Creating Pre-Set Hashtags on an iPhone

What on earth is this topic doing on a quilting blog? I’m sure at first glance it makes no sense, but this is actually one of my most used tools. I love blogging, but I post to Instagram everyday which involves the use of a lot of hashtags. Starting Tuesday a lot of you are joining me in doing a 100 day countdown quilt, so I thought I would share with you how I streamline the process of using the same set of hashtags everyday.

I’m throwing in a disclaimer here that I am no tech genius, and the iPhone is only smartphone I have ever used, so I don’t know how to make this work on an Android- I don’t even know if this would be possible on an Android. Now, let’s get started!

Type your text. I typed in in the notes app, but you could also type it on your computer and email or send it to your phone. Double check the spelling on your hashtags to make sure you won’t have 100 posts with the wrong hashtag. If you are joining in on the 100 Day Project, make sure you include #quiltingthecountdown, then add any other hashtags that are appropriate to your project. You can also include an introductory sentence or two if you want to use the same format for every post. Once you have the text, highlight it and choose the “copy” option. Exit the Notes app.
Open the Settings application on your phone. Select General.
Go to Keyboard.
Select Text Replacement.
Click on the plus sign in the upper right corner of the screen.
Paste the text you wrote into the “Phrase” section of the text replacement.
Add a shortcut phrase. Choose something that you will be able to remember, but it is usually easiest to use a series of letters/numbers that you wouldn’t type in a normal sentence. You don’t want to inadvertently populate this information every time you type a common word.
Select “Save” in the upper right hand corner
Now the shortcut will appear on your Text Replacement Screen
When you go to post in Instagram, type your shortcut in the caption area. Once you have typed the shortcut, the text you created will appear above the iPhone keyboard where you would normally see autocomplete options. It is usually in the center section. Click it.
The shortcut will disappear from the caption and will be replaced with the full text. Now you can edit the number of the day or add new information that is specific to that day’s work.

I hope this help you streamline your posting process, and I can’t wait to see what you make over the next 100 Days!

Why I Pre-wash My Quilting Fabric

Posted on December 6, 2017 by thenotsodramaticlifeadmin / Posted in Fabric, Sewing, Tutorial / 3 Comments

I confess . . . I’m a pre-washer. I know that a lot of quilters prefer their fabric right off the bolt, but I feel a lot more confident about the appearance and longevity of my quilts when I know as much about my fabrics as possible before I start cutting them up.

The Big Three Reasons I Pre-Wash:

The fabric will shrink before it goes into a quilt with other fabrics that may shrink at different rates
If the dyes used on the fabric are going to run, I would much rather know before I put them next to other fabrics. If a fabric bleeds a lot in the original wash, I will often wash it one or two more times. Occasionally, there is a fabric that never stops bleeding, and I am very careful about where I will incorporate that fabric. It may be perfectly fine in an all mid-tone quilt, but it would never be appropriate to use in a quilt with a light background.
Pre-washing removes any residual chemicals or finishes that were added to the fabric during the manufacturing process. I rarely wash my quilts immediately following the construction process, so I want it as clean as possible to start. It also can’t hurt to make as little skin contact as possible with the residues.

One of the big downfalls that I hear about pre-washing is the tendency to have fabric ravel out. To prevent this I stitch around the edges of the fabric prior to throwing it into the wash. The easiest way to do this would be a serger or overlock machine, but since I don’t have one, I use my domestic machine.

You could use a zig-zag stitch to accomplish this, but my machine (as well as most other zig-zag machines) have a special stitch for this. This stitch is called the Vari-overlock stitch in my machine manual, and it is recommended for stretch fabrics, but it works great for edging other fabrics as well. The foot for this has a slender piece of metal that is zig-zagged over while it holds the edge of the fabric flat and prevents the fabric from rolling.

The stitch itself is a series of short straight stitches followed by zig-zag stitch. You can make the stitch have tighter spacing by reducing stitch length. I use approximately a two stitch length for edging fabric for washing. When I use this technique for finishing edges on clothing, pillows, etc. I shorten the stitch length.

How do you feel about pre-washing fabric?

Ohio Star Quilt Block

Posted on December 22, 2016 by thenotsodramaticlifeadmin / Posted in Quilting Community, Tutorial / Leave a comment

I am so excited to share the instructions for a second traditional block which is in the 2017 Quilter’s Planner. The Ohio Star block is one of my favorites since I grew up, learned to quilt, and currently live in Ohio. This block is particularly common in this area, but it never gets boring! Have fun with scale (this pattern includes measurements for five different block sizes) and mix up your fabric selections to make this classic block your own.

You can download this free Ohio Star pattern on Craftsy.

I went bright and bold for this block, but monochrome and subtle color choices work beautifully as well!

This block is for the week of September 10-16. Check out my other tutorials included in the 2017 Quilter’s Planner!

Sand Dollar Star (week of January 15-21)

Hourglass Block (week of August 27-September 2)

Hourglass Quilt Block

Posted on December 22, 2016December 22, 2016 by thenotsodramaticlifeadmin / Posted in Quilting, Quilting Community, Tutorial / 1 Comment

Have you received your fantastic Quilter’s Planner from Stephanie of Late Night Quilter? If you haven’t you can order a planner here. One of the amazing features of the planner is that there is a quilt block pattern for every week of the year. In addition to the original block designs by many talented bloggers, this edition of the planner includes patterns for several traditional blocks as well.

I have written up directions for creating an Hourglass quilt block. This design is in the planner for the week of August 27-September 2, 2017. These instructions include measurements for nine different size blocks, and you make four at a time so you can start combining these blocks into all sorts of fun configurations right away.

You can download the free instructions for the Hourglass block on Craftsy.

This block is used as a component in a lot of more complex blocks, but it can also be fun on its own. Here are a few layouts for this very versatile block.

Set the blocks together in the same direction for this configuration.

Offset the blocks by half to achieve a chevron appearance.

Or rotate the blocks to create a pinwheel effect!

This block is for the week of August 27-September 2. Check out my other tutorials included in the 2017 Quilter’s Planner!

Sand Dollar Star (week of January 15-21)

Ohio Star (week of September 10-16)

Summer Starburst: A Fabri-Quilt New Block Blog Hop Quilt Block

Posted on August 31, 2015September 1, 2015 by thenotsodramaticlifeadmin / Posted in Quilting, Quilting Community / 57 Comments

Summer Starburst Quilt Block is created using foundation paper piecing. This technique gives you lovely, precise points, resulting in a block with a clean, professional appearance. If you have never tried this process before, it may sound complex, but I encourage you to give it a try. Once you have done it a few times, you will develop a rhythm and may even come to love this technique as much as I do!

I designed this block in conjunction with the Fabri-Quilt New Block Blog Hop which is a continuation of this Summer’s New Blogger’s Blog Hop.

There are going to be tutorials for more than 60 different brand new blocks over the next four days! Not only do you get the directions for all of these lovely designs, but there are also several chances to win a bundle of Fabri-Quilt Prairie Cloth Cotton Solids in the Watermelon Summer color palette we have used to make these blocks. For a chance to win, check out the daily host’s blog. Links to all of today’s blocks and all of the host’s websites can be found at the end of this post. I’m excited to see everyone’s creations, and I hope you are too!

Fabri-Quilt generously supplied each blogger involved in this hop a fat eighth of each of the six colors in the Watermelon Summer palette. The blocks that have been made from the Fabri-Quilt solids are being turned into charity quilts by our generous hosts. There will be at least three quilts created and donated to children facing challenging circumstances.

Summer Starburst

Finished Size: 12’’ x 12’’ (This block consists of four 6-1/2” square sections and the finished block will be 12-1/2’’ x 12- 1/2’’ before being joined to other blocks or borders)

Preparing the Foundation Paper

Download the PDF foundation paper piecing template to your desktop or folder of your choice.

Quilt Block Designs-Summer Starburst Paper Piecing

The Summer Starburst pattern along with PDF Instructions are also available on Craftsy.

Print one PDF at 100% scale. There is a one inch square next to the pattern. Please take a moment to measure all sides of this square to make sure that there are no scale or distortion issues that occurred in the printing process. After this check, print three more (4 total) foundation papers. Double check the 1” square on each print to ensure accuracy.

Note: You may print this pattern on standard printer paper or a specialty foundation paper of your choice.

Using a ruler to check template scale

Cutting

To prepare for foundation paper piecing, cut the following size rectangles from the indicated fabrics. Italicized Colors in parenthesis indicate the color used for block construction in the following tutorial. Please Note: By nature, foundation paper piecing involves a certain amount of fabric waste. The rectangle sizes below allow for the easiest construction of this block. It may be possible to save some additional fabric by rough cutting triangle shapes rather than rectangles. I only suggest this option for experienced foundation paper piecers.

Fabric A (Turquoise):

Section 1: Four pieces 3-1/2’’ x 5’’

Fabric B (Aqua):

Section 2: Four pieces 3’’ x 7’’

Fabric C (Lapis Blue):

Section 3: Four Pieces 2’’ x 7’’
Section 7: Four Pieces 3-1/4’’ x 7’’

Fabric D (White):

Section 4: Four Pieces 3’’ x 5’’
Section 6: Four Pieces 3-1/2’’ x 4’’

Fabric E (Chartreuse):

Section 5: Four Pieces 2-1/4’’ x 6’’

Fabric F (Coral):

Section 8: Four Pieces 2-1/2’’ x 7-1/4’’

Piecing

This block is foundation paper pieced in four sections which are joined in the final step of block construction.

Step 1: Rough cut the foundation paper to be approximately 1/4’’ larger on all sides than the outermost printed lines.

Four templates that have been rough cut for stitching

Note: The fabric construction of the paper pieced block occurs on the non-printed side of the pattern.

Step 2: With the printed side of the pattern facing down, place a piece of fabric A right side up directly over section 1. (See Figure A) If desired, you may pin this to the paper. Hold the paper up to a light source to ensure all of section 1 is covered by the fabric and there is at least 1/4” of extra fabric extending over the section 1 boundary lines into all adjoining areas.

Please Note: Fabric is placed on the non-printed side of your paper piecing template. For clarity, the diagrams in this pattern include grey lines that indicate what you would see if the template was held up to a light source.

Note: When foundation paper piecing, section 1 is the only section that the fabric is placed right side up.

Step 3: Position the fabric for section 2 wrong side up over the section 1 fabric with a small amount crossing the line between the two sections and the main body of the fabric over section 1. (See Figure B) Pin both fabrics along the stitching line between sections 1 & 2. Flip the section 2 fabric along the pin line. Hold the block up to a light source to see if the fabric will cover all of section two. Adjust the fabric placement as needed.

Step 4: When you are happy with the fabric placement, turn the block so the paper is on top. With the printed side of the paper facing up, carefully machine straight stitch along the line between sections one and two. I suggest using a small stitch and backstitching at the beginning and end of the stitching line. You may extend the stitching beyond the line on either end, but it is not required.

So, I forgot to take a photo of the stitching the line for segments 1 & 2. This is the photo adding segment 3, but you can still see how the paper is printed side up, fabric down, and you are stitching directly on the line.

Step 5: Flip the section two fabric toward its finished position to double check that all of section two is covered. Turn the section two fabric back over section one and fold the paper foundation back along the stitching line. Trim the excess fabric away from the stitching line leaving about a quarter inch to act as seam allowance.

Folding back the template to trim the excess fabric

Measuring a 1/4″ seam allowance

Trimming the seam allowance

Trimmed seam allowance

Step 6: Carefully press the section two fabric into place over area two. (See Figure C)

Note: Now you will work around the foundation template in numerical order following steps 2-6 for each section.

Section 3: Position the section three fabric wrong side up with the main body of the fabric over section two. (See Figure D) Use a light source to check the fabric positioning.

With the printed side of the paper facing up, stitch along the line between sections two and three, trim the seam allowance, and press the section three fabric into place. (See Figure E)

Section 4: Position the section four fabric wrong side up with the main body of the fabric over section three. (See Figure F) Use a light source to check the fabric positioning.

Stitch along the line between sections three and four, trim the seam allowance, and press the section four fabric into place. (See Figure G)

Section 5: Position the section five fabric wrong side up with the main body of the fabric over sections three and four. (See Figure H) Use a light source to check the fabric positioning.

Stitch along the line between sections three/four and five, trim the seam allowance, and press the section five fabric into place. (See Figure I)

Section 6: Position the section six fabric wrong side up with the main body of the fabric over section five. (See Figure J) Use a light source to check the fabric positioning.

Stitch along the line between sections five and six, trim the seam allowance, and press the section six fabric into place. (See Figure K)

Section 7: Position the section seven fabric wrong side up with the main body of the fabric over sections five and six. (See Figure L) Use a light source to check the fabric positioning.

Stitch along the line between sections five/six and seven, trim the seam allowance, and press the section seven fabric into place. (See Figure M)

Section 8: Position the section eight fabric wrong side up with the main body of the fabric over sections 1-7. (See Figure N) Use a light source to check the fabric positioning.

Stitch along the line between section 8 and the previous sections, trim the seam allowance, and press the section eight fabric into place. (See Figure O)

Completely Stitched Block Section that is ready to be trimmed

Step 7: Finish the block segment by pressing it well and using a rotary cutter and ruler to trim the excess paper and fabric along the outermost printed line of the block. (See Figure P)

Partially trimmed block segment

Note: Each block segment will measure 6-1/2’’ x 6-1/2’’ at this stage

Step 8: This is where you lather, rinse, and repeat steps 1-7 three more times to make a total of four block segments.

Step 9: Arrange these segments into the block configuration. (See Figure Q)

Step 10: Use Wonder Clips or pins to hold two segments together while you sew along the stitching line. (See Figure R) Press the seam allowances open.

Step 11: Sew the two larger sections together and press the seam allowance open to complete the block. (See Figure S)

Step 12: If you are creating a quilt consisting entirely of this or other foundation paper pieced blocks you may leave the papers in place until construction is complete. If you are combining this block with traditionally pieced or appliquéd block or if this block will be used on its own, carefully tear out the foundation papers now.

Here are just a few of the possible layouts that you could achieve with this block: