Quilt
Tips From Quilters Around The World
Design
I made a design board from a 4'x8' sheet
of foam insulation (the kind you use under siding for your house) for my
sewing room. I cut it down to the size I needed, then I covered it with a
flannel- backed tablecloth (flannel side up). I stapled the edges of
the tablecloth along the back. You can also use glue. Just lay
your quilting blocks on the board…no need to pin! - Barbara in West Virginia
If you want an unusual heart shape or a
square shape check out the local Scrapbooking shop. They have some
interesting shapes that would be great for quilting. - Ernestine in Colwell
A flannel-backed tablecloth makes a great
design wall and it is easy to store in a drawer when you are finished. - Carol
in California
I don't have a wall big enough to hang a flannel
sheet for my blocks or rows of blocks. I take wire coat hangers and hang
the first row lengthwise. Hook it with a clip clothespin and label it with
masking tape on which I've written Row # and Sewing instructions, such as sew
to row #2 from the top down or bottom up. When I get all of my rows done they
are all lined up in a row on hangers with instructions so I can see what it's
going to look like, and what I have to do next. - Joan in Vermont
I made a quick nursery quilt by using the
"pages" of babys cloth books for squares. I edged them with a contrast fabric
to unify them and embroidered and added buttons to highlight a part of
each picture. - Bernice in Luton, UK
Sometimes you can not see what is right in
front of your face, so I use my digital camera. I put all my blocks and
sashes on to the wall and take a digital picture of it. I put the digital
photo into my computer and I can always see where I put a block in the
wrong place. - Linda in Wisconsin
To keep from having the problem of matching
corners of my quilt blocks I decided to stagger my blocks and use a half
block at opposite ends of each row. This will work also when you
have sashing between rows. You won't need to make cornerstones either. - Ferrell
in California
I ask for a empty cardboard from a fabric
store (the one fabric is wrapped around) and I pad it with batting, cover
with muslin. I use it to iron my pieces right next to my machine. It saves me
a lot of getting up and down to do that and it sure saves time. I can
also pin my pattern to it, a small design wall. - Arlene in New York
It is necessary to have a plan on how your going to do your
quilting to
finish up that project. Don't just jump in without a plan as I did. Makes a
major improvement when the quilting design works with the designs on the
fabric and colors of thread. My projects usually evolve as I can't see in my
mind what it is going to look like. I had to re-educate myself to plan ahead.
It is worth it in the final results. Makes it fun and not a drudgery. - Virginia
in Washington
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
A great way to lay out
your quilt blocks is to purchase some of the plastic
table cloth vinyl with the fuzzy backing and tack it
to a wall.(fuzzy side out). The blocks stick to it without
pinning and you can move them around easily till the
pattern suites you. I purchased some cheap at Joann's
for $1.88 a yard. - Connie in Arizona
A flannel-backed vinyl
table cloth makes an ideal design wall (flannel-side
out). Pick up some half-price after the holiday
season. - Anne in Ontario, Canada
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
|
|