In my mind, thinking of craft and especially fiber work. There is a world of difference between

—- Wanting to be be Correct – thus, by necessity, a willingness to research, ask questions, especially dumb questions and sometimes question where you think you already know the answers, And most importantly of all – accept correction. And the often difficult to accept “tough love”

— Wanting to be Right simply means because I said so. Were my parents alive today, they would tell you that while I might comply – it was never an answer that taught me anything other than nominal obedience.

A reasonable person might think I had learned by now that most will choose easy or a version of correct that suits their needs personally or most often “business”. Yes I understand, but no I choose not to accept – because that is not the tradition I want to be a part of.

My personal goal is to leave what is “right” to the emotional and spiritual like “sex, religion and politics” because those often subjective. but when it comes to the craft, work on correct –

These are “things that work for Wheat
You may need to adapt to your needs to get it right

One of the life lessons learned the hard way is about an ounce of prevention. As a result, I am among the proponents for an often dreaded word in the fiber art community – Sampling.

Or, as I prefer to identify with, i am a PROCESS person, one who wants to understand how it works and why, BEFORE I start breaking the rule – after all failure to plan is planning to fail.

How long should the threads be on each element?

This will vary not only from structure to structure and craftsman to craftsman – as well as for techniques like braiding and knotting – it will also vary within the structure for each element, and of course vary with the material used for each element.

The simplest way, in the long term is make a sample using similar materials as you plan to use in the final project.

Measure the length BEFORE load onto the tama/bobbin/carrier or other “loose” thread/cord.

Always allow for the “waste”. The easiest way to do this is to work at least two inches in pattern. MEASURE UNUSED – now you have a starting point.

Mark the point of the first measurement and record “used to this point”
Record AMOUNT at Start MINUS AMOUNT REMAINING –
this is your starting point for each element.

Work in pattern until your sample is 6 to 8 inches in length.
Measure Unused, Record amount used
At this point you can either “finish” or based on your experience decide how much more will be used for each element depending on your choice of finishing method.

Subtract the remaining amount from the staring amount, add 10% for insurance and that is your “guideline” for future projects using similar materials with the same structure.

Yeah I know this needs some work and maybe some photos, but I have confidence that those who want to learn will.

This is a work in progress, compiled from a variety of sources including my own experience – I do suggest reading the term explanations/glossary of the description headings –

I would be delighted to hear your thoughts for improvement including what might need to be added or changed or perhaps better explained.

Hope you find at least some helpful and will look forward to your constructive comments

Enjoy The Making

Wheat

Back to Chart…

Glossary – Or how to speak in Wheat

Blanket – Blanket measurements are very helpful in estimating the additional width needed to cover the drop – sides of the mattress.

Common Description – These are name often used in advertising to refer to a particular product.

Drop – The height of the mattress – varys greatly depending on type of mattress – Wheat Rule of Thumb for Adult Bedding where a dust ruffle will be likely is 8 to 12 inches ON EACH SIDE (sometimes determined by how much yarn is left to finish the project.)

Top – this is the area that is one the TOP of the bed – or the finished size of your quilt or afghan – it does not include any allowance for the sides of the mattress or hems or well anything.

Pillow Cover – ONE SIDE of the finished average measurement for a pillow cover (pillow case) – also useful determine how much to add to length of bed top to include covering the pillow. If you want to make a standard pillow cover, the fabric needs to be at least 40 inches plus seam allowance by the length plus hem allowance if needed. – By the way – there is no rule that says both sides of a pillow cover have to be the same.

Tiplet – Things Wheat has learned – mostly the most difficult way – that you may find helpful as you work on your project

Back to Chart …

The Internet and particularly the World Wide Web offers so many great resources, here is one has a ton of helpful information.

The Home Sewing Association has begun a Tutorial Series online called GUIDELINES

This series (list getting longer every day) of brief articles is about many aspects of sewing for every level of expertise. Much of it can easily be used by Quilters too.

Definitely a page worth bookmarking

Peace of the Season

Wheat