This page is "just for you".
I'm always looking for ways to make my sewing more pleasurable and efficient.
However, I will never sacrifice quality for speed! The way I see it is that the
extra time you spend at EACH step of quilting is time you save in not having to
"un-sew and re-do" later.
February BERNINA® UPDATE:
My Bernina and I are developing a great relationship so far and I have even had
my 4 1/2 year old grandson STIPPLE a little square of fabric on it! That was
awesome to see. Every time I investigate something new on it I'm amazed and of
course buying new feet just about every week and they really DO make a
difference. I returned from Road to California where *I* actually got to take
classes and took my Bernina. I found I was able to use monofilament thread IN
THE BOBBIN! Now for those of you who have already done this successfully,
nevermind...but I have not until now and it's ggggggreat! This machine (a 180)
is so powerful and doesn't heat up and so far has gracefully and happily
accepted any thread I've given it and believe me, I have plenty of thread!
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MANAGING DIFFICULT THREAD WITHOUT A
THREAD HOLDER DEVICE: If you have a difficult thread (like
monofilament which has a mind of it's own) and a vertical spool holder, try
putting your thread in a coffee cup on your sewing table, put a drinking straw
over the thread holder and poke a hole through the straw. Then feed your thread
through the hole in the straw and see if it behaves better.
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HOW NOT TO SPILL YOUR COFFEE etc ON YOUR
SEWING TABLE: Having spilled water, tea or juice etc on my cutting or sewing
tables I thought of a way to prevent that. Buy a roll of the widest masking tape
(the cheapest possible too) and set it on your table and put the glass, can or
cup inside the hole of the roll of tape! What an easy to make sure not to have
to wash out a block and then try to make it look as nice as it was before it got
wet.
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VACUUMING YOUR SEWING ROOM: If you
have carpeting in your sewing room, you probably have lots of thread all over
it. I bet your vacuum cleaner loves that....assuming you vacuum. Get yourself a
small rake (for children) and rake the carpet to gather all the long threads in
one heap. Pick that up then vacuum.....or not.
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INVISIBLE SEAMS: If you have to sew strips
together to make them long enough for a border or such, try matching the thread
to the fabric (a fine 60 wt is best) and reducing the stitch length to about 1.0
and press the seam open. The finer thread and short stitch length replicates the
fibers in the fabric and makes the seam less noticeable overall.
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PROTECT YOUR
QUILTS!
We quilters want our quilts to be safe at
all times but unfortunately there are many quilts stolen at quilt shows or from
shops every year. What can you do to help keep your quilt safe and easily
identified? This is what I've begun doing - In addition to a label that I
sew on the back of the quilt when it's done - I treat a piece of fabric with
Bubble Jet Set and print out a label with all pertinent information on it and
piece it into the backing of the quilt. Yes, I quilt right over it but it's very
hard to hide it and it certainly can't be cut out of the quilt.
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BASTING
A QUILT: When
taping your quilt to a surface, be it a table or a floor, try using
BLUE "painters tape" instead of regular masking tape. Ask for it
at hardware stores. The blue tape is more expensive but worth it. While
it sticks very well, it never comes apart with pieces partially stuck to
your table or floor, NOR does it "fray" the edges of your backing
when it's removed! |
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MAKING
TEMPLATES: As soon as you trace the particular shape, mark all
identifying information on the template (block name, size etc) and store
them in Ziploc bags. On one of my frantic "cleaning" attempts of
my sewing room, I came across a baggie full of at least 40 perfect templates.
They all had letters on them and I was so
excited to find something I didn't even know I had misplaced.......until I
took them out to see what they were. There were no identifying names on any of
them and it was like trying to put together a jigsaw puzzle without a
picture. I ended up throwing them all out and never failed to mark my
templates again! |
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THREAD
DELIVERY:
Try the
"Thread-Pro" thread delivery system to make decorative
threads behave themselves. It has both horizontal and vertical spool
holders and it's especially wonderful for that nasty but necessary monofilament thread
that likes to jump off the spool! |
| MACHINE
QUILTING:
If you wear
"quilting" gloves (those nice cotton gloves with little rubber
dots on the palms) while machine quilting, you often become tangled in
excess threads that you cut off the quilt. Try sticking several wide pieces
of masking tape (sticky side facing out) to the side of your sewing table.
When you cut thread off, just lightly touch the masking tape and
"voila"....no more tangles.
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| HAND LOTION: I read in
Diane Gaudynski's book "Guide to Machine Quilting" that Neutrogena®
Hand Cream (in the tube) is wonderful to use for a good grip on your quilt
when quilting if you don't want to wear gloves or "finger tips". I plan to
give it a whirl this weekend. |
| MY PERSONAL TREATMENT FOR
DRY HANDS, NAILS AND CUTICLES: Buy a bottle of glycerin and rub it in your
hands, nails etc then lightly dab off excess. Next use Neutrogena®
Hand Cream on top. In about six weeks you might be lucky like many to see a
huge improvement in your nails. Do this faithfully and see what happens. As we
work with fabric, batting and papers etc, our hands dry out because all that
work sucks the moisture right out of them! |
| CLEANING
YOUR MACHINE:
When using
"canned air" to clean out your bobbin area, be sure to hold the
can at the BACK of the machine (after removing your throat-plate) and blow
OUT and away from the bobbin area. You don't want to blow the lint inside
the bobbin area. Additionally, keep some Q-Tips nearby and put some sewing
machine oil on the tips and wipe away any lint you see in your bobbin or
needle area. |
| STILETTO: When sewing blocks etc where
the seams are facing the presser foot and want to crumble backwards, use a
stiletto to lay the seam down as it approaches the needle. As the needle
gets closer to the seam, you move the stiletto back so the needle doesn't
hit it. Using the stiletto also assists in laying down bulky seams under the
needle, such as the center seam in a split LeMoyne star. There are 16 seams
there ladies! My stiletto is often an extension of my hand. |
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CUTTING STRIPS
: I cut my strips along the
lengthwise grain of my fabric (providing I have the necessary length of that
particular fabric). I usually use strips 18" to 20" in length.
When sewing these to other strips, they are on their best behavior. If I don't have the length I need,
I
cut my strips across the width - BUT - since this can result in wavy,
long strips which can be difficult to keep straight, I cut the fabric
on the "fold" and use half-width strips which are much easier and
neater to work with. I never "need" the strips that long anyway. (Whew!)
Try it! |
| PRESSING
CLOTH: Cut several different squares of muslin (pink or serge
the edges) and keep them handy as pressing cloths. After scorching a block
once, I decided this is preferable when I really need to give the block a
"hot" pressing. Better to scorch that, than the block. |
| CUTTING
STRIPS: Do you need to cut
several 2" strips? Lay your 6" x 24" ruler across your fabric and
cut off the raw edge to "square and straighten it. Instead of moving the
ruler to 2", cutting the strip, re-squaring the rest of the fabric, cutting
the strip etc. Cut on the other side of the ruler. You will be cutting the
entire 6" wide piece that is captured under your ruler because you can
safely assume that it's all "in square". Then you carefully slide your ruler
over in 2" increments, 2 more cuts are all you need and you have your
strips. Continue the same way for more strips. They'll be neat and square. |
| GLUE: Having problems keeping the tips of two triangles
together when feeding them under the presser foot? No problem. I've
discovered a good fabric glue called "Roxanne's Glue Baste-It" It
comes in a bottle with a needle nose tip so you can put the tiniest dot
"where you need it" Since you can't put a pin at those narrow
tips, you can place a tiny dot of glue to secure them so they stay together
while feeding them under the presser foot. And it doesn't gum up your
machine because you only use a little bit and don't place it in the path of
the needle. Great for appliqué too! |
| BRIDGES:
Use a 2-layer scrap (about 1" x 3") under your
presser foot to begin sewing. Feed your patches directly behind the scrap.
When you're finished sewing your patches, sew off onto a second set of
scraps. You'll be amazed how neat this is and how much thread you'll save by
avoiding those messy tails. And if your machine "eats" fabric as
it begins to sew, this might be just the solution! |
| IRONING:
Put a thick 100% cotton terry cloth towel on your ironing board or surface.
This will allow bulky seams to sink into the lofty terry-cloth allowing
for a much flatter block! Isn't that what we all want. Be
sure to use a light color towel so nothing will bleed onto your fabrics. You
can dampen your blocks with water or starch, gently manipulate them and check
those corners of the block with a square ruler to make sure they are truly 90°.
You might be surprised at what you see, and you can
certainly block them correctly. When you do iron your fabric, patches or
blocks, make sure you aren't "moving the fabric around." This is what causes
distortion. Gently set the iron on the fabric and move it from place to place
carefully. |
| STARCH:
If you're a fabric washer, try using spray starch at various stages of
piecing your blocks to return a uniform finish and stability to the fabric. |
| TOOL: Thread snips are nice to have right at your machine for
snipping instead of stuffing your fingers into scissors for just a few
seconds. I like the little black plastic Gingher Thread Snips.
Doesn't that show how lazy I am. Oh well, more time for piecing! |
| CUTTING:
When cutting patches from a considerable piece of yardage,
cut a piece slightly larger than you need, iron it well and then cut your
patches from a more manageable piece of fabric. |
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DESIGN
BOARD: I keep several pieces of 12" x 14"
foam core board at my cutting table (available at art or office supply
stores). I glue cotton batting on the surface (or leftover flannel)
and "voila" you have a small design board. As I cut out my patches, I put
them directly on the design board where I can see how the block will look
when sewn together. Then I can carry the block intact, to my sewing machine!
These boards will also fit nicely inside 2 gallon Ziploc bags for storage. |
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Welcome to
Cyberquilts!