|
|
 Here you'll find a collection of tips we've stumbled upon over the years, either through personal experiementation, reading, or hearing from another quilter....perhaps you when you were in the store! We haven't tried them all, so use them with the appropriate degree of caution, always pre-testing anything that will be applied to your quilt top.
Do you have a tip to share? Send an email to cdoern@creekside-quilting.com
STAIN REMOVAL:
- Remove red kool-aid-like stains with shaving cream. Test first for color fastness.
- Remove dye that has bled from one fabric to another with unscented Ivory dish soap.
- Remove mold from a quilt with a the following solution. Wear gloves, and rub the solution into the quilt, immediately rinsing with cold water. Repeat as necessary. May fade colors, so work quickly.
3 qts cold water
1 qt bleach
3 oz powdered Comet
1 oz liquid laundry detergent
ORGANIZATION:
- Keep your bobbin tray tidy by wrapping pony-tail bands around your filled bobbins.
- Mark sections of a tomato pincusion to organize the size and styles of your sewing machine needles. When you remove a still-good needle from your machine, put it in the appropriate section of the pincushion. Next time you need a needle, you'll know where to find one that can be used again.
- Keep your sewing room liveable by donating your unwanted fabric (including fabric scraps). We have a collection bin here at the store that supplies fabric to several local non-profits. (Please bring cotton quilting fabric only.) We also accept thread, patterns, and books.
- Grab a paper organizer at the office supply store and use it to store your rulers. A lid holder for your pots and pans also works well mounted on a wall.
- Put non-slip shelf liner under your cutting mat or foot pedal to prevent it from slipping.
MISCELLANEOUS:
- Needle Disposal - An empty film canister or empty prescription bottle makes a good receptacle for collecting used needles so that they can be disposed of safely.
QUILTING AND FINISHING:
- Disguise stray quilting stitches or bobbin thread that's peeking to the top with a permanent marker.
- Use a small stitch length when beginning and ending your machine quilting instead of tying and burying threads.
- Use small pieces of non-slip shelf liner instead of gloves. I have found this to work only on smaller projects.....and be careful not to lose track of them. (Ask me how long it took to "unquilt" this shelf liner from the back of my quilt!)
- This tip came to us today from our friend Carole. She uses a chalk pencil to mark her quilting pattern onto Golden Threads paper. She says it marks smoothly, is very visible, and any stray marks that get transferred to the quilt top are easily erased. Thanks, Carole!
|
|