I’ve just uploaded a new video to youtube that shows my English paper piecing stitch. Try it and let me know what you think!
A Better EPP Stitch!
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Category Archives: Tutorials
A gift from Caryl…
I’ll bet every one of you knows and loves Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry’s quilts. They are stunning works of art that make you smile all the way through to your heart. Recently Caryl sent me this email:
Since I have retired from teaching and retail, I am, as time permits, offering my patterns and digital workshops free of charge on my website.
I have just uploaded my most complete workshop ever, showing in minute detail how I made my quilt, Soaring Compliments, from start to finish. You will find it and all of my other free patterns and instructions at: http://www.bryerpatch.com/faq/faq.htm
Caryl’s sharing of her knowledge and techniques is so very generous. I know that I am grateful, as are you.
Thank you, Caryl!
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Do you understand your printer settings?
I have a lot of ePatterns and eBooks at pieceocake.com. It is important that the patterns are printed out at the right size. To do that you have to be sure that your printer settings are correct. I can help, with pictures.
NOTE: I have a Mac so my printer box may look a little different from yours but I think that the basics are the same.
When you hit ‘print’, a window opens:
Look at the options under Page Size & Handling. Your printer will have a default that may not be what you want. In this case, you should click ‘actual size’.
Next, look at the image that shows the page and the margins around it. My picture shows too much margin. I can fix that!
Look for the ‘page setup’ button and click it:
See where it says ‘any printer’? Click that:
The list of printers opens. Click  on your printer to choose it and then click OK. You might notice that the first window also lists my printer but for whatever reason I have to go through this step to make the margins smaller.
Now the picture on the print page shows smaller margins. This does not shrink or enlarge the final print out. What it does do is not cut off the edges of the page when it prints. This is important when you are printing the patterns because of the way they fit together.
I hope this helps you in all of your printing 🙂
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How to fold and pack a quilt…
I posted a new video showing how to fold a quilt. (If you get my newsletter, you may have see the video already.) The key is to always fold quilts on the bias.
When fabric is folded on the straight of grain, the fibers are more prone to be damaged which leads to permanent creases forming in your quilt. TIP: This is why bias binding wears better on the edges of your quilts!
I fold quilts to fit inside my Eagle Creek Pack-It Folders which go inside my suitcase when I travel. I buy them at the Container Store but you can probably find them elsewhere. They come in a variety of sizes so be sure to pick the one that fits your bag.
I like to use these for quilts and for clothes. They are breathable but water-repellent. They disguise the quilts in my bag which, I hope, make them less likely to be stolen. I put the full Pack-It folders inside huge Ziplock bags which serve 2 purposes: if my bags are rained on the bags keep things dry and the Ziplocks are another theft deterrent.
Eagle Creek has other packing products. My newest fav is this packing cube. It has an extra zipper that compresses what’s been packed inside. Great for clothes—or fabric!
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A blast from the past…
Some of you may know Linda V. Taylor, a wonderful machine quilter. I’m not sure when this video was shot, but I know it was when my hair was longer and I had fewer wrinkles :-). Linda V has a new youtube channel that is only a click away 🙂 so, if you like this video, you will enjoy the others that she has uploaded.
In other news, I am still in CA, teaching an Empty Spools class at the Asilomar conference center. I have 18 wonderful women in my independent quilting class—each one is doing something different and having a wonderful time. I stay busy helping whoever wants help through the day. Other classes have a focus, where the teacher is teaching a particular technique or pattern.
If you have never attended an Empty Spools class, I encourage you to think about it. This is perhaps the most magical quilting conference, ever.
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It’s a crumb-y giveaway!
Welcome to my new blog home! If you have followed my blog before, and you want to still, please do click the ‘Follow Piece O Cake Blog’ button on the right, above my picture. (FYI: I switched to wordpress because it is easier to manage.)
So, about the crumbs in the post title… I subscribe to Ami Simms’ newsletter and a little while ago she wrote about a student, Megan Null, who was making ‘crumb quilts’. Megan let Ami film her, and her video says it all:
I googled crumb quilts and, who knew! There are pages of crumb quilts! It looks to me like crumb quilts started with Bonnie Hunter and have now taken on a life of their own. I have been too busy writing the color book to have noticed crumb quilts. Sigh.
Anyway, back to Ami. She has issued a 2014 Crumb Quilt Challenge! I generated a lot of lovely, colorful scraps when I was sewing for the color book and for a few days I thought I would start my own crumb quilt(s). I looked at the pile lovingly… and then I admitted to myself that this is not something I am going to do. My pile of crumbs could become your very own crumb quilt!
Everything in the box is pre-washed cotton—except for one piece of a silky polyester that is obviously not cotton. I was going to throw it away but thought maybe the winner would love it. There are little pieces and bigger pieces, strips, triangles, and other shapes.
If you would like a chance to win, leave a comment. I will have my random number generator (my mom) pick a number Sunday. I think I’ll be able to contact the winner from your comment but sometimes there isn’t a way to do that, so check back on Monday, mid-morning. I’ll post the winner. It could be you!
Piece O Cake Blog 