5 Quilting Mistakes You Don't Want to Make

Hi everyone:

Ever been in a hurry to start a project? Just so excited to get going and see it through that you rush right in and run into problems partway through? We've all done this, so I thought it might be helpful to provide you with a list so you don't make these quilting mistakes.

• Not reading the pattern thoroughly before starting a project. Ensure that you understand the construction process and have all the necessary materials before you start the project. You don't want to run out of fabric in the middle of the quilt or not have sufficient fusible web to trace all your appliqués.

Read the entire pattern and ensure you have all the necessary supplies

• Not taking the time to construct and check the size of one block. Okay, I hate to do this, but isn't it better to take that little bit of time to check one block, than to have made 100 of them and they don't fit together right? Yes, it is - take the time!

Measure and make any adjustments before you make the rest of the blocks

• Not preparing your sewing machine before you start. Clean the machine, oil it, if necessary, put in a new needle in the appropriate size and check all your settings. Were you quilting the last time you used the machine? Make sure to bring those feed dogs back up and adjust your tension (top and bobbin). Wind a bobbin full of the appropriate thread and you're ready to go! 

Oil your machine and insert a new needle

Wind up some bobbins

Clean the bobbin area

• Not closing your rotary cutter between cuts. Okay, this is a safety issue and you may not think that this is an important part of quilting construction, but... just think of how much time you'll lose if you have to go to the emergency room to get stitches in that finger you cut because you FORGOT TO CLOSE YOUR ROTARY CUTTER AFTER EACH CUT! This is a pet peeve of mine, so you'll have to forgive me, but start a new habit now and close the rotary cutter after each cut. A new mantra: cut, close, cut, close, cut, close - I think you've got it!

• Not having enough snacks. Yes, it is sad, but true, some quilters skip this crucial step and run out of snacks partway through the quilting process. The drop in blood sugar can result in being too tired to keep going and that WIP becomes a UFO. Keep the momentum going and ensure you have enough chocolate chocolate snacks to last you for the duration of your project. 

You can never have too much chocolate!

Hopefully these tips will help you the next time you start a new project. If you have any tips to avoid quilting mistakes, please let me know.

Off to accumulate chocolate snacks!

International Quilting Day

Hi everyone:

I'm sure most of you know by now that it is International Quilting Day. As if each day isn't already our own Quilting Day for those of us who are addicted to this hobby craft lifestyle! At least we have a valid excuse today to forego house cleaning, cooking, laundry, ...

If you are looking for some quilty things to do today, why not check out some of the fun things that I've found on the internet?

Maybe you'd like to work on some mystery quilt projects. I'm currently following two of these: one is Plenty of Fish from the gals at Prairie Quilt Mercantile 

Image courtesy of www.pqmercantile.com

and the other is The Case of the Secret Garden from Linda Franz of Inklingo. This new project from Linda uses her new New York Wheel collection available from Inklingo.

Image courtesy of www.inklingo.com

I'm especially excited about these mystery projects as they are both from Canadian companies. 

You may want to learn some new techniques and I'm sure you could find at least one class on Craftsy (or two or three, if you're like me!). One I haven't yet signed up for is Sarah Fielke's class on making quilts from scraps. Maybe you would like to try out this class and let me know what you think.

Another class that I haven't yet taken is Machine Finished Hand Appliqué by Beth Ferrier. I think it's the "hand appliqué" part that is stopping me as I prefer to do machine appliqué, but who knows, maybe Beth can convert me!

If you are a fan of The Quilt Show with Ricky Tims and Alex Anderson, you can enjoy their shows for free this week-end. Yup, a whole day spent watching quilting experts educate and entertain you.

Image courtesy of www.thequiltshow.com

So, you have a few choices of how you'll spend your time today. Whatever you decide to do, I hope you enjoy your quilting time today and would love to hear what you accomplished.

Oh, I almost forgot: Make sure you click on the links above to access the Craftsy classes and enjoy a 25% off discount from me to you to celebrate International Quilting Day.

Happy quilting, all!