Odd Fellow's Chain Mini Quilt Finish & GiveAway

My latest finish is a mini!  I'm into mini quilts lately.... I've got a new sewing studio to decorate and, of course, that calls for me to make a bunch of new ones, right?  This mini is the first one completed that I plan to hang in my new space.

I was cross-stitching this same block, for Little Miss Shabby's Quilty Stitches project, and fell in love with it.  How had I not made this quilt block before?  It's called Odd Fellow's Chain.
First, I decided that instead of leaving the center square of the smallest star plain, I wanted a fussy cut.  I found part of Sarah Jane's Children at Play panel that my mom had given me and thought the yellow and oranges of the little bicycle boy went perfectly with the Crosshatch Floral prints from Yuwa of Japan.
Then I decided I would try my hand at free motion quilting some embellished details on the fussy cut square.  I added two little swoops of bunting in the colors shown on the print.  I still think I need some practice... this always looks adorable when I see others' work.  It was fun to try something new.
Part way through piecing this block, I realized why I hadn't sewn one before.  To piece the sections with the blue star, I had to sew 3 different sets of triangles.  Usually I can do ok with 1 or 2 sets.  But piecing with that many sets, something is bound to end up a little off for me.  I was able to square up the block with a little help from some Instagram friends urging me to pull the block into shape with a little pressing and starching.  I got it - although it's not perfect.... :)
I can't wait to hang this little bicycle boy up in my sewing studio.  The Yuwa prints combined with the soft white and yellow solids are very soothing to me.  Makes me long for sunny spring...
Quilt Stats.
Name: Odd Fellow's Chain Mini (I know, so original)
Size: 22 1/2" x 22 1/2"
Design: by AnneMarie Chany
Fabric:  Crosshatch Floral by Yuwa of Japan in yellow, orange, and blue; White solid from a curtain lining, Kona Maize, binding unknown 30s print from my stash
Piecing:  Me
Quilting: Me
Would you love to sew with these gorgeous prints yourself?  Becca of Sew Me A Song is giving away this fat quarter bundle of the Crosshatch Floral prints from Yuwa.  Look - there's even a grey print too!
There are also some lovely coordinating stripes.

Enter the giveaway below for your chance to win this yummy bundle.  This giveaway is now closed.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclosure:  Yuwa prints for my mini were provided by Sew Me A Song.

Needle Sorting Pincushion Tutorial

During my research on sewing machine needles, I realized that when I did change my needle, I had been putting my slightly used needles back into the little case it came from along with the new needles. I had no way of discerning which needles were truly new and which I had used before.  I decided a pretty new pincushion was in order to help me keep the used needles separate from the brand spanking new ones.

The colors I've chosen for the corners on this pincushion correspond with the color markings on my Schmetz needles (i.e. quilting needles are marked with a green dot, sharps marked by a purple dot).  I suggest looking to see what colors denote the needle types for the ones you buy to make sorting them easy!

Materials.
  • 4 assorted scraps in blue, green, orange and purple.  Scraps should be large enough to fit in a small embroidery hoop
  • (1) 4" x 4" square white print for the center
  • (1) 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" for scrap for back
  • black embroidery floss (DMC 310)
  • polyester fiberfill
  • print out of templates

Instructions.
1. Begin by giving all your scraps a good press.  Mine always need extra pressing duty from being crumpled in the scrap bin.  Then print out the templates provided.  Cut out the triangle template and trace it's shape on each the (4) assorted color scraps.  Place the template in the middle of your scrap to be sure that you can place an embroidery hoop around the triangle to embroider the wording before cutting.  

I have provided a template for the white 4" x 4" square also just in case you'd like to fussy cut your center square.  :)  I did!  I used a Frixion pen to trace the shapes.


2.  Write the names of the needles you want to sort in the middle of the triangle.  If you are not too fond of your own handwriting, you could always print out the words in a pretty font and trace those on the fabric.  I am using "denim", "sharps", "topstitch", "quilting", and "universal".  It is up to you to choose which needles you use most.  I am color coordinating the colored dot on the needle to the scrap triangle color.  Denim needles have a blue dot marking them, so I am embroidering "denim" on the blue scrap.  

3.  Embroider the needle type name on each of the five fabrics (4 corner scraps and 1 white center square).  I used a simple back stitch to embroider.
4.  Cut out the triangle shapes with your rotary cutter.  Do this before you press if you've used a Frixion pen or other ink that will disappear with heat!

5.  Press triangles on the back side after cutting each shape.


6.  Now we can layout the on-point square quilt block for the pincushion top.

7.  Take two of the opposing triangles and lay them on top of the center square, right sides together.  Using the templates (i.e. the dogears are removed) allows you to center the triangle on the square easily. Stitch using a ¼” seam. Press toward the triangles.

8.  Repeat step 7 using the remaining two triangles.

9.  Press your block and take this opportunity to square up your block if need be.  Nevermind that I took this shot before squaring up my block!  Sorry!

10.  Lay the pincushion front on top of the back fabric, right sides together, aligning all four edges.  Pin in place if necessary.

11.  Stitch around all 4 sides, leaving a small opening for turning right side out and stuffing.  Clip all 4 corners to reduce bulk in that area.

12.  Turn the pincushion right sides out through the small opening.  Give it a good press.

13.  Stuff and puff the cushion! (to your desired fullness of course)  Then hand sew the opening closed.

And there you have it!  I hope this helps you sort out and store your slightly used needles.  You can use a special pin as a marker to indicate which needle is currently in your machine.

Choosing Sewing Machine Needles: Trying to Understand Needle Type and Size


We all know the recommendations about sewing machine needles.

  • Change the needle at the beginning of every project or after 8 hours of sewing
  • Use a needle/needle size appropriate for your fabric and thread types
But how many of you have branched beyond the Universal?  Most of the time, when I've come across an article on needles, it goes in one ear and out the other.

Charlie Brown's mom style:  blah, blah, blah...


Until one day, you actually need this information.

And for me, that day came this past month.  I was having trouble with puckering that I'd never experienced before.  I'll admit it - I've sewn for years.... years.... and never really swayed from plowing through everything with a Universal.  Well, except for those "special" projects like hemming jeans with a denim needle.  

Frustrated and hungry to solve the problem, I got out my Nancy Drew magnifying glass and started a little research....


Get the point.  The point of the needle varies from a rounded ball to a sharp point.  More rounded needles are used for knits.  Sharp needles are specifically designed for woven fabrics.

Universal needles fall somewhere in the middle of the ball and sharps.  They are often good enough to do the job and work with both knits and woven fabrics - why they are named universal.  Their slight rounded point makes them best for casual sewists who vary the types of fabrics they sew.

But if you are primarily a quilter, best use a needle up to the task.  For piecing with quilting cottons or other high thread count fabrics it is recommended to use sharp (also called microtex) needles.  (from Better Homes and Gardens: Complete Guide to Quilting, 2002)

Quilting needles.  These needles have a tapered shape designed to stitch through may layers and across intersecting seams. Schmetz recommends using their quilting needles for both piecing and quilting.  The finer 75 size is specified for piecing with 50 wt. threads and the 90 size is for quilting with 40 wt threads.

Needle Type should be selected based on the type of fabric (knit, voile, linen, cotton, denim, leather) you are sewing with unless you are adding special embellishments.  Check your users' manual on your sewing machine for needle type/needle size suggestions based on your machine. Schmetz has a good resource on their site to understand the details behind it all - Schmetz Needle Primer.  If you are adding special embellishments to a piece, there are also special needle types to accommodate those specialty threads (i.e. topstitching, metallic, embroidery).

Needle sizing.  Typically defined by two numbers.  The first number is the European size (in millimeters x 100) and the second is the American size.  The lower the number, the finer the needle and the smaller the eye.

Often each needle type is offered in several sizes.
Selecting your needle size should be done in conjunction with the type of thread you plan to use.

For example:

Aurifil recommends using 50 wt thread and mictrotex 80/12 needles.
Gutxrmann recommends using Sew-All thread and Universal 70-90 needles.


Are you confused yet?  I think it can be boiled down to this:

 1.  Select Needle Type based on your fabric and kind of sewing to be done
2.  Select Needle Size based on your thread

You want to select a needle based on your fabric type with the smallest diameter - to produce the smallest hole - that still accommodates your thread thickness.

I am by no means an expert on this - I simply wanted to share my findings as related to quilting in doing my own research.

Here are some other good reads I found on Sewing Machine Needles -
           Sew Mama Sew - Sewing Machine Needles and How to Choose Them
           Sew 4 Home - How to Choose the Right Machine Needle for the Job
           Craftsy - How to Choose Sewing Machine Needles
           Schmetz Needle Primer

What kind of needles do you use for piecing?  For quilting?

Next: A Pincushion tutorial for keeping track of all these slightly used needles.