Thursday Tip #1

{Thursday Tip: A regular weekly feature sharing my quilting tips. There are no rules in quilting, these are just the things that work for me and might help you. There are no quilt police, so use them as a guide; no ones watching :) There is no wrong way to do anything......just relax, experiment, learn, create and have fun. }
Generally designers give generous estimations for fabric requirements with each of their designs. Personally, I like to over estimate the requirements for my patterns; I'd rather you have a little extra than frantically searching the shops or the internet looking for extra pieces, if you run short.
When starting a new project, look closely at each of the fabrics you buy and take the following into consideration:
  • Any shrinkage when fabrics are prewashed.
  • Larger prints may have to be fussy cut or cut around to achieve the best outcome.
  • Cutting a directional fabric, like stripes, may use more fabric.
  • Human error- no matter how proficient you are at quilting, we all miscut fabrics.
  • You may wish to sew a test block to check how your fabric choices work together.
  • Make a sample swatch to have on hand when buying quilting or applique cottons at a later stage. (this swatch can then be used to scrapbook a record of your quilts journey)
  • Having a little extra, will enhance your stash. They will also work well with future ranges from the same fabric designers :)

Keeping all these things in mind, use the fabric requirements for your next project as a guide and buy that little extra (just in case). Any leftovers can be sewn into smaller projects, like matching cushions or pillow cases or kept until you have enough to transform them into a lovely scrappy quilt (aka a free quilt). 
Happy fabric shopping :)

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