"How To's" for Quilters

Make your quilt label before you start quilting. Baste it onto the back of the quilt. As you quilt, it will be quilted to the back and become more permanent and more difficult to remove.

Cut your thread at an angle and it should slide through the needle eye quicker. If you just can't seem to get the thread through the eye, turn the needle around. Machines punch out the needle eyes, and there may be a ridge preventing the thread from going through on one side.

Change positions frequently while sewing. Stand up, stretch and walk around a bit. Take a break- sit down in an easy chair and have a cup of tea; watch a half-hour sit-com, read a magazine. In other words, de-stress!

Use a leather thimble when you are turning under and ironing edges for appliqué pieces. The leather will prevent burns from the iron and/or steam.

A peep hole (the kind you buy at a hardware for front doors) is an excellent way to view your quilt tops. The colors will jump out at you, and give you an entirely different perspective. This is especially helpful when laying out your quilt blocks for placement.

When working with darker fabrics, use a sliver of soap (those pieces you can no longer use in the shower) for marking. Allow the soap to dry thoroughly and harden before using. The edges can easily be sharpened when needed with a scissor blade or paring knife.

Use "Grab it" or "Swifter" cloths to clean up your sewing machine area. Loose threads will stick like magic! It also takes care of "dust bunnies" at the same time.

A great mini wastebasket for loose threads and fabric snippets can be made from a can with a snap on lid. Simply cut an x in the lid, and then push the scraps down into the can as needed.

To get smaller stitches while quilting on a hoop, gently bounce the center of the hooped quilt on your bent knee a couple times to loosen it up. A quilt that is stretched too tight is difficult to quilt, and results in larger stitches.

When cutting curved edges for appliqué, use pinking shears. This makes them much easier to turn under, saves you time (you won't have to snip the curves) and produces a nice flat finish.

Polar fleece makes a wonderful backing for a crib quilt. You don't need to use any batting, making it easier to quilt with just two layers of fabric. It is very soft on baby's skin also.

Clean the base of your iron by sprinkling salt on a piece of a brown paper bag and running the hot iron over it several times. (I sprinkle the salt on the inside of the bag, which I've laid on the ironing board, and actually run my iron over it inside the bag. Then when I'm done, I can just close the bag and put the whole thing in the garbage. No salt spill on the ironing board.)

If you have a finished block that isn't quite square, try pressing it square. Cut freezer paper to the size your block should be, and press the waxy side onto your ironing board. Place the fabric block on top of the paper. Align and pin the corners even with the freezer paper. Spray the block lightly with sizing or spray starch and press it square. Let it cool completely before removing from ironing board.

A butter knife will work just as well as a wooden iron! Just be sure it doesn't have a serrated edge.

Keep clear nail polish in your sewing basket. (Tightly closed, of course) Paint a layer or two on whatever area of your finger usually gets sore from needle pricks. Do this before you get the pricks in your finger, as the polish might sting if you already have needle pricks.

When making repeat cuts of the same size, place four post-it notes on the width line of the ruler. This enables you to slide the ruler up to cut without having to continually search for the correct line.

Keep all your supplies in a small basket when cutting, marking and sewing. Make it a habit to return each item to the basket as soon as you are finished using it. You won't have to search for the scissors, rotary cutter, pencil, etc under the fabrics and patterns you are using.

Adhesive-backed weather stripping from the hardware store works well as a ¼ inch seam guide. Simply cut off a piece about 3 inches long, pull off the paper backing, and place it right side up against the edge of your presser food. It can easily be removed and repositioned for varying widths of seams.