Hints and Tips

• Prevent thread from tangling. Run a threaded needle through a sheet of Bounce to Prevent thread from tangling.
  
  
• Use empty 35mm film canisters or diabetic test strip containers or small empty prescription bottles to dispense thread for hand sewing. Wind 4 to 5 bobbins with the threads you need, and place them in the canister. Puncture the lid several times, and pull a different thread color through each hole. You can thread needles without the threads tangling.
  
  

• I use those foam swim tubes to roll my quilts on to avoid any creases at all.  You can roll more than one on a tube for storage.
  
  

• To determine how many strips of fabric you need to cut for binding, (If you aren't using a pattern that tells you) measure the perimeter of your quilt, add 30 and divide by 40.  It has not failed me yet!
  
  
• Avoid using fabric softener in the washer or dryer when you prewash fabrics that you later intend to fuse. Fusible web will not adhere properly to fabrics treated with fabric softener.
  
  
• Pin appliqué elements to the background fabric from the back instead of the front. The thread will be less likely to catch on the pins as you stitch.
  
  
• After making many quilted bags, I have discovered how to make the perfect handle. I wrap a strip of fabric around non-roll elastic and topstitch it down both sides and in the center.
  
  
• Make your binding strip as usual. Rather than pressing the long strip in half to form the double binding, fold it and wind it jellyroll style.(not tight but tight enough for a compact roll.) Place a pin at the end to secure the roll and set aside until you are ready to bind the quilt. Before you start to sew the binding on the quilt, drop the roll (intact)into a zip-lock sandwich bag. Take the pin out and unwind about 6-8 inches (enough to reach the outside of the bag) and zip the bag up to the binding strip. Holding the end, let the bag drop to the floor beside your feet . As you sew the binding will unroll by itself inside the bag not all over your work table or getting tangled in the floor. This eliminates pressing as well as tangling , therefore saving time.
  
  
• I always set colors of my fabric with a solution of 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/4 cup table salt added to enough warm water to just cover the fabric, like colors with like colors. Prior to placing the freshly chosen fabrics in the water, I always serge the cut ends of each piece!!  (Or use Shout Color-Catchers)