eula Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 just curious! when you load a practice piece, how particular are you? i'm using muslin top & bottom & batting to practice on. do you make sure it's square, etc. or do you just load it & go for it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witha'K'quilting Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 I square everything as I find it makes it easier to load and it has the same tension across/along the quilt. This works for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boni Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 Depends on your vision for the end product. If you're donating to the local animal shelter, do anything you want. If you want to chance producing your first prize winning wholecloth, you best square and load as you would your best customer quilt. I like to draw on the practice piece--usually traditional quilt blocks, or something I'm currently working on. That way you have a template and boundary with a purpose. I did the muslin practice for a long time, then got more adventuresome and tried some scrappy quilts. Preprinted panels are fun and easy. I work around the edges to adjust my tension, then go for it. You can make shopping bags with your practice pieces! Just sew a box and put handles on it. Most important----have fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eula Posted January 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 so what do you do with your practice pieces? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witha'K'quilting Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 I put binding on one of my practice pieces and used it as a cover for my Millennium, Frogger! Keeps the dust down. Another large one, I bound and it is on my bed. I liked it that much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boni Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 My daughter used them for packing blankets when she moved a couple years ago. I think a lot of them are still in storage. She has used some of them for lining the kids' stroller, car seats, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eula Posted January 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 great ideas! i hadn't gotten to the point of thinking about a plan for them. when you make them for the dog shelter, do you bind them? actually, i just cut a hunk of muslin off & used some cheapo batting i had, because i'm anxious to play with my double baptist fan. i have a real quilt that i'm going to do the baptist fan on but wanted to practice on something before doing the real mccoy. in the future i will cut them square & treat it like the real thing. thanks for the insight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoryJM Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 Hey Kristina, great idea about the cover for our machines. I'm going to do some more practice for just that end result!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witha'K'quilting Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 The way I see it is this: fabric and batting still have considerate cost...even if it is el cheapo! I do alot of charity quilts and those for the homeless. Actually, the more plain, 'ugly' the quilt is, it is better for the homeless as it serves a purpose of keeping them warm...and is less likely to be stolen. Anything that us quilters produce, will most certainly be loved by somebody and isn't this one of the reasons we quilt!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boni Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 My local animal shelter isn't picky about what they get. I don't bind but it's easy to run a stitch around the outer edges before you take it off the machine and trim. If I was giving to a women's shelter or homeless center, I would fold the back over the front and use my DSM to topstitch. You could recycle the practice piece by applying another piece of fabric over your practice. Depends on how dense you "practiced". The back will look very confused, but it's just another way to conserve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smorris Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 Hi You could also practice on the same piece over and over again by just changing the colour of thread, then send it to the dog home. Best wishes sue in australia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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