2024 Quilting Tips

A Quilter's Life

Sharing a tip has always been a question for each of my guests on A Quilter’s Life podcast. But this is the third year I have put them into an episode sharing just the tips from the year.. This year I’m going to add who gave the tip so if you want to look them up you can. We received so many great tips this year. I wanted to have a top 10 list, but I ended up with 12. These first eight are tips that just one person gave this year. 12-Andi Stanfield Wash batiks before cutting. Those fabrics tend to bleed more because of the process used to create them. 11-Erin Grogan When making covered corners, also known as snowballed corners, instead of following the normal directions of sew, trim, press. Change the order to sew, press, and trim. The bias edge won’t stretch as it does with the first way. 10-Jan Lockhart Take a picture which helps, but also go the next step and change the picture to black and white and it helps with color placement. I have been amazed when I’ve used Jan’s tip. Certain blocks show that they’re out of place when using this process. 9-Holly Sprout Make sure you read through the instructions completely before you start the project and measure things thoroughly before you cut them out. We’ve all been there when we’re in a hurry and we’re so sure we understand and measured correctly. But taking that extra step to double check is always worth it. 8-Lisa Shepard Stewart Try a new fabric that you’ve never used before in quilting and mix it in with the fabric you have. Repurpose a pillow or something simple where you can experiment. I still haven’t reached a comfort level to try this. Have you? Maybe I just need to take that leap. 7-Robyn Capps Don’t over think. Instead when you think about it just do it. Don’t be afraid. Robyn’s tip could probably apply for me to try Lisa’s tip. 6-Mary Shepard Suggested the book Walk by Jacquie Gering because Jacquie’s explanation of how to get a good sandwich and how you get a good stitch is like nothing else Mary has ever seen. 5-Dora Cary Gave two tips. First - Slow down. Dora’s second tip is to make a template out of batting. She also has a no baste quilting method. Don’t need to pin it because cotton sticks to cotton. 4 -Robyn Capps & Juanita Roby Robyn Capps Make sure you have a good ¼ foot on your sewing machine. Makes a difference on your pattern and your seams. It’s a personal preference if you want to press the seams open or to the side. Juanita Roby Make sure you have your quarter inch seams good! 3-Teri Tope and Eva Saunders both had tips for working with thread Teri Tope When you pull your thread off of the spool. Use the end that you started pulling to go through your needle and knot the end that you cut. Because of the way it’s wound on to the spool this will help your thread not to knot as much. Eva Saunders Threads are wound in two different ways. Stack wound thread is just wound (kinda looks like a stack of pancakes) and cross wound thread will look like shoe laces where you can see an x or a v shape made by the thread. The stack wound goes on a vertical pin and the cross wound thread goes on the horizontal pin. If you put it on the wrong pin the thread will get too twisted and break. 2-Sheila Squires, Megan Fowler, and Lynn Christiansen say Starch Sheila Squires Starch will make you more precise. Makes it easier to cut and sew. Megan Fowler You should Starch and Iron your fabric before you cut them. It makes life so much easier. Then big picture, try new things. Lynn Christiansen Starch your fabrics before you cut them. 1-The following 12 tips all run in the same vein of you know what you’re doing. Yet, they say it with different perspectives. Lacie Messerly Trust your gut on what you’re making. If you want to make it a certain way, make it that way. Ashelyn Downs Start out with what you love. If it’s an advanced pattern, figure out the building blocks. Instead of feeling like you’re drowning in a style Audra Rasnake Keep learning. Audra tries to incorporate something new in each quilt she makes. Find what works for you. Jen Frost Quilt what you love. Seems like the projects that were purchased because others were doing it were the projects that didn’t get finished. Karlee Porter Don’t sew when you’re hungry. (being silly) Unless you’re getting paid for your quilting, don’t feel like you have to follow someone’s advice. Consider it, but decide for yourself if it’s something you want to do. Jackie Perry Relax and have fun. Also buy the best fabric, thread, and needles that you can afford. So many times the sewing machine doesn’t work correctly only to find out we just needed to change the needle. Jody Leonardo There’s no right or wrong. Play outside the box and do what you want with quilting. Rochelle Rice You are the only person that has to be satisfied with the work that you’re doing on your quilt. Ellen Happe Phillips When you show your quilt don’t point out the mistakes. There are no mistakes in quilting. Just say Thank You and that you’re glad you finished your quilt. Patricia Moller Break the Rules. You’ll discover new ways to do things. Emily Dodd Make the quilt you want to make. If you don’t like it you won’t finish it. If you’re sewing curves, the less pins the better. Jeni Gaston If you’re thinking of giving up on quilting, but you’re enjoying at least part of it, keep doing it. Finish that quilt. Each quilt you make will get better. You don’t need to keep ripping out to try to make it perfect.