- Do you find quilting expensive?
(coins clinking)
There is so much to buy
and it seems like you need something new with every quilt.
But not all tools cost money.
Some are online and some you can upcycle.
Here are my top 10 favourite free tools.
So stick with me and I'll show you how to do it.
(soft music)
Hi there, I'm Karen Brown of "Just Get It Done Quilts."
I give you tips, tricks and strategies
to help you make the quilt that you want to make.
And if you like what you see,
please hit that subscribe button.
Let's face it.
Quilting is an expensive hobby.
Between your sewing machine and accessories,
all the cutting tools, the patterns,
and of course the fabric.
All of it adds up really fast.
However, there are many free resources to help you,
and quite a few items you can upcycle.
And here are my top 10 favourite free tools.
PreQuilt is an online design tool
and you can start using it for free.
Free membership includes one quilt design,
and you don't need your credit card to sign up.
You can make a design using their block library
or design your own blocks,
and design your own quilt pattern.
Then download and print your design so you can refer to it.
Or you can take an existing pattern and colour it your way.
(computer chiming)
This means you'll have confidence in your colours
and in your design before you cut your fabric.
Now, if you've been watching my channel for a little while,
you know that this is one of my favourite tools.
I designed my red quilt with it
in my "Stash Management" video.
I used it in my no-fail layer cake method.
And of course, I did the PreQuilt challenge,
and I believe they're going to have colouring sheets
for this year's #100Days100Blocks
Quilt-along with GnomeAngel.
And they have a YouTube channel with lots of tutorials,
as they are adding new features all the time.
We receive a lot of cardstock in our lives.
It comes in the mail, in magazines, and in packaging.
And this is perfect for English paper piecing.
I use it two ways.
I have a Hexie punch
for simple hexagons that I put in my Hexie kit.
And this goes everywhere with me,
so that I can always keep my hands busy.
But you can also use it in more complicated work.
Simply design your block and cut it out.
Wrap your fabric and sew.
Unfortunately, there's a lot of foam in packaging
and I have found a place to use it.
Our cutting mats trap fibres with every cut.
I experimented with lots of different types of foam.
I have found this type of foam very effective
in grabbing those little bits with little effort.
You know, I love my batting scraps.
So you're probably wondering
how well it worked on batting fibres.
So I took it for a test drive, but I found this from foam
with all these air pockets, definitely the best.
Might need a second pass,
but it gets all the fibres in the end.
I just did a video on cutting straight.
I showed how a weight on the end of your ruler
can really help keep that ruler steady.
But you don't need to go out and buy a set of weights.
Go to your pantry.
A bag of rice, a jug of oil, or maple syrup,
or a big can of tomatoes will do the job just as well.
And before anybody puts it in the comments,
be sure they are clean and the lids secured.
And if you want to, you can make a sand bag out of the rice,
like I have,
My friend Geeky Bobbin has a free reference sheet
called the "Magical Rainbow of Binding."
And it makes it so easy to calculate
how many binding strips you'll need.
All you need is the height and the width of your quilt,
and the colour of the square
will tell you how many strips you need.
At first I thought I'm good at math, I don't need this.
Trust me, this will save you so much time and hassle,
and you just might stop second guessing yourself.
Download it and print it.
Then keep it near your cutting table.
One of the challenges of a new quilter here
is finding patterns
that appeal to your sense of style and colour.
Libraries have quilting books and magazines
that you can borrow and use as required.
And because they build up their collection over time,
you can have access to a deep catalogue of books
and not just the shiny and new ones.
So you can find the magazines and books
that show the quilts that you want to make.
And for many libraries, you can now reserve online.
Your local librarians are also a great resource
for finding related books and topics.
You know I love colour,
and I did a whole series on colour,
colour harmony, and finding your colour zone.
And you can get started with your personal colour zone
with the free download on my website of 12 colour wedges
showing all the hues, tints, tones, and shades,
as well as the various colour harmonies.
In my video "5 Fabric Exercises,"
I showed how a colour wheel can help you identify
those de-saturated colours.
Plus, I like to keep a copy in each of my fabric boxes
so that I keep fabrics of the same hue together.
Let's say you have a fabric that you want to use and
you need some inspiration for some complimentary colours.
Design Seeds can help you.
It's an online app, not only with seasonal inspiration,
but also a library of beautiful colour stories
that you can search through to find something special.
Some colour stories are high contrast, some are very soft.
And just on its own, I find when I look through the blog
and the wonderful colour palettes,
it just makes my day better.
Similar but not the same
is the Colour Palette Generator at coolors.co
This time you upload a .jpeg
and the online app generates a suggested colour palette
based on the colours in the photo.
This is a really useful tool
when you're making quilts for others
and you want to narrow down
what colours they like or associate with a special memory.
Cereal boxes are another upcycling tool
that I find so helpful.
First, I use them for templates to test drive my fabric
to see how well it will work
in a particular size block in my quilt.
I also use them to cut out marking jigs,
or simple marking templates.
I can also use them for mini bolts, shelf liners, and more.
Now there are many free apps that I use on my phone,
but I've already done that video.
The video is packed with all sorts of tools
to make your life easier, so take a moment and watch it.
I will leave a link in the notes below
for all the online apps and the videos that I've referenced.
And I'm sure you might have a couple of more,
so please leave them in the comments below.
This week on "Karen's Quilt Circle,"
I interviewed Ursula McClintock
and we talked about all things scissors,
what you want in your beginner pair,
and what you want in your forever pair.
And you don't want to miss that,
so I'll leave a link to that in the notes below as well.
If you like this video, please give it a thumbs up.
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So take care and I'll see you next time.