What's your favorite hint or tip?

I've just finished up the quick quilt I put together for my son, and was thinking of all the tips and hints I've collected during the 5 or 6 years I've been quilting. I know everyone has their own favorites, so would you like to share?

Here are my favorite tips:

Use longer stitches for machine quilting, this was from Dee of LeRoy NY, she used to be here on RCTQ quite often.

Use fusible thread in the bobbin when you're sewing on the binding, then just flip the binding to the back, fuse the thread, and stitch down the binding on the back of the quilt from the front with no shifting.

I use the fluff and stuff method for machine quilting, or something close anyway. Someone here was talking about this method years ago and I tried my own version and it's worked well for me ever since. A LOT easier than trying to roll it up and "throw" it over your shoulder!

I use a Clover seam ripper. That small narrow blade gets right down where it needs to go to remove the stitch, so much easier than the other ones I've used.

Reply to
Judie in Penfield NY
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For stinky, smelly, or musty quilts or fabric, toss'em in a garbage bag with a chunk of Dial Gold bar soap, close/seal the bag ... wait a week and your quilt'll smell fresh as a daisy - all odor gone!! :)

-- Connie :)

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Reply to
SewVeryCreative

When you start a new project... cut the "name and color information" off the selvage of EVERY fabric in your quilt. Store them together with your project. Then when you run out (notice I didn't say if... cuz it seems to me I always run out!)... you will at least know the details to get started on your search for more!

Find an old film container....or prescription bottle.... use it to store your bent pins and needles. When it is full -- throw it away. No lose needles and pins in your waste can.

Reply to
Kate G.

old machine needles make great picture hangers ... for rather light weight things.-- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Delete the obvious to reply to me personally. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Reply to
Lobo

I probably read this on RCTQ, but one of my favorites if you do not have automatic needle threader is to put a white plastic spoon behind the eye of your needle & your thread just seems to know right where to go.

Pauline Northern California

Reply to
Pauline

I have a 3-M Command strip mounted on the top of SMs. (You don't dare use a magnet anything because you could do something bad to your dongle.) The strips come with hooks to hang pictures, pots or whatever but I don't use the hooks. To the mounting strip, I put a length (about 3") of the rough side of Velcro. Then I made a little pillow of felt and smushed it down into the Velcro. This gives me a really quick but harmless place to keep a few pins, a needle or two and a long, pearl topped corsage pin for poking wayward points. And ! I like to have an easy place to toss clipped threads. I applied a Command strip + Velcro + a scrap of batting to the left side of the SMs. You can clip threads and simply slap them onto the batting. They hold on really well and are easy to clean off when the notion strikes. These strips can be neatly and easily removed if you want to clean up your SM to trade-in or sell; they truly don't damage the surface of the SM. I am not affiliated with 3-M or Velcro but it could happen. Polly

"Pauline" I probably read this on RCTQ, but one of my favorites if you do not have

Reply to
Polly Esther

For FPP, crease all the seam lines first. Makes it easier to tear away the paper. And you might get brave and try the method where you don't sew through the paper, but only right along the crease! (Use the paper template several times.)

For machine embroidery, do a stitch-out of the design on muslin or other inexpensive fabric. Trace around the inside of the hoop with a pencil before you remove the fabric. Cut out on the line. Then you can use the stitch-out to position your "real" fabric in the hoop in exactly the right spot.

Send all your scraps to me -you know you want to ;-)

Roberta in D, queen of the Scrap Heap "Judie in Penfield NY" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news:478d6230$0$5158$ snipped-for-privacy@roadrunner.com...

Reply to
Roberta Zollner

What a great idea for machine embroidery, thanks. I am always guessing at location.

Denny in Fort Wayne

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Roberta Zollner wrote:

Reply to
Kiteflyer

I have a couple of favorites.

The first is using a spice jar for bent, broke, or dull needles and pins. It already has holes in it and if I tip it over chances are they all stay in the jar. .

My other favorite is prescription bottles. I use them for holding anything little like needles, small pieces of wax, beads, buttons, and my absolute favorite - to store my bobbins!!! No more tangled messes.

Reply to
Charlotte

"Hate it in daylight..."

If you're unsure of your technique, fabric choices, the contrast (or lack thereof) of your quilting, the layout, etc... DON'T make any decisions or start ripping out late at night when you are tired and the light is all artificial.

Chances are, it will all look very different in the morning.

Monique in TX

Reply to
monique

I seem to do a lot of tracing of patterns onto fabric. Rather than taping the pattern down and then taping the fabric on top of that on the lightbox, I make a copy of the pattern and spray the right side with 505 or some other temporary spray. Slap that to the back side of the fabric you are tracing onto and the pattern will stay in place with no moving around whilst you trace the pattern. I also do this with templates that need drawn around. Make a copy, roughly cut out template, spray the BACKSIDE and stick it to a manila folder, and cut out on the lines. Works great.

I'm with Polly on the Command system. I use those strips for other stuff besides their hooks. I needed a special size hook and they didn't offer one by 3M. I found hooks really cheap at the Dollar Store that came with those foam sticky backs that will peel the sheetrock when you try to take them off. I threw away the foam crap and used a Command strip cut to size. Worked great.

I LOVE these tips. We really need to keep them somewhere so we can re-read them periodically.

Cindy

Reply to
teleflora

Not quilt related, but I fill my mop bucket at the big sink in the garage. I wanted a 1/4 cup measure to keep out there to measure out Mr Clean (yeah, I know, but when I eyeball it, I get way too much and it makes a mess and I gotta scrub all over again). The measuring cup kept "walking away". Did you know that a normal size prescription bottle actually holds 1/4 cup? I would never have believed it.

Cindy

Reply to
teleflora

And another use for the 3-M strips - We have a kitchen cabinet that houses cookie sheets, pizza pans and the like. I used to keep my racks for setting pans or cookies to cool on in that cabinet too. The @#$! little racks were just forever tangling like a gaggle of mad clothes hangers. Ta-Dah! DH put 3-M strips with hooks on the inside of the cabinet door. Now the racks hang quietly on the door and nobody gets hurt. Ah. What a relief. Polly

"teleflora" I seem to do a lot of tracing of patterns onto fabric. Rather than taping

Reply to
Polly Esther

tip#1: never leave your iron on overnite.....it will raise your energy bill...and thus your temper.

tip#2: never put pins in your mouth.....for obvious reasons.

tip#3: try not to talk on the phone while sewing....the seams come out all wonky.

tip#4: a little velcro under your pressure foot will keep it from sliding into next week. or you could use that waffle shelf liner stuff...works the same.

tip#5: keep your fingers out of the way of the SM needle...see tip #2

amy in CNY

Reply to
amy

Use a digital camera to help select lay out. Just take pictures of all possible options and then review for best choice. I took the camera to my monthly bee this week, to 'share' the layout for the Quilt of Valor Sampler Blocks that are the current project of another bee, the Quilting Divas. The photo will help the Divas organize the blocks later on.

Pat in Virginia

Reply to
Pat in Virginia

I have an old squeegee, the rubber strip was pretty well shot, so I put a strip of that magnetic tape along the edge and an old broom handle on the handle part, keep it hanging on the wall away from my machine. Works great for a swipe around the floor to pick up errant pins and needles.

Val

Reply to
Val

Measure twice, cut once. Ask me how I know!

Reply to
AliceW

I'm a do-it-all-by-hand quilter and enjoy stitching in my favorite chair in front of old movies on TV, so I keep a small plastic box handy on the table for thread, several sizes of thimbles (since my fingers change size from time to time), and all the little miscellaneous things. Also on the table is a very large antique ashtray to catch thread snippets I toss at it, and a magnet to pick up any pins I might drop. I have an antique an oblong pin cushion I use just for threaded needles, which I do 7 or 8 at a time, with the threaded ones at one end and the "empties" stuck in the other. Pins have their own pin cushions, one for small plastic head pins, one for larger plastic head pins, and one for 1/2" pins for applique. Needles are in little wood needle tubes sorted by size with the size written in pen on the end of the wood cap. I have a card table hidden behind the buffet in the dining room and drag it into the living room to set up when I need a large flat surface for cutting fabrics, etc., and when I'm finished I hide it again. Works for me!

Reply to
Mary

That sounds so 'comfortable' - even enviable, Mary. Everything to hand, no stress ... ... mmmm . In message , Mary writes

Reply to
Patti

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