Glad you had a better experience tonight. It's also a good thing that you bought some of your own supplies. You do need the tools of the trade to get the job done. You can so mix batiks with other fabrics if you are careful. We'll look forward to seeing pictures of your project.

Bobby, glad to hear this second class went better than the first. It sounds like you are getting the hang of the quilting process and that you are picking up on all the advice you have received from us - good for you!

~ Yes, to the rubber door stops to prop up the back of your machine! Works a treat!

~ You may have to shut the door on the kitty when you are laying out your quilt blocks. :o( Also, when I have the blocks laid out like I want, I gather them up from left to right with the far left block on the top and the far right block on the bottom and pin all the blocks together with a large straight or safety pin; then I pin on a label "row 1" then do the same for the next row from the top, "row 2" and so on.

~ Take all the help and advice offered by the instructor while the class is in session and after the class ends with the final session; she can be of real help to your learning curve and sounds as if she sincerely wants to help her students.

~ Closely examining the other student's blocks will help you understand the use of color and value in quilting and how to put movement in your designs as you progress. This will also help you decide what style of quilt fabrics you prefer. Each quilt you make will help you to learn more about fabrics and what really pleases you.

~ Some quilt designs are just suited to using all batik prints (a really old process that originally used wax and designs carved into wood blocks) but I personally don't listen to those people who say "never" do this/that. Batiks are somewhat more expensive fabrics, so I might only use my scraps in a scrap quilt. Batiks are wonderful for "water" or "sky" or "foliage" fabrics. I've also used them for fish shapes and other animals, mountains, and other elements in landscape quilts.

All the best - you are a quilter in progress!
Teresa

VF, Sounds like you had more 'fun' during this class and don't believe everything you hear about the do's and don'ts of putting certain fabric together. It's your quilt and if you like it, that's all it takes. Chain stitching is the way to go, that's for sure! Been doing that for years.

Yes, it's always a good thing to bring your own tools. You might look into getting a travel iron (I use mine by my machine and keep the larger one on the big board) and make a pressing mat to use for classes. I used to use the door stops til DH made a board for me to use. He ground out round indentations where the rubber things are so it sets into it. It's just something else.....to each his own. I don't have a flat sewing space, I'm short, have the office chair up as far as it goes and am also sitting on a pillow so it works for me.

If you are going to take classes, put your sewing machine in a rolling suitcase along with all your supplies. Might give the pg person an idea.....DUH! @:)

SharonG/FL

I am glad things went better this week. Even if you only learn a few new things it is worthwhile and enjoying the process is most important. I am sure the teacher would really like to know how you feel about the class. She may also be learning and would appreciate knowing how she is getting across to the students.
It is most important to remember that this is always your quilt and if you like the way it is going together that is what if important. It is worth noting that batiks usually are on more tightly woven fabric and that the colors may bleed. How you choose to mix them should be your choice and not some silly rule. Jayne

- I hadn't thought of propping up the back of the machine to change the angle. I might have to try that.
- I chain stitch whenever possible and should have thought to mention that in the 'advice' thread.
- Any fabrics can be mixed, but it can present some additional challenges so I wouldn't recommend it to a beginning quilter. Some stretch more than others on the diagonal, some have different washing requirements, etc. Personally, I love quilts made entirely of batiks and would think a bit of regular quilters cotton wouldn't mix in well, but if the quilt is really scrappy then mixing fabrics is fine. It's all about personal preference and if you like the look of it then it's ok. Batik is usually more tightly woven than quilting cottons, may be more easily wrinkled and may bleed when first washed. The threads are dyed, instead of printed, so the pattern shows on both sides of the fabric equally. Take a close look at a batik, a regular printed cotton and a piece of muslin - you should be able to see clear differences in all three. Kona cotton is a commonly used solid, available in lots of colors. It's different too with a more substantial feel and a bit more open weave. I like it but some quilters don't like to mix it in with other fabrics. We could talk about fabrics all day! LOL This might be another good topic for a Question of the Day.

Kate

You're not supposed to mix batiks with regular cottons? Oops, sorry birthday block swappers! I never knew this. I have them mixed on almost every quilt I've made.

Chain stitching is great-I do it every chance I get. Makes things so much faster.

I mix batiks and other cottons also - I think if the color and hand of the fabric and the pattern lends itself to a mixture of different weaves, why not?
I have a much harder time with "scrappy".

One of my favorite combinations is batik with a white on white fabric.

Of course you can mix them!

Here's one - not all the colors are batiks, but most are:

Here's another:

I love all your quilts Mary!

Oh, thanks, Marsha!

But I just wanted Bobby to know that there are very few rules in quilting. Yes, you do need accurate cutting and piecing - but not combining batiks with other cotton fabrics is just plain silly.

I will also say - given the process used to make batiks, they are much less likely to bleed than other fabrics. I quilt mostly with batiks, and I don't prewash, and I've never had one bleed.

OK Mary, I take it back! They don't bleed! I've never had a problem with colors running in batiks but had been told that by others. Maybe it qualifies as an Old Wives' Tale.

Kate

Oops, sorry Kate - I didn't read everything, and I didn't mean to step on your toes!

Maybe we should start an Old Wives' Tales thread, LOL.

My toes are fine! LOL I love that we can share opinions on this forum without offense. I knew no offense was intended and none was taken.

I like the idea of an Old Wives' Tale thread!

Kate

I'm glad it went much better. Perhaps you can start a sewing group instead of a class. Just get together and share ideas and work on sewing.

As for batiks, ooops for me too. Didn't know I wasn't supposed to mix them. If they fit into your project, go for it. I am careful of mixing fabric weights, batiks are usually a tighter weave and I don't like to mix them with some really light weight fabrics.

Your quilt, your rules!

beverly

*whew*! I thought I had really messed up with combining batiks! :P

I have, in fact, had a batik from a quilt shop bleed like a son of a gun. It was a gorgeous dark purple, and it even transferred dye to my husband's white t-shirt on the clothesline. I soaked it, used vinegar, and eventually had to discard it. I didn't want to risk ruining a quilt.

I hate to disagree but I have had a problem several times recently with regard to batiks bleeding. I have never been one to wash my fabric before use and after the problems I have had with the batiks I now check them before I uses them. Not all bleed but many do. You only have to have something that has taken a lot of time ruined to learn this lesson. Jayne
PS I did help one disaster by using a dye catcher.

I also had batiks bleed and bleed and bleed. I was told they were fugitive dyes.
I do prewash everything.
I just got an email from the shop that's big once a year sale was affected with our 2 blizzards 4 days apart offering 25% off their batiks on bolts. The sale was only 15% off - I am going to fit this into my schedule!!!

Bobby - I am so glad you had a positive class- I've had some less then great classes - but I always walk away with learning something, even if it is to avoid a class given by that particular instructor. My free time is limited, so I hate to waste it on a poor class, but I am old enough to know that I do not burn bridges unless I intend to never cross it again. Given her question, I would choose my words carefully and perhaps say it wasn't exactly what you expected the 1st class to be, but you got alot out of the 2nd class. Except for pregnant talk, your class sounds typical & that chatter would have driven me bonkers -BTW. The more you read and learn on your own, the more you will get out of each class.

Thanks for the advice regarding batiks. From what I can tell, I like working with batiks better than regular quilting cottons. The only bad thing is that it's had to tell which side is bottom and which is top, and where the selvage is.

Last night, I laid all my pieces out and organized them into 7 rows. I started to a little bit in class, but ran short on time and was too tired (and mad about the phone breaking I had to get home so I could cuss t-mobile out, only had that silly phone 4 months!) even though the teacher said she would stay late with me if I wanted to finish. It would have been nice to get her advice and that of the other students about placement of colors. It was tough finding a place to lay all the pieces out in my small apartment. I had to roll the portable dishwasher out of the way and move a chair and garbage pail! It was also really tough to decide where to put the colors so that one wasn't too concentrated in any one area. Some of them still are, but I did the best I could with that pattern. There are 14 colors, one of the blocks has 3 colors, one has 4 and then there are 2 spacers in each row so the colors repeat a lot! I stacked them up in 7 piles, but I was too tired to label the rows and pin last night so I went to bed. When I got up, my cat had played with his toy mousey in my piles and I got to do the whole thing all over again tonight! This time I pinned them to the carpet! I even got the first row sewn together, so only 6 more to go and then I can sew the rows to each other. I'll be glad when it's over... it's been fun, but it's been consuming my life lately! I keep staying up til 4 AM messing with quilt parts and having the strewn all about the living space while dishes and laundry are piling up!

My machine does have an extra high lift presser foot... I'm about to see if it will accommodate a 15 pound playful tabby. Jasper is going to be the center piece of my next quilt so he doesn't keep messing me up... though I know part of it is my fault for not confining him or pinning like I should when pieces are loose and scattered.

Off to bed now... just think, next week at this time, I may be sleeping under a quilt that I made!

Thank you all so very much for being there for me :o)

Kate, if you make it to the quilt shop, let me know what you think. I've never been to any other one, so I don't know how it compares. I hear Queen Anne's Lace in Kissimmee rocks, have you been there?

QA's Lace used to be the best place around but I wasn't impressed the last time I was there. There's a great shop in Lake Mary... Can't recall the name... Do a web search for Bernina in Orlando and you'll find them because they do authorized service. You'll love their selection of batiks.
I like Quilters Cove on Curry Ford Road - small but nice and with great service.
The best shop i knowof in Central Fl is in Rockledge and worth the drive. Fire up your GPS and go to The Quilt Place in Rockledge. Plan to spend some time there! You can see dozens of quilts on display, samples of all sorts of quilt stitches, and enough fabric to make you dizzy.

Btw, I quilt with 3 cats and a sheltie who sees all fabric as a potential bed!

Kate

I went to the shop where v'freak is taking the lessons. They have a large selection of batiks (my favs!) and a fairly small but nice selection of quilting cottons. It's pretty typical for a small local shop but with more batiks than expected. The staff was very friendly and welcoming. I bought a few fat quarters and will definitely go back.

Kate

Glad you made it there Kate! Glad you liked it too... Thanks for telling me about queen annes lace too, I've heard it was the be all end all so I'm glad to have a more realistic opinion!