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Tips for Beginners (and experienced!) Quilters

The last couple of posts covered fabric facts, including choosing it, pre-washing and squaring it up. Now I want to move on to different tips that I feel every beginner should know. If you are experienced in quilting, it never hurts to brush up on some of these tips too! This week I will cover rulers and next week, accurate piecing tips. Your quilt begins with accurately cut pieces and accurately pieced units. Without that, making a block and a quilt will become a frustrating experience. Let’s get started.

Rulers & Cutting

You’ve heard it said countless times, not only in quilting but in a lot of situations, “measure twice, cut once”. Times when I have been in a hurry, I’ve ended up with 2 1/4″ strips instead of 2 1/2″ strips. Not only is that a waste of fabric, it’s also frustrating to have to start all over again. Here are tips to make sure this error doesn’t happen to you”

Tip#1: Always line up the ruler with the edge of your fabric and double check that your ruler is placed correctly. If you need to, mark the line on your ruler you are using with painter’s tape (we covered this as one of my favorite tools awhile back):

This line helps you to quickly cut strips the same size from a piece of fabric. It has the advantage of being reusable several times because you can reposition the tape. Also, painter’s tape doesn’t leave any residue on the ruler.

Tip #2: Make sure your ruler is not crooked or doesn’t move while you are cutting. Especially when cutting long strips. If you are not using the tape method above, I like using rulers with numbers marked at several intervals so I know I am lined up correctly. My favorite brand is Creative Grids rulers.

These rulers a great because they can be used from the right and from the left. The white numbers go in one direction and the black numbers in the other. 

To keep the ruler from shifting while you cut, use even pressure with your hand, not too heavy and not too light.  Also make sure your hand is in the center of the ruler. Even if your ruler has gripper dots on the underside (which the Creative Grid ruler does), it can still shift if you are not holding it down correctly. “Tent” your hand as shown in the photo below with your pinkie on the edge to keep the ruler from moving. If you place your hand flat on the ruler, you may inadvertently push the ruler forward. Tenting your hand makes the pressure your are exerting go down instead of forward.

If you lay your hand flat on the ruler like in the photo on the right, you can push the ruler out of alignment without knowing it. Tenting your hand makes the pressure go downward to keep the ruler stationary. If you are cutting a long strip, you may want to stop cutting, lift your hand and move it up the ruler to continue cutting.

Tip #3: Make sure your rotary cutter is straight and hugging the edge of your ruler all the way through the cut you are making. You want your rotary cutter straight and not angled like in the photo on the right (below).

Cutting Safety

A few years ago, I cut off a little tip of my finger while rotary cutting so I  like to share cutting safety periodically.

  • Make sure your rotary blade is not dull. You know your blade is dull if you have to press down too hard to cut the fabric. Pressing down makes it easier to lose control of the cutter and cause accidents. A good rule of thumb is to replace your blade before it gets dull. I advise testing your blade on scrap fabric before you begin to cut out a project.
  • Do not ever leave the blade open when you put the cutter down. 

Get in the habit of locking the cutter when you close it and put it down. Even a closed blade can cause damage if it’s not locked. If you drop the cutter, the blade can pop open. If it’s locked, it won’t.

  • I now use a “klutz” glove and have rotary cutter safety shields (see below) on my rulers. These, of course, are optional but I would not work without them. The ruler guard is great because it prevents the blade from hitting you if the cutter happens to skip over the ruler’s edge. Also, the shield is clear so you can still see the ruler markings.

The safety shields only come in 24″ length for the long rulers, however, I ordered extras and had my husband cut them down to fit smaller rulers too.

Random Ruler Tips

  • While cutting out a project, it’s a good idea to use the same brand of ruler for all the pieces. Different brands of rulers can have lines of different thickness. Even if they are off by 1/16 of an inch, it could cause a problem when you are piecing. 
  • You can use the ruler to find the center of a piece of fabric or block by using the markings on the ruler. Those intersecting white lines and the circle where they meet is the exact center of the ruler in the photo below. This comes in handy when squaring up blocks or when you are fussy cutting a piece of fabric.
  • The 45 degree line comes in handy when you are trimming a half-square or quarter-square triangle square. Place the diagonal line on the diagonal seam of your square to guarantee that you are trimming the square evenly on all sides!
  • Finally, to quickly identify where to place your ruler, notice the lines between the inches are different lengths. Early on in my quilting I never paid attention to this. The 1/8″ lines are slightly shorter than the 1/4″ lines and the 1/2″ line is longer that both of those. This helps you find measurements like 2 3/8″ and 3 3/4″ quickly on the ruler.

Alright, I hope this information is helpful! Come back next week for accurate piecing tips. Comment below or ask questions and be entered into a drawing for a copy of each of the two magazines I have new quilt projects in this month. American Patchwork & Quilting and Primitive Quilts & Projects!

Drawing will be on Monday, February 28th, so you have 2 weeks to enter! ***We have a winner! Congrats, Carol!***

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Handy Tips to Make You a Happy Quilter!

So last week we talked about fabric storage and building a stash for scrap quilting. Now lets chat about tips to keep your tools of quilting in top form. If your sewing machine and other tools you use are not performing at their best, it will make your sewing experience less enjoyable. I’ll have some tips on machine cleaning and cutting & ironing surface cleaning as well as some random fun tips. Hopefully, these tips will get you sewing with no stress! Let’s get started….

Cutting Mat Care

Tip# 1: You don’t often think about maintaining this surface but it’s a good idea to keep it clean. The best time to do it is between projects, of course. A rotary cutting mat can pick up debris from other fabrics.

To remove stray threads from previous cutting activity, you can use a pet hair roller. Run it across the board to remove threads that may be caught in some of the cuts in your mat.

You’d be surprised how little bits of debris that you think won’t hamper your cutting will actually do just that.

Another good maintenance duty is to periodically wash your mat. Use room temperature water since hot water, like heat from direct sunlight, can damage your mat. You can add a few drops of mild dish soap to the water. Use a soft brush, like a soft vegetable brush or tooth brush, to gently scrub the mat. This will dislodge tiny fibers that get caught in the cuts of the mat. Finally, rinse the mat with cool water and towel dry (try to choose a towel that is not prone to leaving lint). Lay flat or hang to dry.

Doing this bit of maintenance will extend the life of your cutting mat. Another tip to keep your mat “healthy”…. when cutting fabrics that leave a lot of lint and fibers like batting or fleece, do not cut in the same place on the mat for all the pieces you cut. Move around to give the cuts in your mat time to self heal.

If you don’t have a pet hair roller like the one above, you can improvise and use packing tape wrapped around your hand.

You can also use these tips to clean your ironing board surface of all those pesky threads!

Tip #2: If you do not have a dedicated sewing space and need to store your cutting mat, be sure to store it flat. Slide it under a bed, or use a clip hanger to store it hanging in a closet.

I fold over a scrap of batting on the side that will be clipped to the hanger to avoid damaging the cutting surface.

Sewing Machine Care

Make sure your sewing machine is ready for use the next time you want to sew. I do this by cleaning and oiling my machine after every project. Your machine should have a small brush that came with it along with oil. Consult your owner’s manual on how to clean the lint from the bobbin compartment, under the throat plate.

I also brush out the bobbin case and the needle housing. The lint collects everywhere! Once you are done with that cleaning, follow your machine manufacturer’s instructions and oil the machine.

Wondering how often to do this? Like I said above, either do it between every project or do it every time you have to change or refill your bobbin. I do the latter because if I am working on a very large project, I go through several bobbins and hours of sewing. That creates a lot of lint!

Random Tool Tips

Rotary Cutter:

Make sure your blade is sharp. Cutting pieces with a dull blade can actually be a safety issue. The blade might look good to the naked eye, but if you feel like you have to press down hard to cut through all the layers of fabric, it’s time to change it. Also, if you notice “skips” in the cutting, that’s another sign that your blade is dulling. 

Be sure to safely discard your used rotary blades. I use an empty blade case and mark it “used blades”. Once it’s full, the whole thing can be safely discarded.

To make my cutting experience even safer, I never leave the blade open. Use the lock button as well so no one can accidentally open the cutter.

Needles:

Believe it or not… the time to replace your needle on your sewing machine isn’t just when it breaks! A sewing machine needle may look good to the naked eye, but it you have been sewing with it for awhile, it will be damaged.

Tip #1: A good rule of thumb is to change the needle after you finish piecing  project. If you sew with a needle that should be changed, you can cause damage to your fabric. A dull or damaged needle can snag fabric and break your thread. If you hear a “punching” sound or see snags as you stitch, it’s definitely time to change the needed.

Tip #2: Use the right needle size. Most piecing of 100% cotton fabrics can be done with a universal 80/12 needle. The two numbers represent the two sizing systems: metric (or European) and Singer (or American). The “80” is the metric and the “12” is the Singer. All you need to know is the numbers refer to the diameter of the needle. The lower the number, the finer the needle. Light to medium weight quilting fabrics can be pieced with a needle from 75/11 to 90/14. Most needles made for machine quilting on your home machine are 90/14.

Tip #3: This one is a tip just for fun … if you do not have a built in needle threader on your machine, place a bright piece of paper behind the needle when threading it. This will help you to see the eye of the needle better.

See how it’s easier to see the eye with the paper behind the needle?

Well, that’s all for this week. Hopefully these tips will help to make your next quilting experience that much more enjoyable! 

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Fabric Cutting – Using Rulers, Cutting Safety and Other Helpful Tips!

So now that you have your fabric and you have washed it (or not), It’s time to start cutting for your project! In this post, I’ll talk about using rulers, cutting safety and other tips that will help you to successfully cut out your project.

Rulers

First, let’s talk about rulers. No matter the brand you use, it’s always a good idea to be familiar with all the markings and lines on your rulers. I prefer Creative Grid  (photo on left) rulers because they are clear, they have gripper dots and strips embedded on the back for less slipping (photo on right) and the markings are designed to be easily read no matter which side of the ruler you are working off of.

Cutting Safety

Now for safety! About 3 years ago I sliced off a tip of my finger on my left hand because my rotary cutter slipped and skid off the ruler right into my finger… OUCH! How do we avoid this? Follow the three main safety steps I take now.

First: Make sure your rotary blade is not dull. You know your blade is dull if you have to press down too hard to cut the fabric. Pressing down hard is a way to lose control of the cutter and cause accidents. A good rule of thumb is to replace your blade before it gets dull. I advice testing your blade on scrap fabric before you begin to cut out a project.

Second: Do not ever leave the blade open when you put the cutter down. 

Get in a habit of using that little button on your cutter that closes and locks it every time you put it down. Before you know it, you will be doing it without even thinking. 

Third: I now use a “klutz” glove and have rotary cutter safety shields (see below) on my rulers. These, of course, are optional but I would not work without them. The ruler guard is great because it prevents the blade from hitting you if the cutter happens to skip over the ruler’s edge. Also, the shield is clear so you can still see the ruler markings.

The safety shields only come in a 24″ size so I had my husband cut down an extra one to fit my smaller rulers:

Cutting the Fabric

Moving on to cutting the fabric. Here are what I hope are some helpful tips:

Tip #1: So of course my first tip when cutting is to remember that old adage “measure twice, cut once”. There are times that I have thought I was cutting a 2 1/2″ strip when I really had the ruler lined up for a 2 1/4″ cut … I was in a hurry and didn’t check! Always line up the ruler with the edge of your fabric and double check that your ruler is placed correctly. Also make sure it’s not crooked. I’ve done that too. 

Tip #2: To keep the ruler from shifting while you cut, use even pressure with your hand, not too heavy and not too light.  Also make sure your hand is in the center of the ruler. Even if your ruler has gripper dots on the underside like my Creative Grid rulers.

Also, “tent” your hand as shown in the photo above with your pinkie on the edge to keep the ruler from moving. If you place your hand flat on the ruler, you may inadvertently push the ruler forward. Tenting your hand makes the pressure your are exerting go down instead of forward. When you are cutting a long strip, you may want to stop briefly and move your hand up the ruler so you can keep the pressure even through the entire cutting of the strip.

If you have trouble applying pressure with your hand alone, there are some handy little tools that help you with that. Here is one such tool called the Little Gripper by The Gypsy Quilter.

Tip #3: Make sure your rotary cutter is straight and hugging the edge of your ruler all the way through the cut you are making. You want your rotary cutter straight like the photo on the left. If you angle it like the photo on the right, the blade of the rotary cutter can wander away from the edge of the ruler and your strip will be cut inaccurately. And, of course, always cut away from your body.

Final Tip: While cutting out a project, it’s a good idea to use the same brand of ruler for all the pieces. Different brands of rulers can have lines of different thickness. Even if they are off by 1/16 of an inch, it could cause a problem when you are piecing.

So, that’s what I have for now for rulers and cutting safety tips. Next week, I’ll cover squaring up the fabric, an important step for cutting out straight strips. Leave me a comment below and I’ll enter you in a drawing for my pattern, Marbles & Jacks:

This should give you a lot of cutting experience! The drawing will be on Monday, July 20th. **We have a winner! Congrats, Lisa Gebel!**

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Cutting Mat, Rotary Cutter and Sewing Machine Tips & Maintenance to Keep You Sewing!

We all want to just sit down and sew and not think about anything else. In a busy life, those precious few hours a week or month are a break from the everyday rush. So, when something goes wrong with the equipment and tools you use for this escape, that’s not good! In this blog post, I will share everyday maintenance that you can do to keep things in tip top shape so you can sit and sew with no worries!

After buying the pattern and fabric, the next thing you do is cut the quilt pieces from that fabric. The tools you use, your cutting mat, rulers and rotary cutter, can make your experience great or give you headaches.

Cutting Mat Care

First, keep your cutting mat in good shape by storing it properly. If you do not have a dedicated cutting area where the board can be kept flat, make sure it’s stored flat, like under a bed or on a large shelf. Another way I’ve stored extra mats is hanging them in a closet from clip hangers.

I put a bit of batting on the part of the board that the clips will attach to to keep it from creating a permanent dent. This is a great space saving storage solution especially if you do not have big flat area to store the mat when not in use.

Another maintenance duty we often neglect is cleaning your cutting mat. To remove stray threads from previous cutting activity, you can use a pet hair roller. Run it across the board to remove threads that may be caught in some of the cuts in your mat.

You’d be surprised how little bits of debris that you think won’t hamper your cutting will actually do just that.

Another good maintenance duty is to periodically wash your mat. Use room temperature water since hot water, like heat from direct sunlight, can damage your mat. You can add a few drops of mild dish soap to the water. Use a soft brush, like a gentle vegetable brush or tooth brush, to gently scrub the mat. This will dislodge tiny fibers that get caught in the cuts of the mat. Finally, rinse the mat with cool water and towel dry (try to choose a towel that is not prone to leaving lint). Lay flat or hang (like above) to dry.

Doing this bit of maintenance will extend the life of your cutting mat. Another tip to keep your mat “healthy”…. when cutting fabrics that leave a lot of lint and fibers like batting or fleece, do not cut in the same place on the mat for all the pieces you cut. Move around to give the cuts in your mat time to self heal.

Rotary Cutter

The day I discovered the rotary cutter when I was a quilting beginner was a happy, happy day! My first quilting class did not teach cutting the fabric with a rotary cutter. We used templates, traced and cut each piece individually. It’s a wonder I wanted to keep quilting after learning to cut in this labor intensive way!

Safety first! The rotary cutter has a very sharp blade, as we know (I know from personal experience and a trip to the ER!). The first safety tip is to make sure you have a fresh blade. The blade might look good to the naked eye, but if you feel like you have to press down hard to cut through all the layers of fabric, it’s time to change the blade. Also, if you notice “skips” in the cutting, that’s another sign that your blade is dulling. Once you change the blade, store the used one in an empty rotary blade container marked “used blades”. Once it’s full, you can safely toss it away.

To make my cutting experience even safer, I never leave the blade open. Use the lock button as well so no one can accidentally open the cutter.

I also use a klutz glove and ruler safety shields on my rulers for added safety:

The ruler safety shield keeps the rotary cutter from skipping across the ruler and hitting my hand and the klutz glove is extra protection.

Sewing Machine

Finally, make sure your sewing machine is ready for use the next time you want to sew. I do this by cleaning and oiling my machine after every project. Your machine should have a small brush that came with it along with oil. Consult your owner’s manual on how to clean the lint from the bobbin compartment, under the throat plate and any other area where lint collects.

Also, change your needle! I change my needle after every project. You may not see damage to the needle, but under a microscope, you would see the wear and tear from use. It’s best to start with a fresh needle so it won’t snag your fabric or break your thread.

So, now you’re ready to sew the next time you get a free hour or two and you won’t have to worry about wasting time on the above tasks. You can jump right in to cutting and sewing that next quilt!

Do you have tips to share? Let me know some of your routine cleaning, prepping or safety tips. We can never stop learning!

Happy Quilting!
Deanne