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Quilt Tips From Quilters Around The World
Miscellaneous:
After wearing out one Dear Jane book completely I bought a
second one and
had the spine removed and have slipped each page in a page protector and keep
them in a big notebook. There is room to slip each pages blocks inside the
page protector so you can see at a glance what you have done and what you can
still do. I do this to all the softcover books I buy anymore that I will use
a lot. - Gail in Arizona
I use the overhead projector sheets in my computer printer to
print out the
templates for my Dear Jane and other miniature quilt blocks. - Gail in Arizona
I took a cross stitch picture with me on the last cruise we
were on and had
threaded needles with the different colors of embroidery floss I needed and
used a needle dome to carry them in my purse. Yes, I went through airport
security with them. I had to open my purse and show them what it was and I
was told to go on through. I just did my embroidery and left hanging threads
until we got on the ship and I could get my scissors (round nosed ones)
from our checked luggage. - Gail in Arizona
Don't forget to share your quilting projects
with everyone you know. You never know when someone (usually the person you
least expect) will become interested in quilting and want to learn
this wonderful craft. - Cassie in Louisiana
I like the patterns that come in the small
plastic bags, but they are not always the size I want to make. So when I
figure out what I need, I neatly write it out on a paper that fits into the
bag. So in the future I already have it all worked out. - Cheryl in Minnesota
Since I have a busy life this is way I save a
quilt project so I can work on it at my leisure. I have a large piece of felt
that I have thumb tacked to one of my sewing room walls. I put sections
of the quilt on this felt and can add blocks of the quilt when I have
a hour to slip in and make one block and admire my work. Before long I
have completed a quilt! - Merilee in Indiana
If your thimble is a little too large for your finger, remove the
thimble,
lick your finger and put the thimble back on...your thimble will not fly off
your finger again. - Diana in Washington
I have been cutting "charms" (only ONE of a shape), and have
discovered that
I can avoid the large "overcut" of the rotary cutter by switching to the
*TINY* 18 mm rotary cutter for the corners. The blade is SO small that it
does not OVER-BITE (and ruin) the uncut fabric. Often, for the main
cut, I still use the larger cutter, but switch to the 18 mm size JUST for the
corner. - kiskat in Texas
Fresh blood on your quilt can be removed
with your own spittle on a piece of thread. - Coby in the Netherlands
Sunday evening is not the best time to search a small town for
sticky back
stabilizer for the embroidery hoop. So, on my way home I decided to save some
money, for fat quarters, and hoop tear away stabilizer. I was working on
fleece and it's to thick to hoop. I used a clear glue stick and wiped the
stick across the top, bottom and sides of the hooped stabilizer and place the
fleece on top of the hoop and off I went. Fleece did not move and I had a
perfectly embroidered butterfly on my Granddaughter's blanket. - Pauline in
Arizona
I keep a small cutting mat on my ironing board, along with my 28mm
rotary
cutter and a small rotary ruler. To keep the mat from sliding I use a small
piece of particle board. It also works great for marking small pieces of
fabric, much better than sand paper. Next time I'm at the hardware store I'm
going to buy a large piece of particle board to put under my big cutting
mat. - Charlene in Oregon
I make my own variegated thread in ANY two- or three-color
combinations I
want. I just thread all of the threads through my machine and through a #14
JEANS NEEDLE. (It has a large hole, and is very sharp.) If you do not have
extra spool holders on your machine, just place each of the extra threads in
a heavy mug near the back of your machine, and thread the machine in it's
usual manner. I use my "usual" thread, but embroidery thread is
thinner, if you would prefer that. The results are so exciting! - kiskat in
Texas
If you prick a finger and get blood on your quilt, use your own
saliva to
remove it. - Carolyn in New Zealand
Glue small pieces of sandpaper on the backs of
your rulers to keep them from slipping on the fabric when rotary cutting. -
Marti in Mexico
I love to paper piece, which produces a lot of
empty thread spools. I take these to local schools for the art teachers to
use with their students. - Belinda in Missouri
Rubberized shelf protectors are wonderful to
prevent your sewing machine foot pedal from slipping all over the place. Just
cut a piece larger than your foot pedal and place it underneath the
foot pedal. Also, if you have trouble with your sewing machine
'walking' across your table, this same product will help. - Joan in Tennessee
For the people who carry their thread with them to
applique while traveling. With a black marker, mark the spot on the thread
spool where the thread hooks in to secure it from raveling. At a
glance you can see where to start the thread from and where to hook
it back. - Joyce in Ohio
Here is an inexpensive way to make templates.
Trace the shape onto freezer paper, iron it onto thin cardboard from around
the home. Food boxes, coloring books etc.. , then cut them out. If you
use gridded paper, the grids are all in 1/4 measurements and you
can easily include your seam allowance without having to mark the
inside line. - Barbara in Indiana
I use blunt tipped Fiskars kid scissors for snipping threads. No
chance of
accidentally snipping through the fabric but the blades
are sharp enough to
easily snip threads. - Carolyn in British Columbia
A great way to keep your
cutting mat clean, just a sponge/scour pad you can get at the dollar store.
10 for a $1.00. The scouring pad works great for cleaning the little threads
left behind. Just be careful you don't scrub off the lines on your mat. - Bambi
in Ontario
I've been pinning flannel fabric to the top of
whatever I'm wearing that covers me from shoulders to past my knees and it
catches a considerable amount of loose threads helping to keep a lot of
the threads from falling on the floor. - Carlene in Illinois
Use rubber matting, like you use under your fine
china....double-stick tape a piece to the underside of your sewing machine
pedal to prevent it from sliding across tile floors. - Carol in New York
Sometimes as I am making a rag quilt, I will use three layers of
flannel to
give it that full appearance. I find in doing this it isn't as heavy as one
with batting in the sandwich. The middle flannel is usually one of an accent
color. I do this with any appliques I put on the quilt also. - Lisa in California
I have a new way to check seams on my rag quilts. After I have
washed and
dried the quilt, I take it outside and hang it on the clothesline. If you
hold it up towards the sun the light will shine through the open seam. It also
helps with trimming off the lose threads that tangle themselves. Relieves
pressure on the arms and hands, I think. I hope this helps any one who tries
it. - Lisa in California
After I have sewn a square to a rectangle, I sew
another seam one- fourth inch from the original seam between the seam and the
outside corner. Thus I have a half-square triangle and one fourth of
a pinwheel square. - Nancy in Indiana
I came up with this idea when I had a small quilt
that I wanted to hang on my closet door in my sewing room, of course! I got
out my plastic hooks that hang over the top of the door that I hang
my Christmas wreaths on. You will need two of them. My husband finished a
dowel (cut about 4 inches longer than the width of the quilt-he even put
fancy ends on it) and I slipped it in the sleeve on the back and placed the
rod in the hooks adjusting them to fit. My hooks are clear plastic and you
can hardly seem them. This makes it very easy to change your quilts. - Judy
in Nevada
Those pesky cards that come in all magazines make
good "emergency"
templates. - Kathie in Oregon
A sampler quilt covers my bed in my sewing room/guest
bedroom. I lay a sheet
over it and use the top to lay out my blocks during assembly. Keeps my quilt
from being covered in strings. I can fold up the sheet if guests are
expected. - BJ in Texas
Create your own fabric! Just put whatever you
want on top of your color scanner/printer, put a piece of white fabric over it (it
will have a white background, or if you want put a piece of colored fabric
over it and really spice it up!) Iron a piece of white muslin to
freezer paper, cut down to 8 1/2" x 11" put it in your printer and you
have now created your own fabric. You can use pictures, fruit,
anything that will sit on the printer area!!!! It works great!! - Cheryl in
Tennessee
When using freezer paper templates, it
works best if you make a tin foil board. Take a piece of thin board (paneling
is good) and cover with tin foil. Then make a sleeve out of muslin to slide
over the whole board. the freezer paper sticks really well from the iron
on top to heat coming back from your tin foil board. Works like a charm. - Jackie
in Ontario, Canada
When making quilts for children (or friends) add
a secret pocket with a little love note in it...only you and the recipient
will know where it is if you disguise it well. This is lovely
for grandchildren, you can add a new note each time you visit them. - April
in Ontario
Stay-stitch bias edges of setting pieces before
assembling blocks into quilt top. This prevents stretching. I read this a
while back and didn't try it until recently...what a change! I draw a
line through the centers of the square and stitch about 1/8" on
either side before cutting. - Susan in Michigan
For quilters who like to keep the bobbin and
thread spool together when storing, I have an idea that works and costs you
nothing. I have purchased many gizmos for keeping the correct bobbin with
the top thread spool. One day I found myself in need of one of
those gizmos and all of mine were in use. Instead I took a twist tie which
came with my garbage bags and ran it up the hole in the thread spool and then
through the bobbin center hole and gave a twist. Now I use nothing but this
method and save myself a lot of money. Any quilter who has had to dig through
their stash of bobbins to match the top spool will appreciate this as
well. - Kathy in Indiana
Keep your old rotary cutter and mat if you buy
a new one. I use the old one to cut paper patterns, photos or other craft
things. - Leslie in Nebraska
When I have small strips or odd shapes of fabric, I go
ahead and cut them into 2 1/2 or 2 inch squares. I keep separate bags and
then I will make little doll quilts for our grandchildren. A quick project
always ready. - Rachel
To get excellent and clear pictures of my quilts,
I take them outside on a heavy overcast day or in deep shades. This way
the sunlight won't fade the colors. - Kaye in Oklahoma
Heard this one from aunt who has quilted for over
50 years. She uses those vinyl place mats for templates. I took her advice
and they work. A good time to get them is buy the holiday ones on sale for
great prices after the holiday is over. - Alice in Montana
When your small cutting mat has a kink or
wrinkle, turn on your oven 250 degrees for 10 minutes, shut it off, then put
in a cookie sheet upside down with the mat . You need to keep it in for a
short time and it will be nice and flat. - Nancy in Missouri
For ripping out stitches: I find if you take your
seam ripper and cut every fourth stitch on the stitching line, when you pull
the two pieces apart it goes really fast. - Terri in Kansas
Make the sleeve in two pieces, having a 1 inch
opening in the center. Place your rod through, the opening will accomodate a
nail to hang it from. This works well for the small items as well as
for the larger ones. - Carolyn in New York
A tip to save cats from thread dangers...I
use a coffee can that has a plastic top. I take the plastic top and cut out a
circle in the center of the top that is big enough for my hand. A
circle seems to be more discouraging for a cat to put its paw through
than a square. I put this by my sewing machine, take it to sit
& stitches, carry it around the house and put threads in
this container. The cats never bother it. I empty it into the larger trash
can and make sure other trash is on top or discard it only on trash days.
However, for an additional tip, if you use it through an entire quilt and
keep punching the thread down in the can, at the end of the quilt you will
have what looks like a bird's nest. You can actually stitch this down onto a
contemporary quilt or put it where the birds can find it. - Linda in Virginia
In order to view your quilts or blocks etc. from a
distance, use a monocular or binocular turned backwards. Makes everything
farther away instead of closer. - Dollie in Idaho
I use those inexpensive little thread snips by
my sewing machine, rather than scissors, to cut the threads when I am at the
end of a seam. This works faster for me than fumbling around for the
thread cutter at the back of my machine. - Cindy in California
Keep your wall hangings laying flat by making
a sleeve on the top and bottom large enough to put a freebie weight yard
stick portion through. You can cut these light weight sticks to size with an
old steak knife on your cutting matt. No need for a saw. Wrap stick with
plastic wrap to protect the cloth. - Rhonda in Washington
I use rotary cutter for taking seams apart
instead of a seam ripper, much easier to find when needed. - Ada in New Hampshire
While traveling, use a tooth floss container to cut your thread.
- Pam in Indiana
My tip is a follow-up after finishing your
quilt. When making a dust ruffle to compliment your quilt, use an old, worn
contour sheet as a base for the ruffle --- put the sheet on the box spring
(as though the spring were a mattress. Your ruffle will never slip around
even if the mattress is pushed around on it. I don't even consider doing mine
any other way. - Dorothy in Montana
It's easier to make half-square triangles
slightly larger size than the finished requirement, and then square them to
size. - Rusty in Georgia
Keep a roll of duct tape handy. Just roll
a piece sticky side up around 4 fingers. Great to get all threads when you
have to tear out stitches or remove pet hair. - Carlene in Pennsylvania
I loose track of time while sewing so I use my
clock radio to pace myself. I "hit" the sleep button which will play music
for one hour. When the radio shuts off I know I have to get up, stretch, look
off into the distance, etc...maybe even speak to my family and put
the dogs out! - Julie in New Mexico
For many years I have used my sewing pins for
hanging lightweight pictures. Just clip the thin point off. I have found they
work great for Quilted Wall Hangings because you can insert the pins in
each top corner and just push them into the drywall (not plaster!)
The tiny holes are not noticeable in the wall. - Kay in Michigan
To resharpen your rotary cutters, fold up a
piece of silver foil so that you have several layers and then just cut
through it several times and your cutter will be resharpened.. Works great!!
- Beverly in Australia
Here's a simple way of hanging seasonal quilted
wall hangings. Make your hanging pocket in two pieces so there is a center
opening. Take a yard stick or piece of wood strapping and cut it to the width
of the quilt. In the center of the stick either drill a hole or attach one
of those jagged picture hangers. I don't know the technical name for them but
they look like a strip of metal with jagged teeth on them. You can buy
packets of them at the hardware store or where they sell picture frames.
Slide the stick through the pocket and have the picture hanger or drilled
hole showing in the center pocket opening. The people who get the wall
hanging can just take another picture off the wall and hang the wall hanging
for the holiday or season without having to buy any fancy rods. After the
occasion they can take it down and just rehang their picture. One thing I did
find is the little nails that come with the jagged picture hangers are
a little long for a yard stick so I had to bend them with pliers, but it
worked. - Mary Ann in MA
Use a small piece of the self-adhesive sand paper
that is sold for skate boards to keep your rulers from slipping on the
fabric. I made neat little circles with a paper punch and placed one in
each corner of the ruler. - Kay in Michigan
I made my daughter some placemats. I used
Mary Englebreit fabric. After I finished them I had a lot of good sized
scraps so I took 2 pieces with some Warm and Natural in the middle and drew
with a permanent marker a teapot for coasters. I zig-zagged around it
and cut them out. If you accidently cut the thread put clean nail polish
on it so it doesn't ravel. You can use any shape for a template and enlarge
small one. I even drew around real maple leaves. Spectacular to decorate with
too. - Virginia in Washington
I use a 12 inch see-thru ruler to do all my
cutting of fabrics when making a quilt. - Karen in Michigan
When using freezer paper for templates, cut a
little nip along a long smooth side. You know the line is straight and when
you go to remove the paper after ironing and cutting out you have a spot
to hold on to the fabric and lift the freezer paper without any problem.
Keeps from damaging edges of paper and fabric. - Pat in Connecticut
Rubberized shelf protectors are wonderful to prevent your sewing
machine foot
pedal from slipping all over the place. Just cut a piece larger than your
foot pedal and place it underneath the foot pedal. Also, if you have trouble
with your sewing machine 'walking' across your table, this same product will
help. - Bettye in Tennessee
I love to paper piece, which produces a lot of empty thread
spools. I take
these to local schools for the art teachers to use with their students. - Belinda
in Missouri
Uses for broccoli
rubberbands...use to put on wheel of sewing machine
for better grip when positioning needle. Also for a
needle grabber when hand quilting. ~ Pam E. in Central
Texas
If your sewing machine is not in a stand or you carry it to
quilting
classes, use the rubber type shelf liners to put under the machine to keep it
from moving while sewing. - Kathie in Pennsylvannia
I am a new quilter who
finds that the threads and scraps were ending up on
the floor and being dragged around my house. I
purchased a small basket to sit by the side of my machine
so that I can put my trash in there.....it works great
and no more loose threads floating around the house!
- Johnna in Connecticut
I scan my templates into
computer and then print out using photo quality paper.
I not only have accuarate templates but they are as
strong as plastic templates without the hassles of tracing.
It works every time. You can also set scanner
to increase the sizes for different finished size blocks.
- Jenny in Queensland, Australia
My husband bought a 5
ft. section of kitchen countertop at our local home
improvement store. It was in the "cutoff"
section for about $20. I placed in on top of a couple
of 2 drawer metal file cabinets (just center it)and
I placed my cutting mat on it. On the other end, I laid
batting down and bought a piece of that silver ironing
cloth on top. Presto! A very cheap but very functional
sewing station! - Marcy in Cape Girardeau, MO
I was trying to determine
the size needed of quarter square triangles for a 12"
block. I was unable to find a pattern that size, but
in looking at my pattern books I discovered that you
only need to add 1.25" to the size of the finished
block. So, I cut my 13.25" squares, cut into four
pieces, and they made perfect 12" blocks when pieced!
- Debbie in Georgia
Do you have a baby or
child's quilt that you use as a wallhanging and on the
bed? If it has a hanging sleeve, little ones can get
their arms or hands caught in the sleeve's opened ends
when on their bed. To prevent this, I added velcro strips
to the open ends of the hanging sleeve. While used on
a bed, the velcro securely holds the openings closed
and keeps those little arms and hands safely outside
the sleeve. - Rae in Arizona
At quilt shows when you
can't stand back far enough to appreciate the patterns
on the larger quilts, use a door peep-hole. This
lets you stand up close and see the whole quilt. You
will be amazed at some of the secondary patterns that
emerge. - Anne in Ontario, Canada
Save those flat tins
that the new AOL cds come in! You can use them to store
your plastic templates in! The cd its self is just the
right size to make a yo-yo pattern but the tin will
hold other templates! Don't like the cover? Take a swatch
of your favorite fabric and glue to the top! Be sure
to label it with the contents! - Liz in Virginia
While quilting a white
on beige whole cloth pillow, I pricked my top index
finger and (you guessed it) got blood on the fabric.
A little hydrogen peroxide on a q-tip and daubed
on the spot gets the blood right out of fabric. - Bonnie
in Oregon
Wet the eye of the needle,
not the thread to easily thread the needle. Works
on sewing machine needle, also. - Alice in Tennessee
I save all my scraps
of fabric and give them to the local kindergarten for
the childrens handcraft work - Ernestine in New Zealand
If you want to use fabrics
paints or fabric pens to decorate a quilt block, try
stabilizing it first by ironing on freezer paper to
the backside. The plastic side of the freezer
paper will temporarily fuse to fabric by ironing it
on, and it will peel right off when you are done. This
is also great for making quilt labels. - Clarissa in
Arizona
I made my own portable
ironing board to take along to class. Just wrap and
glue leftover cotton batting around an empty fabric
bolt. Cover with flannel and glue edges. It's very
handy and light too. - Judy in Florida
Since you can't take
scissors on the plane take your dental floss container
along to cut your thread. It really works!!! -
Judy in Indiana
To make a portable lightweight
ironing board, cut the cardboard tube that fabric comes
on in half lengthwise. Cover it all around with batting
or terry toweling. Now cover with fabric by pinning
in place with glass head pins or T-pins. Great to keep
by the sewing machine for those little quick ironing
jobs! - Angela in Indiana
Shaped confetti in litte
bags make great sequins for crazy quilts! - Mary
Ann in Winnipeg
I keep a little wad of
"sticky tack" - the stuff you use to hang
posters - near my sewing machine. I have a small
piece on top of my machine to hold my seam ripper, a
small piece on the upright area holds a magnetic strip
to stick pins on as I pull them from seams while sewing.
You can use it to stick your pattern instructions onto
the wall for quick reference. Doesn't harm surfaces
and comes right off. - Nancy in Texas
Quilt Tip Categories:
Applique | Basting | Batting | Binding | Design | Fabric | Hand Piecing | Hand Quilting | Healthy Tips | Pressing | Machine Piecing | Machine Quilting | Marking Tips | Miscellaneous Tips | Needles | Organization | Paper-Piecing | Quilt Care | Quilt Labels |
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