Cool Quilting Tips

These Quilting Tips show Shortcuts and New Ideas on Quilting Techniques

Batting Not Quite Big Enough?
You can add a strip to cotton or Hobbs Heirloom batting. Make sure the edges you wish to join are straight. Butt the two strips together without overlapping, and sew together using a medium/large zig zag stitch. Be careful not to stretch either edge.

You can add to polyester batting by butting another piece up to it and hand stitching it together with big stitches. Do Not Overlap

Presser Foot: When you are not sewing, keep your presser foot in the down position. This takes the pressure off the spring that puts it up and down, and it will last longer.

Quicker Bobbin Changes: A Quilting Tip Time Saver When starting a new project, purchase two spools of thread. One you will use to thread your sewing machine, and the other you will fill two or three bobbins with. When you run out of bobbin thread you don't have to stop and refill it, you just pop another prefilled bobbin in and keep sewing.

Sitting too Long?: Do you get stiff muscles from sitting at your sewing machine too long? Make sure you get up and stretch while getting yourself a glass of wine or piece of chocolate! You'll feel much better!

Stippling Tip: You have been carefully practising machine stippling, and its really really difficult. Well relax!Pour yourself some wine, put the pedal to the metal and go crazy! The trick is to let go and not be so up tight about perfect curves.

Thread Bunnies: Sew a line through a small scrap of fabric (about 1"x2" folded in half), then feed your project in right after it. This will save you thread and time and helps keep unravelling to a minimum at the start of a seam. When you have finished your seam, feed the thread bunny back under your presser foot and sew a line through. Now you're ready for your next seam.

Uncrease your Batting: If you don't have time to take your polyester batting out of the bag and let it relax for 24 hours as suggested by some manufacturers, try popping it in the dryer on air fluff only for 5-10 minutes. This will relax and fluff up your batt.

Another way to achieve this is to lay it over a bed or sofa and "blow dry" it with a hair dryer. Lumps and creases disappear!

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