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Quilt Tips From Quilters Around The World
Machine Quilting
When machine quilting on my
home sewing machine, I sit well above my machine. I sit on a step stool - the
kind that every 1950's kitchen had. It looks a bit like a baby highchair,
but without the tray. The two steps fold up under the chair when not
in use.
This higher chair forces your arms and shoulders down into a more relaxed position when you are manipulating your quilt. In a normal chair, the tendency is to shrug your shoulders up to your ears. It's very fatiguing on the body.
The first time I quilted on the step stool, I quilted for 2.5 hours before stopping. I was so relaxed that I forgot to take a break!
When I quilt with the higher chair, I tilt my machine BACK slightly by placing a tiny one-half-inch book underneath the front edge of the machine. Without this, the machine head blocks my vision from this higher vantage point. - kiskat in Texas
Whenever I am machine quilting using nylon thread,
I put my spool of thread in a baby food jar on the table beside my sewing
machine and thread it up through a binder clip that I have clipped on
the lift up lid of my Pfaff machine and through the rest of the machine as
usual. This provides the proper tension and I never have problems. - Sue in
Ontario
I use gripper type garden glove for free
motion quilting because they cost so much less, but the fingers are long and
clumsy so I just cut off the tips. I can machine quilt and still be able
to thread the needle, move a pin etc. The other bonus here is that if the
fingertips are cut out, it forces you to use your whole hand to move the
material, and reduces your risk for carpal tunnel syndrome which is much
greater if you use only the tips of your fingers to move the quilt
around. - Kathleen in Wisconsin
Wind serger thread to the
bobbin on my sewing machine, I use a long drinking straw cut to just above
the top of the cone and placed on the spindle. This works very well for
me. - Mary in Colorado
When machine quilting, be sure to position your chair as close
as possible
to your machine - and still be comfortable - LEGS UNDER THE TABLE. If your
chair is too far away, and you are leaning toward the machine to quilt, your
back and arms will get very tired, or you might totally pull your back
out.
I have seen people sit on the very edge of their seat, with their chair a foot away from their machine, to quilt.
When your body is not in its most relaxed position, it will show up in your quilting. When you lose control of your body, you lose control of your stitching.
I know this seems very simplistic, but it's the little things that CAN make a big difference in your quilting results. - kiskat in Texas
For the large spools which I can not use
on my sewing machine, I use a empty tin can with a plastic lid about the size
of the spool. In the middle of the lid I made a hole then I put it beside
my machine. It works great, especially for invisible threads. - Lenie in The
Netherlands
A product called Butler Gum Floss Threaders
(available where dental floss is sold) is great to put the thread through
holes in presser feet such as a 1/4 inch foot or one with small multiple
holes for embroidery thread. It looks almost like a needle with a big eye
but is very narrow and flexible. - Carolyn in California
I have found that the inexpensive
gardening gloves with the little dots on the palm make good machine quilting
gloves. - Lucy in South Carolina
Disposable latex gloves, like doctors and
nurses use, make fabulous machine quilting gloves. They're usually available
in a box of 50 for about $5.00 at the local drug store or discount
store." - Katherine in Illinois
You can make your own machine quilting gloves.
Take take a look in your sewing box to see if you have fabric for the feet
of children's PJ's. Use Wonder Under to attach the fabric to an old pair
of white gloves, and you will have your own machine quilting gloves. - Joan
in Vermont
Want to try the new 'tiltables' but think that
they are too expensive? Go to any hardware store and buy two door
stops (wedges) in rubber. Push these under your machine to tilt it to
any convenient angle. - Shirley in the U.K.
If you feel tense while free motion quilting, try
humming! We tend to hold our breath when we concentrate and that makes us
tense up. Humming forces us to breath rhythmically and therefore relax. It's
a very simple thing that has made a big difference in the quality of my
free motion quilting. - Sue in Georgia
When doing machine quilting, A firm, somewhat
stiff backing fabric helps to prevent those annoying puckers, so if the
backing you have chosen is soft, starch it first. - Kate in Wisconsin
When machine quilting or stitching applique, fill paired bobbins
with your
thread. Use one of the pair on top, and you can easily see if bobbin is
running too low to finish a line of stitching without stopping to reload and
start again in the middle. - Barbara in Arizona
Buy a lot of bobbins for your machine and thread all of your
bobbins in
commonly used colors before you start a project. There is nothing worse than
breaking your concentration by having to stop in the middle of a project and
thread your bobbin...AGAIN! It is a time and sanity saver! - Karen in California
Tired of stitching in a ditch? Get out your double needle and
thread the
needle only on the right and leave the left empty for a guide. This will give
you a different look if you are a beginner like me. - Virginia in Washington
Whenever I am machine quilting using nylon thread,
I put my spool of thread in a baby food jar on the table beside my sewing
machine and thread it up through a binder clip that I have clipped on
the lift up lid of my Pfaff machine and through the rest of the machine as
usual. This provides the proper tension and I never have problems. - Sue in Ontario
Use white tissue paper
for machine quilting designs. Cut tissue paper the size
of your finished block x as many blocks in your quilt
or the size of sashing and borders, trace or draw your
own design onto the tissue paper with dark colored pen
or pencil. Pin this to your block at each of the four
corners and one in the center. The machine quilt right
on top of tissue. When finished with each block the
tissue paper tears easily off. This method saves time
having to wash out pencil marks on finished quilt. -
Barbara in Wisconsin
My husband bought a large
package of gripper gloves at a surplus/discount store
for a very cheap price and I use them to keep control
of the material while I'm machine quilting. They
are much less costly than at the quilting stores. -
Sara in Michigan
When quilting with that
nylon thread, the type that is as fine as hair, place
a small piece of masking tape on the machine just above
the needle. When you cut the thread you have a
place to stick it, so that it won't come out of the
needle. - Carol in New York
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