Calculations and Free Apps

"The things of this world cannot be made known without a knowledge of mathematics"

Roger Bacon

I was never fond of math class and it wasn't because I didn't understand it, I just wasn't a numbers person, at least I didn't think I was.  You know it was one of those classes that you think you will never need, so why try.  Little did I know then that I would be using it on a daily basis in my business and not only for keeping track of the bookkeeping.  Most of the time I do the math myself but sometimes I like to take shortcuts so finding new helpful sites or apps can come in very handy.

When it comes to quilting there are always calculations to be made, from size of finished and unfinished blocks to the total size of the quilt itself.  I make custom t-shirt quilts using shirts that people have been saving for years so they are in varying sizes making it necessary to figure out placement and measurements to make the quilt look balanced.  I also add sashing strips and framing borders so this all needs to go into the calculations of the finished size of the quilt.  Blocks are not always the same size so making it looked balanced can be tricky.

The purple quilt was actually lots of fun to put together, it really challenged me because of the sizes of shirts and the designs.  I loved working on this quilt even though it had me pulling my hair out at times while trying to make all my calculations and get the setting just right.

There are lots of calculations that go into creating a custom t-shirt quilt and those I do myself, but sometimes we quilters like to use shortcuts especially when calculating batting, backing fabric, or binding fabrics.  When I need help with this I go to one of my favorite sites called "Quilters Paradise" to make everything go so much faster  http://www.quiltersparadiseesc.com/Calculators.php    Well a couple of days ago one of my facebook friends asked about calculating corner triangles and I sent her the link to this great site to help her out.  When I went to check the link I found that they had added this wonderful new iphone / ipad app that makes it so easy to just carry this calculator with you when you go shopping. It took seconds to download on my phone and I did it while I was shopping and had the calculator ready to figure out yardage right on the spot.

This app is handy not just if you quilt, if you use fabric for any craft you might find it handy to calculate how many pieces of a specific size you can get out of a certain size of fabric.  You might even be able to use it for paper crafting since you plug in the size of fabric/paper you are using and what finished size of item you need.  I hope that some of you may find this web site or app helpful, I know I find it a very handy tool.

If you have any other free apps or website links to helpful tools add a comment and share your ideas.  I love finding new sites that make life easier, especially when it comes to work.  

Celebration of Quilts

National Quilting Day is fast approaching so I will take this week to feature  the Etsy Quiltsy Team and their beautiful creations. Quilts come in all shapes and sizes and can represent many things to many people....

Quilting is no longer just your grandma's traditional bed quilts.

Quilts can convey a sentiment:

Peace Dove by Quiltie

In this piece the quilter combines both hand embroidery and machine embroidery to create a lovely 12 X 14.25 wall hanging.

They can represent a religion, a culture, an expression of faith:

Shabbat Challah Cover/ Wall Hanging and Chai ("Life") Wall hanging by Sieberdesigns

Sieber Designs uses machine appliqued Hebrew lettering and accents her flowers with a sparkle of beading.  She has machine pieced and machine quilted her designs. 

Inspiring Bird Art Quilt Wall Hanging by Artfully Sew

Artfully Sew uses hand dyed fabrics and wax pastels in her original designs.  She accents her work with hand embroidery and machine pieces and machine quilts her creations.

They can be entertaining and fun for both boys and girls:

On the Go Checkers Roll by Jensport       

In this original design Jensport has pieced a  variety of blue fabrics and a solid white and used her sewing skills to add a zipper pocket to secure all those wooden checkers pieces.  The board is machine quilted in what is called a cross hatch design and with the binding she has added string ties to keep it nicely rolled for easy carry or storage.

Quilted Paper Dolls by Kim's Crafty Apple

Kims Crafty Apple makes these whimsical little "paper" dolls that so many of us remember from our childhood.  The dolls are quilted in an outline stitch to frame the "dolls" and secure the layers of fabric and batting.  There is also a pocket on the backside to store the clothing pieces.  She as also added string ties along the binding to secure it closed and make it a great carry along item.

They can be used to document history:

Family Tree Wall Hanging by SuzyQQuilts

In this piece SuzyQQuilts has used machine applique to attach leaves and tree trunk to the quilt background.  The leaves contain names and birthdates of family members making this a family heirloom piece.  This is a custom order item from her shop that can be ordered with your choice of border color.

and they can bring comfort after the loss of a loved one.

Memory Quilt by Quilting Frenzy

This piece is one of my own designs that was created for a customer after the death of her father.  My customer supplied me with 3 large shopping bags of flannel shirts that had belonged to her father and this is one of the two designs I put together for her.  It is machine pieced, machine appliqued and machine quilted.  I offer this as a custom order in my Etsy shop and the quilt can take on a totally different look depending on the type and color of garments used. 

Quilters of the Etsy Quiltsy Team have taken their craft to a new level and they have filled their shops with items that are perfect for anyone and for any occassion.  They recreate traditional or reinterpret designs, create unique designs of their own and work with customers to produce one of a kind items.  The Quiltsy Team members are professional individuals that create items of the highest quality and workmanship and you can not go wrong when you purchase items from anyone on this team.

For more items by this group search Etsy sellers for "quiltsy team" or check out tomorrow's blog for more featured quilters. 

When Life Hands You Lemons......

No, I didn't get lost in Houston. We made it there and home with a nice stash of items along with lots of inspirations to work on this next year .

I have heard the saying, "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade", numerous times. What if life hands you a bushel of lemons, do you just keep making pitcher after pitcher of lemonade or is there something else you can do? Life seems to be a bushel of lemons right now and I am doing my best to make lemonade but there is only so much lemonade you can take. Maybe I will try for lemon meringue pie instead, more sweet than tart.

Business had slowed down after Houston, we had a craft show and although I thought my display wall and baskets were a great asset to my booth, the sales were not so great. I handed out the usual business cards and answered numerous questions about custom work, which always happens without much follow up.

Well, just as I was beginning to think that business was taking a slumping down turn, I had a call from a friend inquiring for a friend (a likely story one would think in other circumstances) about doing a custom quilt. This time I had the option of following up or just letting it slide. What to do? Well of course I did what any good business person would do, I slept on it and called the next day. I ended up with an order for 2 custom quilts and a possible third after the holidays. I have since finished one quilt and with the owners permission I am proud to display the first Photo Memory Quilt made by Quilting Frenzy.

Then came the kicker, I got a call from one of my inquiring customers at the show and I ended up with 4 more orders for custom quilts. Now I am up to my eyeballs in custom orders and already have 2 more to look forward to after the holidays.

Maybe lemon meringue pie was a better way to go.