All People Quilt - Tips of the Day » Basics

Lay Out Fabrics for a Scrap Quilt

Lisa Schumacher — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 16:35:35 +0000

When you’re sorting your fabrics for a scrap quilt—laying them out and seeing what you like—don’t put them light, light, light, medium, medium, medium, dark, dark, dark. Mix them up because that’s how your eye is going to see them in a finished quilt.

Never Put an Unfinished Quilt Away

Lisa Schumacher — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 16:32:33 +0000

Never put an unfinished quilt away. Quilting teaches the importance of persistence. Use technology, tools, and techniques to help you finish what you start.

Pin When Precision Matters

Lisa Schumacher — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 20:54:04 +0000

When precision matters, we pin like crazy so we don’t have to rip out seams that don’t align.

Trim Blocks to Size

Lisa Schumacher — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 20:42:15 +0000

Whenever possible, I trim pieced units and blocks to size. Triangle-squares, Flying Geese everything that can be straightened, gets straightened.

Place Rubberized Shelf Liner Under Your Machine

Lisa Schumacher — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 21:17:41 +0000

I place rubberized shelf liner under my machine to keep it from “walking” across my work surface.

Double-Check Calculations

Lisa Schumacher — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 14:39:43 +0000

Double-check calculations before buying (or cutting) fabric so you don’t have to make another trip to the quilt shop and risk that the fabric will be sold out.

Evaluate Antique Quilts Prior to Cleaning

Lisa Schumacher — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 15:28:14 +0000

Evaluate antique quilts individually before attempting to clean them. Improper cleaning can damage a quilt.

Understand Thread Weight

Lisa Schumacher — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 14:43:37 +0000

Typical thread weights are 30, 40, 50, 60, and 80. When considering thread weight, remember the higher the number, the finer the thread: 50-weight three-ply thread is finer than a 40-weight three-ply thread.

Use Dryer Sheets for Foundation Piecing

Lisa Schumacher — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 16:05:13 +0000

Dryer sheets work well as foundations for paper-pieced blocks. I’ve found it works better to stick with one brand for an entire project as brands differ slightly in size.

Get Perfect Triangles in Flying Geese Units

Lisa Schumacher — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 16:49:59 +0000

The overlap at the top of a flying geese unit is the seam allowance. When you sew the Flying Geese unit to another unit, this seam allowance will be taken in, leaving the tip of your center triangle intact at the seam line.