Episode 503: Spring Clean Your Sewing Space
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Spring Clean Your Sewing Space
We know, we know. Spring is still a month away, but, we wanted to do a fun spring cleaning episode early, because our "31 Days to an Organized Sewing Space" Challenge begins March 1. This challenge runs the entire month of March. Each day during the month, there is a daily challenge -- just one small task a day you can accomplish in your sewing space to help make it more organized and more usable. Elizabeth, the art director of American Patchwork & Quilting, shares some concrete tips for spring cleaning to get you started.
Back to Basics
Joanna, the editor of Quilts & More, shares sewing tips for strip piecing. Strip piecing involves sewing long strips together and then sub-cutting the pieced strip into smaller units. Piecing this way, rather than repeatedly cutting smaller pieces and sewing them together, saves time by minimizing how many seams you have to sew (one longer one versus several smaller ones). It also can save you thread.
Quilting Changes Everything
Alison, the designer of Quilts & More, shares the story of Katherine Gamble, who has been sewing and donating outfits for toddlers since 2016. In her childhood, Katherine was misdiagnosed with severe dyslexia and was bullied. She was reluctant to learn to sew, because she didn't want to be an outcast in the class. But others encouraged her, and she loved it! She started her own non-profit called Too Kute to Sleep In, for which she makes and donates girls' clothing for toddlers who are in economically disadvantaged situations.
Collector's Corner
Jody, the editor of American Patchwork & Quilting, shares the history of potholder quilts. Potholder quilts have individual quilted and bound blocks that are then whipstitched together into a larger quilt. In her research of potholder quilts, author Pamela Weeks found examples that date back to before the Civil War, with almost 3/4 of those being traced to quilters from New England. So there is evidence for this being a regional trend among makers.
UFO Challenge
Lindsay shares tips for making binding easier (whether you need someone else to do it for you, want to bind my machine, or like to bind by hand.) Although it's not the most fun part of the quilting process, finding a preferred method of binding can help you finish your quilts faster and with less fuss.