Ask Penny Halgren

Category » Quilting Products

There were 40 articles found in this category:

1. All-in-One Ruler for Quilting
   Most quilters who cut their fabric with a rotary cutter have rulers that they love - well, rulers they use a lot, anyway. Which ruler I reach for depends on what I'm cutting. For example, if I'm cutting 2 1/2" wide strips, I usually reach for my ruler that is 18" long and 3" wide. If I'm cuttin ...
2. Making a Clamshell Template
   Once you have decided to make a clamshell quilt, unless you already have a pattern, it's time to make a template. It looks more complicated that it really is, and once you have your clamshell, you can easily make the subdivisions. You need something that will create at least a quarter circle ...
3. What should I know about bamboo batting?
   They Thought I was Nuts When I Told Them I Found a Beautiful Jelly Roll at the Quilt Shop But Their Eyes Sparkled When They Saw the Delicious Heirloom Quilt I Created from Those Easy-to-Use Pre-cut Strips of Fabric! Who would have believed that wandering around a quilt shop these days ...
4. What tools do I need for quilting?
   Now You Can Figure Out How Much Fabric You Need for Any Quilt! Using this convenient little tool, you will never again need to be some kind of math whiz or guess how much fabric to buy, how many strips to cut, how wide to cut your strips or how much your fabric will cost. Click here to lea ...
5. Can I use thrift store fabrics in my scrap quilts?
   With a Quilt as You Go Project, you can sew one block at a time using scraps. Once the blocks are done, arrange them and sew them together - quick as a wink! Whether you are using scraps or new fabric, the Quilt as You Go technique makes your quilting easier and more portable. Read more ...
6. What do I need to know about quilting thread?
   The Machine Quilting Adventure The thread you use can make a big difference in your machine quilting. Learn the right types of thread to use from a machine quilting expert. Click here to learn more Quilters are artists. Their canvas is fabric, and their paint is thread. But that i ...
7. What does fabric "grain" mean?
   Learn How to Sew Triangles Become a triangle master with this DVD! Learn more - - - In mere minutes, watch the 6 Different Ways to Sew Half-Square Triangles togeth ...
8. Is There a Right Side and a Wrong Side to Fabric?
   How to Bind a Quilt Learn 6 different ways to bind your quilts with perfection – you'll have smooth and square mitered corners and even edges all the way around your quilt. www.HowToBindAQuilt.com When I was a beginner quilter, I didn't pay much attention to the type of fabric I ...
9. How to Buy Cotton Quilting Fabric – Part II
   From Cutting to Machine Quilting and Binding . . . Transform Your Fat Quarter Fabric Pieces into a Beautiful Quilt – with ease! Get the inside track on choosing fabrics, exploring time-saving techniques, and discovering quilting designs unique to fat quarter qu ...
10. How to Buy Cotton Quilting Fabric
    How to Bind a Quilt Learn 6 different ways to bind your quilts with perfection – you'll have smooth and square mitered corners and even edges all the way around your quilt. www.HowToBindAQuilt.com Buying quilting fabric seems like it should be pretty simple. And, frankly, when ...
11. What is thread count?
    The Machine Quilting Adventure Often when you use a fabric with a high thread count, machine quilting is the best way to finish the quilt. Using this resource, you will create beautiful machine quilting designs to highlight the fabric selection in your heirloom quilt. Click here to learn ...
12. Can you mix batik fabric with regular 100% cotton fabric in a quilt?
    Yes, and I do it often. Batik fabric is 100% cotton, although it has a tighter weave (higher thread count) than most other 100% cotton fabrics, making it a little more difficult to hand quilt. Happy Quilting! Penny Halgren www.How-to-Quilt.com
13. Should I pre-wash batting?
    The Machine Quilting Adventure Batting can make a difference in your machine quilting. Discover how to choose batting for your quilt that will show off your machine quilting AND be easy to work with. Click here to learn more It depends on the type of batting. Batting that will not shrin ...
14. What kind of batting should I use for machine quilting?
    The Machine Quilting Adventure Batting can make a difference in your machine quilting. Discover how to choose batting for your quilt that will show off your machine quilting AND be easy to work with. Click here to learn more I would use a low loft batting with some cotton in it. Usin ...
15. How do You Make a Flannel Board?
    With a Quilt as You Go Project, you can even up the blocks by using sashing Add sashing to each block as you attach them to one another, and you will see how your blocks will "square up." Or in an alternative method of Quilt as You Go, when you bring the backing up and finish the quilt top ...
16. Just wonder could you advise me what are the equipment I should buy for a beginner quilter in home use.
    In addition to a sewing machine, I would get a rotary cutter, mat and a ruler or two. The ones I like are a 6 or 6 1/2 inch wide by 24 inch long rotary cutting ruler, a 3 or 3 1/2 inch wide by 18 inch ruler, and a 12 inch square ruler.Cutting Fabric for Quilt Blocks Cutting your fabric is much ...
17. What is the difference between a free mmotion quilting foot and a walking foot?
    A free motion foot is usually a darning foot that allows you to move the quilt in all directions as you sew. A walking foot allows the quilt to be fed evenly under the sewing machine needle in a straight line. When you want to change direction, you would stop the machine and then turn the quilt. ...
18. What do you use to mark your quilt for quilting?
    Now You Can Travel and Not Give Up Any Quilting Time Have you ever taken a long car trip, gone on a cruise, or had a bunch of appointments and wished that you had a portable quilting project? Now you can learn how to make a quilt one block at a time while you are traveling, waiting, or ...
19. How can I use silk fabric in a quilt?
    How to Bind a Quilt Learn 6 different ways to bind your quilts with perfection – you'll have smooth and square mitered corners and even edges all the way around your quilt. www.HowToBindAQuilt.com Silk Fabric for Quilts Silk quilts are relatively unusual although not tota ...
20. What rotary cutting tools do I really need for my quilting?
    This fantastic ruler set will make creating star quilts easier than you can imagine. Any size diamond or triangle you want is right at your fingertips, without cutting out paper, gluing it to plastic, and then worrying about cutting your flimsy plastic template and ending up with the ...