Hello Quilting Friends!!
October has always been a very special month to me, not just because it’s my birthday month. It is the heart of fall—leaves change color, temperatures drop, and nature becomes especially beautiful and nostalgic. I remember riding my bike along a road adjacent to a large corn field close to our home in southern Illinois. The silk tassels of each corn cob gleamed in the early sun inviting the upcoming harvest. Our little town celebrated the end of harvest in late October with church and farm festivals. All the roasted corn you could eat, hayrides, homemade jellies and jams, apple pies and squash. We pull out our sweaters, light up the cinnamon candles, return to hot chocolate and apple cider, and enjoy radiant sunsets! This is truly a magnificent time of year.
New Monthly Sale
Many of us are starting our Christmas quilts and sewing up holiday decorations. This is the perfect time to have a sale on Christmas fabrics to help you complete those projects. Beginning today through October 10th, we are offering 20% OFF on all Holiday fabrics on orders of $75 or more. Use promocode: HOLIDAY20 and start saving now!
Also, FREE SHIPPING is available for orders of $75 or more.
For your convenience, here’s the link:
Featured Product(s)
New Christmas Fabrics—
Our new holiday fabrics will warm your heart so check them out and start your Christmas projects before these fabrics are sold out
ONE-YARD CUTS—20% OFF
There are lots of varied holiday prints in this category so don’t forget our one-yard cuts to bring variety to your projects. We’ll keep replenishing this stock with new offerings so check back often.
EOB CUTS—30% OFF
There are many flannel end-of-bolt cuts available. Flannels create that cozy, touchable feel we all want with our quilts.
Culinary Corner – Amish Apple Fritter Bread
We have two beautiful Honey Crisp apple trees because my husband loves everything-apple! At this time of year, they are laden with ripe apples that find themselves in apple sauce, pies, bread and so on. My husband grew up in a very small Amish town—population 500. In visiting his town, I learned the old-fashioned traditions of Amish baking. This recipe combines those traditions with the flavor of apple fritters, but in a soft, sliceable loaf. Enjoy!
Free Patterns Maple Leaves Quilt by Diane Nagle
I love the warmth of maple leaf quilts, and this one certainly does not disappoint. I can see the beauty of these fall colors hanging on my wall or tossed over the back of my sofa.
Download Pattern Instructions Here
LONG-ARM QUILTING SERVICES
Please allow four to six weeks for completion.
TODAY’S TIPS, TRICKS & TECHNIQUES—
Needles-Needles-Needles OH MY!!!
Recently, a friend said to me: “I'm so confused about needles. I use Jeans needles for vinyl and cork and ballpoint needles for cotton. The jeans needles are 100/16, but I'm using 80/12 ballpoint for cotton. Then there are the other size needles -- not sure what size to use for what. Then there are Universal needles and Microtex needles and Super non-stick needles and topstitch needles and so many others.”
Ever had the same question, or been overwhelmed when you look at all the available options in the notions department? Or maybe you (like many) are one of those people that uses the same needle, no matter what, and never asked the question?
To simplify the answer, there are two main categories of needles:
Ball Point needles are designed for knit fabrics. If a knit strand of thread is cut with a sharp needle, it produces a hole that will enlarge when the loose fibers pull back from the cut. To prevent this, the ball point needle is designed to push aside the individual strands of the knit.
Sharp/Microtex needles are designed for woven fabrics. Because of the tightness of the weave, individual cut fibers will not pull away and make holes. For this exact reason it is important not to use ball point needles on wovens. The blunt force of a ball point will tear through the fibers and actually pull them in the process, resulting in uneven, irregular embroidery and damage to the fabric. Sharp needles can be used on all wovens as well as dense fabrics such as leather, vinyl and canvas.
Then we have Needle Size. Needles range in size from very fine 55/7 to a heavy-duty needle 120/19. The higher number relates to the metric system and defines the needle shaft diameter in hundredths of a millimeter. The lower number relates to the system in the U.S. and is an arbitrary number also used to indicate needle shaft diameter. For example, you would use a 55/7 for very light fabrics such as chiffon or thin cotton fabrics and an 80/12 or 90 for quilter’s cotton fabrics which are medium to heavy-weight cottons.
???? Sewing Machine Needle Sizes (Metric/US) — Quilting
|
Metric (NM) |
US Size |
Needle Thickness |
Typical Use in Quilting |
Recommended Thread |
|
70 |
10 |
0.70 mm |
Fine piecing, lightweight cottons, delicate fabrics |
50 wt cotton, 60 wt polyester |
|
75 |
11 |
0.75 mm |
General piecing, fine quilting, batiks |
50 wt cotton/poly, silk thread |
|
80 |
12 |
0.80 mm |
Standard quilting, multiple cotton layers, light batting |
40–50 wt cotton or polyester |
|
90 |
14 |
0.90 mm |
Quilting through thicker batting, dense machine quilting, flannel |
40 wt cotton/poly, heavier decorative threads |
|
100 |
16 |
1.00 mm |
Heavy quilting, multiple layers, denim quilts, embellished quilting |
30–40 wt thread (cotton, polyester, rayon) |
???? Quick Quilting Guide
· Most common quilting size: 80/12 → works for piecing and quilting with 40–50 wt thread.
· For heavier batting or dense free-motion quilting: step up to 90/14.
· For decorative threads: use a Topstitch 90/14 or 100/16 to accommodate thicker thread.
· Change needles every 6–8 hours of sewing (or per project) — dull needles cause skipped stitches.
One final point (punn intended)--We spend thousands of dollars on our sewing machines, use expensive, lustrous thread, and the highest quality fabric to produce our quilting projects. However, all too often we scrimp when it comes to our needles. We’re either using old, worn, damaged needles or we use the wrong needle for the fabric and wonder why we’re having issues. Needles easily can be damaged by normal use. You don't have to hit a pin while sewing to damage your needle. They can become dull, bent, damaged or get misshapen eyes through normal sewing. All these contribute to frustrating thread breaks and a frayed look on your finished projects. Not only do I start with a new needle at the beginning of each project, I replace the needle with a new one several times during the project if it is a large project requiring many hours of sewing. I do this because a clean, well functioning needle will result in sharp, well-shaped stitches that make my projects look professional when completed.
Needles are inexpensive and easy to change. By the way, the cheapest place I have found to purchase needles is Wawak.com. Their Universal needles are $2.68 for a 5-pack. That makes each needle just $0.54!! Keeping a good needle in your sewing machine is one of the easiest, least expensive ways to improve all your sewing projects, whether quilting, embroidery, bagmaking, or clothing projects.
Happy Quilting
Linda
Log Cabin Quilt’N Sew
703-586-3265