Reddit mentions: The best quilts & quilting books

All of these items are from my "Things I really Want" wishlist which is full of stuff from my other wishlists so that's how I'm organizing this, if that makes sense.

The Highest priority of everything is my tv, which I am not linking because it is hella expensive. I don't have a TV, and I kind of really want one so I can get cable and watch tv.

For Ezra and Jude this cat bed because Ezra loves to curl up under the covers with me and Jude has taken over the other bed.

From my "for the home" wishlist, I would love paper towels I burn through these so fast so it would be awesome to have a nice little stash so I don't have to worry about not having them.

From my girly stuff WL, these shoes because they are super comfortable and I walk to class. And I really want them because they are cute.

From my books WL, this quilting book because I am learning how to quilt and I hear it is a great resource.

From my get my ass in shape WL, this arm band so I have a place to put my phone while I'm jogging/walking that isn't my sweaty bra.

Thanks for the super awesome 'discussion' =)

No I didn't look at your post history, but I'll be happy to if you're okay with me doing that with the sewing stuff.

If I'm not mistaken, sewing patterns unless they are labeled as 'petite' are sloped to fit women who are around 5'7", and the petite are sloped for women who are I think... 5'3 or 5'4? Still way too tall for us. So it's not us, it's the sewing patterns!

When I redid my cosplay jacket, it was a daunting process, not gonna lie. I spent a lot of hours trying to basically reshape the relevant pattern pieces, but I learned a lot! I found this old book called Better Homes and Gardens Sewing Book at the thrift store for $3 a few years ago, and it was a huge help. They do a great job illustrating how important it is to make muslins and how to adjust the muslin, and through trial and error I figured out how to translate the changes from the 3D garment onto my pattern pieces. I don't know about the newer versions, but I think that these kind of garment alteration methods are a lost art and I don't think people do them so much anymore,which is great about the book because it was published at a time where women still sewed the clothing for themselves and their families.

But here's a before of the muslin, and the after of the changes I made. I didn't document the process as well as I should have, but since I'm about to start making myself a steampunk jacket here shortly, I'm going to have to go through the process again, and I'll document it a lot better, and I think I'll share how to do this in the /r/sewing subreddit. My husband actually helped with pinching the fabric that was on my back and pinning it, you may be able to enlist whoever lives with you if you feel comfortable doing so.

No true fiasco ever began as a quest for mere adequacy

1. Heart
   
   
2. /u/purebredginger YO YOU'RE AWESOME
   
   
3. Donnie Darko <3
   
   
4. Home fragrance oil.
   
   
5. Detroit has the most registered bowlers in the United States.
   
   
6. Nutella lava cookie cups!
   
   
7. :D
   
   
8. It means positivity to me. This place is overwhelmingly positive and it makes my pessimistic soul feel better!
   
   
9. Bath and Body Works's Moonlight Path body spray makes my nose happy.
   
   
10. The Detroit Lions are going to win the super bowl.
    
    
11. Awww. :3
    
    
12. I like cats.
    
    
13. Enter Sandman.
    
    
14. This will forever be the cutest cat picture.
    
    
15. Pretty flower! And yes, this is my picture!
    
    
16. /u/MMAphreak21, you're a cool dude.
    
    
17. Ocean.
    
    
18. A book on quilting.
    
    
19. /u/tandem7 thank you!
    
    
20. Fort Lauderdale is known as the “Venice of America” for its extensive system of waterways, including the New River, Intracoastal Waterway and a large number of canals.
    
    
21. He looks so normal in this picture.
    
    
22. "I don't read the script. The script reads me."
    
    
23. On my thirteenth, I sacrificed a furby.
    
    
24. Mmmm.....
    
    
25. Weeeee
    
    Thanks for the contest!

Hi! I have to agree that a scrappy quilt is the way to so. It will give you a lot more freedom design wise and if you happen to make a small mistake here or there, it won't be as liable to stand out. Pattern-wise, I would suggest looking up t-shirt quilts and memory quilts people have made out of their children's clothing. Both styles tend to be scrappy and have a work with what you've got mentality about them pattern wise.

Personally, I've found this book ( http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Quilting-Better-Gardens/dp/0696218569 ), and youtube to be invaluable in learning how to put a quilt together. The top stitching, as mentioned, can be done by hand, by machine, or with some investigation, you can even send it away to a company to have it quilted professionally. I've never done this before, but some local quilt shops might be able to help you in that direction. You also have the option to tie the quilt, which essentially uses yarn or thread to tie the front and back together at regular intervals. Beginner-wise, I think this is the easier way to finish a quilt but it gives it a more rustic look, in my opinion. As a positive aspect to tieing the quilt, you can have a tieing party and your grandmother might be able to help you if her hands are still strong.

>also interested in growing food indoors over the winter months (Northern Ohio

It depends on what you want to grow.

If you have bright enough light indoors, you can grow things.

In descending order of effectiveness:

A cannabis grow room. Grow whatever you want all winter--herbs, strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, cucumbers.

A set of high-output four-tube T5 fluorescent lights. Herbs, lettuce, greens, radishes, baby carrots, and peppers and cherry tomatoes but very slowly.

A set of ordinary T8 fluorescent shoplights. Herbs, lettuce, greens, radishes, baby carrots, and it will keep peppers alive for overwintering, but you won't pick much fruit if any.

/r/SpaceBuckets Whatever you can fit into it. Herbs and small greens, mostly.

Windowsill. Mainly for houseplants. A big bright sunny south-facing window that isn't obstructed by trees or buildings, where you can get the plants right up next to the glass, will grow small herbs such as basil and thyme. Any other exposure is back to houseplants.

$29 "burple" Amazon LED "grow lights". Suitable only for the most low-light-tolerant of the office cubicle houseplants.



****

General reading:

Good overview books are both the Dummies and Idiots guide. No offense, that's just what they're called.

The Square Foot Gardening book, either edition. The concepts have entered the zeitgeist, so whether you're doing raised beds or SFG as such, you still need to know what everyone is talking about.

Any of the Sunset books on gardening topics. These are the softbound books you find on the magazine rack at Lowes with the DIY how-to books on plumbing and hanging drywall.

Your local public library has shelves full of books on gardening. Read everything, because that's how you acquire a good overview of the discipline, and as you get better at it, you can begin to choose for yourself what works for you.

Good mainstream websites are:

https://www.rhs.org.uk/

https://garden.org/

Any of the Mother Earth News articles online.

Any of the extension office articles online. You don't have to be living in their state, or even in the U.S., to read them.

If you can source a copy of this, it is awesome.

As is this.



**

>Are there any apps people are using that help with watering

There are no apps for watering. Any app for watering is lying to you and helping you kill your plant with overwatering. This is because you never water on a human, calendar, schedule, but only when it needs it, as determined by feeling the soil for dryness.


>any time-tested resources.

1. Local public library.
   
2. County extension office Master Gardeners. https://extension.osu.edu/lao

I can't argue with the notion (heh) of a gift certificate. But some people feel that's a little impersonal.

So here's a couple of ideas in case that doesn't work for you:

• A book on organizing your quilting space (because who doesn't want more organization?), e.g. Dream Sewing Spaces: Design & Organization for Spaces Large & Small.
  
  
• An "art quilt" book. Something that's not so much about "how to do it" but gosh-that's-pretty pictures for inspiration. I find those hard to buy for myself but would love to get them as a gift. I don't know this one personally, but it's in the theme I'm thinking of: Art Quilt Portfolio: People & Portraits: Profiles of Major Artists, Galleries of Inspiring Works.
  
  
• A pair of really really good scissors. Because no matter how many we have, we can always use another pair. Or pretty ones, like these.

So this is a verrry common problem with new quilters. The trick is "knowing your quarter inch." See, we have a nice quarter inch foot that comes with our sewing machine and we would like to trust it. But it LIES.

So, you have figure out the true quarter inch (and it can change, by what thread you use, sometimes with different fabrics (flannel vs. cotton vs. silk, etc.) and sometimes even with the angle you're sitting at on the machine! Some people call this the "scant" 1/4 seam allowance. Whatever it's called, you need to figure it out.

Once you've got it down, though, it's easy to do. Here is a YouTube video series that is worth watching to show you how to do it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC7Po5JNSbY&list=PLZgYSU9Phlftkhm74fKYtRToZh89Y8SNg

In case you doubt me, here's a fun video showing what happens when you don't (it may look familiar!): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBoLPslLxTs

One of the best DVDs out there on upping your piecing (not just the scant 1/4" seam, but other things) is Mastering Precision Piecing by Sally Collins. Here's the amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Precision-Piecing-Sally-Collins/dp/157120363X

Best of luck!

Value and contrast - they are much more important than colour choices. And don't forget that small patches of fabric sewn together may look completely different from the same fabrics on the bolt.

Mary Fons has a good video on this subject and another that illustrates what can go wrong

Quiltmaker Magazine did a video on Value and Scale and OnPoint did one on choosing fabrics here.

You can also get help from art tutorials such as these:
-- Proko: The Basic Elements: Shape Value Colour Edge

-- ArtTutor: Understanding Tonal Value & Contrast

If you want a book for reference, try Alex Anderson's Scrap Quilting - the link is for Kindle (it's out of print but you can get paper copies through Amazon Marketplace). Sue Aubrey's books Pick Four is another good one - also unavailable at the moment but again you can get cheap second-hand copies.

For choosing fabrics from your stash, the photocopy (or scan and print greyscale) method is good. For choosing fabrics in a shop you need something to strip out the colour, such as a red or green filter -- you can buy fancy gadgets or you can make your own from cellophane paper.

If you find that you are really good at blending and not so good on contrast, then maybe you should look at making watercolour quilts, where the whole aim is to have a gradual change in colour and tone.

I actually do most of my sewing without a machine. I have been looking for a sewing book that covers all the techniques, but the closest I've been able to get is Quiltmaking by Hand and Mend It Better. Pinterest has a lot of tutorials for mending too.

I actually learned a lot of my preferred methods from a book called the Medieval Tailor's Assistant (it's good to keep in mind that historical techniques are the most efficient for the task, they wouldn't do things the hard way because they have to do it so much).

Some things worth noting: tools matter. I have over a dozen different thimbles because it took me so long to find a thimble I was comfortable with. Clover makes a lot of crafting tools that are otherwise hard to find. A sewing bird or third hand is something that can help keep your work taut. I prefer sashiko needles for handwork because they're a little thicker and much longer (great for running stitch). Whip stitch is better for seams that take a beating.

If you have trouble making stitches evenly, buy sashiko samplers with the stitches pre-printed in a washout ink to start with. Even though you're following the existing pattern, you're teaching your muscles the basic gestures for running stitch. For whip stitch, I started with English paper piecing for small quilts.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Curved log cabin piecing! Optical illusions, but looks pretty dang nifty. Jean Ann Wright has a book out, and the ruler is pretty simple to use too

http://www.amazon.com/Curvy-Cabin-Quilts-Jean-Wright/dp/1935726684/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1457222085&sr=8-1&keywords=curved+log+cabin

What kind of sewing are you interested in? Is there something you want to be able to make? I make quilts, and I am teaching myself how to make clothing so I recently picked up a few books to help me improve my skill and I really enjoy them.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1589235126/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1589234340/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1574327968/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i02?ie=UTF8&psc=1
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933027002/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i03?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I always liked this type of border, the one on the outside edge. And I love the turning ribbon look like this. I used it on my son's Minecraft quilt. This is supposed to be a really good book on borders.

This is so gorgeous. I gasped it's so beautiful.

I quilt, and have been doing so since November of 2011. I got started because my grandmother used to sew and there are a few other women in my family who are crafty and I decided "hm, this must be genetic, right? RIGHT!?", and I'm always freezing, so making quilts seemed like a good extension of that. This is a quilt I made for a coworker's grandbaby sometime last year.

Items from my wishlist that would help me continue pursuing the hobby include this book; this tool to make the fabric strips that go around the edges of a quilt; or this set of scissors, because I seem to have lost my last set when I moved in April.

Thank you for your generosity!

If anyone is curious, I started with the pattern for the "car quilt" in Elizabeth Betts' book but had to improvise for Austin's quilt as the print on one fabric was way bigger than I thought. I also mitered the corners, which was a learning experience for sure! Overall, very pleased!

Congratulations, it looks great! No doubt a lot of hard work. I recommend you check out Jacquie Gering's book-- WALK: Master Machine Quilting with Your Walking Foot https://www.amazon.com/dp/1940655218/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_G5qeAbS1RM71W


I made 5 quilts before I read that book and I've learned SO much from it. I wish I had read it when I first started.

There are so many ways you could quilt this and nearly all would look good. You could stitch in the ditch for all tram tracks and then FMQ around the fabric designs in the blocks; you could ignore the pattern and quilt any design you like; any curved quilting looks good on geometric blocks.

For inspiration you might like to look at Lee Cleland's book Quilting makes the quilt.

Thank you! I used Sue Nickles:
https://www.amazon.com/Fabulous-Feathers-Fillers-Machine-Quilting/dp/1604600608
And used the grid of the patches to lay it out. She is an amazing quilter!

I got the pattern from this book
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1607056844?pc_redir=1409600524&robot_redir=1

You can get an e-version of it I see but I got to say, I love this book. I've now used 3 of the patterns in it and plan on using at least 2 more. I'll likely repeat this one, it's called Freah.

My MIL sounds like your mom and I was her secret Santa this year. So I bought her a bunch of small quilting gifts. One of them was this book that she loves and even knew the of the author:

Quilting Isn't Funny: a collection of threadful humor https://www.amazon.com/dp/149360659X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Oy8BybNZNA1DG

I got bored, so thought what the hell.

Anitaxjffdskjarizard On her otter heading to McDonalds, handing out awesome art stuffs.

186394 On his dragon heading to his castle giving away gold and kindles to everyone. Oh and wearing an invisible shield he can activate at any time.

Artsy item

Thanks for the contest!

Make it easy on yourself.
https://www.amazon.com/Better-Homes-Gardens-Step-Step/dp/0696218569/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483336921&sr=8-1&keywords=Learn+to+quilt&refinements=p_72%3A2661618011

I found Quilting Makes the Quilt to be immensely helpful in seeing how the quilting impacts the overall look of a quilt.
http://www.amazon.com/Quilting-Makes-Quilt-Lee-Cleland/dp/1564770753