How to Sew a Button: And Other Nifty Things Your Grandmother Knew by Erin Bried Page A
Authors: Erin Bried
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fabrics. Feel free to experiment! Go wild! Let your crazy quilt live up to its name!
Step 4:
Now that you have all of your crazy blocks finished, it’s time to sew them together. Select two squares you’d like to live next to each other and match them right side to right side. A quarter of an inch from the edge, sew them up with a double-threaded needle. Repeat, until all of your squares are connected. For a 12-patch baby quilt, make three rows of four. For a twin, make five rows of eight. For a full or queen, make eight rows of nine.
Step 5:
Wash and iron the backing fabric, and lay it flat, right side down. For a warmer, winter quilt, add a layer of batting (or even an old cotton blanket) on top. Lay your finished quilt on top, right side up.
Step 6:
Line up each side, fold the top and bottom layers inward by ¼ inch, then pin and sew together with a double-threaded needle.
Step 7:
Tie off your quilt. To connect the front and back pieces, double thread a needle with heavy-duty crocheting thread (no knot). On the corner (or in the center) of every patch, dip your needle through the front of the quilt and out the back, leaving a 2-inch tail in the front. Move your needle over ¼ inch and push it through the back and out the front. Repeat three or four times, snip your thread, and double-knot the ends together on the front of your quilt. Woo-hoo! All done! Now, pull it over your bed and take a long nap!
More Nifty Tips
To get extra fancy, sew a button on top of each tie, or pull a ribbon through.
To learn more embroidery stitches, and find retro-cool patterns, visit SublimeStitching.com .
Remember that there is no one way to make a crazy quilt. In fact, it’s the “imperfections” that make crazy quilts truly original.
Nail It
“When decorating your house, do what’s comfortable. Do what you like. If you love pictures, use ’em. If you don’t, don’t. Just do what feels good!”
—R UTH R OWEN
H OW TO H ANG A P ICTURE
Step 1:
Find the perfect spot. If you want to hang it in the dead center of the wall, measure the width of the wall and divide it in half. Mark the spot with a short vertical line (in pencil).
Step 2:
Measure up. Pictures should hang at eye level, so unless you come from an unusually tall or short family, that means the center of the work should sit about 57 inches above the floor. Mark that height (along your vertical line) with a horizontal line to form a “t.”
Step 3:
Hold the center of your picture over that spot, and make a second horizontal line at the point where the top of your frame hits the wall.
Step 4:
Flip your picture over to get a good look at its backside. If it has a hook, measure down from the top of the frame to the top of the hook. If it has a wire, pull it taut, and then measure down from the top of the frame to its peak.
Step 5:
On your wall again, measure down (along your vertical center line) from your top-of-the-frame mark to the point where your wire or hook sits. Mark that point with a horizontal line andcircle it. That’s where your nail (or if you have a heavy frame, the bottom of your picture-hanging hook) will go.
Step 6:
Tap on the wall on your magic spot.
Does it make a dull
thud?
If so, lucky you! That means there’s a stud beneath it. (No, not
that
kind. A wooden two-by-four.) Your next step: On your mark, tap in a nail at a 45-degree angle.
Does the wall sound hollow? Then, not-quite-as-lucky you! You’ll need either a picture-hanging hook based on the weight of your piece (the heavier your painting, the bigger the hook) or a hollow wall anchor and a screw. (If you don’t use either, your picture will most certainly fall.) To use the hook, align the bottom of the “J” with your mark and tap in the nail. To use an anchor, predrill a hole, tap or screw in the anchor, and drive in the screw, leaving just enough room to hang the picture.
Step 7:
Hang your picture, level it off, and marvel at your handiwork. Now, walk past the picture and see if
Step 4:
Now that you have all of your crazy blocks finished, it’s time to sew them together. Select two squares you’d like to live next to each other and match them right side to right side. A quarter of an inch from the edge, sew them up with a double-threaded needle. Repeat, until all of your squares are connected. For a 12-patch baby quilt, make three rows of four. For a twin, make five rows of eight. For a full or queen, make eight rows of nine.
Step 5:
Wash and iron the backing fabric, and lay it flat, right side down. For a warmer, winter quilt, add a layer of batting (or even an old cotton blanket) on top. Lay your finished quilt on top, right side up.
Step 6:
Line up each side, fold the top and bottom layers inward by ¼ inch, then pin and sew together with a double-threaded needle.
Step 7:
Tie off your quilt. To connect the front and back pieces, double thread a needle with heavy-duty crocheting thread (no knot). On the corner (or in the center) of every patch, dip your needle through the front of the quilt and out the back, leaving a 2-inch tail in the front. Move your needle over ¼ inch and push it through the back and out the front. Repeat three or four times, snip your thread, and double-knot the ends together on the front of your quilt. Woo-hoo! All done! Now, pull it over your bed and take a long nap!
More Nifty Tips
To get extra fancy, sew a button on top of each tie, or pull a ribbon through.
To learn more embroidery stitches, and find retro-cool patterns, visit SublimeStitching.com .
Remember that there is no one way to make a crazy quilt. In fact, it’s the “imperfections” that make crazy quilts truly original.
Nail It
“When decorating your house, do what’s comfortable. Do what you like. If you love pictures, use ’em. If you don’t, don’t. Just do what feels good!”
—R UTH R OWEN
H OW TO H ANG A P ICTURE
Step 1:
Find the perfect spot. If you want to hang it in the dead center of the wall, measure the width of the wall and divide it in half. Mark the spot with a short vertical line (in pencil).
Step 2:
Measure up. Pictures should hang at eye level, so unless you come from an unusually tall or short family, that means the center of the work should sit about 57 inches above the floor. Mark that height (along your vertical line) with a horizontal line to form a “t.”
Step 3:
Hold the center of your picture over that spot, and make a second horizontal line at the point where the top of your frame hits the wall.
Step 4:
Flip your picture over to get a good look at its backside. If it has a hook, measure down from the top of the frame to the top of the hook. If it has a wire, pull it taut, and then measure down from the top of the frame to its peak.
Step 5:
On your wall again, measure down (along your vertical center line) from your top-of-the-frame mark to the point where your wire or hook sits. Mark that point with a horizontal line andcircle it. That’s where your nail (or if you have a heavy frame, the bottom of your picture-hanging hook) will go.
Step 6:
Tap on the wall on your magic spot.
Does it make a dull
thud?
If so, lucky you! That means there’s a stud beneath it. (No, not
that
kind. A wooden two-by-four.) Your next step: On your mark, tap in a nail at a 45-degree angle.
Does the wall sound hollow? Then, not-quite-as-lucky you! You’ll need either a picture-hanging hook based on the weight of your piece (the heavier your painting, the bigger the hook) or a hollow wall anchor and a screw. (If you don’t use either, your picture will most certainly fall.) To use the hook, align the bottom of the “J” with your mark and tap in the nail. To use an anchor, predrill a hole, tap or screw in the anchor, and drive in the screw, leaving just enough room to hang the picture.
Step 7:
Hang your picture, level it off, and marvel at your handiwork. Now, walk past the picture and see if
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