Quilt Along Part 4: Preparing and Cutting Fabric

This post has been edited on January 8, 2009.

Now that we have our fabric picked out, it's time to get it ready for sewing!

 

There are arguments for and against prewashing fabric.  I used to be very vigilant about prewashing all of my fabric, but have become more lax during the past year as I've noticed almost no difference between quilts that I made with prewashed fabric and quilts that I made with fabric right off the bolt. 

I think that one of the reasons I haven't had problems is that I use high-quality materials.  If you choose not to prewash, think of it as a calculated risk.  You're saving time and resources, but you're also taking a chance that a fabric in your finished quilt might run or shrink oddly.  Again, I think this risk is mitigated somewhat by sticking with high-quality materials, but there is still some risk.

Keep in mind that prewashing your fabric has practically nothing to do with achieving "the crinkly look" in your finished quilt.  The crinkles that you see after taking a newly washed quilt from the dryer are caused by natural fiber batting, not whether or not you prewashed the fabric.

If you do want to prewash, here are some things to consider:

• Use cool water and a gentle cycle.  I also use a mild fragrance-free detergent.  (I'm not sure that there's anything wrong with using other detergents.  I just use the same thing I would use to wash my clothes.)

• If you're concerned about fraying, you can cut the raw edges of your fabric first with pinking shears.

• If you open your washer to find a mangled mess of fabric, take the time to separate each piece and trim excessive fraying before you put the fabric in the dryer.

• Use a low heat setting on your dryer and don't overdry.  In fact, if you can remove fabric from the dryer when it's still slightly damp, it will be much easier to press.  

 

Before you start cutting your fabric, I encourage you to make a set of organizer cards like these.  Use 8.5" x 11" cardstock or scrap cardboard so the cards will be sturdy enough to hold your fabric.  You can see in the photo at the top of the post how the cards can be used and stacked.

(You'll be making one card for each of your fabric pairs, one through six.  From each fabric pair, you'll be making six blocks, A through F.  In the end, each block will have a "code name," 1A, 2C, etc.)

 

Because of the multiple layouts with quarter yard, fat quarter, scrappy blocks, etc., I made a pdf of the cutting directions.  (I've included the fabric requirements too, in case anyone wants them for future reference.)

Download Fabric Requirements & Cutting Directions

And here is an alternate cutting layout to use if your fat quarters have shrunken a great deal.  This should work for pieces as small as 17" x 20".

Download Alternate Cutting Directions

Please be sure that you're opening these files in a pdf viewer.  If you try to open it in another kind of program, it will not work!

Since so many beginners are participating, I thought I would include some rotary cutter basics. . .

The first thing I always do when cutting is to create a nice straight edge.  You can see in the photo about how frayed edges from prewashing are being trimmed away.  Make sure your straight edge is cut along the grain of the fabric.

 

Line your ruler up with the straight edge and hold it firmly in place.  (Note:  I am right-handed.  I you're left-handed, your cutting setup should look like a mirror image of mine.)  I find it easier to hold my ruler firmly in place when I'm standing and don't recommend rotary cutting while sitting down.

 

Once your ruler is firmly in place (and your sleeves have mysteriously disappeared) use your rotary cutter to cut along the edge of the ruler.

 

You should only cut along one side of the ruler.  If you're right handed, you should cut along the right side, as shown in the photo above.  If you're left handed, you'll cut along the left side. 

Notice how I have my index finger on top of the cutter.  This is both to keep it clear of the blade and to apply even pressure as I'm cutting.  As with any cutting tool, always cut away from yourself.

I find it's most helpful to have my rotary cutting mat set up on a table that I can walk all the way around.  If I can approach the fabric I'm cutting from several angles, it minimizes the number of times I need to move it, which makes for more accurate cutting.

It's also important to change (or, if you can, sharpen) your rotary cutter blade regularly.  If your blade is dull and full of nicks, it won't cut evenly and can cause ugly little pulls in your fabric in the places where the blade didn't cut all the way through.

 

Here's a sneak peek at my fabric all cut and on the organizers mats.  I'm using, starting at top left, Alexander Henry's Noguchi and Yuki, Kaufman's Kitschy Kitchen, and Alexander Henry Garbo, Vertigo and Ava.  The solids are mostly Kaufman Carolina Chambrays with a couple of other apparel solids thrown in.

 

And here are the cut pieces for my scrappy quilt, which pairs vintage sheets with monochrome quilting prints. 

I'm going to do another comments roundup post tomorrow but, in the meantime, I wanted to tell all the people who have been asking whether it's "too late" to join in that there is absolutely no reason why they can't join now.  These posts are going to be here for a long time so please don't feel like you have to be sewing at exactly the same rate as me!

Posts about sewing the blocks will start on Wednesday.

Comments

[Priscilla]

I just opened it and it worked perfectly :o)
That last photo of the blocks has me itching for your Wednesday post!! I can't wait.

[dalia]

Thanks so much for this sew-along! This is going to be my first quilt, and your instructions have been absolutely superb. I just downloaded the pdf file you wrote, and I can't wait to get started:)

[anne]

Thank you for sharing your quiltalong with the blogging world. Just a question are the vintage sheets cotton or a blend? Happy stitching will check back later in the week for the next stage. Thanks again for sharing.

[Shelly]

No problem opening the pdf!
Fascinating to see your approach to this....you must be a teacher!
Applauding your efforts!!

[Emily]

I love the fabrics you chose. Turquoise, black, and white look great together.

[Kat]

I am so excited to see that you're using the AH Yuki print! I featured it on my blog a few weeks ago for one of my Fabric Friday posts. I just love it, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it works in your quilt!

[Amy]

Wow. Yet again, thank you for such a tremendous amount of work. I never plan in this fashion. It should be a real learning experience for me to see how it feels to be so organized. I wonder how the final product will differ from my much less organized fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants-style. Gotta go start cutting!

[Alyssa]

Thanks again for putting so much work into this! I hope you don't mind a question from a pattern newbie but could you explain the card organization a little more? I'm not quite following the system... does each card represent one block? You called the blocks ABCDEF but the cards say 1-6...

[beth]

I love this.

Thank you.

[Ellen]

I have a quick question. How do you find the "grain" of the fabric?

[Cynthia]

Okay, I have decided to do this!! I bought my fabric and joined the flickr group and am now very nervous.

But excited also. Thanks so much for doing this!!!!

[Splomo]

This is great. You have a talent for writing instructions, giving helpful information at a manageable level of detail. Dandy-awesome.

[Lorajean]

The fabric's picked out and going in the washer today!

[kristie]

I have a question regarding getting started with a straight edge. I attempted this over the weekend with a project (I am a brand new quilter) and found myself having a very difficult time. Should I be using the pattern as a guide to what is straight? I found myself attempting to line my ruler markings with the selvadge edge...but then in some instances the pattern was no longer straight. I KNOW I am making htis harder than it should be lol!

[Robin]

I'm so impressed with your organization and how well thought out your instructions are. Thanks so much!!! All my fabric is washed. All I need to do is press and then I can start cutting. Woo hoo! :)

[debbie]

I just wanted to say THANK YOU! you have done a fabulous job with all the directions. Now I hope I can keep up with you guys,....... I no, I no, it will stay on your blog for a long time, but I just want to see if I can do it.
Thank You again.
And I can't wait for the patterns that are coming out at the end of April!

[Liz]

I washed my fabric today and had some shrinkage as well :( It was quite odd- Awhile back, I found a fat quarter kit (20 of them) and that's what I'm using, but only half of them had shrinking issues. Weird! Now I know they aren't the best quality fabrics (JoAnns you know? hehe) but I thought the "fancy kit" would've been a bit better. I'm sure I can fudge it though :)

Oh yeah- And thanks so much for all the work! I can't wait to get it all together

[Lorajean]

So I just tried cutting with your instructions on a fat quarter from the dominant color. The first one I started cutting from the short side so I couldn't get all the cuts from it. The second one I started from the correct side. But I couldn't get the last two or three strips cut out. Was my fat quarter just not fat enough? I haven't measured the rest yet. I had to put the project in a time out before I got to frustrated! How big should my fat quarter be to fit all these cuts? Thanks

[Elizabeth]

Liz,
Yes. The fabric they sell at Joann is not very good quality and will shrink in ways that good quality quilting fabric will not. The good news is that the shrunken fabric is probably still big enough. I e-mailed you an alternate cutting layout you can try instead if the standard one isn't working for you.

Lorajean,
The directions do say to start on the 18" (short) end of your fat quarters, which should be 18" x 22" to start. If your quarters are the right size and you start on the correct side, you should actually have about 1 - 2" left over. It sounds like your pieces may be a little smaller than fat quarters.

[Sarah]

Hi Elizabeth! This is AMAZING! You must have put so much time into this, I can't even imagine!

I am wondering if there is any way to know which pieces (#s 1-9) that we cut off correspond with which pieces on the pattern? I made a mock-up of which fabrics I want where and I'm not sure how to tell which fabric I should call which number. Does this make sense?

Thanks!

[Sarah]

Nevermind! I just thought about it and realized that we're cutting the same pieces from each fabric (well, aside from dark/light). I'll figure it out! Thanks!

[jennie_hi]

Hi...I am a newbie and don't have a lot of fabric and am not able to buy any new fabric. So this is going to be very interesting. I love seeing what everyone else is coming up with.

[Sarah S]

Hi Again, I just started cutting away and it looks like my fabric (Amy Butler "Daisy Chain") was not cut properly (or it shrunk a lot!). The result is that I don't have enough length (only 17") to get the correct fabric cuts. Is there anything I can do about this? Thanks!

[Barbara]

I was planning to use some directional prints (heather ross lightening bugs collection) for my dominant fabrics. Is that a bad idea or is it normal to have upside down and/or sideways prints in a quilt? - I'm new at this. Thanks!

[Cheryl]

That is a very bold and fantastic colour combo. Good design for the quilt too - best sampler I've ever seen. What a good beginner quilt!