How I can learn quilting?

can be a fun and rewarding hobby. One of the great things about quilting is that it is a hobby that can be done alone or with others. You can also learn quilting on your own, a teacher, or as part of a group. In fact, learning from the three sources could be the best way to become an accomplished quilter.

There Quilters from around the world, from all walks of life. One of the best ways to learn is from another quilter quilting. Many fabric and craft stores have padded sections, and this is a perfect place to start. Fabric and craft stores with sometimes sponsor section quilting quilting classes, or to allow independent quilting teachers to advertise their services. It can be a great place to find someone to teach you the basics or more advanced techniques. It can also be a good place to meet other quilters, and possibly join the circle of mulch. Quilting circle or quilting bees, is an assemblage of local Quilters meet new people, sewing quilts, and spend time together. A quilting circle give you a chance to meet new people with similar interests, get help with their own quilts, and learn all about quilting, as fabric choice, favored scissors, needles and thread, batting types, sizes and shapes quilts, stitches, and more. While in the fabric and craft store, you may want to see some of her quilting books. You can also check online and in bookstores, but employees of a craft store tissue and can give recommendations. If you find a book you like, you can buy fabric and other equipment, while you're there. Many books will include a quilt top shopping list of necessary tools and fabrics, so it will be easy to pick up everything you need in one trip.

Of course, one of the best resources for quilting information is the Internet. There are countless pages of quilting patterns, tips, guides and recommendations. Some web sites have links to specific fabrics and equipment so that you can order everything you need online and get quilting in just a few days. You can even find step by step, videos, eBooks and podcasts to help you learn to quilt. With all these resources at their disposal, even a novice quilter can learn the basics and start quilting in no time.

Ecological fabrics to be fashionable

Learn what textiles manufactured with organic materials, reduced chemical and biodegradable. Join the green trend!

We live in a time where environmental protection becomes increasingly important, but what can we do about it? In addition to recycling, saving water and electricity, there are other actions that not only will help protect the environment, but also make you look amazing. Yes, you read that right. Ecosystem protection and fashion come together to make this world a better place, so more and more firms and designers who have joined the eco-fashion.

The trends change every day and is when most clothing is creating in the world, so it's important to buy clothes that do not harm the planet. It is therefore important to know what fabrics made from organic materials, reduced chemicals, biodegradable or recycled.

Why are organic fabrics?

Very simple. Because these materials are certified as organic only if during the manufacturing process meet the following standards:


- Recycle Water
- Minimize environmental impact
- Use the minimum amount of energy
- Use hydroponic (no need to ground)
- Do not use biodegradable element
- Do not use chemical processes
- Use of natural resources rationally

But how do you know if you're buying a green garment? For this, you must look out on the materials being processed, you may find clothing in addition to using organic products, textiles have also used oil. Do not forget to find a brand that is certified organic, sustainable and environmentally friendly.

Stores like Camper, Mango, Astral Freaks, Paul and Bear, Zara and Agatha Ruiz de la Prada have joined the green wave and between collections for each season have garments products harmful to humans and the planet.

Sustainable fabrics

Join this new lifestyle and knows well the fabrics that make you look fashionable, do not harm or your health or the environment.

Organic cotton. Organic cotton is the basic material with which to build sustainable brands. This takes place in fields free of pesticides and chemicals. Growth process covers a period of three years and the producers made through the use of natural fertilizers (animal and plant).

Feminis Tip: When buying an organic cotton garment, make sure it is not dyed with bright colors and better choose natural tones, this will ensure that during the process did not use chemical dyes.

Silk. This weaving is 100% natural, since it is made by silkworms, but do not be fooled, there are many silks that are manufactured and unnatural. Find those that have been dyed naturally and are not mixed with other materials.

Feminis Tip: When using silk, also helps to nature, due to its delicate texture, this material should be dry cleaned, which reduces the use of detergents.

Bamboo. It is the most sustainable nature. In addition to growing rapidly, needs no pesticides and has an excellent ability to absorb the color, so no need to spend on elaborate dyeing processes.

Feminis data: This is a hypoallergenic fiber that absorbs perspiration, does not wrinkle much, is soft and dries quickly.

Polyester. Yes, although the polyester textiles is one of the petroleum products, some textile companies are producing garments with recycled plastic bottles.

Dato Feminis: A green polyester jacket contains about 25 plastic bottles of two liters or so.

Jute fiber Jute has been used for many years for the creation of string, paper and carpet weaving. Its main advantage is that it is completely biodegradable.

Dato Feminis: Promoting braided rugs made from jute.

Hemp. Hemp is very stable and durable. The fabric is made with it can last up to five times more than cotton and can be soft, but very strong. You can find many items made with this type of material.

Feminis data: For organic cultivation and processing is very suitable for sensitive skin.

Soy: Soy is a food that is being used more today for making clothes, and it is not only ideal to help maintain good cholesterol levels and for protein, but precisely these proteins and isoflavones are what give this utility to tissues obtained from it.

When buying a garment with soy fabric, check that is certified and is not mixed with conventional cotton or polyester.

Feminis data: The only problem with soy fabric is price, since it increases by 60% to 70% on a garment made with conventional cotton and other fibers.

Pineapple. In addition to delicious food is another being used for the manufacture of textiles. Fabrics made from this fruit improve skin condition and prevent allergic reactions that many people have with other common fabrics. These materials are biodegradable and respect the welfare of the environment.

Dato Feminis: pineapple fabrics help protect against UV rays.

Cashmere. This unique material is achieved by combing the hair of the goats of Kashmir. Sometimes this is mixed with hemp fiber. The cahsmere is undoubtedly one of the greenest and quality makes it one of the finest textiles and durable.

Feminis Tip: If you want to buy a piece of this material, make sure it is not treated with chemicals, or mixed with other fibers such as polyester.

Alpaca. Long hair and fine alpacas de los Andes is also used for the manufacture of textiles. It is characterized by its silky texture, natural shine, light weight and extreme durability.

Feminis Data: On the natural content and thermal lanoina, this fabric is ideal for use in hot and cold allowing the skin to breathe.

Lino. Stem fiber flax silver thread is obtained which can be manufactured fabrics. This type of plant does not require pesticides. This fabric is strong, smooth to the touch, fresh and absorbing.

Feminis Tip: Look for it in neutral colors and avoid that is stained.

Lyocell. This is the generic name for wood pulp, which is characterized as a recyclable and biodegradable. The production of fabrics with this material means less carbon emissions, energy use, water and need not bleached with chemicals.

As you can see, every day new features make their way to dress well and help the environment. The next time you go shopping look at labels and join the trend of "fits" you will not regret!

Changing large shirts that fit you

Many times we have in the closet a number of shirts that we are large (some successful aunts gifts, or gifts from events we attend). All these shirts are usable and convertible in excellent current shirts intervention (these tricks are used by many emerging urban designers).

For this the first thing to do is adjust the size, position yourself T
large, and mark with pins your shape and width of sleeves you'll want. Take off your shirt carefully and draw with chalk on the inside, the figure of the new shirt from the pins. Sew the figure with a sewing machine, cut the excess fabric. If the shirt is great and you're a woman, you can transform it into a short dress that you can use with leggings or skinny jeans.

Another technique to adjust the size, is turning his shirt to remodel. She puts on a shirt that fits you well, draw the shape of the shirt you want on the large (about 5 cm larger for sewing), cut the figure drawn, sewn with a machine new sewing flannel sheet.

Now it's your decision what to do with the new flannel you have. One option is to make another a little wider and tear on the front for use on the first, giving a rocker (a) casual,
Are you good at drawing, you can buy fabric dyes and make a design on it so you have a single piece of your own artistic creation.

Another option is to buy a heat transfer paper, make a software design in a picture or a design or picture off the internet and apply it on the fabric with hot irons.
Using scraps of fabric and buttons you can do with layers of flannel cutouts for you.

How the options are endless really, just up to you to update your wardrobe or not.

An idea to dress the Nordic

The appearance of the Norse as a shelter for bedding has been a real boom in recent years in this country. This resource reviled by the staunchest defenders of traditional bedding, is in addition to comfortable and practical. However, the price range of fillings makes quilts are perfectly suited to all economies.

To dress the bed, an essential element of every quilt is the case. Currently, manufacturers offer a wide variety of designs, sizes and colorful covers for comforters, but there is always the possibility of making each his own.

Before getting down to work must measure the length and width of the quilt and add even 25 centimeters long and 5 inches wide. These measures can purchase a fabric of a design and color for the outside and use the same dimensions made with a fabric that will make the inside.

Once you have selected fabrics with the above measures is passed to the package:

Place on a flat surface made of fabric inside the right face-up. Above, trying to match, the fabric is placed outside will make the right face-down.

You take the hem on all edges, weave and sew.

Once you have caught all the hems are sewn seams all but one of the widths to be in the end by which it is introduced and removed the quilt itself.

Do not forget to leave without joining the two fabrics in the last 20 inches to better manage their own quilt.

If you have done well and have complied with the measures taken initially, for about 20 inches of fabric in the long run than are those who will be subject to the foot of the bed so that there is no displacement of the duvet and the bed itself once have made a better appearance.

For those who are true experts or handyman can enter any other embellishment such as bows or buttons. In addition, the latter also an alternative as close if you want to remove the remaining bottom of the case and leave the bottom hanging quilt without putting it at the foot of the bed.

So with this basic idea, each one can be encouraged to make their own designs to enhance the presence and comfort in the most important moment of the day, rest.

How to calculate how much fabric is needed for curtains

We love the curtains along the ground, which are the best romantic sumptuous, here we a small tips you have in mind when making them.

At the time of calculating the amount that we will need fabric for a curtain first thing we do is measure the rod or track and measure its height from the ground up, to that measure we will add 30 inches to make the hem and the head of the curtains.

To make the curtain properly, you multiply the measure by 2 or 2.5 depending on the brows you want to give the fabric, then divide the result by the width of the fabric that you purchased for the blind and multiply by the height you want give the curtain. To achieve the effect curtains "posada" or carried, in addition to the above measure the inches you want to rest on the floor, 10, 20, 30 centimeters. Keep in mind that the curtains along the ground are adequate and dress very well in homes with ceilings on.

Tips for choosing the right fabric for decoration



With so many types of fabrics in the market is difficult to choose the class you want to decorate our spaces. Moreover, we choose the one that best suits to the needs of each space, the cleanliness and ability to maintain color.

So here I explain some of the most common kinds of fabric and their best uses.

  • Cotton patterns keeps a good shape, comes in various finishes and is great for curtains, furniture coverings and accessories like pillows and tablecloths.

  • Velvet is formal and come in various colors. Although this fabric feels luxurious and elegant, is very durable. A chair or sofa that is upholstered in velvet and cotton will last through generations if you have a good care of him.

  • The nylon and polyester fabrics can be woven to look like natural fibers. Also in true style are great for curtains. In fact, with current techniques, synthetic fibers may be made to look and feel like any other type such as leather from different animals.

  • The denim jeans or give a casual appearance and is durable enough to be used in the bedrooms of children and those used by the whole family. Although usually thought of as blue, denim can be dyed in various colors, including black and red.

  • Silk is fragile but has a special shine and is available in a variety of textures, from the velvety until smooth. It is best to be used in pillows and curtains.

Sewing machine

Sew a button on a shirt, mending a pair of pants, darned a sock ... The stitching has been with us since we spend most of our time to dress. As we all know, the beautiful myth of Genesis says that it happened when God threw us out of paradise for eating the forbidden fruit of the tree of knowledge. In doing so, learning is not learned much, but started to feel ashamed of our nakedness. And since then, we need the clothes to the point where it has gone from being a curse to a business. Course, is there anything that is not?

Well, the clothing would be nothing without sewing, an activity that, at least from our grandmothers, is synonymous with smart. Or do we say this "that does not know or sew a button?

With all the essentials that is, the sewing was not technological concern to mid-nineteenth century, when a humble mechanic Massachusetts, Elias Howe, with 21 years designed the first sewing machine operating in the poor attic where he lived (he was not the inventor actually, as others had advanced, as Walter Hunt). Having no money, he went to live with an old classmate, a man named Fisher, who lent him $ 500 he needed to build the machine. And in 1845 he finished. Howe said he could sew strips of fabric 5 before Boston's most experienced tailors sew one. Clearly, Howe won.

A sewing machine! That will remove cried many bread and jobs to many workers! We need to break the machine! Howe had to retire after his victory with his tail between his legs.

In 1846 he bought a ticket to England and was in London where he was issued the patent for his invention. To return to the United States had to pawn her sewing machine prototype in order to afford the ticket. He still had a few more years of poverty and struggle for your machine. But as often happens in almost all Hollywood films, the final recovered your machine, built many and became a millionaire. However, the improved and who became one of the most popular gadgets was Isaac Merrit Singer. Yes sir, that of Singer sewing machines.

Before becoming the millionaire manufacturer of sewing machines that bear his name, Singer was a poor but honest mechanic in a workshop in Boston, the same city where Howe had invented the machine. Just above the simple apartment where he lived lived a man named Phelps, who was engaged to build machines to sew. Singer was interested in them because he saw that there was a lot of money and began working on a way to improve those already in the market. He teamed up with two friends, who lent him $ 40 so he could bring his work to fruition. When finally your machine, it was time to test ... and it did not work! His friends left him and he was mulling over what could have failed. Could not think what could have happened and sulky and ashamed, returned to his home. When I went down the street suddenly occurred to him. He ran the workshop, tremblingly adjusted the tension screw, and the machine worked.

Of course one thing to have an invention that works and quite another to become a millionaire with him. Singer who provided the money was his partner Edwin Clark, who introduced sales techniques that have not left the business since then. Clark thought it would be a good idea to launch the magazine Singer Gazette, to be distributed free to purchasers of the machine, which would be issued new uses and products of its sewing machines.

Similarly, it was Clark who invented the payment in installments: the Singer sold giving a $ 5 entry and then a comfortable monthly installments with interest. It was also Clark who invented it to collect old sewing machines and give a discount for this to buy a Singer. As if that were not enough, they won the blessings of American churches Singers offering a low price for their groups and convinced the pairing that sewing machines give more time to their wives.

Using these techniques, sales in 1861 Singer sewing machines sold more than any other, and six years later Singer Corporation became the first multinational corporation.