by Terry White

My brother, Wally (the carpenter) gave me 20 old printer’s trays. Then, I received a beautiful set of Havel’s scissors….I know….I’ll make cool displays for my scissors! The first one I made is now on the set of Quilting Arts TV. So, I took photos of step-outs for my second tray. I still have to make another to replace my first one…..that’s okay, because this is fun!













So, the first thing to do was to lay out the scissors in the best arrangement. This grouping of scissors includes 9″ Professional Dura-Sheers and 9″ Serrated Dura-Sheers. Good scissors are essential to my fiber work.












Next, I pulled out my cool notion collection. The way I feel about it is that, if I don’t use my cool notions, then someday, somebody else will buy them in an estate sale!










As I began to lay things out, the colors and graphics of the Kohinoor Snap Card set the tone for the work. So, I exchanged some of my first ideas and used strong graphic design pieces.











After getting an idea of where things would go, I placed them on a large corkboard. I was careful to place them in the same arrangement.









I wear my safety glasses when doing this kind of work – using a chisel and mallet, I made angled cuts in the center of each little partition slat. Then, I cut the slats at the intersections.









When all my cuts were made, I sealed the tray with “White Lightening”. It is a white stain and a sealer; very easy to use, just brush it on. From this point, I can paint with acrylics and use my hot glue gun to add my pieces.









I attached some of the notion cards with “HandiTak” reusable adhesive. It doesn’t hurt the notion card – just in case I find out that one of these antiques is a National Treasure!









This could be a weekend project, but I like to work on a project like this over some time. It gives me a chance to think about the little vignettes I can create, and consider design choices.

Here is Terry’s first print tray scissors storage holding Havel’s Sew Creative Line.


To see more projects by Terry White click here.

– Posted: Saturday, October 15, 2011 2:30am

There’s a lot of “quilting” going on in Le Roy these days – not the kind that involves fabric – but quilt designs painted on plywood and hung on the sides of barns.


It’s the beginnings of a barn quilt trail that will help mark the Town of Le Roy’s bicentennial in 2012. About a half-dozen quilts have already been erected around town with more in the works and a goal of at least 20. The quilts range in size from a 4′x4′ to 8′x8′.

Le Roy Historical Society Director Lynne Belluscio says the project is an appropriate way to celebrate because Le Roy is an agricultural community.

The project also helps to create a sense of community pride, she said.

“We want people to feel good about the community they live in. When they hear about the barn quilt project they say, ‘Hey, that’s a neat idea.’ In Genesee County and Le Roy the agricultural heritage is so important,” says Belluscio, who has a quilt on her barn at her home on North Road.

Enthusiastic Response

She says she did not know much about barn quilt trails and how to develop them until she went online and searched for “barn quilts.”

“I was totally blown away,” she says.

Belluscio learned that barn quilt trails got their start only about 10 years ago in Ohio.

“Now almost 30 states have barn quilt projects,” she notes.

Among them, is a barn quilt trail in Kendall that began in 2006. Belluscio visited with Lora Partyka of Partyka Farms to find out how the project came together. “I had a lot of questions and I wanted to find all that out,” Belluscio says.

Armed with her recently acquired knowledge, Belluscio approached Shelley Stein of Stein Farms in Le Roy to get her reaction to the idea of a barn quilt project for their community.

“She was extremely enthusiastic,” Belluscio says.

Together, they had “a ‘quilting bee’ in my garage,” Belluscio says, to work on the first barn quilt and see what it took to put one together.

Stein, who painted a quilt for her barn on Conlon Road and is working on a second for a Gulley Road barn, says the project is a great undertaking for Le Roy. Not only does the project celebrate the town’s bicentennial and increase community awareness, but it also highlights “the history and heritage of the are through agriculture.”

It’s also a project that can carry on into the future, she says.

“The outpouring of creativity is so, so special,” says Stein. “It’s a wholesome project. It has set everybody on fire with enthusiasm.”

Quilts Tell Stories

Stein said the story behind the quilts is fascinating because each participant has chosen patterns and colors with significance for them. Stein’s first quilt, on a yellow family barn on Conlon Road, uses a pattern called “Nonesuch.” The design was taken from a quilt owned by her great-grandmother.

The project’s first quilt was up by Labor Day weekend for a family reunion at Sylvia Fraser’s home (Matthews Farm) on Route 5 just west of the Village of Le Roy. The barn is in a highly visible location on the north side of the road.

Fraser chose a pattern known as “Friendship Circle” or “Dresden Plate.”

“I like the title,” she says, “because of the many friends that are part of the Le Roy Historical Society and because people in Le Roy are so friendly.”

Fraser’s family worked together on the quilt. Her niece, who is an architectural engineer, enlarge the pattern to the 8′x8′ size.

It was a fun project, Fraser says. “I would encourage other people to do it,” she says.

A Community Project

The entire community is embracing the idea. “As people learned about it, everybody wanted to do one,” Belluscio says.

Belluscio is working to get the community’s business involved. Potter Lumber is providing plywood at a discount and Crocker’s Ace Hardware on North Road is helping with paint. Crocker’s, on North Street Road, has added a quilt block using the “Railroad Crossing” pattern to one of it’s buildings, and Potter is also planning a quilt, Belluscio says.

Belluscio would also like school kids to get involved designing their own quilts.

“Families can get involved,” she says. “It’s a postitive, exciting thing.”

History Included


The barn quilts provide an opportunity to remind people that the barns are still here. The history fo the the barns will be a part of the project, says Belluscio, who is willing to help residents do any research involved.

Belluscio is designing a community barn quilt that will feature and eight-point “Le Roy Star.” The interior of the star will include 200 diamond shapes to represents the town’s 200 years. Symbolic colors will be used in the pattern.

“Blue for Oatka Creek, red and black for the school, light blue for Ingham University,” she explains. “I would like to have community members come and help oaint the quilt, possibly during festivities that will likely be on June 8, 2012 – the date that makes the 200th anniversary of New York State’s passing of legislation creating the town.

The Le Roy Star quilt might eventually hang on the town’s Highway Department buildings after being displayed at Town Hall, Belluscio says.

Looking Ahead

Next summer’s exhibit at Le Roy House will also feature quilts and will include tie-ins to the barn quilt project, she adds.

Belluscio says she can help those interested in having a barn quilt get one up. Participants can get as involved as they like – from doing every step of the process by themselves to having the Historical Society complete an entire quilt for a fee.

Belluscio hopes the Historical Society will have some 4′x4′ barn quilts ready to auction off early next year.

There is already a barn quilt on display at the Jell-O Gallery. Appropriately named “Jell-O Jigglers” it features all the bright colors of the popular dessert invented in Le Roy.

A barn quilt trail website is active at www.leroybarnquilt.org. The website provides information about each quilts pattersn and the barns, with more to come.

“We hope to have at least 20 up by next year of the big ones,” Belluscio says, “that would make a really good driving route.”

Where to Look

Le Roy’s barn quilts can be found at:
Matthews Farm on north side of Route 5, just west of Le Roy. Features “Dresden Plate” or “Friendship Circle” pattern.
Stein Family Barn on Conlon Road. The quilt pattern and color scheme was taken from a quilt owned by Shelley Stein’s great grandmother. It is known as “Nonesuch” or “Friendship Pattern.”
Jell-O Gallery, 23 East Main St. The 4′x4′ square is named “Jell-O Jigglers.” Its colors represent Jell-O flavors of lemon, lime, grape, strawberry and orange.
Lynne Belluscio’s Northview Farm, 8148 North Rd. The barn quilt is easy to miss because of the trees, but it is the “Whig Rose” pattern. The pattern was painted by Belluscio from a quilt that she sewed for her granddaughter.
Crocker’s Ace Hardware, 8457 North Street Rd. The quilt pattern is “Railroad Crossing.”
Walters Barn, 9306 Summit Street Rd. Town Historian Irene Walters painted the patriotic “Star of Hope” or “Sunflower” pattern.
Crnkovich’s Farm Market, 8041 East Main Rd.
West Bergen Road, between Randall and Selden roads, features a red barn with a red, white and blue “Starburst” patterned quilt.

For more information, contact Lynne Belluscio at (585) 768-7433.

You’ll thank me later….

If you are a beginner to quilting, the tools you need are few. There are, literally, thousands of tools for quilting available to the stitcher…it can be very confusing. So, to simplify, here is a list of the most essential things you will need to start quilting.

Marking Tools
You will use a marking tool for appliqué, marking fusible web, placement of appliqués on fabric, placement of embellishments on fabric and marking quilt lines.

For Permanent Lines
• Micron Pigma Pen: an archival acid free pen, like the pens for scrap booking.
• Fine Point Sharpies: and when I take a hot iron to the marks they become permanent.
• Color Pencils: can be used as they can be matched to the colors of fabric used. Then there isn’t a harsh black line to worry about.
• Fabric Markers: are the best because they come in colors, are permanent and are made for fabric…however they can be expensive. So, if you buy just the primary colors individually from an art or hobby store you can save expense. Store all markers on their side to keep them from spilling ink or drying out.



For Temporary Lines
• Chalk Pencils: and markers are good.
• Wash Away Pens: however, if you live in a very humid area, the marks may disappear before you want them to.







Rotary Cutter/Mat/Ruler
The single most important tool for the quilter has become the rotary cutter. In one step, you can measure and cut perfect straight strips for making patchwork. It has replaced the need for patchwork templates and the ability to cut perfectly straight lines with scissors.
The acrylic ruler is essential to the rotary cutter. Metal rulers ruin the blade and wooden rulers dull the blade. The acrylic rulers not only have measuring lines, but marks also for cutting various angles.
The cutting mat is very necessary – it holds the fabric still, protects table surfaces from the sharp blade and it prevents the blade from becoming dull.

How to Use a Rotary Cutter
Lay your fabric on the mat, line up the edge of the fabric to the lines on the mat.
Place the ruler along the fabric where you will make your cut.
Place one hand flat on the ruler.
Hold the rotary cutter against the ruler at a bit of an angle and cut away from your body. You may have to reposition your hand holding the ruler down so that the ruler doesn’t slip on the fabric.
If this is your first time using a rotary cutter, practice on some junk fabric. It took me
several tries.





Best Scissors
• Havel’s 8” Sewing/Quilting Scissors to cut fabric
• Havel’s 5 ½” Curved Tip Sewing Scissors for appliqué
• 5 1/4” Ultimate Embroidery Scissors at the sewing machine






Sewing Machine
It should be in good working order. If it hasn’t been used in a while, it should probably be serviced.
Good working order means that the thread tensions work well. When you make a straight stitch on the machine, it is a smooth, even stitch with no puckers.
A clean machine is very important. Lint can build up in the bobbin area and wreck the timing of the machine and prevent good stitching.
Be sure to follow the instructions in your owner’s manual for the care and cleaning of your machine.
If you have a new machine, use the owner’s manual and become familiar with your machine before starting to quilt. When I acquire a new machine, I always do this. I will spend a day (or longer) learning all about my machine and go through every operation that my machine will perform so that I understand it.

If you are thinking of buying a new sewing machine:
Ask someone you know and admire and who sews beautifully – what does she suggest?
You want a good dealer. It is just like buying a car: you won’t be happy with your purchase if the sewing shop doesn’t support you with classes, service and supplies for your machine.
I use a Bernina.


Machine Embroidery Needles
Be sure you buy the sewing machine needles that fit your machine. Believe it or not, sewing machine needles come in different lengths. The company that makes your machine will have the best advice for the needles for your machine. Don’t buy cheap needles – they are bad needles.



Paint Brush
Keep a soft bristle paint brush by your machine. Clean out the bobbin area and the needle area several times a day when you are doing a lot of stitching. The lint that builds up will affect the quality of your stitches.






Quilt Pins
These are long pins with a plastic ball head. They are long to be able to go through several layers of fabric and the heads make them easy to pick up and to find.









Design Wall or Layout Area
When I lived in a teeny tiny home with no room at all to lay out a quilt, I used my bed as a layout space. I would pin sections of my quilt to a sheet (which was spread out on the top of the bed) to help me see how the quilt would look. If I needed to see it hanging up, I would hang the sheet from the top of a window’s curtain rod.
There are many fancy solutions for this need. I use flannel backed vinyl (tablecloth material) tacked to a wall in my stitch studio with upholstery tacks.




Iron
I use an inexpensive iron that gets very hot…unfortunately, I’m very clumsy and I drop my irons. I also use hobby irons and travel irons for small areas of pressing. I find that the small irons get very hot and are very easy to manipulate in small sections of work.
I don’t use steam for the most part in my work. Steam can distort the fabric.





Ironing Surface
I made a large surface that I put onto my ironing board. I followed Sharon Schamber’s instructions: I started with a large section of OSB or MDF plywood board (your local home improvement place will know what this is and it isn’t expensive) cut to the size I wanted. Layer this with low loft cotton batting and cotton duck fabric. Then, pull the fabrics to the back and secure with a staple gun. This gives me a large and very flat surface which is perfect for pressing quilts.


Pressing Cloth
Especially if you are using fusible webs, paints, or materials made with metal threads or nylon. Simply, a pressing cloth can be an old sheet or pillow case or a piece of muslin that will protect both the iron’s surface and the fabric’s surface.

Lint roller
Can be used to clean my design wall, my ironing surface and even stray threads on my quilt.




Hand needles
Hand Needles called “Betweens” work well for burying threads, use in stitching binding and rod pockets to a quilt and doing any hand stitching that may be required.

Next: Essential Materials for the Beginning Quilter

See Terry’s latest project The Happy Christmas Tree Photo Album Cover, just click here, and you’ll be on your way to making a memorable Christmas album for the whole family.

…and for a downloadable PDF of this blog, click here.

Make the Bookmark



1. Start with a piece of fabric with fusible web applied and the paper backing torn off.
In this case, I used the leftovers from the labels.



2. Fold the fabric onto itself with fused sides together. This creates a two-sided fabric
with lots of body. The double fusing adds strength to the piece.



3. After cutting the piece into a rectangle using the Rotary Pinking Blade,
I used the Rotary Skip Blade to perforate two lines down the center of the bookmark.



You can see the perforations when I pull the fabric a little. This won’t fray; the double fusing strengthens the fabric. So, this technique has all kinds of applications!



4. Use a big tapestry needle to thread purple metallic ribbon through the perforations.



5. Cut two stars from fabric with fusible web on it. Don’t fuse them before cutting them out.



6. Place purple ribbon on top of a green star (fusible side up). Place the other star on top,
then iron, fusing the purple ribbon between the green star shapes.



7. Do the same for the purple stars.

I really hope that you had as much fun making this project as I did designing it.
I would like to appreciate my supporting cast in this project…without which
it just would not be the same…the 12 days of Havel’s Scissors!

For a printable PDF, please click here.

Finish the Edge

1. Use the same thread in the top and the bobbin of your sewing machine. Choose a nice edge finish stitch. I use an edge foot because the stitch seems to look so much better with it.



Snip-A-Stitch is a great tool for any kind of work on the sewing machine. You can see the little notch in the blade…this notch gets you very close to the fabric to cut the end threads without cutting the fabric.



This is what the edge of the album cover looks like.

2. Position your album on the cover and mark where the folds should be. This cover is just like the book covers we made as kids to cover our school books. Press the folds with an iron.

Here is the album inserted in the fold of the cover.

Here is the back of the album cover.

Here is the side view of the album cover.

Next: On The Twelfth Day Of Havel’s,
My True Love Is The Rotary Skip Blade

For a printable PDF, please click here.

Make the Back Label and the Spine Label

1. Apply fusible web to fabric before cutting.
This will keep the back label and spine label from fraying.



2. When using this blade, be sure to hold it upright so that both sides of the blade cut through.



I used an archival permanent drawing pen to write on the labels.

Then, positioned and fused them in place.

Next: On The Eleventh Day Of Havel’s,
My True Love Is The Snip-A-Stitch

For a printable PDF, please click here.

Make the Border



1. Choose your border fabric. The color you choose will frame the project,
so it can be subdued, or as I chose, something that would be bright!

2. Measure the size of your borders and add 1/2″ for overlap.
The wavy edge will overlap your design area.



3. Apply fusible web to your border fabric and tear off the backing paper before cutting.
This way you will avoid fraying.



4. You only need the wave design on the inside of each border. Cut the outside edge with Havel’s Jumbo Rotary Cutter for a straight finish. For the center area, cut both edges out with the Wave Blade. Press the borders to the lining and the overlap of the design areas.

On The Tenth Day Of Havel’s,
My True Love Is The Rotary Pinking Blade

For a printable PDF, please click here.

Make the Lining

1. I used polyester taffeta lining fabric for the lining. I traced the correct size of the lining onto the fabric with a fine line marker and then cut it out with serrated scissors.



Havel’s serrated scissors are wonderful for cutting slippery fabrics because
the teeth bite and hold the fabric as they cut.

2. Cut the fabric for the back of the album 14″ square.

Back of Album

3. Layout the front and the back of the album onto the lining.

Front of Album

Next: On The Ninth Day Of Havel’s,
My True Love Is The Rotary Wave Blade

For a printable PDF, please click here.

Make the Ornaments



1. Use a fine line marker and draw the ornaments’ hang wires onto the tree.



2. Position buttons on the tree to see how you want the different sizes and shapes to look.
Place them on top of your tree pattern to maintain your idea as you stitch the buttons on.



3. Hand stitch each button into place with red thread.



4. Use a multi-colored pearl cotton thread to simply stitch a straight line
for each hang wire. I used three or four stitches for each one.

Dura-Snips fit perfectly with your portable hand work tools.
You can use them to snip all types of yarn and threads.

Next: On The Eighth Day Of Havel’s,
My True Love Is The 7″ Serrated Sewing/Quilting Scissors

For a printable PDF, please click here.

Make the Garland

1. Trace the design of the garland onto the tree.

When I want to trace a line from a pattern, I trace the lines onto a piece of paper.



I cut away along the line I want. Trace the line, and then cut the next outline and so on.



I use Havel’s Teflon Coated Scissors to cut out the paper pattern.



2. Use Havel’s Snip-Eze to cut purple metallic ribbon pieces.
Each ribbon section should be cut 4 inches longer than the design.



3. Use the bar-tack on your sewing machine to stitch the garland down.
I used a purple rayon thread.



4. Use the closed Snip-Eze to pull up a little ribbon between
each bar-tack to make it look loopy.



Use a tapestry needle to secure the ribbons to the back of the work.

Next: On The Seventh Day Of Havel’s,
My True Love Is The 4 3/4″ Dura-Snips On A Neck Strap

For a printable PDF, please click here.