Frequently Asked Questions
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FAQ
Q. What is Bias, and why use it?
A. Bias is fabric cut on the diagonal of a square, it is cut in strips and used to curve around the design or flower petal. It can do this easily because it is pliable.
Q. What is Interlace?
A. Interlace is one of the more popular Celtic motifs. It weaves an over and under pattern and symbolizes eternity as there is no beginning and no end; one is always at the center.
Q. What kind of fabric do you use?
A. We recommend 100% cotton pre-shrunk before use. We use a variety of hand-dyed fabric, mottled colors of light and dark. See page 11 and 12 of our book A Celtic Garden. The variety of fabrics available today in your local quilt shop is awesome.
Q. What kind of needles do you use?
A. We use John James sharps size 12, Piecemakers Hand Applique sharps size 12, Richard Hemming & Son large eye Milliners needles. For quilting we use Piecemakers Quilting size 12 and John James size 12 needles. Other sizes are available. Most importantly, use what is comfortable for you.
Q. What kind of thread do you use?
A. We use YLI #100 silk thread for applique and YLI #16 for quilting.
Q. How do you sew down the bias?
A. We hand applique the bias using a blind stitch, sewing the inside curve first. This can also be done by machine, but I recommend basting down the bias first. There are illustrated instructions in both Celtic Spirals and A Celtic Garden as to where to begin and end.
Q. How do you transfer the design onto the background fabric?
A. For a 16" x 16" finished block, fold a 17" x 17" square of background fabric in half and then in half again. Pinch the folded point of fabric that marks the center of the background block. Place the background fabric on top of the pattern to be traced, being careful to match the center markings of the pattern to the center of the background block. Note: be careful to place the design on the vertical straight of the background fabric. Anchor the two layers with pins so that they will not slip. Then trace the pattern on to the fabric using an Ultimate Marking Pencil or a #3 hard pencil.
Q. What if I want to use a dark background and I cannot see the design?
A. If the background fabric is dark or opaque, the pattern may be difficult to trace. If so, try using a light box or table, or taping both the pattern and the fabric to the window with light coming through from behind. This will make the pattern lines easier to see through the fabric.
Q. What type of tracing paper do you use?
A. Use good quality tracing paper or drafting paper for tracing the designs and applique pieces. These can be used over and over again.
Q. How do I know what width Bias Bar to use?
A. There are seven sizes of Bias Bars. For special effects we may use three or four different width bias strips on any one piece. For the floral designs we use 1/8" or 3/16" Bias Bars. We use 3/16", 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", 5/8", and 3/4" Bias Bars for the Interlace and Spiral designs. These all come with illustrated instructions.
