Snuggles Quilts

Snuggles Quilts

MENU

Quilting Tips – Solving Problems or Avoiding Them Altogether!

How many times do you run into a problem while piecing a quilt and wish there was some way to avoid it? Or perhaps there’s an easy fix for one of these situations? I have been thinking of some of these situations and I have some tips to offer based on my own experiences. So let’s get started on solving some issues!

Tension Problems

No, I’m not talking about in your neck… although sewing machine tension problems could cause that. LOL! The wrong tension in either your bobbin or you top thread can cause all kinds of things to go wrong when you are piecing. Here’s a few tips.

Tip #1: Before starting a project. Grab a few scrap pieces of fabric and sew a seam. If the fabric is looping up on the underside, the top thread tension is too loose. If you see the bobbin thread on the top piece of fabric or your thread breaks, your top tension is most likely too tight. Adjust the tension and keep sewing test seams until you are satisfied with the results. Be sure to use the same weight of thread and the same type of fabric for your testing as you will be using for your project.

Tip #2: When unthreading your machine, do not snip and pull the thread out from the top.

The thread runs through your machine going down towards the needle, so pulling it out from the top through the tension disc (below, left photo) can throw off the tension.

Instead, snip the thread up top and then pull the thread down and out from the needle area (above, right photo). This keeps the thread going in the direction it’s meant to and should not effect tension.

Thread Breaking and/or Fabric Damage

It’s really frustrating when you are stitching along and your thread keeps breaking. There are a few reasons why this may be happening.

First, it may be that your needle needs changing. If you can’t remember the last time you changed the needle on your machine, that probably means you should change it. An old needle may look good to the naked eye, but there’s wear and tear that you can’t see that will cause the thread to break or cause damage to your fabric.

Here are some ways you can tell you need to change your needle:

  • If you hear a “punching” sound as your needle enters the fabric. 
  • Your top thread keeps breaking.
  • You see snags in the fabric you are piecing.
  • You can see the holes where the needle entered.

A good rule of thumb is to change your needle after every large project or two or three small projects. Needles are relatively cheap compared to thread and fabric. Change the needle and save your money!

Another reason for your thread breaking is our old friend, tension! Circle back to checking your tension if the needle has been changed and your thread still breaks.

Fabric Puckering and Uneven Seams

When it comes to fabric puckering or uneven seams, this can happen because you are not letting the feed dogs on your machine do the work they are meant to do. As you are guiding your fabric through, make sure you are not pulling it towards you, holding it too tight or pushing it through because that can cause the top layer of fabric to move slower or faster than the bottom layer is moving across the feed dogs making your seams uneven. Your job is to just guide the fabric. To help with this, you can use a stiletto:

Also, do not pull your fabric through from the back. This will also cause thread breakage, uneven seams or fabric puckering.

Seams Pulling Apart

When you notice seams pulling apart after you have stitched a unit together, it can be frustrating. 

To stop this from happening, backstitch when beginning and when ending a seam to lock it. This will keep the seam of the stitched unit from opening up. If a seam of a unit opens while you are piecing it into a block, that can lead to a unit or block not measuring correctly and also coming apart completely. When I am piecing units into a block, I will also backstitch over seams within the block.

In the photo above, I am joining two rows of pieced units. As you can see where my finger is pointing, these areas are where I will do a quick backstitch. So basically, my seams are all doubly reinforced.

Thread Saver

Use a leader/ender piece when you are stitching. It’s just a scrap piece of fabric that’s found a new use!

This is a thread saver (above photo), since I am not pulling my finished piece away from the machine to snip it. I just run this leader/ender piece through at the end of my stitching and snip my sewn unit off after it’s out from under the foot. I like using this to lead off my sewing to avoid thread glitches on my block pieces or my block pieces scrunching up. The goof ups will happen on the leader/ender scrap.

Fabric Shifting/Uneven Seams

If you are following my advice from above and just gently guiding your fabric as you sew a seam but still have problems, I bet I know why. Are you pinning the pieces you are sewing? I’m guilty of skipping this step if I’m just sewing a quick, short seam. But I’m here to tell you… don’t skip pinning.

With a short seam like on the left, pinning keeps the edges of the pieces you are joining aligned. If you are joining two blocks where seams need to line up, like the photo on the right, then pinning helps keep things aligned while stitching.

So, that’s it for the problem solving for this week. Can you think of some other problems you have encountered? Leave a comment or ask a question below and I will see if I can answer it. I will draw a name from the commenters to pick a winner for my new pattern, Reunion.

The drawing will be on Monday, June 26th. Good Luck! **We have a winner! Congrats, Mary Smith!**

Happy Quilting,
Deanne

Quilting Tips for a Relaxing and Fun Experience

I’ve been piecing a few quilt tops this week which led me to think about tips to make the quilting experience more relaxing and less stressful. I don’t know about you, but when I quilt I want to have fun and relax. I tend to be a type A (aka: stress ball!) person in other parts of my life because I worry and want things to run smoothly. To achieve that restful experience, I do recommend a little planning … even though that sounds a bit type A! So here’s some of my tips in case you’re interested.

Make your Sewing Space Comfortable

TIP 1:  Since I am not lucky enough to have a sewing cabinet where my sewing machine drops in, I like to position my machine at an ergonomically correct angle to ease hand and eye strain. To do this, I use door stops that are easy to find at your local hardware store.

This tilts my work towards me so I can see what I am stitching without having to strain to see. Also my hands are tilted like they are when I use an ergonomic mouse at my computer.

TIP 2: To keep from chasing your machine’s foot peddle all around under your table every time you want to use it, here are two ideas. If your room has a bare floor, get a small square of carpet, like those carpet tiles, and put it under your peddle. This will keep it from sliding all across the floor. For more security, consider attaching a small piece of hook and loop tape to the underside of the peddle so it adheres to the carpet square. If your room is carpeted, just do the hook and loop tape part of this tip.

I found these little hook and loop squares that have a self-stick backing. I was able to stick them right the bottom of my peddle.

TIP 3: Keep your tools close by. I’ve shared this before. This item I have attached to my sewing table with command strips is a shower soap dish that I found in the bath aisle at Target.

I keep my small ruler, scissors, small rotary cutter and my wood pressing stick in this container. They are there for quick access as I need them.

TIP 4: Comfy seating and set-up. First, find the right chair to sit in while sewing. An office chair with adjustable heights is always a good option. I personally like a rolling stool since I don’t require a back to my sewing chair.

The next thing I do is have a small table set up by my machine with a cutting mat so I can trim units right there without getting up to go to my large cutting mat.

I also use this table to stack and arrange block pieces that I will be stitching together. You can also place a wool pressing mat at the end of the table with a small iron to press units and blocks as you go.

Preparation and Organization

Now that your sewing area is set up, it’s time to prepare to sew. That includes sewing machine maintenance, tool prep and project organization. Here are my tips.

TIP 1: What else can make your sewing experience more stressful than a sewing machine breakdown?  To avoid this, make sure to take your machine to be cleaned and tuned up once a year if you can. The maintenance people can do a deep cleaning that you just can’t do at home. I take mine yearly since I use it a lot.

Between maintenance visits, be sure to clean the lint out of the bobbin area and under the throat plate. Also oil the areas that need it at that time (per manufacturer’s directions). My rule of thumb is to clean out my machine and oil it every time I have to change the bobbin. Drop the feed dogs, remove the throat plate and start cleaning.

If you do not have a small brush like mine (left photo), you can use a small makeup brush. Never use anything sharp or stick the brush in deeper into areas you can not see. You can do some damage that way and then your machine will be in the shop for more than just a checkup!

Bonus tip: To keep your machine out of the shop, avoid sewing over pins even if  the manufacturer says they are meant to be sewn over. It can badly throw off the timing of your machine. Trust me, I learned the hard way!

TIP 2: So now that your machine is clean, make sure your needle is ready for sewing. Your needle breaking in the middle of sewing a seam is not something that relaxes you.

A good rule of thumb is to put in a new needle after every completed project, especially if you have just completed a large one. If you have just made a table runner, you can probably get away with keeping the same needle for your next project. Another way to know when to change a needle would be after you’ve gone through three full bobbins.

Damage to a needle is not visible to the naked eye but under a microscope, you will see burrs and cracks. It can be bent which also may not be visible to you. Here are some ways you can tell you need to change your needle:

  • If you hear a “punching” sound as your needle enters the fabric. 
  • Your top thread keeps breaking.
  • You see snags in the fabric you are piecing.
  • You can see the holes where the needle entered.

Needles are relatively cheap. Certainly cheaper than fabric and thread, so keep that needle new as often as possible so you’re not wasting thread or damaging your fabric.

TIP 3: Right before you start sewing a project, after picking out your thread color, wind several bobbins ahead a time. That way, when one bobbin runs out, all you have to do is pop out the empty, clean out the machine, and pop a new one in. It saves a little time!

TIP 4: Organize your pieces by labeling and stacking them up so you can find them quickly as you refer to the pattern. You can also stack up block units so you can chain piece blocks together quickly.

The stacks in the photo above on the left each made four blocks for a project I was working on.

You can also stack up the pieces of units that you are going to chain piece so they are easy to grab, pin, and feed through the machine.

So now that your sewing area is set up and your project is organized, it’s time to sit down and sew. And you can do it relaxed and stress-free. This is only some of the tips I find help me the most. Share your tips or ask questions in the comments and be entered in the drawing for my newest pattern, that’s not even on the market yet, Country Crossroads.

This is an easy to piece lap quilt and table runner pattern that mostly uses a variety of fat quarters. You can pick your favorite color prints from your stash and get sewing! The drawing will be on Monday, May 29th. Good luck! **We have a winner! Congrats, Mari-Ann Miller!**

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

More Quilting Tips & Hacks

Last week I shared tips & hacks on one of my favorite tools to use in the sewing room: painter’s tape! (click here for that post) This week I’ll talk about some random tips & hacks I’ve used, or have seen others use, that I think you’ll like. As we get closer to Christmas, I like to keep my posts light and fun. After this week, I am going to do a three week series on wool appliqué. I’ve done series on fabric appliqué in the past, but realized I haven’t done the same for wool. Be sure to enjoy that over the holidays! Time to get started on this week’s fun!

New use for Scrap Fabric (or not scrap)!

Use scrap fabric and strips to wrap a sewing themed gift for your favorite quilter. Here’s a package I have wrapped. 

For the package I wrapped, I used a fat quarter so the receiver of the gift actually has a usable piece of fabric after opening the gift! In the above photo, I just wrapped the fabric around the box and tied it on both ends with fabric strips.

Below, I wrapped it traditionally and used a large basting stitch to sew the ends. That way I can put a bow on top and it looks like a paper wrapped present!

Another Fabric Storage Tip

If you follow my posts, you know that I like to fold my smaller cuts of fabrics like fat quarters and half yards and store them in plastic tubs. Another storage option is to store your fabrics in a filing cabinet, like files. You can get some acid free cardboard and wrap your cuts of fabric as shown below and “file” them in a drawer!

I used a small binder clip to secure the piece of fabric to the cardboard. An advantage of storing the fabric this way is that it takes up less space than when the fabric is folded. When you open a drawer full of fabric, you can find the one you want easily. You can even wrap a yard of fabric around a piece of cardboard for easy filing too!

Hanging Quilt Blocks

I have shown you in past posts how I use skirt hangers to hang finished smaller quilts in my closet for storage. However, the hangers can also be used for blocks that you are piecing for a quilt top!

This will help keep your blocks from turning into a jumbled mess while you are making all the blocks for your project. Instead of them laying around stacked on your sewing table or cutting mat taking up space, simply hang them like this, out of the way, until you are ready to piece them into the quilt top.

Sewing Machine Needles Facts, Tips and Hacks

Moving away from fabrics, here’s some sewing machine needle facts and some tips.

Tip #1 – Sewing machine needles need to be changed often, not only when you break one. Needles get dull and develop damage not visible to the naked eye. 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. Needles are fairly inexpensive so stock up the next time you are at the quilt shop and change it often!

If you have not used up the needle but need to change it to do something else, put the partially used needle back in the case with the flat part of the shaft facing up so you remember which is used.

Tip #2: Use the right needle size. Most piecing of 100% cotton fabrics can be done with a universal 80/12 needle, and I generally use this size. Ever wonder what those 2 numbers mean? They 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 – When I am machine quilting, I change my needle to a quilting needle:

Looking closely, you can see the difference. The quilting needle is sharper and more tapered to go through more layers and through seams.

Bonus Tip! – If you have a hard time threading the machine needle (if you don’t have an automatic threader on your machine), use my tip from last week’s post and try clipping the end of your thread at a 45 degree angle for easier threading!

So that’s it for this week! Now for the fun. If you commented on last weeks post or you comment on this week’s post with some interesting tips & hacks you use in the sewing room, you will be entered into a drawing for my pattern, Kaleidoscope!

The drawing for the winner will be on Monday, December 20th. **We have a winner! Congrats, Tammy Earl!**

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

My Top Five Tips as You Begin a Project

Whether you are a beginner or an experienced quilter, it’s always a great idea to be prepared when you start a quilting project. The purpose of this post is to provide you with my checklist of things I think are important to make sure my quilting experience is enjoyable. I’ve done some of these lists over the years and they do evolve. I’ve added some things to the top of the list and other things, while still important, are a bit further down. Of course, this is just what I think are the most important tips. Share yours with me in the comments and perhaps we’ll all learn something new!

Tip #1 Machine Maintenance– The first and most important thing is having your sewing machine prepared for the project. To start, make sure it is cleaned and oiled (according to manufacturer’s directions). I like to clean it every time I change a bobbin. Don’t forget to clean under the throat plate.

All clean!

Tip #2 Needles and Seam Allowance – Related to machine maintenance, check to make sure your needle is fresh and your seam allowance is an accurate 1/4″.  

Needles:

A good rule of thumb is to put in a new needle after every completed project, especially if you have just completed a large one. If you have just made a table runner, you can probably get away with keeping the needle for your next project. Another way to know when to change a needle would be after you’ve gone through 3 bobbins.

Damage to a needle is not visible to the naked eye but under a microscope, you will see burrs and cracks. Click here to see what a damaged needle looks like. It can also be bent. Here are some ways you can tell you need to change your needle:

  • If you hear a “punching” sound as your needle enters the fabric. 
  • Your top thread keeps breaking.
  • You see snags develop in the fabric where the needle enters when you are stitching.
  • You can see the holes where the needle entered.

Seam Allowance:

Using a 1/4″ foot helps with an accurate 1/4″ seam but make sure to do a test seam if this is your first time using the 1/4″ foot. Sew 2 scrap squares together, then measure the seam.

You can repeat this test until you know exactly where to position the pieces you are stitching to get the exact 1/4″. This measurement is important because virtually all quilt patterns require this seam measurement when you are piecing the top. If you don’t have an accurate seam, your blocks will not measure correctly and your quilt top will be difficult to piece.

Tip #3 The Pattern and Fabric –

Patterns:

So the machine is ready and you have your 1/4″ seam measured out. Now it’s time to read through the pattern thoroughly. Not all patterns are written in the same format unless you are working on a pattern by the same designer as your previous project. The most important tip I have, is cut all your pieces from the fabrics in the beginning, whether the pattern calls for it or not, to make sure you have the correct amount of fabric. It’s easier to store all your cut pieces in a tub for later than going back to cut some and realizing you don’t have enough fabric!

Fabric:

I always advise you to buy more than is listed in the pattern, especially if you pre-wash fabric or are prone to cutting errors (like me!). Also since fabric must be squared up before you cut, you can lose some inches during that process. Here’s my mini video tutorial on squaring fabric:

If you have fabric left over, no problem! Cut it into squares or strips and store for future projects.

Tip # 4 – Cutting and Rulers – Have a clean cutting surface whether you have a dedicated space or you have to set up your mat on the dining room table.

Now I confess that my cutting area does not always look this clean, but I strive for this. If there is a lot of fabric, scraps or rulers in the way while you are laying out a piece of fabric, that can add to inaccurate cutting. I also recommend using the same brand of ruler for cutting pieces for a project. Markings on rulers can be slightly different from brand to brand.

Tip #5 – Be Organized and Prepared – Organization and being prepared keeps you sewing! 

Tools, Threads and Spools:

I like to keep threads & spools stocked and tools close by. I have a small container that was made for the shower attached to my table to keep everything I need close by. I attached it with a Command strip to my table so it can be easily removed in the future.

Besides my scissors for clipping threads, I keep a small ruler to measure seams on units and blocks and a pressing stick to press seams so I can keep stitching.

Be sure to have enough thread in the color you have chosen for your project, especially if it’s a large quilt top. Also, wind several bobbins ahead of time so you do not have to stop and wind when one runs out. Simply pop out the empty bobbin, clean out the lint from your machine and pop in the new bobbin.

Organization:

Finally, organization is the key to happiness when quilting. This sort of ties into cutting everything out in the beginning. I have all the pieces cut for all the blocks, sashing and borders and I separate them by those categories. The pieces for the blocks are stacked and labeled (as per the pattern) so I can quickly grab a stack and start stitching.

Everything else is stored until I need it in a tub like the one below, labeled with the project name (removable tape) and with a copy of the pattern. 

So those are my top five tips, at least for now. Share with me the tips you think are the most important to you. I will draw a name from those of you who comment and the winner will receive a copy of my new pattern, Trinkets!

The drawing will be on Monday, October 18th. **We have a winner! Congrats, Beverly Lawler!***

Good luck and Happy Quilting!
Deanne

My Favorite Tips for Quilters

Last week I blogged about what inspired me to quilt and asked about your inspirations. This week, I thought I’d share what I think are the most important quilting tips for all quilters, beginners to experienced. Of course, this is not an exhaustive list and many quilters will have their own thoughts on what are the most important things for successful quilting. Share with me your favorite tips and maybe we’ll all learn something!

Tip #1 – Machine Cleaning

Very important: Always be sure your sewing machine is ready to stitch. That collection of lint under the throat plate is actually not a part of the machine! I recommend a yearly tune-up at the shop where you purchased your machine. If that’s not possible, make sure you are cleaning the bobbin compartment, hook race and bobbin case as well as the area under the throat plate. Be sure to drop the feed dogs before lifting off the throat plate. 

I use the small soft brush that came with the machine to clean out these areas. If you do not have that brush or one did not come with your machine, you can use a clean, small makeup brush easily found in the cosmetics department. 

Finally, be sure to pull out your machine manual and lubricate it as advised. Most machines today have a sensor that will tell you when lubrication is needed, but if yours doesn’t you should lubricate the recommended areas when you notice your machine sounds different than normal as you stitch. I can tell when my machine sounds louder. Once I lubricate, it quietly hums as I’m sewing. If you use your machine several hours a day every day like me, you will have to lubricate more often. And …..

beware of the cat who wants to help….. 

Tip #2 – Needles

Be sure you are using a fresh needle. Don’t wait until a needle breaks to change it. A good rule of thumb is to put in a new needle after every completed project, especially if you have just completed a large one. If you have just made a table runner, you can probably get away with keeping the needle for your next project. Another way to know when to change a needle would be after you’ve gone through 3 bobbins.

Damage to a needle is not visible to the naked eye but under a microscope, you will see burrs and cracks. Click here to see what a damaged needle looks like. It can also be bent. Here are some ways you can tell you need to change your needle:

  • If you hear a “punching” sound as your needle enters the fabric. 
  • Your top thread keeps breaking.
  • You see snags develop in the fabric where the needle enters when you are stitching.
  • You can see the holes where the needle entered.

Needles are relatively cheap. Certainly cheaper than fabric and thread, so keep that needle new as often as possible so you’re not wasting thread or damaging your fabric.

Tip #3 – Thread & Bobbins

I recommend 100% cotton 50w thread for stitching your pieces. I like to use Aurifil 100% cotton 50wt. I have found that this thread creates the least amount of lint build up as opposed to other threads I have used.

I choose a light neutral color thread for all projects unless I am working with really dark fabrics. In that case I will use a dark brown or black thread for piecing.

I also recommend winding several bobbins before beginning a project, especially a large one. That way, you can quickly pop a new bobbin in instead of having to stop to wind it.

Tip #4 – Tools, Pins and other Things

Keep your tools close at hand. I like to have my scissors, a small ruler and a pressing stick right by my machine. The pressing stick is my favorite of these because I can press seams on small units of a block so I don’t have to keep getting up for pressing at the iron. Here’s how I store my tools:

That’s a soap dish I found at Target in the bathroom supplies aisle. It’s the type that affixes to your shower wall with suction cups. I just ditched the suction cups and use Command strips to affix it to the edge of my sewing table.

Here’s the pressing stick and  how you use it:

My other favorite tool I keep by my machine is a small ruler that is handy to measure units as I go to make sure I am stitching them the correct size.

Did you notice my pins? To keep them corralled next to my machine, I turned a magnet upside down (the kind you buy as a souvenir), affixed it to my sewing table with a Command strip and I have an instant magnetic pin catcher!

Tip # 5 – Time to Stitch (Random Tips)

Speaking of pins, I recommend always pinning your pieces. This really does help with accuracy. If the pieces you are stitching together shift as you are stitching, your unit will be off. The feed dogs below and your guiding hand can move the pieces at different speeds. It only takes a tiny movement of one or the other and you’re ripping stitches! Pinning also assures the seams that you were careful to line up before stitching stay lined up.

Chain stitch where you can. To make chain piecing even more efficient, consider pairing up the pieces you are stitching and stacking them so you can just grab and feed!

Finally, I like to use what I call a leader/ender piece when I begin stitching.

This is a thread saver, since I am not pulling my finished piece away from the machine to snip it. I just run this leader/ender piece through at the end of my stitching and snip my sewn unit off after it’s out from under the foot. I like using this to lead off stitching pieces to avoid thread glitches or fabric pieces scrunching up. It’s also a good way to put some fabric scraps to good use!

That’s all I have for now. I hope you enjoyed my favorite quilting tips. Share yours in the comments below. Perhaps they will be helpful to others. I will draw a name from the commenters to win a pair of scissors to keep by your machine so you will always have them available!

The drawing will be on Monday, July 12th. Good luck!

Happy Stitching!
Deanne

***We have a winner! Congrats, EllenB!***

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

Sewing & Piecing Tips for Quilters

Wow! We’re in the last full week of August already. I can’t believe how fast the summer has gone. I will have a blog post this week and next week (August 31st) but will not have one on Labor Day (September 7th). I will be taking a break that week to relax and re-charge. You will still see a post that day, but it will be a repeat of a popular one.

I’ve been piecing a lot of projects for magazines and for new patterns I am creating these last few weeks. Because of this, I thought I’d share some sewing & piecing tips that will hopefully make your quilting experience more productive and fun.

Tip#1 Make Sure Your Machine is Ready

To start, I recommend a yearly tune-up at the shop where you purchased your machine. If that’s not possible, make sure you are cleaning the bobbin compartment, hook race and bobbin case as well as the area under the throat plate. Be sure to drop the feed dogs before lifting off the throat plate. 

I use the tiny soft brush that came with my machine. Do NOT use anything sharp in these areas because that may cause damage.

….As you can see, Addie was trying to help!

Finally, be sure to pull out your machine manual and lubricate it as advised. Most machines today have a sensor that will tell you when lubrication is needed, but if yours doesn’t you should lubricate the recommended areas when you notice your machine sounds different than normal as you stitch. I can tell when my machine sounds louder. Once I lubricate, it quietly hums as I’m sewing. If you use your machine several hours a day every day like me, you will have to lubricate more often. Here’s the handy oil “pen” that came with my machine.

Tip#2 Thread, Bobbins, Needles… oh my!

Just a few handy little tips I follow when it comes these items.

I like to load several bobbins in the color thread that I am using so when one runs out, I can quickly replace it with a full one. That bobbin always seems to run out at the most inconvenient time. As for the thread, I like to use Aurifil 100% cotton 50wt. I have found that this thread creates the least amount of lint build up as opposed to other threads I have used.

And finally, be sure have a good needle. A rule of thumb is to put in a new needle after every completed project, especially if you have just completed a large one. If you have just made a table runner, you can probably get away with keeping the needle for your next project. Another way to know when to change a needle would be after you’ve gone through 3 bobbins.

Damage to a needle is not visible to the naked eye but under a microscope, you will see burrs and cracks. It can also be bent. Here are some ways you can tell you need to change your needle:

  • If you hear a “punching” sound as your needle enters the fabric. 
  • Your top thread keeps breaking.
  • You see snags in the fabric you are piecing.
  • You can see the holes where the needle entered.

Needles are relatively cheap. Certainly cheaper than fabric and thread, so keep that needle new as often as possible so you’re not wasting thread or damaging your fabric.

Tip#3 Away we go!

Well, it’s more than one tip … here’s a few.

Now it’s time to sew! I like to use what I call a leader/ender piece when I begin stitching.

This is a thread saver, since I am not pulling my finished piece away from the machine to snip it. I just run this leader/ender piece through at the end of my stitching and snip my sewn unit off after it’s out from under the foot. I like using this to lead off stitching pieces to avoid thread glitches or fabric pieces scrunching up.

Another tip: Keep your tools close at hand so you aren’t always hunting around for the scissors, small ruler (I use it to measure seams) or pressing stick. Here’s my solution:

I took a plastic soap dish, the kind that you put up in the shower with suction cups, and attached it to my sewing table to the right of my chair. I used Command strips so I can remove it if I want.

So there you have it. These are a few of my sewing tips to get you started on your next quilting project. Leave a comment below and be entered in a drawing for my new pattern Loop-d-Loop.

The drawing will be on Friday, September 4th. 

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Needle and Thread Facts and Tips

So since you can’t quilt without needles and thread, I thought I’d do a bit of research and share some interesting facts and some tips! You’ll be surprised that knowing some of these things will help to make your stitching experience more enjoyable. Some of this may be old news to you, but some might not be. It doesn’t hurt to learn something new, right?

Thread Tip & Facts

Know How the Thread is Wound:

Have you ever experienced problems with your thread and not know why? Here’s a handy little fact: the way the thread is wound onto the spool determines how you should use it on your machine. Most sewing machines these days come with horizontal and vertical spool holders. Certain types of spools are meant to be used on one or the other.  Using the spool on the correct holder allows the thread to unwind as it should.

First, there are threads that are cross wound. Look at your spool. If it looks like the photo below, that is cross wound:

Notice the zig-zag look. Tip: These spools are best used on the horizontal spindle that allows the thread to unwind from the top. Secure the spool with the spool pin (see photo below) that comes with the machine, making sure it’s snug so thread does not get caught between the spool and spool pin. That could cause tension problems.

The other way thread is wound is horizontally onto the spool. These are called stacked threads.

Tip: These spools perform best on a vertical spool holder so the thread unwinds at a 45 degree angle. This keeps the thread from getting caught in the space between the thread and spool causing tension problems.

How to Read Thread Weights

Thread weight is important to know because different weights of thread perform differently. How do you know what weight your thread is? Most spools will have a number on it that looks like this:

That fraction, 50/2, tells you that the thread is 50 weight and 2 ply. The higher the weight number, the thinner your thread will be. 50 weight is a standard weight that most quilters use for machine piecing and quilting. I recommend a high quality 100% cotton 50 wt thread like Aurifil. It’s best to use at least 2 ply thread. The higher the ply, the stronger the thread. Now, when a project you are starting says “you need 50 wt 3 ply thread” you will know how to find it!

Needle Tips

Tip #1: Sewing machine needles need to be changed often, not only when you break one. Needles get dull and develop damage not visible to the naked eye. 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. Needles are fairly inexpensive so stock up the next time you are at the quilt shop and change it often!

If you have not used up the needle but need to change it to do something else, put the partially used needle back in the case with the flat part of the shaft facing up so you remember which is used.

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: 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.

Also, snipping your thread at a 45 degree angle helps with the threading. This works with a hand sewing needle as well.

So that’s all for today! If you have any comments or questions, feel free to post below and I will try to answer you as soon as I can.

Happy Stitching!
Deanne