DIY Network

Dyeing to Quilt The members of Material Evolution create a circle-design quilt. From "Uncommon Threads" episode DUCT-148

(Continued from page 1)

Carol Krueger embroiders a design onto the hand-dyed fabric using a computerized embroidery machine. After determining the placement of the pieces, she stitches the quilt and finishes off with an embellishment of hand-dyed thread.

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	Circles Quilt
	Circles Quilt: detail

Circles Quilt

Materials:

embroidery machine with a hoop
design motif to program into the sewing machine
assorted threads
light- to medium-weight tear-away stabilizer and spray adhesive
assortment of solid or smooth hand-dyed cottons
rotary cutter and ruler
batting and backing fabric for quilting
assortment of safety pins and straight pins
optional: a ball or two of #12 hand-dyed perle cotton thread for topstitching

1. Digitize a motif in your software, obtain a design from your embroidery dealer or download one from one of the free design internet sites (see Resources list, below, for some free design sites). There are a number of designs that would work well for this project. You could try a sunburst shape, a star, a simple daisy shape or any other geometric "medallion" shape that will fit into the center of a cut block.

	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D

2. Program the design into the embroidery machine, referring to the owner's manual for tips to help you.

3. Hoop the fabric using a lightweight tear-away stabilizer.

4. Select the thread colors according to the desired color scheme. Poly, rayon and metallic threads all work well with this project.

5. Stitch out the motifs (figure A)and press them to flatten for the cutting phase.

6. Cut the embroidered motifs into squares, leaving plenty of room around the designs to allow for the seam allowance plus some "breathing room" (figure B). These will be the units.

7. Lay out the units into an arrangement that suits your taste (figure C).

Tip: When looking at the stitched-out blocks, be sure to save any "ugly ducklings" (the embroideries that come out with weird or unexpected results) you might make. You may be amazed at how these oddball pieces will later work into an overall composition with great success. They can add something unexpected and unique to the finished quilt. Try a variety of arrangements, taking digital or Polaroid photos between arrangements. This way you can compare several compositions to see which one you like best (figure D).

8. Sew the units together using a 1/4" seam allowance. Press open the seams and sandwich the quilt top with a lightweight batting and a cotton backing. Use safety pins to secure the three layers for the topstitching.

9. If you're top-quilting with the #12 pearl cotton thread from this segment, be sure to use a #18 denim needle as this thread is rather thick. Do a test swatch to adjust the thread tension and use a long machine stitch to show off the thread.

10. Bind the edges of the quilt as desired.

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