Tips and Tricks for New Quilters.

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Peggy Stuart on March 3, 2011 at 9:04am

You can click on "Follow" at the bottom of the page, and you will get an email when someone posts here. I was hoping some other experienced quilters would post something. I might learn something, too!

Permalink Reply by Sandy B /AUS on April 4, 2011 at 4:58am

Another good idea - so much to learn. Thanks Barbara.

Permalink Reply by Carol Bender on April 25, 2012 at 12:13pm

My mother told me it is getting oils from your hair, that make it glide more easily into your fabric.  She was a professional seamstress sewing for models.

Permalink Reply by Peggy Stuart on March 3, 2011 at 9:41am

To keep your quilt square (having 90 degree corners) and prevent the borders from waving like potato chips, measure across the middle of the quilt and cut both borders to that length.

Place the quilt flat on the floor or a table. Get someone to help you if you need it. For the right and left (vertical) borders, measure across the middle of the quilt from top to bottom. Measure more than once, and make sure the quilt is flat where you're measuring. Cut both borders to that measurement. Sew them on. Then measure at the middle from right to left in the same way. Cut two borders to this length and sew them onto the top and bottom edges of the quilt.

Mitered borders need to be handled differently.

Permalink Reply by Peggy Stuart on March 4, 2011 at 8:42am

Trying to find a place for a design wall? I used the floor for years, but when I put together my fiber studio a couple of years ago, I looked at this closet (behind curtain #1) and thought "design wall."

I bought a full-size roll of Warm and Natural quilt batting, but any kind that will stay together will work. I sewed a hem in the top and bottom and asked DH to find me some rods that could go in them. He came up with some batten-type strips of wood from the garage that exactly fit into some cup hooks I installed on each side of the top. It stays rolled up in a corner when not in use. Whenever I need my design wall, I unroll it, put the top strip of wood into the cup hooks and I'm good to go! (I need to use pins if I'm going to leave blocks or sections of the quilt on it for more than a few minutes.)

Permalink Reply by Sandy B /AUS on April 4, 2011 at 5:01am

I have used an foam mattress as my display wall covered with a flannel sheet. The only problem is that it is not as large as your curtain but it works so far on small quilt tops. Love your quilt top Peggy - 1" or 2 " squares??

Permalink Reply by Peggy Stuart on April 4, 2011 at 6:31am

Those 2" finished. The pattern calls for jelly rolls, but I just cut 2 1/2" strips from my stash and scraps.

Permalink Reply by Helen Bazinet on April 2, 2011 at 6:49pm

To collect small scraps of fabric and loose threads I tape an empty cake mix box,etc to the end of my machine, when full to the garbage it goes!

Permalink Reply by Peggy Stuart on April 2, 2011 at 6:56pm

What a great idea! I guess you could use an empty cereal box or some other kind of box if you didn't have a cake mix box. Thanks! I'm going to try it.

Permalink Reply by Peggy Stuart on April 2, 2011 at 7:10pm

Accurate cutting is very important. When cutting folded fabric, I put the center fold at the bottom, where I can see it clearly, then use the little dots on the ruler lined up along the fold, not the lines on the cutting mat to make your cuts. Here I'm truing up the edge before cutting my first strip. I'm using another ruler to make sure the ruler I'm cutting with is lined up properly with the fold. I will remove the big ruler before making the cut.

If you need to cut a bigger piece of fabric than your biggest ruler, you can do the same thing. Just add another ruler, so you have the right size where you cut.

After cutting, check your cut fabric for a V indicating it wasn't cut at right angles to the fold. I check every cut, but you should be especially careful after cutting several strips, especially if they're narrow ones.

I have a blue cutting mat. Sometimes if I'm cutting a dark fabric, especially a blue close to the color of the mat, it's hard to see the edge of the fold. In that case, I place the fabric wrong side up, so the lighter color will provide contrast. This won't work with batik, because it looks the same on both sides. I use my gray travel cutting mat for blue batiks.

Permalink Reply by Sandy B /AUS on April 4, 2011 at 5:02am

I can see I need a second cutting mat. I have also found that I need to keep my mat out of the sun as it has a tendency to go hard other wise.

Permalink Reply by Peggy Stuart on April 4, 2011 at 6:32am

Good point. Mine is near a window, but doesnt get direct sunlight. A mat should also be stored flat.

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