Applique Quilting
applique quilting Font Designs Make Letter Applique Quilts Fun and Personal! Letter applique quilt patterns can be as intricate or as easy as you'd like! There are thousands of fonts available fre...
applique quilting
Font Designs Make Letter Applique Quilts Fun and Personal!Letter applique quilt patterns can be as intricate or as easy as you'd like! There are thousands of fonts available free of charge on the Internet. Starting your letter appliqu?uilt pattern search on a free font website is a good idea. Most font websites have their styles broken down into categories, which will make your search for your letter appliqu?uch easier. Are you making a quilt for your granddaughter? Look in the "curly" or "cute" category. Looking for a boy-themed font? Be sure to check out the "old school" or "athletic" fonts. There are also western fonts that would be great for a cowboy or cowgirl themed quilt, movie fonts that would allow you to replicate a favorite movie theme, etc. Once you find the font you'd like to use for your letter appliqu?uilt pattern, download it according to your computer's instructions. If you've never downloaded a font, most computers have instructions on how to do so. It's usually as simple as clicking on the "download now" button on the font website. A popup window will ask if you want to "open" or "save" -- choose open. Once you've opened the font file, select "extract all files." The next popup window will ask you where to save the file. You'll need to put it in your font folder in order to access the font later. That's all there is to it. Once you've downloaded your font, you can get back to your letter appliqu?uilt pattern. Using whatever program you generally use on your computer, type the letter you want to use for your appliqu?uilt. Select the letter by highlighting it and change the font to your downloaded choice. Alter the size to fit your needs for the letter appliqu?uilt pattern and print out the letter. That's your pattern. Iron on a fusible webbing to the back of your selected fabric. Use your print out to cut the letter from the fabric. Now the letter can be iron onto your quilt top. There are a number of wonderful products on the market to help control fabric fraying. Check with your favorite craft or fabric shop and pick one. Adding an anti-fray product helps to insure a long-lasting professional finish to your letter appliqu?uilt pattern! Once your fray inhibitor has been given sufficient time to dry (usually 15 to 30 minutes), you will be ready to move on to stitching. You may hand stitch, using a blanket stitch to complete your letter appliqu?uilt pattern. With a sewing machine, you made decide to either zig-zag or run a satin stitch around the border of your letter appliqu?uilt pattern. Other options exist for machine embroiderers who digitize. Upon sizing the letter to use for the appliqu?highlight the letter and choose to add an outline around it. A four to eight point outline generally works best. While the letter is highlighted, change the inside color to "none." This will leave only an outline of the letter. Complete the digitizing process and the embroidery machine will do most of the work. Machine embroiderers won't need to use fusible webbing or cut the letter out of their selected fabric. Instead, they'll simply lay their fabric on top and the embroidery machine will stitch an outline that will attach the fabric to the quilt. When they remove the fabric from the machine (but not from the embroidery hoop!), thim away excess fabric, then add a fray prevention product. Leave it to the embroidery machine to complete the applique with the stitching the machine embroiderer selected during digitizing. Whether you create your letter quilt by hand, sewing machine or embroidery machine, letter appliqu?uilt patterns are one of the best ways to give a unique, personal gift. Don't forget to observe copyright laws when using free fonts. Some font authors don't mind and others will allow you do to sell products featuring their fonts if you contact them to ask permission. About the Author Penny Halgren http://www.TheQuiltingCoach.com Penny, a quilter for more than 26 years, enjoys exploring all aspects of quilting sharing her knowledge with all quilters. |
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Create a Casual Look With Free Denim Quilt Patterns
Maybe you just have a lot of denim fabric lying around. Or, maybe you're recycling old jeans and are looking for a quilt project. If you use your favorite search engine for free denim quilt patterns, you will likely uncover reference to a rag quilt.
Rag quilts are sewn with the seams on the top of the quilt. Snipping the quilt seams, then washing and drying the quilt give the desired ragging appearance. Most people consider it a "shabby chic" style. Rag quilts are very popular and denim's natural fray would be an added accent to your denim rag quilt.
If you are looking for free denim quilt patterns, there's good news. You can use any quilt pattern to create your denim quilt.
While you will find many free quilt patterns online or at your local library, there are few quilts designed specifically for denim. Denim is a fabric like any other. So, you may use it in any quilt you feel like trying!
If you plan to use denim in your quilt patterns, there are a couple of things you will need to keep in mind.
First, will your quilt be all denim or just feature a piece throughout the pattern?
Second, will you be using light or dark colored denim? Denim fabric comes in more colors, not just light and dark. There's stonewashed denim for an extra worn look, and even colored denims.
You will need to consider the weight and colors of your denims as you create your denim quilt. Patterns may not have instructions for denim use so you will have to rely on your judgement.
If you are making a quilt using only denim fabrices, you will need to be certain that the denims are of the same weight range. Interspersing a heavy weight denim with a light weight one without putting some planning into it, could leave you with an awkward quilt. You wouldn't want too many heavy denim quilt pieces on one side or the quilt's final weight would be awkward.
Likewise, if you are planning to use denim as an accent fabric in your quilt, keep the weight of the other fabrics in mind, too. Nothing can ruin a quilt faster than mismatched fabric weights.
As important as the weight of your denim pieces, the color of your denim fabric is also important. For instance, if you are appliqu?g an "Overall Sam" onto a quilt that uses mostly cotton fabrics that portray an old, worn look, crisp dark denim overalls would look out of place. Weight of the denim in the same example would also be an important consideration.
If you are recycling your old jeans for your quilting project, maybe there are extra ways you can be creative. Depending on the quilt you are creating, maybe you could cut away the back pocket of your jeans to appliqu?nto your new quilt. If you happen to be making a throw, the pocket could become a handy remote control storage stitched right onto the throw! Maybe you could even recycle the belt loops. Sew them around the top and bottom border of your denim quilt and run a ribbon "belt" through them as an added decorative touch.
Applique quilts are a great way to use old jeans. Your old comfy jeans will transfer nicely to create a brand new comfy quilt for yourself or someone else. Have fun with your denim quilt project, whether you are starting with brand new pieces of denim fabric or simply finding a way to use your old jeans!
About the Author
Penny Halgren
http://www.TheQuiltingCoach.com
Penny has been a quilter for more than 27 years and enjoys exploring all aspects of quilting sharing her knowledge with all quilters. If you are looking for an Internet quilting club with a wide variety of resources for all level quilters, check out http://www.TheQuiltingCoach.com .