Making patio cushions require Coats Outdoor Thread for longevity

As quilters we have the added advantage of quilting a cushion if desired and the following three cushions can easily be quilted before finishing them. Regardless of your preferred method, making patio cushions requires Coats Outdoor Thread for longevity. If you missed yesterday's post on the details of this very strong and weather resistant thread, it's worth the read.

200yd spool of Coats Outdoor Thread in bright yellow!

Simple cushions in three versions

Karen Schaphorst designed these next three Simple Outdoor Cushions for Coats and Clark. You can choose from three finishes along with three backs for your cushions. It’s a well-done tutorial with lots of options for your outdoor space.

Making patio cushions using Coats Outdoor Thread

The first and very simple cushion is the simple square where the front and back are the same fabric. This one is a great beginner cushion to make when learning how to sew for the very first time and particularly perfect if you wanted to try quilting the fabric and then making the cushion.

materials

½ to ¾ yd outdoor fabric of your choice depending on size of pillow form or cushion desired
1 pillow form
Coats Outdoor thread
Dual Duty XP All-purpose thread

optional: Coats Polyester All-purpose zipper

measuring the pillow form

Measure the pillow form across the center front from edge to edge. For a square or rectangular cushion measure both the length and wide. For a round cushion measure across the diameter.

cutting the fabric

Cushion Front: Add a total of 1” to the length and width measurements for ½” seam allowances on all sides. If your cushion top has a design, be sure to trim it to size so that the design is centered.

Cushion Back: The size to cut the back depends on whether or not a zipper is installed in the center back:

For no zipper, add a total of 1“ to the length and width measurements. Cut one cushion back.
For a zipper in the center back: Divide the width measurement in half, then add a total of 1” to the length and width or ½” to all sides. Cut two cushion back pieces.
For an envelope cushion cover: Cut 2 backs the same size as the front. Fold under approximately ⅓ of the width on both pieces.

assemble the cushion

cushion back with no zipper
1. Pin the front and back cushion pieces right sides together.
2. Stitch around the pillow, ½” from raw edge, leaving an opening to insert the pillow form. On a square or rectangle cushion, start and stop on the bottom, 2” from the side edges. On a round cushion leave approximately one-third of the cushion open.
3. Trim corners and seam allowance, turn to the right side. Insert pillow form.
4. Turn under the raw edges at the opening. Hand-sew the opening closed using a blind stitch.

cushion with center zipper
Use a zipper 1” to 2” shorter than the cushion back pieces; shorten the zipper if necessary.
1. Place the back pieces wrong side up on the ironing board. At the center back, press under the seam allowance, ½” on what will be the left or underlap and ⅝” on the right or overlap side.
2. Place the underlap side on the zipper tape with the fold close to the teeth and with the zipper bottom stop ⅝” from the edge; pin in place.
3. Place the zipper foot on the sewing machine. Stitch the cushion section to the zipper tape close to the fold.
4. Lay the other side of the cushion back on the zipper with the fold just covering the stitching. Pin in place. Topstitch ⅜” from fold, edge to edge.
5. Open the zipper. Pin the cushion front and back, right sides together. Stitch around the cushion ½” from the raw edge.
6. Trim corners and seam allowance. Turn cushion cover right side out. Insert pillow form through open zipper.

cushion with envelope back
1. Fold under ⅓ of the width of each back piece. Place one of the backs right side of the fabric facing up on a flat surface. Lay the other back on top, right side up so that the folded edges overlap. Machine baste the overlapped area in the seal allowance.
2. Pin the backs and the cushion front, right sides together. Stitch around the cushion using a ½” seam allowance pivoting at corners.
3. Trim corners and seam allowance. Turn cushion cover right side out. Insert pillow form through opening in the back.

 

This simple square decorative cushion for your patio can be made simply or made using the envelope closure or a zippered closure as described above. Quilt the fabric before you assemble it for a unique and totally different look.

Join me tomorrow for the instructions for the Knife Edge Cushion using Coats Outdoor Threads!

Knife Edge Cushion Cover

Using decorative stitches on the new Brother NQ900 sewing machine

Yesterday I introduced you to the new Brother NQ900 sewing machine and got started on my small table runner.

Brother NQ900 sewing machine

After placing my fabric rectangles on the design wall to determine color placement, it was time to sew the rectangles together. I pressed all the seams open because I'm going to use decorative stitches on every seam line. The opened seam allowances make it easier to have a nice, smooth finish to the stitches.

Because of the high polyester content in many of these fabrics, I used a very low setting on my iron and didn't use steam. It's always a good idea to test the heat of the iron on some sample pieces first to make sure it's not too hot.

Seams pressed open

I sewed 8 rows with 5 rectangles in each row. I didn't sew the rows together because it's easier to do the decorative stitching first and then sew the rows together later.

Now comes the fun part – adding the decorative stitching! There are 240 decorative stitches on the NQ900 machine and many of them can be adjusted and/or combined to make your own unique stitches.

Here's a video that gives a great overview of the decorative stitches on the NQ900.

How To Sew Decorative Stitches On A Brother Sewing Machine - YouTube

If you have a Brother sewing machine, here's how to select, adjust, and sew decorative stitches. I'm using a Brother NQ900 sewing machine, which is part of B...

via: www.youtube.com

I did some sample stitching first, using both the open toe embroidery foot and the monogramming foot (both worked well) and regular sewing-weight polyester thread. I used a light-weight stabilizer under some of the stitching and found that it did make the stitches flatter and more attractive. My "stabilizer" was actually a page from an old telephone book. The paper is light-weight and tears away easily after stitching.

Monogramming foot (L) and open-toe embroidery foot (R)

Then I started stitching on the seam line in each row. I tried many different stitches as you can see in the picture below. I was very happy with the finished result of every stitch.

A variety of decorative stitches on the seams

Next I sewed the rows of rectangles together and stitched over each joining seam with a decorative stitch.

Sewing decorative stitches with the open-toe embroidery foot

Just a few of the decorative stitches that are available on the Brother NQ900

Here's one of the many stitches I used. You can see on the LCD screen that this is one of the stitches that cannot be adjusted because the width and length indicators are a solid blue.

LCD screen on the front of the machine showing the feather stitch

When you select the blanket stitch, you can see that the width and length numbers (3.5 and 2.5) are visible. This means that you can adjust the width and length of the stitch. To make the stitch wider, you push the "+" button. To make it narrower, you push the "–" button. The stitch length button works in the same way. I changed the width to 4.0 and the length to 3.5 as you can see in the second picture below.

The number on the far right of the screen (4.0 for this stitch) is the thread tension setting. This setting has already been adjusted for each individual stitch, so it rarely needs to be changed.

Blanket stitch with the default settings

The blanket stitch with adjusted width and length. Just press the "+" or "-" button to make these changes.

I hope you enjoyed seeing how I used the decorative stitches on the new  Brother NQ900 sewing machine. Be sure to come back tomorrow to see how I quilted my table runner using this great machine!

5 tips on sewing with Coats Outdoor Thread

It’s spring and the Great Outdoors is beginning to call my name. This is the time of year when I start looking around the garden, inspecting the patio furniture and plotting how my sewing machine and I can make my outdoor space look more like summer and a whole lot less like leftover winter. How about you? We’ve got some lovely outdoor projects for you this week, but first let’s go over the basic 5 tips on sewing with Coats Outdoor D71 Thread that will make the task successful!

Specifications of Coats Outdoor Thread in numerous colors

Sewing for the outdoors is a ton of fun and the possibilities are endless, but there are fabrics made for the patio and fabrics that should just be left inside. Let’s talk about what you’ll need for cushions, table coverings and other furnishing accents that need to be able to resist the weather.

Fabrics specifically made for the outdoors have a stain and water resistant finish and can withstand direct sunlight for many hours. In most cases they’ve been manufactured with UV resistant properties and have a durable finish that makes surface cleaning easy. Colors are vibrant and fade resistant making them the perfect complement to your summer garden. Look for fabrics such as: Waverly’s Sun n Shade, Premier Prints Outdoor Fabrics and Sunbrella.

But, wait! Before you start, it’s super important that you also use the right thread! Normal sewing threads are terrific for your indoor projects, but they’re not made to hold up in the Great Outdoors. Coats Outdoor Thread is constructed to perfectly perform in all kinds of weather and you’ll love it for everything outdoor from home to boat to camping gear. Who wants to be enjoying the sun, showing off their new self-decorated patio, but secretly worrying about whether or not the seams on the cushions are going to fall apart?

Coats Outdoor Thread is a bonded polyester, the same construction as the thread used in awnings you may have purchased. It’s UV resistant and comes in 200yd [183m] mini king cones in plenty of colors. This means you can create stunning outdoor accents with a no worries, weather-resistant, polyester thread that won’t fade or rot from direct sunlight. And, if it happens to rain on your party, this almost-magic thread won’t mold or mildew from the effects of a downpour either.

200yd spool of Coats Outdoor Thread in Yellow

To create weather resistant magic on your sewing machine with Coats Outdoor Thread, you’ll want to make a few, easy adjustments.

• Outdoor Thread is heavier than normal sewing thread, so you’ll need a larger needle. This will somewhat depend on the weight of your fabric, but in general, you’ll want a topstitching needle from a 90 to a 110. Topstitching needles have a longer eye than Universal needles so you’ll have less abrasion on the thread as you’re sewing.
• Lengthen your stitch anywhere between 3mm – 5mm as a thicker thread needs more space in the seam.
• A heavier thread is less flexible, so slow down a bit while you’re sewing for best results.
• You may want to make a slight tension adjustment when using Outdoor Thread in both the needle and bobbin.
• Make a few stitching samples from two layers of outdoor fabric scraps before you actually begin and make a note of the settings you used. You’ll thank yourself later!

Join me the rest of this week, to see the different ways to make a cushion. Choose the one you like best or explore the ones you haven't made yet using these easy to follow instructions. Below is a picture of the first three of the five cushions to get your patio ready for the Great Outdoors.

Three of the five cushions made using Coats Outdoor Thread perfect for your patio decor

More fun with the new Brother NQ900 sewing machine

For the last few weeks, I have been trying out the new Brother NQ900 sewing machine, one of the Q-series line up. In my last QUILTsocial blog (January 30 – February 3, 2017), I showed you many of the basic functions of the machine while making a small Fidget quilt.

Brother NQ900 sewing machine

Now I'm going to show you some of the wonderful decorative stitches on this machine.

You can watch this video to give you a good overview of the decorative stitches and how to adjust them for your own needs.

How To Sew Decorative Stitches On A Brother Sewing Machine - YouTube

If you have a Brother sewing machine, here's how to select, adjust, and sew decorative stitches. I'm using a Brother NQ900 sewing machine, which is part of B...

via: www.youtube.com

The decorative stitches are well illustrated on the flip-up cover on the machine.

Decorative stitches are illustrated on the flip-up top on the machine

There's also more detailed information included in the two manuals that come with the machine.

Manuals for the Brother NQ900

For my decorative stitch project, I wanted to use fabrics other than regular quilting cotton, to see how well the NQ900 would work on these sometimes difficult fabrics. I'd been given some drapery fabric samples and thought they'd be the perfect choice for this project.

Drapery fabric samples for my project

I chose 40 fabrics from the book of teal samples. Each piece was about 4½" x 7¾", but after the labels were removed and they were trimmed on all sides, each piece was 4¼" x 5½". The fabrics were different weights and fiber content, so I thought that this would be a good workout for the NQ900 machine.

The trimmed drapery fabric sample

I decided to make a small table runner using these drapery fabric samples and the decorative stitches on the Brother NQ900 sewing machine.

Finished table runner featuring decorative stitches on the Brother NQ900

Here's how I got started making my table runner. First, I placed the fabrics on my design wall to determine color placement. I made 8 rows with 5 fabric rectangles in each row.

Fabric samples on my design wall

Be sure to come back tomorrow to see how I had more fun with the new Brother NQ900 sewing machine by adding decorative stitches to my table runner!

Machine quilted flowers finish off a beautiful bedrunner

Yesterday on QUILTsocial, we talked about 2 ways to use WonderFil DecoBob thread for longarm machine quilting, and I shared a bunch of simple filler designs that can be used for modern looking quilts. Today, I have one more UFO to finish and since I loved using the WonderFil Master Quilter with DecoBob in the bobbin, I'm going to use them again for this project.

Master Quilter loaded on the Gammill

The bedrunner that I'm quilting today was made on QUILTsocial last October. I used the Northcott's Artisan Spirit - Euphoria line of fabric, and I can't wait to get it quilted.

Essential steps for sewing borders with setting triangles Bedrunner made with Artisan Spirit - Euphoria fabric from Northcott

Fantasy flowers

Here's a nice design that I like to use for quilts that have a floral theme. It combines a modern flower, echoes, sawtooth, and curlicue motifs to make one complex looking machine quilting design. Here's a video showing how I stitch this lovely design.

Machine quilting Fantasy Flowers - Christine Baker Fairfield Road Designs - YouTube

Christine Baker of Fairfield Road Designs demonstrates how to machine quilt her "Fantasy Flower" design on a bedrunner using WonderFil's Master Quilter thread.

via: youtu.be

Here's a close up of one of the flowers that I machine quilted with the WonderFil Master Quilter thread. I really like how the design looks on the bedrunner!

Close up of the flower design

Here you can see the overall design that joins the different motifs. You can see how the largest motif in the design is the flower, and that they all point in different directions as they progress along the quilt.

The flower design on the bed runner

Wow!! That's a lot of binding!!

Wow - now that I have all of these projects quilted, they all need to be bound. I had many of the bindings already made, so I've sewn them on to the projects, and now I just need to sit and stitch. I guess I better find a good movie on Netflix!

Thanks for joining me this week as I experimented with these longarm threads from WonderFil. I've enjoyed trying them all on my longarm machine, and I'm looking forward to using them on other future projects!

My pile of quilts ready for hand stitching the binding

Using PFAFF's passport 3.0 stitches to add charming details to a table topper

Today's a great day for a finish! In yesterday's post I used charm squares to start making a lucky table topper. Today we'll finish it up by adding some decorative stitches with PFAFF's passport 3.0.

The finished lucky table topper

To start, trim the excess ¼" off of the edge of the square sides of the topper with a quilting ruler, so that they match up with the edges of the triangular sides. Repeat on all four square sides.

Trimming the square edges of the table topper

Then trim the 'dog ears' from the diagonal sides.

Trim the dog ears

Now the topper is ready to be sewn together using the envelope method. I could have trimmed the batting and backing even with the topper and then pinned the layers together - but I didn't!

Instead, I put the batting on my cutting mat and the backing fabric right side up on top of it. Then I placed the topper on top, right side down, with one edge lined up with the other two pieces. Next, I pinned around the outside edge of the topper, marking my turning gap by putting in two pins where I'm supposed to stop sewing.

Layers pinned together

I used the basic stitch 00 and the needle down button. I used the reverse stitch button at the beginning and end to secure the sides of my turning gap.

I found the sewing guides on the presser feet really helpful for finishing this topper - sorry in advance for a lot of closeups, but for me, this is the part I like to see. What's different about this machine? How does it make it easier, more precise to sew my seams? In this case, the circle in the outside edge of the presser foot helped me turn the corner. I lined the circle up with the edge of my topper.

Circle guides on presser foot

Then I lifted the presser foot and turned the topper. Perfect alignment!

Using presser foot guide to turn corner

Once I had sewn all the way around to the spot where I had put the two pins (to mark the spot for turning) it was time to trim all the excess backing and batting. I lined up the ¼" on my quilting ruler with the stitched line.

Trimmed table topper

Turn by pulling fabric through the gap. I finger pressed the gap closed and used a pin to secure it.
I changed back to a black thread and lined up the red outer marker on the 0A presser foot to topstitch ⅛" from the edge.

Using the presser foot guide for topstitching

After that I really wanted to use some of the decorative stitches I had played with earlier in the week.

I started stitching on the silver/white fabric with stitch 86, lining up the red guide mark with my topstitching. As I approached the the white/black background fabric I had the idea to change my stitch! So I did :)

Decorative stitches beside the topstitching

I switched to stitch 90 in the white/black background, then continued to alternate stitches as I progressed around the topper. To change the stitch I pressed the needle up/down button to lift it out of the fabric, then I selected the stitch. I pressed the needle down button again and continued with the new stitch until I got to the next background change.

Last but not least, I echo quilted ¼" away from the shamrock with black thread and the basic stitch 00; this required changing back to the 0A presser foot. I used the ¼" dash guide on the presser foot to help me keep a consistent distance away from the shamrock as I went around. I used the reverse stitch button at the end of my stitching to secure the threads before lifting the needle and cutting the threads.

Echo quilting around the clover leaf

I'm really happy with how my lucky table topper turned out. I think it'll hang out in my sewing space for a little bit!

Lucky table topper and pincushion

The lucky table topper and pincushion made with the passport 3.0 will brighten your sewing space and might even encourage you to make and finish more projects this month!

PFAFF passport 3.0

This weeks adventure with the PFAFF passport 3.0 has made me feel really lucky. The features of the machine make it easy for me to bring my ideas to life with accuracy in a short amount of time. I'm already thinking about what's next ;) Good luck in your quilting adventures!

Using charm squares to sew a lucky table topper

With spring buried deep beneath my snowbanks, I'm still stitching away indoors with PFAFF's passport 3.0. In yesterday's post I created a lucky pincushion using PFAFF's passport 3.0. Today I thought I'd keep the luck rolling and add a table topper to my decor - decorated with a lucky four leaf clover, of course!

PFAFF passport 3.0

I wanted to make this table topper the easiest way I could think of, so of course precut fabrics came right to mind. I didn't have a charm pack on hand, so I decided to make my own charms from my stash. But instead of using lots of different fabrics for the background, I chose to cut my charms from two fabrics. Then I picked a fun, bright green to make my four leaf clover look happy and lucky!

Lucky table topper

materials

• four 5" charms of one fabric
• three 5" charms of a second fabric
• four 5" charms from green fabric
• one fat quarter for backing - choose a backing fabric with a different theme to make it reversible for use on several occasions.
• one 14 x 14" square of batting

Materials required for table topper

Making the applique shapes

To make my hearts I cut out a heart template from a 5" square of paper. I folded the paper on the diagonal and cut out my shape. Then I folded one 5" green charm in half on the diagonal and tucked it inside the paper template and cut it out.

I repeated these steps with the three remaining charms to make a total of 4 green heart.

Making the applique hearts

If you don't want to make your own heart templates, follow these directions:

• Print and cut out the template (below)
• Trace the template onto wrong side of fabric - or simply pin the fabric and paper template together
• Cut out on the line to make one fabric heart
• Repeat with the three remaining charms to make a total of four green

Lucky table topper template, click on the picture to download PDF

Assembling the top

Cut two of the charm squares in half on the diagonal once - they'll be the diagonal sides of the topper.

If you're using two different fabrics, alternate them in your layout. See the photo below for the layout that I used for my topper. If you're using a variety of charms, move them around until you're happy with the arrangement remembering that the middle one won't really be seen.

Table topper charm square layout

Sew the charms together into rows, pressing the diagonal ends towards the center square on the top and bottom rows. On the middle row, press the seams away from the middle charm.

Next, sew the rows together. This is where I really appreciate the PFAFF passport 3.0. I use the needle down button so the needle is always in my fabric when I stop sewing and since I can trust it and the IDT system to feed my fabric evenly under the needle, I don't use pins!  I find myself only pinning now on long sides of projects - like sewing the rows of a quilt together - and that's it!

Sewing without pins

Press the seams away from the center row. 

Pin the hearts to the center of the topper. As you can see in the following pictures, there are two different options here - either line up the centers of the hearts with the centers of the side squares, or line them up with the center of the triangle sides.

Center of the hearts lined up with the squares

I lined mine up with the diagonal corners.

The centers of the hearts lined up with the triangles on the sides

I used one pin in each heart to keep them in place for machine blanket stitching. When you're pinning the applique pieces in place, make sure they are secure but that there is enough room to move the presser foot easily around the pieces while stitching.

Hearts pinned in position

Then I changed my top thread to a shade of green and chose stitch 27 on the passport 3.0 - the blanket stitch - to applique the hearts to the topper. By choosing the blanket stitch I know I need to change my presser foot too. When I pushed the "i" icon under the LED display, the display changed to show that the recommended presser foot for the blanket stitch is 1A.

Presser foot 1A

I attached the 1A presser foot and the IDT system was engaged! I love using the IDT system - it reassures me that my stitches will come out evenly which is really important to me when I'm using decorative stitches.
I started stitching around the edge of the clover leaf, lining up the red guide on the foot with the edge of the green fabric.

Red guide on the presser foot lined up with edge of fabric

Using charm squares made quick work of putting together this table topper and the passport 3.0 helped me securely stitch the clover leaf in place. Come back tomorrow and we'll finish the table topper together!