Join me, Snow, in my adventures in sewing, quilting, knitting, crocheting - crafting is my lifeblood! Come along, we'll grow in our expertise together.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Helpful Tips for Puff Quilts

7:03 PM Posted by SnowSews
Here are some tips that made my Puff Quilts go much faster:


  • Chain piece the colored and muslin squares. Then stuff them all, and lastly chain piece the fourth side closed.
  • Back stitch every square at both open ends - they tend to rip open when stuffing!
  • Don't over stuff the Polyfil in the squares
  • Take tiny pinches of Polyfil when stuffing squares. I took big handfuls, and within six months the puffiness is almost gone. 
  • When using the walking foot, keep the minky side down. Glides like butter!
  • Don't be afraid to hand-sew in places where the machine didn't catch the seam. While you don't have to be too accurate with your piecing, any spots left unsewn will leak stuffing in a bad way. Simply hand-sew them closed as soon as you see them. This is especially true when you're sewing two puffs right sides together, there's a lot of bulk that tends to slip out from under the presser foot.
  • Minky is a pain to work with, and sheds like crazy. Be sure to clean out your machine every few hours,
  • Reduce your tension when sewing Minky, and set your stitches to a longer length. 
Enjoy your little quilt! My baby and I sure do!

Puff Quilt for Miki!

9:59 AM Posted by SnowSews
I love Honey Bear Lane's Puff Quilt Tutorial so very much. She has her own Etsy store, where she has been selling her finished Puff Quilts in darling colors. Now, however, she sells the pattern and is phasing out her quilt making business. I bought her tutorial in Feb '13 when I found out I was expecting our first.

I made my first puff quilt from Feb to September 2013, ultimately gifting it to a very dear friend who is having her baby six weeks after mine. It was a wrenching feeling, giving away my first puff quilt. But Onward Ho! This is my second puff quilt, and I'm using premium quilting cotton from Moda, Michael Miller, Art Gallery Fabrics and a couple of fabrics from Joann's, Patty Young's Premium Quilt Fabric. I'm thoroughly enjoying working with good quality fabric. It's like when I started knitting, I'd use cheap acrylic yarn from Michaels, but the day I discovered Madelinetosh, I never looked back. I know I will be using Minky fabric from Hobby Lobby for the backing on this quilt, and a mix of cheaper fabrics from my stash in other quilts, but day-um! My baby deserves the best, right?

Here are the various fabrics:

From Left to Right, Top Row:
- Patty Young Premium Quilt Fabric "Patio Tile" - blue/green, Joann Fabrics $12.29/yd
- Michael Miller "TA Dot Berry" - red/pink, LQS $10.79/yd
- Moda Half Moon Modern "Zig Zag Stone" - stone, white, LQS $10.99/yd
- Moda Half Moon Modern "Big Dots Sunshine" - yellow, white, LQS $10.99/yd
-  Patty Young Premium Quilt Fabric "Greek Chevron" - Coral, White, Joann Fabrics $12.29/yd
- Wyndham Fabrics "Echo Ironwood Aneta" - stone, white, LQS $10.99/yd
- Moda Zen Chic "Comma in Chalk on Mustard" - white, yellow, LQS $10.99/yd
- Art Gallery Fabrics "Reminisce Meadow of Dew" - Blue/green, white, LQS $11.49/yd

Other Fabrics I will use are off-white Minky and some cuddly fabric I still need to decide on!