How to Perfect Your 1/4" Seams

Hi there! Welcome back to our blog. Have you joined our Dutch Wonderland Sew Along? It’s our third sew along and we’re making a beautiful 100" x 100" quilt with a variety of different blocks. The best part about this project is that you can start up and follow along at your own pace. We go live every week on our Facebook group, Heidi’s Quilting Help Desk, and shortly after post the video to our YouTube channel. The pattern is available for sale on our website, www.thewhimsicalworkshop.com, but you can always watch and make blocks at your own leisure!

This week, we’re jumping back into some quilting basics and something that will definitely help you out whether you’re working on Dutch Wonderland or a different quilt; How to get a perfect ¼” seam. This is a really important part of sewing as the majority of quilt patterns that you'll come across will reference ¼” seams.

Over the years I’ve learned how to improve my ¼” seams with the help of a few great tools - the Clearly Perfect Angle and Sewing Edge reusable vinyl stops. 

I’ve put together a video for you using these tools that covers how to set up your machine with each one, and how to work with them for maximum efficiency.

 

Watch the video here

You’ll be amazed at the accuracy of your seams once you have these tools to guide you. You can find each of these tools on our website, here:

Clearly Perfect Angle – https://www.thewhimsicalworkshop.com/shop/Notions/p/Clearly-Perfect-Angles-x34999171.htm

Sewing Edge – https://www.thewhimsicalworkshop.com/shop/Notions/p/Sewing-Edge-5pk-x38705785.htm

Please make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel so that you can stay up to date on all things creative, organization and general fun! You can also follow along with us on Facebook at Heidi Pridemore Whimsical Workshop, or join our group, Heidi’s Quilting Help Desk, and we’re also on Pinterest and Instagram.

If you test out these tools and techniques, we'd love to see how your 1/4" seams turn out! Drop us a comment on any social media platform and let us know. Thanks for stopping by and we'll see you next week for another fun blog post from The Whimsical Workshop!

Essential Notions for Your Quilting/Sewing Area

Hi there from The Whimsical Workshop! 

Now that you've set up your sewing area for quilting, let's take a closer look at some of my favorite notions to keep handy. These aren't mandatory to have by any means, but they will definitely help make your projects easier and hopefully more fun. If you're interested in adding any of these to your own sewing station, I'll link them all down below. 

 

To get started, my first recommendation is for the Binding Ruler. There are multiple videos on our YouTube channel that cover how to use this ruler if you're curious, so be sure to check those out (and give us a follow while you're there!). I keep this ruler next to my machine with a small cutting mat and rotary cutter so that I'm able to finish the tails on my bindings as I go. In my opinion, this is the best way to finish your binding.

Next up, I also love having my Cutting Gizmo within arm's reach. It's designed to help with chain piecing, and has a straight edge, recessed blade (safety first!) so that you can quickly and efficiently separate your pieces as you go. Make sure to watch our notions video on YouTube here where I give a quick demonstration. 

 

I like to keep a Zippy Ripper on hand as well. This tool is relatively small and only has 5 teeth, but can help you undo seams quickly and efficiently. If you're anxious about ripping through your fabric, please be sure to watch our notions video on YouTube here where I give a quick demonstration. This video also covers the scissors I have in my sewing area, the stackable bobbin storage rings I use, my sewing machine cleaning tools and more. 

Finally, I like to keep a Purple Thang for guiding things through my machine and poking out corners, and an industrial magnetic pin holder for keeping my pins together.

 

Next week I'll be covering how to get a perfect 1/4" seam, so be sure to come back and keep following along!

Shop The Whimsical Workshop Notions and More

Notions

Fabric

Welcome to the Dutch Wonderland Free Sew-Along!

Hi there! Welcome to the Dutch Wonderland sew-along, led by Heidi Pridemore of The Whimsical Workshop. We're so excited that you're joining us on this 10 week adventure to create a beautiful 100" x 100" quilt.

You can follow along with us for free as we go live in our Facebook group, Heidi's Quilting Help Desk, every Wednesday at 10am, or watch previous weeks' videos on our YouTube channel, posted every following Monday. So make sure you join our Facebook group and subscribe to us on YouTube so that you don't miss a single second!

We'll be starting this project on Wednesday, June 17th at 10am and it will run through August 19th, 2020.

The pattern is available for sale on our website, www.TheWhimsicalWorkshop.com as a digital download. While the pattern is not required to participate, if you are hoping to create the finished quilt as shown, we highly recommend having it on hand for reference.

Each week, Heidi will walk you through a block in the pattern. There are 8 unique blocks and she will go through each step by step and offer insider tips and tricks. This is a great way to build up your experience with block assembly!

For the final week of the sew-along, you'll get to see your project come to life as you put together all of your beautiful individual blocks. Heidi will discuss some additional setting options as well, if you choose to only make one of each block.

And because we love fun, we'll be giving away a random prize every week! To enter, you'll need to post a photo of your weekly creation in our Facebook group, Heidi's Quilting Help Desk, by Tuesday at midnight. Then the next day, Heidi will announce the winner live during the next part of the sew along.

Now let's get into the project syllabus. Make sure to bookmark this post for future reference!

Week 1 (June 17th): Introduction to the Project

• How are you approaching this class? Are you here just to learn new techniques or to make a final quilt?
• How to select fabric for your project
• Cutting for each week
• Helpful tools
• Rules for the Weekly Giveaway

Week 2 (June 24th): Block One Center

• Cutting list will be posted in the Facebook group a few days before class.
• It will come in two sizes, 24" square and 12" square
• Weekly Giveaway Prize: Clearly Perfect Angle & Q-Tools Guide

Week 3 (July 1): Block One Pieced Border

• Finishing up the pieced border that goes around the Block One square
• Forming the center of the quilt top
• How to make Cat's Cradle blocks with and without the Creative Grids ruler
• Weekly Giveaway Prize: Creative Grids Cat's Cradle Ruler

Week 4 (July 8): Block Two

• Block Two Square Construction
• Working with Bias Triangles, Flip and Sew, and how to align your points before sewing units together
• Weekly Giveaway Prize: Magic Pins

Week 5 (July 15): Block Three

• Block Three Construction
• Different ways to cut and make HST units
• Weekly Giveaway Prize: Purple Thang & Small Strip Stick

Week 6 (July 22): Block Four

• Block Four Construction
• Pressing, Pressing and Pressing!
• Weekly Giveaway Prize: Bohin Chalk Pencil & Frixion Pen

Week 7 (July 29): Block Five

• Block Five Square Construction
• Flying Geese
• Weekly Giveaway Prize: The Cutting Gizmo

Week 8 (Aug 5): Blocks Six & Seven

• Block Six Square Construction
• How to cut straight strips
• Perfecting 1/4" seams
• Weekly Giveaway Prize: Clearly Perfect Angle & Q Tools Guide

Week 9 (Aug 12): Block Eight

• Block Eight Square Construction
• Different way to make a quarter inch square
• Weekly Giveaway Prize: Zippy Ripper

Week 10 (Aug 19): Quilt Assembly

• Quilt borders and how to assemble a quilt top
• Alternating settings for blocks
• Quilting tips
• Weekly Giveaway Prize: Creative Grids 6" Flying Geese, 45 and 90 Degree Multi Size Ruler

My Top (5) Five Sewing Machine Feet Recommendations

Welcome back to The Whimsical Workshop blog! 

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for following along with us. I hope you're having lots of fun setting up or rearranging your sewing area and feeling inspired to start your next project.

Before you jump into your next quilt, let's talk about sewing machine feet. There are so many options out there, it can be hard to know which ones you need, which ones are fun extras to have, and which ones are crucial for specific projects. 

When it come to quilting, most of us use a ¼” foot for all our sewing needs. However there are plenty of other feet that can help with piecing and appliqué. I have picked out the top 5 sewing machine feet that I've found myself reaching for over the years, and listed them out for you below:

1. The 1/4" Foot: This is the main foot you'll use for quilting. The majority of quilt patterns call for 1/4" seams, and this foot will make following those patterns much easier. If you don't have a 1/4" foot, I absolutely recommend investing in one. There are two versions of this foot. Some have a guide on the foot that the fabric can push up against it. If you have not used a 1/4" foot before, I recommend starting with this style over one without the guide.

2. The Walking Foot: This is also a foot that is super important to have in your toolbox as a quilter.  A walking foot will help pull in your fabric evenly, which comes in handy if you're sewing thicker fabric, or lots of layers all together. The walking foot has feed dogs built into the bottom of the foot to evenly feed the fabric layers through the machine. If you have a newer machine, check to see if you have dual feed dogs is already built in, which is what a walking foot creates for any machine without this feature.

3. The Open Toe Foot: This sewing machine foot really allows you to see what's going on while you work. It's ideal for finishing raw edge appliqué, blanket stitching and machine appliqué. If you're going to be doing fusible appliqué, this foot will give you added visibility and control as you work our the edges of your piece. Check out our video on finishing the edges of your fusible applique with an open toe foot on our YouTube Channel.

4. The Zipper Foot: Most machines now a days come with a zipper foot, but if your machine does not, this may be useful to have if you're going to be working on garments or bags. Unlike other feet, this foot will let you run right up alongside the edge of a zipper. It can also be useful if you're sewing in piping or cabling.

5. The Top Stitch Foot: This foot will help you get a beautiful top stitch right along the edge of your fabric. It will help you get an accurate, controlled straight stitch and helps give your project a much more finished and polished look.

If you'd like to see more on how to use each of these feet, I do go into more detail about them all in a video on our YouTube channel, here. 

Bonus Tip: If you have a lot of different feet that you want to keep handy and in good condition, I recommend a regular bait box (you can find these on Amazon or in sporting good stores that have fishing equipment). The small compartments are perfect for keeping sewing machine feet organized and travel-ready.

Next week I'll be talking about some of my essential notions that I keep at my sewing station, so be sure to come back and keep following along!