It’s time for a give-away!! Are you excited??
I ran into quilter extraordinaire Patsy Thompson at Spring Quilt Market, and she gave me a copy of her latest DVD Free Motion Fun…with Feathers! Volume 4, to give-away to one lucky Quilting Gallery reader.
You can watch an intro video on Patsy’s web site that gives you an outline on what you will learn in this DVD set.
I took a couple of photos while in Patsy’s booth. Unfortunately the lighting is poor, but you can still see some of her fabulous quilting.
I’m lucky enough to own Patsy’s other DVDs. She’s taught me so much and inspired me to actually try free motion quilting last year. Now, I love it.
How to enter: Leave a comment below sharing your favourite quilting tip. Your tip can be about free motion quilting or any part of the quilting process from cutting, piecing, quilting or binding. One random winner will be chosen Monday, July 19th.
Facebook, readers: You need to visit the Quilting Gallery blog to leave your comment and be entered in the give-away: CLICK HERE
And the winner is #120 Avery Claire. Congratulations!
Machinger quilting gloves.
Hola! Qué precioso regalo y Patsy es divina (veo siempre su blog) y sus trabajos son realmente espectaculares!!! Me alucino soñando lograr algún día un trabajo así! Por favor, anóteme para participar del sorteo! Muchas Gracias! Un abrazo!
Google Translation: Hello! What a precious gift and Patsy is divine (I always see her blog) and his works are truly spectacular! I hallucinate dreaming someday achieve such a job! Please anóteme to participate in the raffle! Thank you very much! A hug!
Perdón! Me olvidé de mencionar el tip. Recién hace unos meses finalicé mi primer acolchado, y lo que me resultó mas cómodo fue usar los alfileres curvos de metal para sostener el “sandwich” mientras acolchaba y luego las hebillas de pelo para sostener el binding para su costura a punto escondido! Aún no he probado el acolchado libre! Gracias!
Google translation: Sorry! I forgot to mention the tip. Just a few months ago I finished my first quilting, and what I was using was more comfortable curved metal pins to hold the “sandwich” while quilting and then the hair clasps to hold the seam binding for almost hidden! I have not tried free motion quilting! Thanks!
Lay large sheets of tracing paper over your quilt top and draw your quilting design ideas on them to audition/plan designs for the quilt.
Definitely quilting gloves, but also ALWAYS make a small quilt sandwich using the same fabrics/batting to test your tension.
If you have a little of the non slip mat that is usually used for draw liners, cut a couple of squares that are hand sized and use these instead of gloves, they really take the pressure off of the hands and wrists whilst free motion quilting, you get great control of the fabric, and in turn your quilting really does improve. I even use one to help when sewing on binding too!
My favourite quilting tip is: I send it away to be quilted! LOL
But seriously, when I do my own quilting I take my machine out to the dining table so that my quilt doesn’t drag down onto the floor.
Remember to breathe. Long deeps breaths help ease the tension you may be feeling. Helps make you let go of the death grip you may also have :-0.
I use the same thread for the bobbin as I do for top. Keeps the tension steady, and you cant see the bobbin stiching from the top.
Quilting gloves. Try to relax.
use gloves, enjoy the moment, break away often as to not get super tired
I’m taking my first steps on the machine quilting path and boy is that HARD!! I must do something terribly wrong because it looks like, well like nothing. I’ve ordered a workshop dvd from Leah Day and read, read, read. I have my hopes set on “practice makes perfect”!!
Cut 1 inch strips of sandpaper (small grit) long enough to wrap around your thumb and index fingers. (total 4 strips). After checking for size, hot glue ends together by overlapping, so that grit faces outward. Let cool. Use these finger “loops” to move your quilt for free motion quilting, or for thread painting free motion work. Can be made for more fingers, if desired.
I agree with the others about the quilting gloves (esp Machingers). Also pin, pin, pin.
I mostly hand quilt, but my tip can apply to (home) machine quilting, too! If marking a quilt design on a top, make sure to test the marker on a spare piece of fabric first; both to ensure visibility *and* to make sure it will erase well, too! :)
Practice on a small quilt sandwich for 10 minutes or so, put some relaxing music on with a pleasant rhythm, pull on the gloves and have fun.
Put on some music that you really like. Things go easier that way.
When I freemotion quilt, I practice the pattern a couple of days before on paper or a dry earase board.
Use the right size needle for the thread you have and use gloves. Machinger quilting gloves are great.
Golden Threads paper for drawing on and quilting through – I don’t like to mark my quilt and usually don’t have all my quilting designs fully thought out so using Golden Threads paper is a good way to audition designs …. and there’s no marking involved!
just do it! sometimes you just have to go ahead and do it. You won’t know what you are capable of and you won’t improve if you just sit around and “think” about it the whole time!
When I am spray basting, I lay a sheet or two down on the floor first to catch the overspray. When I’m done all I have to do is throw it in the wash! (rather than wash the floor!)
My favorite tip is to practice. We can’t develop skills at anything without lots and lots of practice!
Try to relax whilst quilting, and remember to get up and stretch every hour or so.
I am still not as good as I would llike to be but I think practice is the key plus gloves. Everyone starts out as a beginner at some time…we just need to give it time.
Mary Jo in Iowa
My favorite quilting tip? Pay someone to quilt it! HAHAHA! No? I guess it would be to remember there are no quilt police, so if it’s not perfect, remember that it’s not a crime, and to keep practicing!
My favorite quilting tip is – it is not a race. Take your time, practice, and don’t be afraid to try. Finished is better than perfect – especially as you are starting out.
having numerous pin cushions everywhere in your sewing area ie ironing board, machine, cutting area. cleaning up after each project is a must in my mind.
Go at a speed that feels comfortable when you’re machine quilting. I’ve always heard “pedal to the metal” but that doesn’t work for me. And USE GOOD THREAD! That one tip right there has been a lifesaver for me!
PIN BORDERS!! Once I learned how to “measure the center,” cut to length, and then pin to the sides, my “wavy-can’t-quilt-that-out” border problem all but disappeared.
practice, practice, try, try, try. By the way, the work in the pictures looks awesome.
My best tip is about binding:
That is usually the part I dread. Cutting and pressing a binding and having it prepared in far in advance makes it easy to “slap on” (carefully stitch) without so much tedious work at the end.
I have to say that I love quilt basting spray when doing free motion on my regular sewing machine. It’s fast, easy and doesn’t gum up the needle. I use Sullivans.. it’s great stuff! I also use it for holding down machine applique pieces.
My favorite tip was for keeping flying geese blocks in shape…..Press the seams open instead of to either side.
I baste my quilts on my large dining room table. I use large clamps from the home center…clamp the back, lay the batting and smooth, clamp the batting and lay the top over… clamp the top and pin. Works very well and I don’t get a backache from crawling all over the floor…
Another tip someone told me- after attaching the binding to the front of the quilt I give it a good hot press to the back and then I don’t have to use binding clips or pins to hold it while I hand sew it…
change your needle regularly, it is amazing how a dull needle can throw out your tension pretty quickly, and I really love the ease of basting spray – great stuff! and yep, lots of practice!
get Patsy’s dvd’s and practice! Donation quilts are exvellent for doing this!
Never give up ….. practice practice practice. It gets better.
I would love to say that my favourite quilting tip is to get a long-arm machine quilter to quilt your quilt for you but that would be cheating!
Not being a great machine quilter, I can say though that plastic gloves or those quilting gloves that you can buy especially to help manipulating the quilt around the quilting area really does help!
Regards and thanks for a great website and wonderful E-zines,
Bern in Caloundra, Australia (on the beautiful Sunshine Coast)
never give up
Get Patsy to do it! Have seen Patsy quilt – she is awesome and makes it look so effortless but then again she has had a lot of practice too.
I like to use Sullivan’s basting spray.
The one thing that really helped me with my free motion is permission to play with the tension. Also I practiced my stich length and control on a pre-printed panel. I didn’t feel like I was wasting fabric and it was fun to outline the cute picture on the fabric with stitching.
Oh, so many favorite tips here! I like to get my binding ready when I finish the top. That way it is done and I don’t have to scrounge around trying to find the fabric or match it when I am ready to finish!
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE and RELAX! Relaxing is the hardest part when I free motion quilt. I get so tense. Maybe a glass of wine?!?
Don’t hunch your shoulders. Take frequent breaks to move your shoulders and neck. Use gloves or a halo.
My tip would be to put aside time to do the quilting. It is no good rushing it. Full some spare bobbins and make sure you have a fresh needle and the appropriate needle for the job. Most of all take some breaks to stretch and have fun.
Happy days.
Bev.xoxo
My tip would be to measure twice and cut once! Be careful when cutting with a rotary cutter, always close it if you are not using it and to wear shoes when using one in case you drop it.
Thanks for the chance to win
For free motion quilting….gloves, Isacord thread, music and chocolate, and practice, practice, pratice. And kick the “quilt police” out of the house–in other words, have fun and forget about all the rules.
I use these gardening gloves made with bamboo fibers… I bought them at my local foodstore. They were $2.50 a pair! And they are AWESOME! My hands never get sweaty in them and the rubber grip is incredible and hasn’t worn down yet. :)
I never bought to $20-$30 pair of quilters gloves because I find cheapy gardening gloves work great for me!
I keep my prepared binding on a cardboard tube – when it is needed, easily found and ready to go. That and a glass of wine can make time at the machine less stressful!
I like to sew in all my ends of threads from machine quilting and find that a self threading needle is great. It has really sped up the process for me. With the quilting itself I think just going slow and breathing is the best advice. I don’t know where the idea of sewing fast when quilting came from!