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Date: 10/16/09
From: NY
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i have a ton of older quilt magazines i do not want to just throw away. does anyone want them?
you suck stupid school
“Charity Quilt Day” March 29 Wraps Up “National Quilt Month”
To wrap up “National Quilt Month,” Judy Howard is designating March 29 as “Charity Quilt Day.” This campaign raises awareness and funding for the sacrificial volunteer work of quilters like you who provide comforters for sick babies, orphans, soldiers and homeless—all those most in need of the touch of God’s love and comfort that quilts represent.
On March 29, Judy is donating the net proceeds of Amazon sales of her books, “Heavenly Patchwork I and II” and “Centennial Stitches” to non-profit groups like The Hugs Project, Binky Patrol, Project Linus, Quilts for Injured Soldiers, Wrap Them in Love, Newborns in Need, Quilts for Kids, Gig Harbor Quilt Festival for the Tacoma Women’s Breast Cancer Resource Center, Harmony Hill Retreat and Casting for Recovery, My Brother’s Keeper that provide charity quilts. You may even designate your local guild or favorite charity quilting non-profit as beneficiary.
Besides donating to worthy charities, those who purchase Judy’s award-winning gift books on Amazon on March 29 will receive bonus gifts of free quilt patterns, quilting tips and book excerpts by renowned celebrity quilt artists and historians like Kaye Wood, Darcy Ashton, Nancy Kirk, Ruth Harris, Jennie Rayment, Judy Anne Breneman, M.J. Van Deventer, Lucille Ralston, Dorcas Publishing, My Brother’s Keeper, etc. Buy all three books and get one free.
Please join Judy on “National Charity Quilt Day” in honoring charity quilters and their tireless work by helping “Wrap those in need with quilts of love” through your purchase of “Heavenly Patchwork” gift books on Amazon March 29 or today. Thanks for sharing this info in quilt newsletters, websites, yahoo groups, blogs, chat rooms, and with all your quilting buddies. Check for details on www.HeavenlyPatchwork.com.
When I'm preparing to iron a wide piece of fabric which takes up all the space on my ironing board, I set up a TV tray by the head of my board. Then I can stand my iron on it when I have to put it down for a minute while I maneuver the fabric. This idea just occurred to me, although I have been a quilter for many years. Duh!
a while ago someone was looking for its ok if you sit on my quilt...clothilde as it at a great price...about five dollars in the bargin book dept
Using a bed sheet for the backing for a quilt is only good for utility blanket quilts. The weave of the sheet is different than the weave of yardage. Why waste all the time piecing a quilt top and then use the wrong type fabric for the backing that is too thick and too tightly woven.
to save money you can use a sheet to set a quilt together. A twin can make a enough pieces for a queen size quilt. My cousin told me about that.
I like to make placemats and baby bibs for gifts... use baby receiving blankets instead of batting..it is the right weight and never shrinks as they have been washed often..they can be purchased at garage sales very cheap..
Save all your used dryer fabric sheets to use as stabilizer for the back when appliqueing.Also save your old mouse pad. Keeps your foot peddle from wondering.Also use mine to mark my cut triangles in stead of sand paper.
well, mine's not really a hint, but i need one. i am new to quilting/sewing. I am trying to do and applique with invisible thread, but i keep having sooo many problems, i've tried adjusting the tension, but i can never get it to work, i just wanna cry. i'm so fustrated with it. anyone know anything i can try???
I don't know if this is the best way, but this is how I clean my quilts, and have never had a problem. I fill my bathtub (about 1/2 full) with warm water, and add 2 T. Orvus soap (found at the veterinarian supply, a tack shop, or Co-Op. A few quilt stores also carry it). Submerge the quilt in the water. I gently push down on the quilt in a "rub-board action," up and down. Then let it soak about 15 minutes. I drain the water, squeeze out what water I can, and repeat this again. I continue until the water no longer appears dirty. Then rinse the quilt a couple times in cool water. I squeeze out as much water as I can - it's a tough job, I know - and then lift the quilt out of the tub gently and place in a large basket to carry to the washer. I spin dry the quilt in the washer to remove all the excess water. I then lay a sheet on top of the pool table (or any large area -- floor or bed, etc.) and lay out the damp quilt to air dry. Living in Colorado, this takes not quite a day to dry in my basement.
Not a hint, but a request. What is the best way to clean a quilt? Thanks
HI
I recently had my last child move out at the age of 25. I hated to part with his super single water bed. I woke up in the middle of the night and thought why couldn't I double stack it so I would have 6 drawers on top and the cubby hole section on the botton. It turns out to be 39 inches tall with the top board on it. I'm still in the process of yes, remodeling my son's room into my quilting room. I'm really excited about my supper single cutting table. My husband ofcourse is just thrilled.(HA HA)
Just noticed that someone recommended a hand product, and I have one that I swear by: Cucina by Fruits & Passion. It's a Canadian company, but is becoming more prevalent in the U.S. Anyway, the Cucina "Repairing Action Hand Lotion" smells fantastic, and is absorbed really quickly into your hands, as it was developed for people who cook a lot. It also seems to heal nicks and cuts on hands extra fast.
Try taping a small brown paper bag to an edge on
your sewing cabinet (or even on the top drawer) and
you will find how convenient it is for thread or
scraps. I use masking tape for easy removal.
When I was shopping at a high end department store, there was great sale. I found a toothbrush holder with a design on it that went perfectly with my Garden themed sewing room. I bought it for half price. (Under $5) and use it to hold my fabric marker and seam reversers. (okay rippers).
To keep your sewing machine foot pedal from skooting around on the floor, place a piece of rubber mesh shelf liner on the floor under it and it will stay put. Works well under the sewing machine itself too on top of the table/desk.
To make straight lines for quilting, instead of drawing with pencil or disappearing ink, I use blue painter's tape. It doesn't leave the fabric sticky so I don't have to wash it out afterward
Since I am about to embark on some hand sewn piecing I thought I'd pass on my easy way to keep a 1/4 seam when hand piecing. I am basically right handed so on my left thumb I place s hort piece of 1/4 inch masking tape. When I hold the pieces in my hand, I line up the edge of the fabric with one side of the tape and aim my needle for the other edge as I make my stitches. Seems to work well. I've used this with my quilting students including children and it does help;
I wanted to make a full sized pink snowball quilt. I made a snowball quilt using a very busy and pretty pinky flowerey print with a soft white background for the snowballs and a million(well alittle exaggerated)pinks for the nine patches. When I got ready to hand quilt the snowballs after cross hatching the nine patches I found i couldn't see my markings for the snowballs. After trying everything I could find on the market from disappearing ink to water markers and etc to pencil I was not happy. So I did the disappearing marker(very tedioustly and unhappy)for 3 blocks, until...I discovered upon making a knot on the back of quilt that I could see exactly where i was quilting with no problem. I had already quilted the nine patches so I could see where I was. I had a brain storm and quilted all the snowballs from the back. This is one quilt that it didn't matter what the pattern was because the fabric was so busy you can't really see it anyway. I learned a lesson on fabric and marking all in one.
To help clean the interior of my sewing machine
I take the machine outside and use my bicycle tire pump to blow out the dust bunnies. Have been doing this for years and seems to work really well. I do clean my machine after every major project and if I have been sewing anyting flannel, I clean after every project.
Here's a good site with Prairie Point instructions: http://www.nmia.com/~mgdesign/qor/technique/prpnts.htm
Basting a quilt can be a very boring chore, and probably the least favorite part of making a quilt. I combine my two favorite hobbies, reading and quilting, when I baste. I simply use cassette audio books. Now I find that basting is no longer a chore, but an enjoyable part of quiltmaking.
I read a tip to put a dab of saliva on the back of your sewing needle to thread it easier. I have been putting a little saliva on the back of my sewing machine needle and find it works as well.
Instead of drawing my applique pattern on my backing material, I center and draw my pattern on a peice of interfacing the same size as my backing. Then I baste the interfacing pattern to the top of the backing centering it. I lay the piece I am going to applique between the interfacing and the backing matching it to my interfacing pattern. Using freezer paper method flip back the interfacing and applique the piece. I continue doing appliquing my pieces. When I am finished I remove the interfacing. Because the interfacing is soft, I can take my applique anywhere, but I don't have lines on my backing material.
For applique work, I'm eternally cautious about using stick-um products on my fabrics (anything with glues or starches or whatever) as I don't feel the long-term effects of these products are known yet. Did some applique work recently and found that spraying my pieces with water and then folding under and ironing the edges down with my (not on steam setting) iron worked really well to hold the turn-under in place long enough to pin in place and sew by hand--even days later. Just be careful not to burn your fingers!
Someone recently suggested plugging all your sewing room appliances on ONE surge protector to make it easier to turn them on at once. Surge protectors do fail occasionally and computerized sewing machines are so expensive to replace blown parts that I prefer to keep my sewing machine on one surge protector and everything else on another. And irons should ideally be on another circuit or fuse. Call me 'fraidy cat!
Sometimes I have to use many pins in a quilt project. I got tired of pulling pins out and "placing" them on my magnetic pin cushion. I found this way is so effortless that I had to share;
Place the magnetic pin cushion behind your machine and as you come to a pin, just "flick it off" onto the pin cushion. You don't even have to aim. :)
I read some of the hints and will start using them right away. Thanks quilters!
I have trouble keeping my lines for measurement marked on the ruler so I use small pieces of colored electrical tape to mark my measurement spot.
To Christine When hand stiching a quilt you do a single knot and put that in about 1" (in) from ware you are coming out at and pull very gentle. when the knot goes in do you stiches. just do not pull hard for next 2 or 3 stiches. it works for me as well as it did for my grandmother and mom. good luck
I found that using Gloves In A Bottle cream while quilting helps tremendously - my dry cuticles are smoothed out and don't snag the delicate fabrics, as well as the rest of my hands are very smooth and it is much easier to work. Also, as the lotion holds your moisture inside and is not greasy at all - hands don't sweat and aren't slippery, while being protected. It's a true find! You check it out at their website www.glovesinabottle.com
No matter how experienced a sewer/quilter you are, there are always times when you must rip out seams. There are all those little pieces of thread that must be picked off. I take a piece of packing tape and wrap it around my hand with stickie side out like you do to pick up lint and simply pat along the seam. It pulls them out quickly and easily.
I found that putting little sandpaper dots on my ruler for rotary cutting keeps it from slipping. That's wonderful for those of us who are just learning!
when i am basting my quilt top, back, and batting together i use a circular upholstery needle. it catches all three layers. basting is a snap. enjOY
Two tips:
Run out of Sewer's Aid and your needle is gummed up? Not to fret, just grab some WD 40, spritz it on a scrap and give your needle a rubdown. Also, try spraying the spool of thread you are using with it.Sails right through your machine, even metallic thread!
Next time you need a third hand, try using an orange stick, you know, what you use when you give yourself a manicure? Long ones, about 6", are best and can be had at your local drug store.
This is actually three hints. First, date your thread, month and year, so you can use up the oldest spools first. I'm still using thread I bought five years ago!! Second, don't buy thread just because it's on sale and you might need that color "someday". Thread does rot, though it can be sometimes be "revived", but there will always be another sale! Always!! Besides, if you only need a small piece for applique, your friends may be able to help or you can help them. Third, many scrappy quilts are "thread guzzlers" using 12 bobbins (or more) and are great for using up those funky colors you bought five years ago.
Mom was right, it's not a bargain if you can't use it up before it spoils.
After seeing a “used sharps” container for safe disposal of used needles in my doctor’s office, I made one for my sewing table. I took an empty white plastic aspirin bottle, drilled a small hole in the cap, and stuck on a bright label that says “used sharps.” Now I can safely dispose of broken needles and bent pins, right through the hole in the top. For something larger, such as used rotary blades or razor blades, I can unsnap the top. When it’s full, I can safely throw the whole container away.
My husband and I made an ironing table using a piece of plywood he had laying around in the garage...and an old ironing board...he attached the plywood onto the ironing board using wood screws so the screws went flat into the wood...I then covered it with leftover cotton batting...I used two layers...and cotton pillow ticking... now I have a surface wide enough for ironing 45" fabric easily and all it cost was time...it is asjustable in height and is easy to stash in the closet...it is a little heavy but I love it... Donna
For those of you using x-ray films... As a radiology person the "black ink" is not ink it is a form of silver and the "ink" is also contain developing chemicals so be aware what you are washing off. In a hospital or clinic these are treated as hazardous materials, and the silver components are recycled during the developing process. Be aware what you are washing away. Perhaps it is best to use the blank ones.
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