"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.