PEONIES ARE LIKE THE QUEENS OF THE GARDEN, THEY REIGN SUPREME WITH THEIR FULLNESS AND GRACE
QUILTING BASICS
Here’s what you need to know to get started on your favourite quilt project.
Gather your supplies
• Acrylic ruler
• Rotary cutting mat
• Rotary cutter
• Safety pins
• Quilter’s pins
• Seam ripper
• Small sharp scissors
• Dressmaking scissors
• Water- or air-soluble marker or dressmaker’s pencil
• Sharp pencil
• Hand-quilting needles, known as “betweens”
• Thimble
• Frame or hoop, for hand-quilting
• Cotton quilting thread, for hand-quilting
• Freezer paper, for appliqué
• Water-soluble glue stick, for appliqué
• Water-soluble, acid-free liquid fabric basting glue, for appliqué
• 220-grit sandpaper, to stop cut pieces stretching when ruling on the bias
• Sewing machine, with machine foot, machine needles and walking foot (for machine-quilting)
• Sewing thread
• Fine nylon/polyester monofilament thread, for machine appliqué
• Awl
FIRST THINGS FIRST
• Read all instructions to make sure you understand the pattern and have everything you need.
• The standard measure in patchwork is imperial. To maintain accuracy for our instructions, we have listed fabric supplies in metric and all cutting/stitching instructions in imperial.
You can buy imperial quilter’s rules, or those that give both imperial and metric measurements.
• All fabrics should be 100% cotton. Quantities and cutting instructions for these projects are based on 107cm of usable fabric width.
• Check all measurements carefully. We have included a ¼in (6mm) seam allowance, unless stated otherwise.
• Sew with right sides together, unless otherwise stated.
• Press seams in directions indicated by arrows on diagrams. If no direction is specified, press seam towards darker fabric.
TOOLS + SUPPLIES
This is a basic list of the items that quilters need.
FAT QUARTERS AND FAT EIGHTHS
• A “fat quarter” is one quarter of a square metre of fabric, cut from half a metre of fabric that is then cut across the width of the fabric to make two almost-squares (about 50 x 56cm for a 112cm-wide fabric). A fat quarter gives a larger piece of fabric than would be possible from a regular quarter-metre.
• A “fat eighth” is half a fat quarter – 25 x 56cm.
• Australian fat quarters and eighths are slightly larger than their American counterparts because we measure by the metre and Americans measure by the yard. An American fat quarter is 18 x 22 inches (46 x 56cm), and a fat eighth is 9 x 22 inches (23 x 56cm).
CUTTING
• The project instructions list pieces in the order they should be cut to make the best use of your fabrics.
• Always consider the fabric grain before cutting. The arrow on a pattern piece indicates which direction the grain should run.
