Quilting Help

Help, I need somebody
Help, not just anybody
Help, you know I need someone
Help!

The Beatles, Help

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Have a favorite technique tutorial? Email your recommended link to admin@fandominstitches.com!

How to Use Fandom In Stitches

• Difficulty Levels - FiS patterns are rated on a scale of 1 - 5. You can find this chart (or similar) on each pattern page. Patterns are rated by their respective designers. 

• beginner

  adv. beginner

  intermediate

  adv. intermediate

  advanced

• When printing pdf patterns, choose "no scaling" for the most accurate pattern size. This is especially important on paper pieced patterns.
• Enlarge/Reduce Scale for Patterns from The Quilted Snail
• How to be a Fandom In Stitches Designer

Applique

taking tutorial recommendations

• Starch Basting Tutorial from Sew Create It
• Learn to Applique from Quilter's Cache

Binding

• Creating Double Fold French Binding from Pink Chalk Studio
• French Binding Tutorial from Hart Cottage Quilts
• Double Fold French Binding from Sun Shower Quilts
• One Seam Bias Binding from Quiddity Quilts
• Continuous Binding Tutorial from Such A Sew & Sew
• Joining the Ends of Double Fold Binding by Shelley Rodgers

Designing Your Own Patterns

• Thoughts and suggestions on designing without quilting software with Drawing A Patchy Heart (Paper Piecing) from Sewhooked
• Quilt Assistant - Free Quilt Design Software (please read the user agreement carefully, this software is for free patterns only). Read Jennifer's review of Quilt Assistant.
• Electric Quilt 7 - for-purchase quilt design software
• Inkscape - An Open Source vector graphics editor, with capabilities similar to Illustrator, CorelDraw, or Xara X, using the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format.

Embroidery

Fandom In Stitches highly recommends the super fantastic tutorials of Jenny Hart over at Sublime Stitching. Check them out on her website: Hand Embroidery Tutorials includes: French Knots, Stem Stitch, Back Stitch and more.

There are lots of great tutorials on YouTube. This is a playlist created by Jennifer.

Paper Piecing

• Complete How To Paper Piece Tutorial
• Practice Paper Piecing from Quilter's Cache
• Jennifer Ofenstein's videos about Paper Piecing
• Paper Piecing Tutorial from Such A Sew & Sew
• Paper Piecing a 5" Harry Potter block from ThriftyFun
• How to Paper Piece video in Italian by Gaya

More Paper Piecing Hints

• Always use 100% cotton, good quality quilting fabric.
• Use lightweight paper when printing, as it tears off easier. Recycled printer paper works great. You can also try a specialty paper like Carol Doak's Foundation Paper .
• Many of the patterns include 1/4" seam allowance, for those that do not, you can easily add it using this tutorial.
• Our pattern designers originate from all over the world, and paper sizes vary. Printing with "no scaling" ensures that patterns print at the size the designer intended.
• 5" patterns can easily be enlarged to 10" by copying at 200% (as well as many other sizes!). You may find that more complicated patterns are easier to piece when enlarged.
• When enlarging patterns, we recommend printing, cutting apart the pattern pieces and enlarging the units individually.
• Almost all patterns are mirror images. The image will be correct AFTER you piece it.
• To make sure your blocks align perfectly, find adjacent corners of two pattern pieces, push a pin through the exact corners of each to match the two. Pin or hold the pieces in place for sewing.
• Colors used on patterns are just a guide for fabric placement, the selection is up to you. Black and white printing is always an option.
• Leave the paper attached to the block until you sew it in it's final place, whether it be a quilt, purse, etc. That will keep the bias edges from stretching.
• Most of our patterns are multi-unit patterns. Accuracy is very important. If you're new to paper piecing, just take your time and practice, practice, practice!
• Suggested uses... quilts (of course!), handbags, banners, pillows, totes... use your imagination!

Quilting

• The Free Motion Quilting Project

Rotary Cutting

• Rotary Cutting Tutorial from The Purl Bee
• Rotary Cutting for Lefties from Sew Inspired

Traditional Piecing

• Chain Piecing from Stitches In Play

Have a favorite technique tutorial? Share it in comments and we'll add it to the list!