Tips on recycling neckties and on clothing construction for quilters from an award-winning designer.

Shirts & ties

A fun recycling project is to make a quilt using recycled neckties and recycled men's dress shirts.  The shirts make a great background fabric for the neckties, or use the well-worn ones as foundation fabric for foundation piecing with the neckties.  Stabilizing the neckties with HTC'c Touch O' Gold II makes the bias-cut ties easier to work with.

Posted on May 21, 2012 | Permalink

Fabric grainlines

If you making a garment that is not quilted, grainline becomes more important.  The lengthwise grain of a fabric  - parallel to a selvage - has little or no stretch, whereas the crosswise grain - selvage to selvage - has a little stretch.  It is preferred that the pieces of a garment be cut on the lenthwise grain IF they won't be interfaced or otherwise stabilized.

Posted on May 14, 2012 | Permalink