COVER GIFT
If you’re keen to expand your quilting horizons, chances are these quilting stencils, designed by Karlee Porter, are going to come in handy! Karlee’s here to help you make the most of them…
Get to know Karlee Porter, graffiti quilting extraordinaire, as you get to grips with your fab quilting stencils!
GETTING TO KNOW YOU
Karlee has been working as a full-time professional in the quilting industry since 2015. With a best-selling book, Graffiti Quilting: A Simple Guide to Complex Designs under her belt, Karlee teaches the technique all over the world, both digitally and in person. Over 1,000 of her digital quilting designs can be found on her website (karleeporter.com), ranging from the graffiti style that she’s become known for, to unique, quote-based patterns.
How did you learn to quilt?
When I was just out of high school, I was looking for a full-time job, and applied to Handi Quilter! I started in their production department, building and testing quilting machines. I guess you could say that I got paid to learn how to quilt! Every day, I would go to work and stitch out the same four tester patterns over and over again. Then, at night I would stitch out all the designs I had been drawing in my sketchbook for years. I learned the fundamentals of quilting while on the clock, and then practised my artistic abilities each evening.
What’s your favourite style of quilting?
That one is easy, it always has been and always will be graffiti quilting. I feel like graffiti quilting is just so freeing and exciting. It isn't monotonous because I don't have to plan anything out. I can simply sit down and just start quilting without too much thought. Although, lately I would have to say that hand-lettered quilting is a close second.
How do you design a quilt stencil?
The first thing I will do is create the space that I intend to fill – whether it is a block, a border or a stencil that will be a repeatable design. Then I’ll start with sketches. I don't worry about perfection here, I just do my best to get my ideas onto paper. Then comes the fine-tuning of lines. And finally, I have to create bridges. Stencils are unique in that your design has to play nicely with the actual structure of a stencil to be functional!
HOW TO USE YOUR STENCILS
Simply print out your templates, transfer the design onto your choice of paper or template plastic, and cut out the quilting lines with a sharp craft knife. Place the stencil on your fabric in the position you would like the quilting design and use a fabric marker to draw through the lines. Use the lines as a guide while you sew, for perfect machine-quilted patterns on each and every quilt!
KARLEE’S TOP TIPS FOR MACHINE QUILTING
1 Get to know your machine. Take it out to dinner first, so to speak. Make an effort to understand tension settings, needle sizes and thread weights. I truly believe that every quilting machine model can make extremely beautiful works of art, but they are only as good as their handler! When you take care of them, they'll take care of you. 2 Enjoy the practice time. When people ask me how I get such perfect pebbles, I tell them that I have literally quilted over ten yards of just pebbles! Anything you want to get proficient at is going to take time. A lot of times, people only see my finished works and fail to remember that over thousands of hours of practice went into a piece that I can now achieve in a little under an evening. 3 Make quilts for you! I say this every time I have an audience: "Unless someone is paying you money to quilt for them, don't take their advice on your quilts." Make quilts that make you happy. 4 Keep cheap fabric on hand for practice sessions. In the beginning of my quilting journey there was nothing more intimidating to me than spending a ton of time piecing a quilt top, only to never actually quilt it out of fear that I would completely ruin it. Buy the cheapest solid fabric you can find, cut it into fat quarters and make some quilt sandwiches to keep on hand. When you feel inspired to try out a new quilting technique, whether it's a free motion motif, stencil or marking method, use one of those spare quilt sandwiches to try it out. It'll save you a lot of heartache and unpicking time. karleeporter.com karleeporterdesign