Ever since junior high, I have been a pushover for those 'helpful hints' columns.... The first thing I ever had published was actually a tip sent in to a home ec magazine in 7th grade, for which I received $1! Well, with riches like that available, you can see why I keep trying to find clever uses for things that will make jobs easier! Check this site around the first of every month for a new tip, and, Happy Quilting!
August 2008
If you don't have space to have a permanent design wall, or you need to bring a design wall to a workshop where you can't tape things to the classroom walls, you can easily make a portable design wall to suit your needs. Start with a a foldling cardboard unit. These are made of corrugated cardboard, and are very inexpensive. If you get them in a fabric store, they are called Pattern Cutting Boards, and accordion fold to about 10" x 36" for storage. When open, they are about 36" wide by 60" long. They are for you to lay on your work surface so you have a larger place to lay out fabric for cutting out dressmaking patterns. You don't rotary cut on them, but they help as far as arranging components of a quilt when planning how to set things together.
To make a design wall out of them, you can cover them with flannel or batting. Cover the front surface with the flannel or batting, wrapping about 2" around to the backside. Tape in place. Duct tape works well for this. To make them free standing, the two end panels of the accordion folds can be placed at a right angle to the rest of the board when you stand it up on the floor, or they can be propped against a wall.
You can also find a similar cardboard product where they sell office or school supplies. These are corrugated cardboard trifolds that are made as display boards. Again, covering them with flannel or batting makes a great portable design wall.
July 2008
As I work on organizing my quilt studio, I am reminded of a phrase overheard at a retreat: S.A.B.L.E. "Stash Accumulated Beyond Life Expenctancy". Not that having a S.A.B.L.E. is a bad thing, mind you!
June 2008
See the tip for February 2008 for some uses for the cardboard tubes that come inside rolls of gift wrap, paper towels, and toilet paper. Another use for the longer tubes is to cut them the same length as the bottom rail of a coat hanger. Slit the tube down its length, slip it onto the hanger, and tape it closed. You now have a hanger with a smooth rounded surface to hang a quilt, quilt top, or quilt backing on, thereby avaiding creases where the quilt bends over the hanger.
May 2008
See the tip for April 2008 to see how to attach casings to the back of your quilt for hanging quilts. I insert rods (dowels) into the casings to display the quilt. The dowels are cut the same length as the finished casings (which is slightly shorter than the width of the quilt). One dowel goes in the casing along the bottom of the quilt so the quilt hangs well. A second dowel goes in the top casing. I place an eye screw in the ends of this dowel, turning the eye screws so they both end in the same orientation. To hang the quilt, place 2 nails in your wall, positioning the nails so the eye screws can be hung on them. In this fashion, the nails are hidden from view by the quilt. If you are hanging the quilt in a show, loops of heavy-duty twine or fishing line can be placed in the eye screws, and the loops can be hung from whatever mechanism the show is using to hang the quilts.
April 2008
It is easiest to attach 'hanging casings' to the back of your quilt as part of the binding process. I place a casing at the top AND bottom of my quilts. The quilt is hung from a rod in the top casing. A rod in the bottom casing helps to weight the quilt so it hangs well.
Because I use dowels to hang my quilts, I find that strips 4" - 6" wide are sufficient for the casings. Be sure that whatever width you choose will be sufficient for the size rod you will be hanging the quilt from. Wall hangings can hang from smaller dowels and use narrower casings. Full size quilts will need larger rods so they don't bow under the weight of the quilt. Your casing strip needs to be wide enough to accommodate this. The casing strips will be folded in half (so 4" will become 2", for example) so that you are creating a tube for the rod to reside in. This way, any possible rough edges from the rod will not damage the back of your quilt. Create strips that are the width of the quilt. Make a double 1/4" hem along the short ends of the strips. Fold the casing strips in half, wrong sides together, so they are now 2" -3" wide.
After the binding has been attached to the quilt's edge by machine, but BEFORE you fold the binding over the edge to the back to encase the raw edges, lay the folded casing on the back of the quilt, one strip along the top of the quilt, one strip along the bottom of the quilt, raw edges even, and centered along the edge. Because of the double 1/4" hems you made, the casings will be 1/2" shorter than the quilt at each end.
Baste the casing along the raw edges, positioning the basting in the seam allowance along the quilt's edge. Now when you fold the binding over the raw edges to the back of the quilt, it will also encase the raw edges of the casing. After the final stitching is done to hold the binding in place, all that remains is to stitch the folded edge of the casing to the back of the quilt. I also stitch the portion of the tube's opening that rests against the quilt backing to the backing to insure that the rod will go inside the tube when inserted.
March 2008
Your quilt top is quilted. Now what? Before you attach the binding, block your quilt. Quilts can become distorted at several points along the construction path, especially after quilting. Before you cut off the excess batting and backing, block your quilt by spreading it out on a smooth clean surface that you can pin to. If it is a small quilt, I pin it to my flannel wall. If it is a large quilt, I pin it to my carpet. Spritz the quilt lightly with water. Pin the edges of the quilt to your pinning surface, smoothing the quilt as you pin, and measuring to be sure the edges are straight, the quilt measures the same width throughout the entire quilt, the quilt measures the same length throughout the entire quilt, and all rows of sashing are straight and true. Allow the quilt to dry. If you have an overhead fan, this can speed the drying time. I repeat the spritz and dry process three times. Once the quilt is dry, you can unpin, and attach your binding.
February 2008
Are you still cleaning up after the holidays? The cardboard tubes that wrapping paper, paper towels, and toilet paper come on are great for recycling.
January 2008
As the time comes to put away holiday decorations, take time to recycle greeting cards in a worthy cause. Answer this plea: "Wanted: Your used Christmas cards. (Fronts only.) The children of our church make Christmas ornaments from the pictures from Christmas cards. These are sent (along with a photograph and Christmas greetings) to hospice patients. Please send us your Christmas card fronts, or maybe get your friends, or your whole church to save their cards for us. We can't reimburse your postage, but we will send you a photograph of our group (and our hospice tree). Also, we'll send you instructions of how we make our ornaments. Thanks so much for your kind help, and God bless you all! Ship to: HOSPICE PROJECT, c/o Forest-Scott CTC, 521 Cleveland Street, Forest, MS 39074."
December 2007
For better vision, take your hand stitching with you when you go to the optomotrist. Have them watch you as you stitch so they can measure the distance needed for the correct prescription. Normally, the prescription is set for the average focal length needed for reading, which is not the same focal length needed for stitching. This may mean bifocals, or even trifocals, but this way, you will have the correct magnification needed to do your handwork.
November 2007
Janet Jones Worley, author of Quilts for Chocolate Lovers, passes along this valuable hint that will help prevent backaches while sewing. Place a book that is the same thickness as your sewing machine's power foot pedal on the floor next to the power foot pedal. When it is time to stitch, place one foot on the power foot pedal and place the other foot on the book. This puts both feet at the same level, keeping your hips in alignment as you sit and stitch.
October 2007
Rather than folding quilts to store them, I roll them. Fabric stores are happy to give you the heavy cardboard tubes drapery fabric comes on. Wrap them in a layer of batting, then a layer of muslin. Quilts rolled on padded tubes can then be stood up in a closet for storage. Because many of my quilts are small, I group 5 or 6 quilts on a tube, grouping them according to theme: applique, nine patch, scrap quilts, etc., making them easy to locate when I am searching for a specific quilt.
September 2007
If you are machine stitching with spools of thread larger than what your sewing machine thread spindle will accommodate, you can lengthen your spindle by either placing a drinking straw over it, or the barrel of a ball point pen. Open up the pen, discard the ink cartridge and the pen top, and place the pen casing over the spindle. Different size pen barrels will work for different size spools.
August 2007
There are times when you may wish to 'unstitch' an area of hand-quilting. Using the 'eye' end of the needle is recommended because it is blunt and won't split your thread or snag your fabric.
BUT: and here is the hint: first thread that eye with a piece of thread that contrasts with the flooring in the room you are in. Knot the ends together so the thread slip out of the needle. Now you can begin using the eye end of the needle to pluck out the offending stitches. (You will want to hold the loop of thread taut against the shaft of the needle so it doesn't get in your way.) This way, if the needle flips out of your hands as you are working, you will be able to locate it on the floor.
Sadly, this hint came to me after spending over 2 hours searching the carpet of my living room one night after the needle flipped out of my hand. I tore apart the chair, moved furniture, used a flashlight, used a magnet... all to no avail. It wasn't until the next morning when I started again that I found the needle laying in an area that I could swear I searched in the night before! Having a loop of colored thread tied to the needle would have saved me so much time and aggrivation!
July 2007
Like you, I enjoy searching for tips to make my life easier. I found this one on Judy Martin's website. Judy is a quilt designer I have admired for years. Her website is listed on my links page. If you don't already get her newsletter, sign up! She has a very down-to-earth lighthearted sense of humor that you will get a kick out of, and the ingenuity of her quilt designs will bowl you over! Her new log cabin quilt is fabulous!
Once on her website, if you go to 'community', then to 'tips', you will find this tip. Sometimes, once you cut into a piece of fabric, it is difficult to tell which is the lengthwise grain (this runs in the same direction as the selvage edge and has the least amount of stretch). While the crosswise grain is also 'straight grain', it is stretchier. When cutting borders or sashing, it is always better to cut on the lengthwise grain so you have the least amount of stretch. Your quilt will lay flatter and straighter, without ripples.
Here is Marty Eubank's tip: "Listening for the Straight Grain: A way to tell the grain on a small piece of fabric is to "pop" the fabric in each direction by grasping the fabric on opposite sides and tugging firmly. First "pop" it in one direction, then rotate the fabric (and your hand grip) 90 degrees and "pop" it again. Listen to the sound the fabric makes. The straight grain will be the higher or shallower sound and the cross grain will be the lower or deeper sound. Why? Because the cross grain stretches more and so it resonates more! I have used this method reliably on pieces so small there are no visual clues. Try it! It works!"
She's right! I have been sewing for years, and this is the first time I have ever heard this trick (no pun intended!). The fabric really does make a different sound in the different directions. Think you will have trouble remembering which pitch is the correct direction to work with? Try this: if it's low, say no!
.June 2007
Keeping with last month's theme of how to create a more comfortable raised surface for rotary cutting, this idea came from student Debbie Tomek, who got it from Sally Parker. Debbie came to one of my retreats with her fabrics in an 18" x 24" x 7" plastic bin. When it came time to cut, she topped it with a piece of 18 x 24 plexiglass (this gave it a smooth top surface), topped that with her cutting mat, and she had a surface that was raised from the worktable to a comfortable height for rotary cutting. As long as you have to haul supplies to class anyway, might as well use a conveyance that can do double duty!
When getting your piece of plexiglass made for this tip (or a piece of masonite would work as well), measure the top of your bin. Make sure the plexi will cover it suffficiently and not fall into any of the indentations that may be in the lid of the bin. You may need to have the plexi cut slightly larger. Thanks for the good idea Debbie and Sally!
May 2007
I picked up this tip at a wonderful quilt shop in Watkins Glen, NY called Oh Susannah's
In your workspace, or for a guild to have at their workshops, bed risers would raise worktables to a more comfortable height for more efficient cutting! They are lightweight, easy to store, and some models come in adjustable heights. In checking on line, they are available at a variety of places, such as 'Walmart', 'Bed, Bath, and Beyond', and 'Target', to name a few. They are in the $10 - $20 price range. So raise your table. You will be astonished at how much it eases your back comfort!
April 2007
One area that often gets neglected when cleaning your sewing machine is the bobbin case. Lint and tiny threads can build up both in the case itself as well as in the housing the case sets into. A noisy machine is one symptom that this has happened. A large fluffy pipe cleaner or a sturdy feather make great cleaning tools for these hard to reach places. The flexibility of both make them perfect for getting into places that cleaning brushes can't reach. You can find both at craft stores. Frequent cleaning will help keep your stitch quality high and improve the health of your sewing machine.
March 2007
One of the facets of good quilt construction is trimming threads, that is, the tails of threads at the beginning and end of each construction seam. To leave them untrimmed leaves you open to the possibility of darker threads migrating underneath the quilt top to lay under lighter fabrics and show through the top. Rather than waiting until the quilt top is complete to go back and trim these theads, get in the habit of trimming them as you construct the seam. Taping an open lunchbag to your work area will give you a handy wastebasket to toss the threads in, and it will save you hours later to not have to go back and trim them up after the quilt top is constructed.
February 2007
We all hate to do it, but at times it's necessary: ripping stitches. This method is the easiest I have ever found for this annoying task. Use your seam ripper to cut every third or fourth stitch on the front side of your unit. Now flip the unit over to the other side. Remove enough stitches at the beginning of your seam to give you a tail to hang on to, then pull on that backside thread. Because the front side stitches have been periodically cut, the backside thread will pull out very easily. All that remains is small lengths of thread on the front side. These can be brushed off, removed with a piece of masking tape, or removed by rolling a sticky rolling lint remover over them!
Considering that I used to pluck out each stitch undividually, this method is magical! It ALMOST makes ripping fun!
January 2007
Continuing with my theme of how to make best use of your time: don't allow yourself to get trapped into cleaning the house. If you let it, it will take over your entire day. Instead, set the timer and see how much you can accomplish in small bursts of time. For example, set the timer for ten minutes, then get busy! Wash the dishes, wipe off the counter tops, empty the wastebaskets, start a load of laundry. Remember, this is a race against the clock! This really works for me. It forces me to focus, and the reward is that I know the frantic activity will be short-lived, with the challenge of seeing just how much I can accomplish in that time frame. When the buzzer goes off, reward yourself with some time to do something just for you. Read, stitch, plan your next quilt. You deserve it.
December 2006
My hint of January 2005 was to make lists for what you want to accomplish in the coming year. It is also something I do on a daily basis. I find making lists frees me up from having to remember so many details, and also helps to keep me on track for using my time well throughout the day. There are times when I find it most satisfying to cross things off the list as I accomplish them. On other days, it feels better to erase them as they are completed, with a goal of a clean sheet by the end of the day. Realistically, there are many days when I don't complete everything on my list. By erasing as I accomplish, anything I don't get done gives me a head start on my list for the next day. Find a method that works for you. And don't forget to schedule some quilting time for yourself!
November 2006
Making best use of your time is something we all struggle with. The next couple months I will be sharing some ideas on how to make the best use of your time so you have more time to quilt! This month's hint: never leave a room without taking something with you that belongs elsewhere. As you put this item away, take something from the new room, and put it away. Let no trip be wasted. You may want to set a limit, for example, do this with six things, otherwise, it may never end! After you complete putting away 6 things, reward yourself with some quilting time.
October 2006
Never place quilts in plastic bags for storage. Plastic can retain any moisture that may be in the quilt (which can even be as minor as being from the humidity in your home) and cause mildew. Instead, store quilts in pillowcases, or wrapped in a cotton sheet. These will allow the quilt to breathe, as well as protect it from dust, or from touching any wooden surfaces. Touching a wooden surface, such as a shelf, can be problematic as acids from the wood, or elements from the surface treatment of the wood (stain or varnish, for example) could stain the quilt.
September 2006
I have to admit, I love magazines. It doesn't take long for them to pile up around me, so in an effort to keep them from taking over the house (I don't want to take space away from quilting, after all!), I go through them periodically and weed them out. I pull out any information I may actually use again, and also, any pictures that appeal to me. I then file my saves in notebooks by theme: one for recipes, one for patterns I want to try, one for quilt history information, one for gift projects, and one for pretty pictures. The 'pretty picture' collection is things I just love the colors of. They are most often things like scenery. They are great inspiration for color schemes for future quilts.
This has proven to be a great way to get rid of magazines I no longer need, and the notebooks take up much less space than stacks of magazines. This time of year is a great time to start a project like this while school supplies, such as loose-leaf notebooks, are on sale. When I am ready to start a new project, I can then go through my 'want to make it someday' notebook and see what project I want to do next.
August 2006
Keeping with the 'how to make pressing easier' theme, or in this case, 'how to eliminate the need for pressing' ...
I cut an old bath towel in half lengthwise, then folded a segment in half widthwise. This made it the perfect size to roll around the bottom of a coat hanger. I just kept rolling it round and round until all of the towel was used up, creating a pad on the hanger about 3" round. A few safety pins held it in place. Now I have a padded hanger (2 from each towel) to hang quilt tops over, thereby reducing the amount of creases in them to remove when it is time to sandwich the quilt tops for quilting.
This also works great in preventing hanger marks on slacks in your clothes closet. It is another great way to put old towels to good use, although you could also do this with leftover strips of batting. Cover the batting roll with fabric and whipstitch the fabric in place. We may be onto a great 'quick gift' idea here!
Happy Stitching!
July 2006
If there is one thing I hate, it is ironing! But I know how vital good pressing is to successful quiltmaking, so anything I can do to make this job easier is welcome. For years, I have used a bath towel on my ironing board when pressing completed applique from the wrong side. The plush of the towel gives somewhere for the bulk of the applique to go so the piece can be well pressed.
It occurred to me the other day when working on a small scale quilt that perhaps my ironing surface was too hard to handle the job properly. Even though I was pressing with a good hot iron, the quilt top didn't look smooth and crisp. I placed a towel on the ironing board, placed the quilt top right side up, and pressed again. Voila! The plush of the towel gave somewhere for the bulk of the seam allowances to go, and provided the needed support under the quilt top for a good clean pressing. The difference was amazing. Give it a try. I think you will like the results!
June 2006
When I put a new book of checks in my checkbook, I attach a post-it note to the 4th from the last check in the book. It serves as a reminder when I get to the check with the post-it on it to get a new book of checks ready. That way, I won't find myself in a quilt shop with no more checks in my checkbook! (Heaven forbid!)
May 2006
Having trouble keeping your favorite books open to the page you are working on? Print shops and office supply stores can re-bind your book in a comb or spiral binding. This involves cutting off the spine of the book and punching the edges to accommodate the new binding. The price depends on the size of the book and the binding, but I have had several books rebound for a couple of dollars each. Books now lay open perfectly wherever I want them to. Even though this site focuses on quilting, keep this in mind for things like cookbooks too! Oh so handy....
April 2006
If bits of batting or thread have embedded themselves into your cutting mat, these tips may help clean them up for you. A nylon pot scrubber rubbed over the surface of the mat works well to loosen fibers and clean up your mat. Also, a loop of extra-wide masking tape (the extra wide seems to be stickier) or duct tape wrapped sticky side out around your hand makes a good scrubbing tool to remove fiber residue.
March 2006
For safety sake, it is a good idea to have a case to put your rotary cutter in when traveling. A quick case can be made by folding a square potholder in half, and stitching along the long edge and across the bottom. Be sure to 'try it on' your rotary cutter before stitching to be sure your cutter will fit into the case, as both pot holders and rotary cutters come in a variety of sizes.
February 2006
I am reminded of this time and time again when I find myself rushing to finish something: If you don't have time to do it right, you won't have time to do it over. So take your time. Do it right the first time. Happy Quilting!
January 2006
When hand quilting, I place my quilt sandwich in a circular lap frame. Quilting along the edges of the quilt can be a challenge because it was difficult to manipulate the needle near the frame itself. What works very well is to baste a strip of a bath towel (great use for old bath towels) along the edge of the quilt. It is about the same thickness as the quilt sandwich, and it gives me an 'extension' to place in the hoop, moving the portion I want to quilt closer to the center of the hoop where there is more room to maneuver.
December 2005
There is nothing that slows down the flow of work like misplacing your tools. Try taping the cap to your seam ripper to the side of your sewing maching, open end up. You can now store your seam ripper here, so it will always be handy when you need it.
November 2005
My daughter introduced me to these handy 3.5" x 5.5" notebooks that tuck very easily into your purse, and are great for jotting down quilting ideas. They are made by MOLESKINE, and I have found them at national book stores. They are described as 'the legendary notebook of Van Gogh and Matisse, Hemingway and Chatwin', so at least I know I am in good company! They come in different styles: lined pages (would make a great quilt journal), gridded pages (looks like graph paper: ideal for sketching patterns!), and as a booklet of pockets (for storing things like fabric swatches). They even have an attached elastic band that holds the book closed. Very handy, and a great gift item.
October 2005
If the underside of your machine stitching is looping, it means there is something wrong with the tension on your UPPER thread. The two most common causes of this areSeptember 2005
If you are having problems with skipped stitches when machine stitching, one probable cause is that you don't have the same BRAND of thread in both the bobbin and threaded through the needle. Different brands use a different number of twists when twining their thread. When the bobbin thread links with the upper thread, these twists interlock with each other, forming a stitch. Some machines, such as featherweight machines, are sensitive to this, and if the same brand is not used in both locations, the stitches don't interlock with each other, causing skipped stitches.
August 2005
Now is the perfect time to cruise the school supply sales to stock up on handy tools for quilting. Zippered heavy-duty pencil pouches for notebooks are great for storing stitching supplies. And don't forget to include a paper punch for your workshop instructions. You can then easily keep directions and tools all together in a notebook when attending a class.
July 2005
I keep a pack of 1/4" gridded recipe cards (see October '03 hint) nearby when I am looking through magazines or books for projects I want to try. Sketching the patterns on a card, then storing the cards in a recipe box, divided by category, makes it easy to search for pattern ideas when I am ready to start a new project. Divisions such as 'nine patch', 'strip quilts', 'half square triangles', 'quarter square triangles', etc., make it easy to look up pattern ideas according to what type pattern or technique I want to work on next.
June 2005
Press with a dry iron. Steam can distort seams. If you have a spot that isn't responding well to a dry iron, spritz it with a water bottle (a plant mister works well, as it gives a nice, fine mist). That way, you can control where you want the moisture applied.
When joining several strips to make a wider band of cloth (as for a pieced border, for example, or Seminole patchwork), wait until all of the strips have been joined together before pressing. To press as you go stretches the edges of the fabric, distorting them when you go to add on the next strip, causing the finished band to warp.
May 2005
I wish I could give credit for this idea, because I think it is great.... it is one of those 'why didn't I think of that?' ideas. I heard it on one of my trips this last month, and just can't remember where, but wanted to share the idea none the less.
Place a large bin or box with handles in the trunk of your car. When you go shopping, and end up with several plastic bags, you can place them in the bin. On arrival at home, instead of making multiple trips to carry in all the bags, (and cutting off the circulation in your hands in the process), just carry the bin in. Not only does this trick keep the contents of the bags from spilling out and rolling around in your trunk, but it makes unloading so much easier!
April 2005
Tired of broken pencil points when you toss pencils into your work basket for classes? Try placing them in a toothbrush case. They make long, slim, flip-top cases to hold toothbrushes when traveling. These hold 3 or 4 pencils easily. The points will be protected, and, as an added bonus, because the cases are available in fun colors, it will make it easier to locate the pencils in your work basket.
March 2005
Followers of my Scrap Bonanza method will know that I love using construction techniques that result in 'cut-aways' that can be used to make bonus quilts. It is a great way to make use of every little bit of fabric, and is like getting a quilt for free! I have found that the tray inserts for desks that are divided into individual compartments are a great tool for sorting my small pieces. Half-square triangles go in the small compartments, whole squares go into other compartments, and there are even long compartments perfect for sashing strips.
February 2005
Quilts should be signed, that is, they should be marked with the name of the maker, the location the quilt was made, and the date the quilt was made. But have you ever thought about signing your quilt tops??? Many vintage quilt tops have made their way into collections with little or no history behind them. Don't let that happen to your quilt tops. Sign them in the seam allowance. That way, not only will you have a record of when you made the quilt top, but in case the top never gets quilted, someone else will know something about its history.
January 2005
Every Holiday Season has me saying I will be more organized next year, and somehow, when next year comes, I am never as ready for the Holidays as I want to be. Well, this year, I am going to make a serious attempt to do something about that. I make daily lists of things to do, and get great satisfaction for crossing things off the list (or on occasion, erasing them from the list, with a goal of having a clean slate by the end of the day). This is a good time to also make a list of things you would like to accomplish for the year. Need suggestions?
1. Read a new quilting book cover to cover every month.
2. Try a new technique or pattern from said books.
3. Complete one Holiday Gift by the 25th of every month (for a total of 11 gifts by the time December 25 comes around)
4. Re-arrange your sewing area (I try to do this once a year. I find it energizes me to have a new workspace, as well as helps locate things I forgot I had.)
5. Weed out quilting books/supplies/fabrics you won't use and pass them on to someone who can use them.
December, 2004
Flannel Walls are a great design tool, but they tend to get full of pieces of thread, which can be annoying. An easy way to clean them up is to use one of the rolling lint cleaners you can get at a 'dollar store'. They have a roll of adhesive paper attached to a handle, and you simply roll it over the surface of the flannel wall to pick up all those odd bits of thread. Much easier than using little pieces of masking tape to try to pick up all the loose threads!
November, 2004
I love recycling, especially when it can benefit quilting, and this tip fits right in. Ask your local quilt shop for the cardboard from an empty bolt of fabric. They usually just throw them out. Cut it in half so it is half as long. Now, wrap both pieces in a couple of layers of cotton batting. Make a snug-fitting cover (like a pillow case) for one out of an old bath towel. You now have a portable ironing mat to take to workshops. Make a snug-fitting cover for the other out of white flannel. You now have a 'transport pad' to move the units for a quilt block off the flannel wall (see June 2003 tip) over to your sewing machine. Both are lightweight, take up little space, and will make your stitching much more convenient.
October, 2004
A lunch bag taped to your work table makes a handy trash bin that can easily be tossed when full. This works well in a workshop situation, as well as at home. After all, we don't all have a clean-up crew to pick up after us! I find that folding back a cuff on the bag gives the opening stability and keeps it open for easy use.
September, 2004
Locating patterns, templates, and paperwork can eat up lots of valuable quilting time. To get more organized, use this 'back-to-school special' time of the year to stock up on 3 ring binders. Those with D rings rather than O rings hold more.
While you are at it, pick up some one gallon zipper-storage bags at the grocery store. What I like to do is run packing tape along one long edge of the zipper bag, then I can 3-hole punch it and put it in a notebook. The tape helps to reinforce the holes so they don't tear. It is perfect for storing templates along with the written instructions that go with a project, or even as a way to organize the fabric units of a piece in progress.
August, 2004
Are you having problems with thread breaking while machine sewing? If you are using a spool that has a slot cut into its edge to park your tail end of thread in when you aren't stitching, the breaking thread may be related to the way you have the spool set up on your sewing machine.
If your thread spindle is upright (vertical), the slot should be on the TOP of the spool. If your thread spindle lays down (horizontal), the slot shoud be on the RIGHT. This way, when the thread feeds off the spool, it won't get caught in that slot and break. Happy Sewing!
July, 2004
In getting ready for a recent trip, I fell for one of those TV commercials for plastic bags that you can store things in and squish the air out of and it compacts down so you can fit more stuff in a smaller space. I loved the concept, but hated the price, so I went to the grocery store and got some two gallon zip-loc bags. I found I could pack things in them, squish them, close the seal, and presto! They stayed compacted and really did take up less space. This worked great going through security, because when I opened my suitcase everything was visible, but didn't spill out all over the counters. My next trip was to a quilt show with a great vendors mall... and the zip-loc trick worked great here, too! I could fit many more purchases in a smaller space, so getting my treasures home was much easier. Just remember when you get home to remove things from the plastic bags so moisture doesn't get trapped and cause damage to the fabrics. Happy traveling!
June, 2004
When we moved to southwest Wisconsin two years ago, this trick helped to make moving more fun. Instead of newspaper or bubble wrap, I used my fabric stash to wrap things I was packing. The plaids were for the glasses, the batiks were for the plates, etc. Not only did it save on cleanup when I unpacked (no used paper to get rid of), but it also allowed me to revisit my fabric stash! I saw things I had forgotten that I owned. And it helped to get my new studio set up more quickly, as I was actually unpacking both kitchen and studio at the same time.
May, 2004
Need a way to tidy your work area? Gather your rotary rulers and park them in their own storage space. I found 'dish racks' that are made of strips of wood that have heavy duty dowels that peg into them in an upright position. The racks are made to place in your cupboard to make plates more accessible. They also work great for storing your rotary rulers, and best of all, the 'dish racks' were under $3 in the housewares department.
April, 2004
I have fellow quilter Sue Kahre-Stradford of Platteville, WI to thank for this next hint. While attending one of my workshops, Sue had the niftiest 'travel pincushion': she took an empty Altoids tin and placed a magnet on the inside of the lid. While in class, she placed pins on top of the tin for an instant magnetic pincushion. When it was time to leave, she just scooped the pins off and put them inside the tin for travel. No more pins scattered all over your tote bag when you get home from a workshop! I love it! When putting together my own travel pincushion, I found heavy duty magnets aboutthe size of a half-dollar at the hardware store (2 in a package for a little over a dollar) and the cutest painted tins at a quilt shop that were decorated with pictures of sewing tools. What could be more perfect, and they make darling gifts!
March, 2004
In hand applique, one of the annoyances you might encounter is your working thread tangling on the pins holding your applique shape in place. After you have pinned your shape into position, try turning your unit over and re-pinning from the back, with 1/2" - 3/4" pins (see February's hint on Correct Pinning). Then turn your work over to the right side and remove the pins that are on the right side of the unit. Now all of your anchoring pins are on the back, leaving no heads or points for your working thread to tangle in as you stitch.
February, 2004
Correct pinning makes all the difference in quiltmaking. First of all, use the right pin for the job. Look for pins no fatter around than a size 8 quilting needle. Fatter pins puncture the fabric as well as shift the layers out of alignment.
Next, when stitching your pin into your fabric, always make as small a bite with your pin as possible. A 'bite' is how much fabric you place on the pin. A small bite of less than 1/8" will secure the layers together so they don't shift. A large bite leaves room for the layers to slide up and down the shaft of the pin and get out of alignment. Incorrect pinning is the cause of 90% of mismatched seams in piecing, and distorted shapes in applique.
And finally, use the right pin for the job. 1/2" - 3/4" pins are ideal for applique. They are small enough to ensure 'small bites', and their shortness means your applique thread is less likely to get caught on your pins when you stitch. 1" pins work well when piecing, as the length of the shaft doesn't interfere with stitching. 1 3/4" pins work well if you are pinning the three layers of a quilt sandwich together. Their length allows you to accommodate the bulk of the backing, batting, and quilt top.
January, 2004
So many quick sewing machine techniques these days requires us to put tape on the bed of our machines. Having trouble with sticky residue? It can easily be removed by rubbing it with a little peanut butter (smooth, not chunky... chuncky will work, it is just harder to rub on) or Pam Cooking Spray (regular, not garlic flavor... although I am sure garlic flavor would work, but then you would have to deal with the garlic smell...). In either case, put a little of the food item on a paper towel and rub it on the residue. The residue will come right off. Of course, there are also products like Goo Be Gone, made for just such a purpose, but if I have peanut butter on hand, who needs Goo Be Gone??
December, 2003
Having trouble seeing when you machine stitch? Tilt your sewing machine by placing a door stop under the back edge of the machine. This tilts the bed of the machine toward you so you can see your work surface more easily.
I use two door stops, one under the back left corner and one under the back right corner, so the machine is stable.
November, 2003
Threading your needle can be as easy as 1-2-3.
When unwrapping thread from the spool, the leading end of the thread that comes off the spool is the end that goes into the eye of the needle. Cut this end at an ancle with sharp scissors. The tail end where you cut the thread from the spool is the end you knot. This allows you to follow the grain of the thread, rather than working against it.
1. If the eye is difficult to see, place something white behind the needle. The eye will be more visible.
2. It the thread doesn't seem to want to go into the eye of the needle, try spinning the needle around 180 degrees. The eye is larger from one side of the needle than it is from the other side because of the way they stamp the hole in the needle.
3. If 1 and 2 fail to work, instead of licking the end of the thread (which swells the thread), lick the eye of the needle. As the dry thread approaches the moisture in the eye of the needle, the moisture will wick the thread through the eye.
And if these fail, there is always a little gadget called a needle threader.
October, 2003
Hurray for Office Supply Stores! They have the niftiest tools for quilters. My current find is 1/4" grid index cards.
3" x 5" cards are now available with a 1/4" grid printed on them. At first they were great to tuck in my purse to take along to guild meetings and quilt shows, providing the perfect place for a quick sketch of a pattern I wanted to remember.
Now I find that they are a handy ruler to tuck in my sewing box. When I am quilting and want to determine the placement of a quilting line, I can use the grid as a ruler. It's quick and easy, small and portable, and easier to locate than my standard rulers. And if I lose it, there are 99 more in the package!
Thanks to Karen Demaree of Cable Car Quilters, Dubuque, IA, for introducing me to this great tool.
September, 2003
All fabric should be prewashed before use to remove sizing and excess dye from the fabric, as well as to preshrink the cloth before use. To reduce raveling on the cut edges, recut them with a wavy-blade (zig-zag blade) rotary cutter.
August, 2003
If you have to remove stitches from dark fabric and are having trouble seeing the stitches, try drawing over the seamline with chalk. It will make the stitches visible and make the job of removing them easier to see.
July, 2003
When piecing by machine, set your stitch length at 12 stitches to the inch (which is 2.5 if your machine measures stitch length metrically). The real key to determining stitch length is to never make your stitch length smaller than what the blade of your seam ripper can get under.
June, 2003
No quilter should be without a Design Wall. Use flannel or batting as a surface to pat patchwork units in place to audition what piece goes where before you stitch it. It can save hours of ripping to see how well the pieces are interacting with each other before you stitch them together. Try using the back side of a flannel-backed table cloth as your design wall.
May, 2003
Try these tips to solve your problem.
April, 2003
An easy way to add a fine line of accent is to insert piping along a seam line, or as a dividing accent between a border and binding. Examples can be seen in the Gallery on Applique Elegance. This fine line of detailing separates elements of the quilt and adds to the intrigue of the design. Easy to accomplish, piping is made of strips of cloth cut on the straight of grain 3/4" wide.
HINT: To achieve a piping that is uniform in width: Position the basting stitches (step 3) a uniform distance from the FOLD of the piping rather than from the raw edge. Use this basting as a stitching guide when stitching the seam that catches the piping.(step 5)
March, 2003
As a quilter, FABRIC is your most valuable tool. Add to your collection to keep it fresh. Think of fabric as your vocabulary. Without a good vocabulary, you can not express yourself well. Helpful information on how to use fabrics in your quilts can be found in the Fabric Selection chapter in Scrap Bonanza 2, or in my class Fabric Selection Made Easy.