switch, strip switch) is turned on and that the foot pedal is attached correctly.
6. Make sure the bobbin winder spindle is in the correct position.

 How to find your scant ¼ “ seam allowance

    In quilting we use what we call a ¼ or quarter inch seam allowance. It is really a scant ¼ inch seam allowance. That means it is just few thread widths narrower than a true quarter inch. This is important when your blocks have to be say exactly 12 ½ inches unfinished and there are a lot of pieces to the block. Finding this magic spot on your machine is easy but might take you a few tries.
    Cut some light and dark colored fabric strips 2 X 4 inches. On your machine either use a quarter inch foot or if you use the standard foot find the quarter inch mark on the needle plate. Take one light strip and one dark strip. Sew together lengthwise with edges aligned with either the quarter inch foot or the mark on the plate. Sew another light strip to the dark strip again lining up the edges to create a quarter inch seam allowance. Press the seam allowances to the dark fabric. Take a ruler and measure the center dark strip from seam to seam (right side up) It should measure 1 ½ inches wide it's entire length. The two light strips should be 1 ¾ inches. If they are you are good to go. If you used the marking on the plate I would suggest putting some masking tape along that line to make it easier to find and follow.
    If the measurements aren't right there are a few options. If you can move your needle position in small increments move it maybe one or two. Move it in (to your left) if the dark fabric was narrower and to the out (to your right) if it was too wide. Try again with 3 new strips and remeasure. If you can't move your needle you will have move the fabric. First try taking a ruler (a ruler for rotary cutting works best) with ¼ inch markings and placing it under the needle (might want to turn the machine off here so you won't accidentally start the machine and hit the ruler or a finger with needle.)Put the ruler with it's 1st quarter-inch mark just below the needle's tip. Make sure the ruler is straight and compare it edge with the marks on the plate or with the quarter- inch foot. If it appears to be right on with what you had previously followed nudge the ruler a little so the needle is just a smidgen to the right of the quarter inch mark on the ruler. Put a piece of tape on the plate it's edge flush with the rulers. Try another set of strips. You might have to try a few more times. Just move the tape a little each time. When you find the correct position put two or three more pieces of tape directly on top of the first. This will give you your correct scant quarter of a inch mark. A hint once you get a set of strips sewn exactly save it! That way if the tape gets moved or you are using a different machine you can use the strips as a guide with out going through everything again. Also if some reason you are using thicker fabric, like flannel you might want to do strips with that fabric. http://quilting.about.com/od/machinepiecingyourquilts/ss/seam_allowance_2.htm and finding 1/4 " seam allowance