Free Quilt Tips

  • from the Simplicity Sewing Site

    This easy, three-step pressing technique will magically improve your sewing/piecing skills:
    1. Press the seam flat along the stitching line to blend the stitches.
    2. Press the seam allowances open or to one side, as indicated in the pattern instructions.
    3. Press the seam or detail area from the right side. If necessary, protect the fabric with a press cloth.
  • A customer shared this - buy a pet hair roller (one of those sticky things that you roll over furniture or yourself to pick up pet hair).  She said they are stronger than clothing rollers.  She uses hers to remove the leftover threads from ripped out stitches in seams!  Quick & easy, she says it works like a charm.  Thanks Nancy for sharing!
  • Do you do hand piecing or hand appliqué?  Hate to carry around all those spools of thread?  Fill bobbins with different colors of thread and store them in a bobbin box!  It fits neatly into your travel bag and keeps the thread from tangling into a mess.
  • Are you storing quilt tops that need to be quilted?  Want to keep them from becoming more wrinkled?  Use cardboard tubes (or the Styrofoam pool toys!) to roll the tops on until you are ready to quilt them.
  • Do you know that 90% of all machine problems are because it's threaded improperly?  If your machine isn't stitching correctly, rethread - both the top thread and the bobbin thread.  If that doesn't work, change your needle.  90% of the time your problem will be fixed!
  • When changing the blade in your rotary cutter - lay each piece in a line as you take it off the cutter.  Carefully lift the old blade off the rotary cutter & replace it with a new one.  Then reassemble the cutter putting back each item as you come to it in the line of parts.  No more wondering where the heck that washer goes!  And save the plastic cases the new blades come in.  Write OLD on one & place the used blades in it, when it's full, throw the whole container away safely in the trash
  • When freemotion quilting - Always keep your fingers on the quilt while you are stitching; if you move your hands while you're sewing you'll get uncontrolled stitches. When you need to reposition your hands, stop with the needle down in the quilt.  And always keep your hands in FRONT of the needle.  You have more control of the quilt & your stitches.
  • From Alex Anderson - no room to store your rotary mats flat?  Hang them from a hook in your sewing room with the clamp type pants hangers - the type that has rubber protection on the clamps.  Simple & easy!
  • Did you know that Bernina has short videos on their web page that explain how specialty feet work ?  You don't have to have a Bernina to access these and a ruffler works the same no matter what machine it's on.  Check them out!  Click here.  They don't have them for all the feet yet, but they're working on them.  If you are thinking about buying a specialty foot, you can see how it works first!

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