Pre-Mystery Housekeeping ;-)

Prior to launching into our Sweet Freedom Patriotic Mystery, we need to clarify a few things and share a few gentle reminders ;-)

I am 'assuming' you have basic sewing/quilting skills, along with the following:


  • Finished = the dimensions of a unit when it is ALL sewn into a quilt and ALL the seam allowances are contained in a sewn/finished quit. Therefore a 3 ½" x 6 ½" unit (Finishes at 3" x 6"), means this unit will FINISH at 3" x 6" in a quilt with ALL the seams sewn.  Prior to being sewn 'into' a quilt, this unit will measure 3 ½" x 6 ½" which includes the unit's scant ¼” seam allowance(s).

Sweet Freedom Mystery Necessities, other than your beautiful Mystery fabrics!
  •  Sewing machine in good working order:
    • Cleaned/oiled with a NEW sewing machine needle.  EVERY quilt deserves a Brand-NEW needle!  (And IF it's been awhile since your machine has been serviced, take it in for a good service/adjustment visit...your sewing machine will Thank YOU and probably last longer!)
    • A sewing machine that can sew a straight stitch, whether vintage, used, or Brand-new computerized, a good straight stitch is a must for gorgeous seams and ultimately a stunning finished quilt 
    • Balanced tension, here's a link to a great blog post w/pics to check-out on tension - https://shesasewingmachinemechanic.blogspot.com/p/how-to-balance.html  
    • Stitch length set to 10-12 Stitches-Per-Inch/SPI    
Vintage straight stitch machines

Selection of sewing machine needles


...or 2.0 stitch size setting on a computerized sewing/quilting machine

Newer machine w/computerized features - including needle Up/Down, scissor cut
  • Good quality sewing machine thread for assembling quilts:
    • I could write an ENTIRE blog posting on this topic alone, and EVERY quilter/sewer has an opinion on this subject, and a favorite thread - mine is Aurifil hands down, because my sewing machine(s) LOVE it and it performs w/little challenges BUT, there are plenty of 'other' very good quality sewing/quilting threads like Guttermann, Mettler, Isacord, Essential, to name just a few, and I've used EVERY one of them w/great results.  Using a good quality thread to assemble your quilts will not only produce a gorgeous finished quilt product that will stand the test of time, usage, and even potentially 'commercial' laundering, your sewing machine will, once again, Thank YOU.  And you'll enjoy your sewing/quilting time even more, when not spending precious 'sewing time' dealing with thread challenges.  I used to be one of those who pooh-poohed this subject, that was UNTIL I 'just tried it'...  
Sewing/quilting threads
  • Good quality cutting tools:
    • There are LOTS of cutting choices AND the most expensive is NOT necessarily the best - try and use what YOU like that gets the job done!  I have a large pair of Black sheers that I LOVE, RED hand nippers that I adore, a 10-year old rotary cutter from Gingher that I will NEVER give up, and a pair of Martha Stewart Cream-colored Craft scissors that are The Bomb!  (ALL have been 'acquired' over time.  IF you are just starting out, get at least one good pair of 'cutting' scissors and go from there.  I actually found a really nice, sharp pair of shears at the Dollar Store... Build as you learn, and you can always 'upgrade' later during SALES!)
Various cutting tools
    • My NEWEST cutting tool fav - my AccuQuilt GO! cutter.  IF you have the means, I can HIGHLY recommend these cutters.  Not only for superb cutting accuracy, but for SPEED!   Multiple fabric layers beautifully, precisely cut in just SECONDS - ALL ready to sew into your latest quilt project...Oh my! 
  • Pins:
    • Glass head pins are my absolute fav because they won't/don't melt from the heat of an iron!  LOTS of pin choices - quilter's choice!
 
Pins, Pin cushions, pin catcher/thread cutter

  • Pressing Tools:
    • A MUST for pressing quilt blocks and border seams flat!  I have experienced a plethora of pressing tools throughout my dressmaking/quilting life and have had several favorites throughout the years.  My current favorite pressing tool and Best Friend is my Eco-Intelligent Rowenta that has NEVER seen a drop of water!  I know MANY love to use steam, and as a former custom sewing/alterationist for several years, so did I!  But after killing several Rowentas w/water, I gave up on adding water to my irons and now, use bottled water w/sprayer nozzle to mist and/or Mary Ellen's Best Press instead.  My latest Black/GREEN Rowenta has out-lasted ALL my previous irons combined and is going on 10 years old!
Pressing Tools
Nice to Have's:
  • Stylus - I LOVE my wooden stylus and use it for most EVERY piecing event, just Do NOT hit it w/sewing machine needle, as I have clearly done multiple times with this one - it will most likely break your sewing machine needle, and can take the timing out of your precious machine!  There are plenty of stylus choices, too.
  • 1/4" ruler - to help determine your perfect 'scant' quarter inch seam allowance, more on this in a separate post!
  • Hemming gauge - used for marking binding corners, amongst other things
  • Clips - to hold multiple quilt blocks/units together, aid w/quilt binding
  • Marking tools - for marking binding, patchwork, applique, etc. 
Two different types of Stylus


Collection of Rulers - 1/4" rulers, hem gauge & rulers, metal cuff ruler

Quilter's Clips

Marking tools - chalk pencils, point turner/Hera marker, Led pencil, Micron pen, FriXion pen

Whatever you choose to sew, cut/clip/trim/press and mark with - the most important thing...Don't forget to have FUN!  We want to sew as much FUN, Love and Goodwill into each and EVERY one of our Patriotic quilts for our Veterans and Service Members...they more than deserve it, and so do YOU!

Thank YOU so much for choosing to participate in our Sweet Freedom Mystery to create one or more beautiful quilt(s) to honor our Veterans and Service Members for their service and sacrifice for our country.  You are Truly Treasured as one of our Incredibly Amazing Volunteers who makes a significant difference in the lives of our Vets...One quilt at a time...

 Happy Sewing - On to the Sweet Freedom Mystery FUN!
Deb Lindley
Illiana Quilts Of Honor

Sweet Freedom Mystery Facebook Group:  
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SweetFreedomMystery/


UPDATE 1/15/2020:
Fabric Requirements 
Clue #1
Clue #2 

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