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Last updated
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Kodiak Bear Paw Quilters |
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Top Ten Tips
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Do you have an idea for a top ten list related to quilting? If you would like to have it posted with the other tips for new quilters, please contact our webmaster for consideration. Submissions do not have to be serious business - we welcome some lighthearted lists too. The second section below contains hints and technology tips for the new to quilter.
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Ten
Timesaving Quilting Tips
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Ten
Tips for Displaying Your Art
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| Keep your machine clean, oiled, and in top condition at all times. Nothing wastes time faster than having to restitch a seam because the needle is skipping, adjust the tension during a project, or pick lint out of a seam because the machine wasn't cleaned before use. | Pin your quilt to the wall. Using those nice, skinny straight pins - the same kind use for pinning fabric together when sewing - insert a pin in the backing on each upper corner of the quilt, about 1/2 inch from the corner, pushing the pin into the wall at an angle upwards about 1/2 inch. Do the same for the lower corners except angle the head of the pin downwards to the quilt won't "crawl" up the pin. |
| Set up an efficient workspace. The "kitchen triangle" that interior designers use works for quilters too. Set up your machine, pressing, and work surface triangle. Position everything so you only have to take a few steps in between each area. | Use a wooden quilt hanger. Wooden quilt hangers are available in many quilt shops and quilting catalogs. However, they are easy to make so you might want to enlist a handy-person to make them for you. They consist of two pieces of wood that are placed on top of one another, sandwiching the top edge of the quilt between them. |
| When piecing, choose one neutral thread color that works well with all fabrics. This saves the hassle of changing thread color for every fabric. | Attach a dowel sleeve. To use this popular quilt-hanging method, attach a sleeve to the upper backside of your quilt and insert a dowel or lath strip into the sleeve. To hang your quilt, place a cord through the dowel sleeve and hang it over a nail in the wall. You could also cut the dowels an inch or so wider and attach decorative finials tot he ends. |
| Divide the work into manageable units that can be completed in 10 to 15 minutes time. Then you can work on them when you know you have some wait-time ahead of you. | Use a cafe curtain rod and the accompanying brackets. |
| When working on small units, finger-press the pieces open rather than running to the ironing board each time. | Use the quilt as a table topper. |
| Chain-piece whenever possible. | Drape the quilt over the back of a chair. |
| Work in shifts - Divide your time by cutting out all the pieces at once, followed another time by stitching units together, then the units into blocks, and finally blocks into a quilt top. | Fold and stack several quilts in an open cupboard (very "country-looking"). |
| Stitch on the run. | Arrange a quilt so that it appears to spill out of a big basket or trunk. |
| When doing hand appliqué, piecing, or quilting, keep several needles threaded at all times. | Fold the quilt and place it at the foot of the bed or on the back of the sofa. |
| Buy pre-packaged binding rather than making your own. | Drape the quilt over the stair rail. Quilts look wonderful hanging from the landing railing! |
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These
two lists are from the book "Quilting for Dummies"
- a great help for quilters of all levels. |
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| When changing the thread from the top of the machine, cut it before it enters the tension disks, & pull the end out through the needle. This avoids pulling the thread backwards through it which can leave fibers and tighten the tension | To make a quilt label out of fabric, press a piece freezer paper to the back of the fabric label, then write your label's message with a fabric pen. Remove the paper, press under a 1/4" on the label, or face it with interfacing, turn, press, and hand-sew the label to back of the quilt. |
| When binding a quilt, be sure that the binding is not empty of batting or fabric. Cutting binding strips two inches wide, and leaving a half inch margin beyond the batting seam can help to "fill up" the binding. This part of the quilt gets a great deal of wear and tear, and the filling will strengthen it. | Oil & clean the sewing machine often. It has been suggested to me, by Riehl Sew-N-Vac in Anchorage, that when using a machine often for quilting, that it be done every ten hours of machine time. This will keep the gears and motor running smoothly. |
| A new kind of batting is available, Bamboo and cotton batting, made with 50% bamboo fiber and 50% organic cotton. Lighter than 100% cotton, and made with totally renewable resources. Manufactured by Fairfield of Danbury, CT.. | |
Our mailing address is:
Kodiak Bear Paw Quilters, PO Box 1213, Kodiak, Alaska 99615
Or, you can e-mail us
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