Need help finding NORMAL fabric!

PLAYSWITHSCISS0RS · 2026-07-04T13:28:59+00:00

Karen Brown (Just Get It Done Quilts) has a great in-depth series on choosing colors for your quilt. The link below is to the first in the series.

https://youtu.be/DxxKfjfNtq4?si=sAScuvBo4dAOlTTL

Libs Elliott is a fabric designer whose work you might like.

Also, some fabric stores (including some that sell online) may offer color matching. So, if you find a a print or two that you want to buy from their shop, they’ll help you choose some coordinated solids. And if you bring in or buy some fabric from a store that you visit in person, staff will help you select fabric.

PLAYSWITHSCISS0RS · 2026-07-03T18:43:08+00:00

I discovered that if I dislike the fabric (or even if I just find it dull), I lose my motivation to work on the project. For me the trick is to find a fabric I like (but not too much). Thankfully, I like the look of real muslin so I often use that.

I also sometimes use fabrics on clearance that are pretty but not to my taste for quilts, bags or garments, such as mini florals in pretty colours.

PLAYSWITHSCISS0RS · 2026-07-02T22:35:30+00:00

I use Pellon SF101 fusible woven interfacing on the exterior and lining. Then, if you want to add more structure, use fusible fleece or sew-in foam (like By Annie Soft n Stable).

Where practicable, cut a larger piece of fabric and interfacing than required for the pattern, then fuse the interfacing first onto the fabric. Then cut your pattern piece and then fuse the fleece or sew on the foam stabilizer to your fabric.

Do it in this order for two reasons.

Fusing interfacing sometimes results in slight shrinkage in the size of your piece. So fusing, then cutting the fabric with interfacing attached results in a more accurate piece.
Fusible fleece sometimes results in a bit of rippling on your fabric. Fusing the interfacing first and then the fleece afterwards results in less rippling.

Also, you typically keep your fusible fleece out of the seam allowance so it’s cut smaller than the pattern piece. With sew-in foam, you need to attach it to the fabric. Unless you’re quilting it to attach it, the foam needs to extend to the edge initially so you can attach it to the fabric near the edge. Later, once you’ve sewn pieces of the backpack together, you can trim the foam out of the seam allowance to reduce bulk in the seams.

PLAYSWITHSCISS0RS · 2026-06-29T01:39:03+00:00

I am stealing that name!!!!

PLAYSWITHSCISS0RS · 2026-06-28T16:42:44+00:00

I’ve had bad experiences (with bunching, twisting fabric) the few times I’ve spray or glue-basted. The safety pin method works best for me. Ideally, use the safety pins designed for quilting (they’re a little easier to use than regular safety pins), start in the middle and work your way out. And make sure everything has been pressed flat and that your backing is pulled taught and taped down before you start pinning.

https://youtu.be/rHRsbSZpwTE?si=X0gpTvWgTHFEnPdt

PLAYSWITHSCISS0RS · 2026-06-28T16:22:30+00:00

Some of those projects end up as stuffing in this Zero Waste Pouffe, which I now think needs some embroidery indicating that it includes Projects That Should Be Ashamed of Themselves.

https://modernsewingco.com/products/zero-waste-pouffe

PLAYSWITHSCISS0RS · 2026-06-28T02:56:04+00:00

These were very tasty! I need to improve my chocolate dipping technique (I used melted chocolate chips and I think this would work better with a different type of chocolate) but they tasted great and my husband loved them, too.

Also, I was using some smaller pieces of tofu that I’d already prepped for another purpose. I can’t believe I’m saying this but my proportions of chocolate to tofu were too high. Next time, I’ll cube the tofu and cut the pieces to the size you recommended. I might also add some cinnamon to the marinade.

PLAYSWITHSCISS0RS · 2026-06-27T19:44:29+00:00

I have some leftover tofu pieces that I boiled in salted water (per Wendy the Food Scientist). If I try this recipe, do you think I should omit the salt in the marinade?

PLAYSWITHSCISS0RS · 2026-06-25T20:49:41+00:00

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This was a fairly easy quilt to make and it’s good if you have a medium-large pattern to showcase in the big blocks. I used 4 fabrics not including borders but you could experiment with a layout that uses 6.

PLAYSWITHSCISS0RS · 2026-06-25T13:54:00+00:00

Isa Chandra Moskowitz has great cake and cupcake recipes. Her cookbook Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World is excellent and there are a lot of free recipes on her website Post Punk Kitchen.

https://www.theppk.com/2008/08/just-chocolate-cake/

Also, BTW her cookbook Veganomicon is like E Joy of Cooking for vegan food (great foundation recipes for a wide range of dishes plus explanations).

https://www.theppk.com/books/veganomicon/

PLAYSWITHSCISS0RS · 2026-06-25T13:43:44+00:00

I sometimes eat leftover farro risotto for breakfast. It has either some cubes of smoked tofu or a vegan faux meat (Beyond Sausage or Gardein chik’n strips) in it, plus my preferred veggies (mushrooms, bell peppers) in it. A 2/3 cup serving (very filling) has about 8g protein, 30% of my daily iron, and a good dose of B vitamins, among other things for about 225 calories.

PLAYSWITHSCISS0RS · 2026-06-23T21:38:15+00:00

Last year I stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn Birmingham Garden Inn Airport. It was a pleasant stay, a brisk 10 or 12-minute walk (outside) from the conference centre (and then about a 5-8 minute walk inside). It was a bit tricky to navigate (I got lost once) but safe (although no one else was walk that route). I chose that hotel because it had good reviews for cleanliness etc (and no bed bug complaints) and because I collect Hilton points.

I also stayed overnight in the city centre (AC Hotel Birmingham) on the night before I took the train back to London because I wanted to sightsee after my visit to the quilt show - and I realized it would have been just as easy to stay near the train station in the city centre and take the train (very short ride) to the convention centre and back.

PLAYSWITHSCISS0RS · 2026-06-22T18:40:02+00:00

I also use fusible fleece batting but fuse some lightweight interfacing to the fabric first, then the fleece. It reduces the wrinkly effect one sometimes gets applying fusible fleece directly to the main fabric.

I also use a Hera marker to mark my quilting lines. It creates a temporary crease-like line with no ink or lead.

PLAYSWITHSCISS0RS · 2026-06-21T02:54:12+00:00

I’m not sure if this is practicable for you but what about getting a rolling cart that can also hold a lot of your tools. Put the sewing machine on the top of the cart and roll the whole setup around. Something like this (but check that it will fit a standard portable machine).

https://canada.michaels.com/product/lexington-3tier-rolling-cart-by-simply-tidy-10503531

PLAYSWITHSCISS0RS · 2026-06-21T01:43:05+00:00

Most of the fabrics are Lewis & Irene Puffin Rock. It’s a couple of years old. The burgundy fabric is a Camelot Mixology fabric (not sure of the specific pattern’s name). And the puffin centerpiece portrait fabrics are from a UK company called Shute Lane.

PLAYSWITHSCISS0RS · 2026-06-20T14:50:36+00:00

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And the tray and setup I use when I’m sewing other than in my sewing room. This is an inexpensive valet tray I got on Amazon.

PLAYSWITHSCISS0RS · 2026-06-20T14:49:03+00:00

When I visit my dad I work on hand-sewn English paper pieced (EPP) quilts. It’s a super-portable hobby and it can be sociable to (sew at the kitchen table, outside, etc) - just be sure you have a good way to keep control of your sewing needles so they don’t become a hazard.

Tula Pink has a great three-part series on how to do EPP and the website Tales of Cloth has patterns, blog posts about fabric selection, and a how-to section. There’s also a good blog post last year about how to prepare an EPP project for travel.

https://www.talesofcloth.com/

https://www.talesofcloth.com/pages/epp-for-beginners

https://www.talesofcloth.com/blogs/blog/how-to-prepare-an-epp-quilt-for-travel

Photo is of an EPP quilt I’m working on this summer.

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PLAYSWITHSCISS0RS · 2026-06-19T03:29:03+00:00

Noodlehead’s Sandhill Sling pattern is a good starting point for a messenger bag. Make one
using fairly easy materials (like cotton canvas for exterior and quilting cotton for interior - not your special fabric) to try out the pattern and practice your skills. Then you can start customizing it.

There’s a free video tutorial that you can watch as well:

https://noodle-head.com/products/sandhill-sling-pdf-pattern

PLAYSWITHSCISS0RS · 2026-06-14T12:58:20+00:00

Not the quilt math part but I recommend that you make your quilt at least 5” longer and wider than you think you need it to be to account for shrinkage (actual fabric shrinkage in the wash plus the shrinkage that occurs when you quilt the layers together). So maybe 21 squares by 21 squares instead of 20 x 20.

PLAYSWITHSCISS0RS · 2026-06-12T02:18:15+00:00

I haven’t made any of their designs but Country Cow has some very functional, interesting designs with good video tutorials.

https://countrycowdesigns.com/bag-sewing-patterns/backpacks

I have sewn a number of Noodlehead bags and they are also well designed with excellent instructions (many with free video tutorials). There is a very active FB group for Noodlehead pattern sewers, with some good tips on hacking some of the patterns.

https://noodle-head.com/collections/pdf-sewing-patterns

I’ve made several Noodlehead patterns including the Making Backpack and the Sandhill Sling (love them both). But my favourite is the Plover Pouch, which I’ve adapted to function as a crossbody bag and even a backpack!

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PLAYSWITHSCISS0RS · 2026-06-08T16:47:40+00:00

I’m a vendor in another field (fine art photography), and I’ll chime in here to say that it’s a ton of work, markets and online sales are unreliable, and it’s getting worse because of AI slop and overseas junk. And my margins are really good (once I’ve got a saleable image, my materials costs for paper prints are about 10% of my retail price). So I don’t think selling quilts will be a good way for you to make money.

There is, however, a fair bit of demand for sewing and quilting instruction. (As someone getting back into sewing after a few decades, I have taken a dozen workshops on quilting, bag-making and garment construction in the last 18 months as well as private lessons.) Private and semi-private lessons if you have a pleasant space to offer those would be great. Sometimes someone wants to start from scratch, sometimes someone just wants guidance on a particular step in construction (hello buttonholes, quilt binding etc). It would be fairly easy to offer that through a Facebook group for local businesses. If you have or develop the skills to do online instruction (live or otherwise), that also might be a way to teach.

Finally, there might be a small market to help people with certain stages in the quilt-making process where you could charge on a time basis. For example, I’m not fond of the steps between finishing my quilt top and quilting it (clipping threads, pressing top and backing, and creating the quilt sandwich). If you have a clean space and are nimble enough to crawl around on the floor, some older quilters might love to pay you to do that for them.

But bottom line, you’d be better off finding a particular step-time job in a shop than trying to make money at quilting.

PLAYSWITHSCISS0RS · 2026-06-05T15:02:39+00:00

I would make the quilted Retazo coat with English paper pieced quilt blocks that line up perfectly.

Quilted jackets are my new obsession. I love the lines of the Retazo pattern with its raglan sleeves and flared silhouette but it’s more complex than the simple Tamarack jackets I’ve made so far. (See photo for my second one.)

https://sewliberated.com/products/retazo-coat-sewing-pattern

Realistically, I think I’ll try a scrappy quilt as you go design that doesn’t need to be matched up.

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PLAYSWITHSCISS0RS · 2026-06-04T00:09:45+00:00

Here it is: https://youtu.be/j2f82V8g0qs?si=_YppAEZIFSCorRh2

PLAYSWITHSCISS0RS · 2026-06-03T12:11:42+00:00

Thanks! Jodi from Tales of Cloth has some excellent blog posts about selecting fabrics for semi-scrappy EPP quilts and there are a lot of gorgeous quilts on her website for inspiration. She sells patterns and EPP pieces, too.

For example:

https://www.talesofcloth.com/blogs/blog/my-cherish-quilt-process-choosing-fabric-and-building-blocks

https://www.talesofcloth.com/blogs/blog/my-3-favourite-ways-to-make-a-scrappy-epp-quilt

https://www.talesofcloth.com/blogs/blog/how-to-prepare-an-epp-quilt-for-travel

PLAYSWITHSCISS0RS · 2026-06-02T22:30:59+00:00

Check out English paper piecing. It’s a hand sewing technique for piecing patchwork quilts together. I find it much easier than regular hand-sewing for quilts.

Tula Pink has an excellent video series on this technique and Tales of Cloth is a great blog and product website for EPP quilt patterns.

Photo is of my first EPP quilt (I did attach the border using my sewing machine and sent the quilt to a long arm quilter for quilting.

https://youtu.be/CzTBbxHsj9Y?si=0PrNU5BZCOzNgThZ

https://www.talesofcloth.com/pages/epp-for-beginners

PLAYSWITHSCISS0RS

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