My Time Saving Tips for Quilters!

Every once in awhile, I like to share time saving tips I use often when I am working on my projects. We’re always looking for shortcuts, but we still want accuracy while making a quilt. Perhaps you use some of these yourself, or maybe they will be new to you. I hope you are inspired to try a few. Share some of your shortcuts in the comments too! We can all learn something new every day. 

Tip#1

This is not something most quilters think about, but a clean cutting mat is a time saver. You should keep your cutting mat clean to avoid cutting mistakes. If your mat has debris on it from previous projects, that can cause your rotary blade to skip causing cutting mistakes. Here’s some easy cleaning tips:

You can remove bits of fabric fiber that get caught in cuts in your mat by rubbing a gum eraser (artist’s eraser) over sections you have just used to cut. You can also use a soft toothbrush. Another way to remove bits of fiber or lint from the surface is by wrapping your hand in packing tape and lightly running it over the mat. Or use a lint roller that you usually use to remove pet hair from clothing.

Don’t forget to check your rotary blade. They do wear out if you have cut a lot of projects. If you find that your cutter is not cutting on the first pass, skipping, or shredding the edge of the fabric, it’s definitely time to change the blade!

Now that you  have your fabric cut, it’s time for some tips for stitching.

Tip #2

Organizing your pieces for chain stitching is one of my favorite tips. If you have a lot of the same block to make, you can stack up the pieces by your machine and stitch them all at the same time by stitching units in a chain.

On the left, I stacked pieces together of the same unit I am making for chain piecing. On the right, are stacks of block pieces (same style block) that can be easily stacked for chain piecing.

Tip #3

To help your chain piecing, or any piecing, go smoothly, use a leader/ender piece to start and finish your line of chain piecing. This is actually a good use of some of those scraps you accumulate from trimming units like flying geese. Start your stitching with this leader/ender scrap first, then stitch how ever many units you have in your stack and then end with this leader/ender scrap.

This is a good thread conservation tip since you’re not wasting thread as you do when stitching and clipping off pieces one by one. It also helps to limit damage to the unit you are stitching because if there’s a thread snafu or a snag, it will happen on the leader/ender. You won’t have to stop your sewing to cut more pieces to replace the damaged ones.

Tip #4

Here’s a unique one. If you don’t want to draw lines on all those squares when making half-square triangle squares, try creasing a stitch line as you go.  Fold the top square, of the two squares you are stitching together, in half and finger press (or use a pressing stick) to make a visible crease.

Sew a scant 1/4 inch on each side of the crease, just like if it was a pencil drawn line. Then cut the unit apart on the crease.

Tip #5

Measure units as you go when you are piecing units for a block.

If you measure units before piecing them into the blocks, you can be assured that your finished block will measure correctly. To be able to measure by my machine, I like to keep a wood pressing stick and small rulers close by.

Tip #6

After sewing, what if you stitched a seam wrong? Whether you are using a seam ripper or a small scissors (like me), here’s my time saving way to rip out a seam quickly with no damage to the fabric.

 I carefully cut a stitch every 4 or 5 stitches in the middle of the seam and then gently pull apart the pieces. Be extra careful when pulling them apart so you do not stretch the pieces out of shape, especially those units with bias seams. The seam comes apart fairly easy and then all you have to do is finish cutting the threads on each end of the unit.

Well, that’s all for this week. These are only a few of time saving tips I have used over the years. Like I said above, share some of your time saving tips in the comments. I’m sure you have them!

Happy Quilting!
Deanne