Month: September 2025

I apologize for the tardiness of this post.  This week has been a difficult one.

I have quilted almost 40 years.

I began at what I consider a transitional time in the quilting world.  Rotary cutters were just getting firmly established in quilt pattern directions.  Sewing machine companies were finally developing machines designed with quilters in mind.  Quilters were able to purchase sewing notions made just for them.  The biggest plum in the quilting pudding was Quilt Shops were popping up everywhere!  Imagine our sheer giddiness to discover fabric stores just for quilters!  We had one quilt store in Greensboro at that time.  The Saturdays I wasn’t at a ball field or dance lesson, I’d get up early, shower, chug down a cup of coffee and head over to Randy’s.  It was so nice to be in a place where there were lovely, all-cotton fabrics designed with quilters in mind.  To examine a plethora of quilting notions and patterns available and have knowledgeable staff to answer the questions of a very young and inexperienced quilter was pretty much my quilting heaven on earth. 

However, if you’ve ever had a chance to examine my quilt studio (which is such a hot mess right now between home renovations and the abrupt stoppage of clean out due to my cancer diagnosis), you’ll notice I have quite a lot of tools which didn’t come from a quilt shop.  Most likely these were picked up from a hardware store, the health and beauty aisle at a drug store, or one of those Everything-Once-Was-A-Dollar stores.  I’ve found these tools as useful as any I’ve purchased from any quilt shop and would like to share them with you.

• Blue Painters Tape

A roll or two of this tape is truly a handy-dandy item to keep in your sewing room.  When I began learning how to quilt on my domestic sewing machine, the first technique introduced was straight line quilting.  I used the painters tape as a guide.  After screwing on my walking foot, I used the side of the tape as a visual cue.  The tape can be placed vertically, horizontally, or diagonally across the surface and you simply sew along the side of the tape.

Why blue painters tape?  It doesn’t leave the sticky residue masking tape does.  It lifts pretty cleanly and can be repositioned at least once.  I have also covered old sewing machine needles with it before tossing them in the trash. I’ve used pieces of this tape to label parts of the quilt, hold together a design board, and tape down cords.  Bonus:  While the standard width of this tape is 1-inch (which I’ve found everywhere from Target to Walmart to hardware stores and even some convenience stores) it is available in 3-inch widths all the way down to ¼-inch.  One 1-inch roll is around $5 where I live, but I truly think it is more convenient and economical to purchase the three pack. 

• Pool Noodles

I could sing the praises of pool noodles forever.  I even wrote an entire blog about them: https://sherriquiltsalot.com/2021/07/28/in-praise-of-pool-noodles.  I always purchase at least one at the end of the summer at the Everything-Once-Was-A-Dollar-Store-But-Now-It’s-Not.  This year one cost a whopping $1.50 plus tax on the clearance rack.

Once the pool noodle hits my quilt studio, I cut it into chunks 4-inches in length.  My pool noodles are generally 48-inches long, so this gives me 12 pieces of pool noodle to work with.  And what I primarily use them for are binding holders.  When I cut out my quilt, I cut out everything including the binding.  I make it and then wind it on one of the 4-inch noodle pieces.  It’s small enough that it doesn’t take up a lot of room in my project box, but large enough it handles several yards of binding just fine, and I can easily pin it in place.  Once I’m ready to sew the binding onto the quilt, I use a cone thread holder, like this one:

And load the pool noodle on the spindle.  I place it beside my machine and sew the binding on with ease. 

As an avid appliquer who has a special affinity for floral applique (remember my motto – if you can’t grow ‘em, sew ‘em), I have lots of bits of vines and stems left over from projects.  Some of the pieces are small enough to toss without guilt, but others you can’t.  I keep those spare vines and stems on my pool noodle chunks the same way I do the binding.  This keeps them in great shape, neat and ready to go when I need them.

Pool noodles can also be used for storing and transporting quilts, giving a spool a little lift on the long arm to allow for a bit more tension, and lots of other things.  To find out more, you can read my blog about them.

• Command Hooks

Again, this is one of the non-quilting items which can be found almost anywhere from Target, Walmart, on-line, and hardware stores.

I keep the medium-sized ones around because they seem to be most versatile the way I use them.  I purchased my first pack with one goal in mind – corralling my scissors.  You know how those things are – you are just sure you put them down in one spot, only to return to that spot to find they’ve walked off somewhere, and you spend the next half-hour looking for them.  I put a Command Hook on the side of each of my machines and hung my scissors there each time before leaving my studio.  I can’t tell you how much the frustration level dropped.

Over time I learned they’re pretty handy to have near my design wall and to hang the tools I need (like rulers) near my cutting table.  My best advice is to buy a pack of medium-sized hooks and keep them in the studio.  That way they’ll be there when a need hits.  A pack of nine medium-sized hooks sells between $11 and $13 on Amazon.

• Magnetic Bowl

I pick these up at Harbor Freight Tools and generally they run me around $6.  Mechanics use them to keep screws and other tiny objects in.  I first found them ideal to keep at my long arm for my pins.  You definitely need something to drop the pins in, and the bonus was even if the bowl tipped over, most of the pins remained in it.  Over time I found they were pretty handy to have anywhere I needed to corral my pins but didn’t want to take the time to stick them back in a pin cushion. 

• Magnetic Wand

While we’re on the subject of magnets, let’s talk about this wonderful tool.

Originally made for mechanics who dropped screws and other tiny, metal objects, you’ll be thankful for this extending magnetic wand when you spill a box of pins or needles.  A few wipes make for an easy (and safe) clean up.  And if your diabetic or have fur children, these things are priceless for finding dropped pins and needles.  I purchased mine from Harbor Freight for about $6.

• Magic Erasers

These things are wonderful to have around the house.  They clean everything from scuffs off of shoes to stubborn soap scum in the shower.  I keep one in my quilt studio to take any Sharpie marks off my rulers or templates.  At some point, we’ll use a Sharpie to trace a template or accidentally put a mark on a ruler, and I’ve found a dry Magic Eraser that takes those marks off beautifully.  Depending on whether you buy in bulk (like I do) or purchase a smaller pack, the cost can run between $5 and $12.

• Watercolor Brush Pens

These pens, normally used in artwork, can be pretty handy in the quilt studio.  Instead of filling the barrel with water, I fill mine with starch, Best Press, or Flatter.  I use them in conjunction with turned-edge applique, but they’re also great to run a bead of starch or Flatter down a seam before I press it.  The seam lies flat and neat.  A set of six on Amazon will run you about $6.

• Silicon Tips/Silicon Swabs

Originally these were found in primarily electronic stores and were used for microscopic cleaning of tiny electronic parts.  Somewhere along the way, sewists discovered them and found out they were perfect for cleaning sewing machines and their bobbin cases.  Some quilt stores now carry them, but if you want to buy in bulk, electronic stores or Amazon are still your best bet.  A hundred silicon swabs costs around $8 and a 300 pack of silicon tips are around $8, too.

• Silicon Make Up Brush Holder

These handy-dandy make up accessories can be found everywhere from Almost-A-Dollar establishments to drug stores to Amazon.  And while the open-weave interior is great for stashing make up brushes, mascara, and other beauty tools, that open weave is also great for storing quilting tools.  Quilt shops sometimes sell these, but if you’re pinching pennies (and who isn’t these days?) you may want to comparison shop.

• Plastic Baskets of Various Sizes

For me, these are strictly an Everything-Used-to-Be-A-Dollar store purchase.  These wonderful items can be found on several aisles of the store – laundry, closet organization, kitchen organization, school supplies – they’re literally everywhere.  These come in all sizes and depths, making them great for so many storage and organizational tools for your studio.  I purchase them in several sizes, but tend to stick to a low height so they can fit into a project storage box.  As I cut out my quilt, I can place the pieces neatly in one of these baskets and at the end of my sewing time, I can put them in my project box.  This keeps them neat and ready to go at the next sewing time I have.  The more organized you are, the more time you have to sew.

The last two items on my list of non-traditional quilting tools I almost didn’t list because I purchased them at a quilt store and haven’t seen them anywhere else, but apparently they are available at other shops and in other departments.

• The Purple Thang

I love this tool!  Inexpensive and practical – and now available in colors other than purple – this notion serves as a stiletto, flat edge for pressing seams, helps you turn corners, and a bodkin.  The tapered tip can help you fill small areas of stuffed animals or pillows as well.  I keep a couple of these near each of my sewing machines, one in my hand sewing kit, and one in my hand applique kit.  Currently, you can purchase our of these (with a case!) for $5.48 on Amazon.

• Glue Stick Precision Tip

We quilters use a lot of glue.  It wasn’t always this way.  When fabric glue was first introduced to the quilting world, a lot of us (including me) turned our collective noses up at it.  We worried about the long-term effects glue may have on our fabric.  However, as time went on and the adhesives became better and better, and we saw what a time saver those glues were, somehow, someway they found their way into our quilting spaces.

If I only need a very brief temporary glue – such as for hand applique, paper piecing, or English paper piecing – I use Elmer’s School Glue Sticks.  If you’re not purchasing an adhesive labeled as a “fabric glue” do make sure that somewhere on the label it mentions the glue will wash out with water.  Elmer’s School Glue does just that and I tend to purchase it in bulk at the beginning of the school year when it’s on sale.  This year, I happened to notice this was also sold alongside the glue:

This is a precision tip applicator.  It screws on top of the glue stick and allows you to distribute the glue in a fine line.  It seemed like a great idea, so I added that to my Amazon basket along with a box of glue sticks.  But I gotta be honest, it’s a love/hate relationship at this point.  Mine works well for a while but I do find I actually waste a lot of glue with it.  As the glue stick begins to run low, the tip is harder to fill with the glue, and I end up cleaning a lot of the glue out of the tip before putting it on a new glue stick.  So I guess it’s buyer beware with this gadget.  Some quilt stores are selling this tip, so those prices may vary.  Amazon has them for around $12.

As quilting consumers, it’s important to keep an open mind as we peruse different stores and website that aren’t quilting related.  There are a lot of great items you can use in your quilt room to make your world neater and more efficient.  Just keep your eyes and minds open!

Until next week,

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Felix 

This is a reprint of a 2023 blog. I’ve had a difficult week with chemotherapy and need a week off from writing. Please enjoy.

I have a daughter.  Some of you know this.  She is many things – a logistics engineer, a mother, a wife, an activist for women in the logistics field, and a graduate student.

A quilter, she is not.

She loves the quilts I make, and she has a healthy appreciation and respect for the art.  I think, possibly, in the future, when her life slows down a tad, she may pick up a rotary cutter and some fabric and slice and dice her way into our world.  She also reads my blogs. 

After reading the one on Anita Smith, she sent me a text: I think you need to do a series on why quilting is so important for younger generations.  If you’ve read some of my past blogs, you know this is a twist on a topic I’ve hit on once or twice, but those had more to do with quilt guilds and quilt groups attracting younger quilters.  However, this is different.  She wants to know why quilting is important for younger generations. 

At this point I could go into all the ways quilting is a creative force.  It allows hopes, dreams, and visions to spill out onto fabric and batting.  It stitches down ideas and revelations for the world to see.  I could wax eloquent on the way it works both sides of the brain and helps prevent nasty things like Alzheimer’s and dementia.  But in so many ways, that would be wrong.  Not that quilting doesn’t do all of that, but so do other forms of fiber arts like knitting and crocheting. 

And so does dance, playing an instrument, drawing, painting, photography, and sculpture.  Quilting doesn’t have the market cornered on good mental health. 

I think, if I had a group of Millennials (and younger) crowded into my quilt studio right now, wanting to learn to quilt, I’d tell them this: 

It’s not all about the quilts.  It’s about the quilters – the fellowship.  It’s about sharing the good times and the bad.  It’s about multiplying the joys and halving the sorrows.  It’s about taking the scraps life hands you and sticking your finger in fate’s eye when you make something beautiful out of it.  That’s what quilting is all about.

Yes, I would emphasize quilting is important.  It is the legacy birthright handed down from our foremothers.  Quilts were made to keep us warm, but any women’s studies professor will tell you that in order to understand women, what they did, what they held as sacred and important is found in their quilts until about 1920.  We poured our political beliefs, our sacred trusts, our love for family and friends into those textiles.  Most of these were shown in highly symbolic quilt blocks or applique, but those thoughts and feelings are there.  Once women got the right to vote in 1920, our voices, for the most part, went from silent thread and fabric to vocally proclaiming our rights and beliefs.  At that point the patriarchy began a slow death spiral as we found our footing in “man’s” society.  Quilts weren’t necessarily created by quiet, meek women.  If you listen closely to the quilts, you’ll find they scream these women’s thoughts. 

And if you look closely at today’s art quilts and quilts created out of tragedies such as COVID, 9/11, the AIDS Crisis, the Challenger Explosion, and every war we’ve ever fought, the quilts are still quite vocal.  Despite the fact we can protest, proclaim, march, hold rallies and news conferences, many quilters find their quilts leave lasting statements long remembered after some grandiose speech is long forgotten.  The act of quilting allows us to pray, rant, and grieve…and then put some kind of order to these feelings.  Stitching allows us an outlet – often solitary, often only between us and God – to regain a sense of peace and control, even when everything outside our front door has been wrenched out of our control.

So, yes, the quilts are important. 

I could give an object lesson to the younger folks in my quilt room.  I could hold up various tools such as a seam ripper and needles and thread.  I would ask how many of them knew how to use them.  I’d inquire how many had ever used a sewing machine.  And then I would tell them quilting could effectively teach them how to use each and every one of them.  I’d explain the skills learned in quilting can carry over into everyday life.  That needle and thread you may use to hand stitch can easily be used to tack a sagging hem.  The busted seam on your favorite shorts can be sewn back together on a basic sewing machine.  No going to an alterations shop.  No forking out $10 to fix a loose hem or a gaping seam. Quilting can teach you mad skills which can save you major cash.    

So, yes, quilting can teach you lifelong abilities guaranteed to save you money and make your friends look at you in awe.

But quilting is even more than that.  Allow me to insert my personal quilt journey.  Around 15…maybe even 20 years ago, my mother handed me a quilt.  This quilt:

It’s a utility quilt, made from dress making scraps and bits of leftover feedsacks.  It’s quilted with white, cotton thread.  It was made by my great grandmother, Annie Elizabeth Wolfe Perry.  The quilt sat, neatly folded, on a bench at the foot of my bed for years.  I would look at it every day.  And nearly every day I would think about how I would like to learn to make the quilt.  But between babies and school and work and a husband who worked out of town more than in, I didn’t have time.

Then one day my mother was over and asked to see the quilt.  I unfolded it and spread it out on her lap.  She began to point to different blocks.  “That was a piece of my grandaddy’s shirt.”

“This was a piece of my momma’s dress.”

“Here’s a piece of material from my school dress.”

The quilt became more than a quilt.  It was a textile repository of family stories and the lives of a hardworking textile family scraping out a living in Spray, North Carolina.  And a flip switched in me.  I no longer wanted to learn to quilt, I wanted to learn about this quilt.  A few phone calls to the local history museum landed me an appointment with its textile specialist.  She was able to give me a brief rundown of the fabrics, where they came from, and why a wool blanket was used for batting and backing, but as for the quilting?  Really not her area of expertise.  However, she did send me on my way with a list of local quilters and their phone numbers who could answer my questions “far better than me.”

More phone calls.  More appointments.  Meetings with women who knew their art intimately.  They listened to my story and looked at my quilt with rapt attention.  They ran their hands and fingers over the top with sheer reverence.  Stories and wisdom spilled out over cups of coffee and glasses of sweet tea.  As I pieced together the history of this type of quilt, and began to close this chapter of my life, I remember I didn’t want it to end.  I wanted to continue hanging out with those women.  I wanted to listen to them talk.  Learn their stories.  Absorb their wisdom.

And here’s where the secret lies in my quilting journey:  I didn’t learn to quilt because of the quilts.  I wanted to quilt because of the quilters.

I hungered for that sense of community.

If I had to tell this group of imaginary Millennials gathered in my quilt room only one reason they needed to learn to quilt, it would be for the community quilting provides.

My first quilt required several trips to the fabric store – Hancock Fabrics.  It was from this ugly humble first quilt, I began to meet quilters.  The salesperson who initially helped me didn’t know batting from backing, but pointed me in the direction of someone who did.  My first quilting friend was made.  Over the next few years, through workshops and trips to different quilt shops and sit and sews, I found my group of quilters.  We’ve quilted together through highs and lows, Covid, deaths of parents and spouses, and everything in between.  Prayer requests, wishes, dreams, rants, and regrets are shared as stitches are stitched.  There’s true support there, but we also hold each other accountable.  No one puts up with my “stuff” and will generally call me out on it.

These are the women who brought my daughter meals when she was recovering from her cancer surgery.  These are the people who prayed for my brother when he was undergoing treatments for Multiple Myeloma.  They regularly ask about my 83-year-old momma.  These are the folks I’ve cried with and laughed so hard with I had to go change my pants.  They are what I call my “Sunday Friends” – the ones I could call on a Sunday afternoon with an emergency and they’d show up with whatever I needed.

Not just anyone will do that.

If I had to give any Millennial a reason to quilt, it would be this – the wonderful opportunity to belong to a tight knit community who would love you, support you, and likewise call you out if you’re wrong about something.  A community of different races and ages and sexes, but all strung together by needles, thread, a love of quilts and quilters.  A gift so wonderful but yet as timeless as quilting itself.  Women’s history tells us quilters have gotten together in groups for hundreds of years. Our generation is no different, and the next group of us won’t be either. 

So why is quilting so important to the next generation?  It’s honestly not the quilts, as important and beautiful as they are.  It’s not the construction skills learned.  It’s the folks you meet along your quilting journey who become closer than some family and will love you no matter what.

This is why the younger generation should learn to quilt.

Until Next Week,

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Felix

We use our sewing machines a lot.  For quilters (even the most avid hand piecer and hand quilter) this is probably the understatement of the year.  But we do.  We rely on them to assemble quilt tops and sometimes even quilt them.  We sit down at our machines, switch on the power, and just assume everything is going to work well…

Until it doesn’t

Then we thread and re-thread the machine, turn it off and on, and mutter under our breath how wonderful technology is – as long as it works.  When it doesn’t work, it’s a real pain.  So, today what I’d like to do is troubleshoot some areas with our sewing machine (and a few with a long arm) which may help us avoid frozen mechanics and irregular stitches.

The first thing I would like to define is what it takes to make a beautiful stitch.  Guaranteed you have a straight stitch setting on your machine, and a good majority of those machines will allow you to move your needle over to the right or the left to accommodate the quarter-inch seam allowances most quilt patterns call for.  But what exactly makes a “pretty” straight stitch?  An ideal stitch is even and consistent. The top and bottom threads should interlock neatly in the fabric’s middle, forming a straight, flat line. They should not have any puckering or looping, which indicates tension issues. Straight stitches should have uniform length and spacing.  That said, if you own multiple machines, you may have a preference for which machine makes the prettiest straight stitch.  For me, hands down, it’s my Featherweight 222.  That is followed by my old Janome (the one I’ve affectionately named Big Red), and then my Continental M7. 

However, if something is going “wonky” inside your machine, not only will your straight stitch be off, but every other stitch will also be off.  There are several actions we can take to keep our machines on track and working well.

Know Your Machine

This one sounds so simple, but it’s incredibly important.  Take time to know your machine.   Maybe even read through the manual – especially the troubleshooting section.  The better you know your sewing machine, the easier it is to fix any issues it may be giving you.  Each machine has its own set of quirks.  It’s important to know what they are.

One of the most problematic, quirky areas is thread selection.  Some machines prefer certain types/brands/fibers over others.  For instance, Layla the Longarm doesn’t play nice with Glide thread.  She hates it.  She’ll hiccup and balk and generally give me a fit until I replace it with something else.  My M7 generally will play well with whatever thread I put on her.  Knowing this tidbit of information helps me to avoid tricky situations before I sit down to piece or quilt.

Before Beginning to Quilt, Pull the Bobbin Thread to the Front of the Quilt Top

Before you take the first quilt stitch, be sure to drop your needle through all three layers of the quilt sandwich and bring it back up.  The bobbin thread should come up with the needle and form a loop on the surface of the quilt top.  Grab this loop and pull up the bobbin thread before starting to quilt.  This prevents any thread nests from forming on the back of the quilt.  I do this on both my domestic machine and long arm.

Bobbin Tension/Bobbin Winding

Whenever a quilter mentions tension issues, most folks assume we are talking about the thread tension and the minor adjustments we may need to make for stitch tension.  However, bobbin tension is just as important and needs to be given consideration for domestic, mid-arms, and long arms. 

There are three ways to wind bobbins.  First is your machine’s winding apparatus.  This is usually found on top of the machine.  Generally, these work pretty well and most come with an automatic cut off, so your bobbin doesn’t get too full.  It’s important that your thread set correctly in the  bobbin, so your bobbin looks like this:  

And not this:

The second way to wind a bobbin is an external bobbin winder, like this one:

These are kind of handy-dandy because you don’t have to unthread your machine, re-thread it to wind a bobbin, and then re-re-thread it to sew again.  The issue with these external bobbin winders can have “drag” which can occur as the machine gets older.  What I mean by drag is the bobbin winder will speed up and slow down as it winds a bobbin, which can tamper with the bobbin’s tension. 

The third way to wind a bobbin – which does not depend on you winding the bobbin – is to purchase pre-wound bobbins.  And honestly, this is my favorite way to wind a bobbin!  I use Super Threads pre-wounds and have always had a great experience with them.  I use them in both my long arm and my domestic sewing machine.  I keep a supply of my most-used thread colors so switching out bobbins is easy, and I don’t have to unthread and re-thread my machines.  Put in a new bobbin and just keep stitching.  The trade-off for the pre-wounds is this:  My M7 does not recognize the bobbin.  So while it has no issues sewing with the bobbins, my bobbin alarm won’t work. 

Here are a couple of other thoughts about bobbin tension before we leave this topic. 

1.  It’s better to wind a bobbin at a slower speed to make sure it winds correctly and evenly, no matter if you use an external bobbin winder or the one on your machine. 
2. As you wind a bobbin, make sure the thread doesn’t slip out of any tension disks.
3. If you plan on using the bobbin for quilting, it’s a good idea not to wind the bobbin too full.  A little space from the thread to the edge of the bobbin can increase the resistance and actually make quilting a little easier.
4. If you do wind your own bobbins and want to make super-sure the bobbin is wound correctly and with good tension, there is this little apparatus:

The  TOWA bobbin case tension gauge.  The TOWA comes in two different gauges – one for M-style bobbins and one for L-style bobbins. Depending on how much you’re willing to spend, and if you want the standard gauge or the LED digital, they run from roughly $60 to $120 on the Superior Threads website.  Self-disclaimer here: Since I use pre-wound bobbins, I don’t need one, so I cannot vouch for how good or accurate they are.  Read the reviews before purchasing.

Use the Appropriately Sized Needles for Both the Thread and the Fabric

This really sounds like a lot to remember, but it’s easier than you think.  Yes, there are two factors determining the needle size; however, all you need to do is think logically through your stitching situation.  If you’re using a lightweight fabric, chances are good you’ll use a lighter weight thread, somewhere around a 50 weight or higher.  For this, you’ll need a needle with a smaller eye, because you want the thread to glide through the eye of the needle, not bounce up and down like it would if you used  a needle with a large eye.  Likewise, if a heavier fabric such as denim is under your needle, a heavier thread, such as a 40 weight, should be used.  This thicker thread needs a needle with a larger eye so it will move easily through the eye.  A needle with a smaller eye would cause the thread to shred and break.  To break it down to the Reader’s Digest Condensed Version: Match the thread to the eye of the needle.

Make Sure Your Machine is Threaded Correctly

I gotta admit, this sounds like a no-brainer, but hear me out.  A lot of us – I would venture most of us – use more than one sewing machine, even if we bounce only from a domestic machine to a long arm.  And it’s easy to kind of get on that mental “automatic” train of thought and default to the way our primary machine is threaded which may not be the way the machine we’re currently using is threaded.  So if my machine starts fussing when I try to sew, the first action I take is to make sure I have it threaded correctly. 

Once I have verified the machine is threaded correctly, I check to make sure the thread is seated properly in the tension disks, and that it has not fallen out of the thread take-up.  Finally, I make sure the needle is threaded correctly.  Some needles are threaded front to back, some from left to right, and some right to left. 

Lint is the Archenemy of Your Sewing Machine

Ask any sewing machine technician what’s the number one troublesome issue with all sewing machines, and I’d bet you a dozen of your favorite doughnuts, they would say lint.  However, the fact remains, if you sew, you have lint.  Despite the fact if you use long-staple cotton or some other low-lint thread, your machine will still get linty.  This is why it’s so important to clean your machine.  Even the new machines that declare themselves “non-oiling” still have a plan in place for cleaning your machine.  Be sure to read your machine’s manual so you know exactly what areas to clean. 

There are lots of gadgets on the market you can use to clean out the lint.  I use Q-Tips, a soft toothbrush, soft make-up brush, and a clean mascara brush.  But about a year ago I found these silicon lint-cleaning tools and absolutely love them. 

While you’re cleaning the feed dogs and other areas, be sure to take out your bobbin case and thoroughly clean that, too.

The question of how often you clean your machine depends on how often it’s used.  If you’re an occasional sewer, you may need to clean your machine every few months.  If you sew regularly, once a month (I always clean mine on the first day of the month – it’s easy to remember).  Keep in mind some quilting techniques are “lintier” than others – such as quilting with flannel, paper piecing (you get a lot of lint from the paper), and quilting.  If you’re working on such projects, you may want to clean your machine immediately after you’re through.  And no matter what, do not use canned air to clean your machine.  It looks like an easy way to get rid of the lint, but the force of the canned air can force the lint deeper into parts of your machine and make it difficult to get out.  In addition, some canned air contains moisture, which can be particularly devastation to some machines.

And regardless of how regularly and faithfully you clean your sewing machines, remember to schedule a “spa” day for them with a sewing tech every 12 to 18 months for a thorough cleaning and oiling. 

Practice, Practice, Practice

For some quilters, dropping the domestic sewing machine feed dogs and quilting makes them really uneasy.  Let me assure you, it’s really fun, but you have to put in the practice time to make your stitches smooth and even-ish.  Once you drop the feed dogs, it’s you who controls the length and appearance of the stitches.  So make up some practice squares and practice – but be sure to spread those practice sessions out.  Shorter, frequent practice sessions have proven to be more beneficial than one long one.

Long arms are a bit of a different story.  With a long arm, you use your arms to move the quilting machine, verses quilting on a domestic machine when you are moving the quilt sandwich and the sewing machine remains stationary.  Be sure the height of the quilting surface is good for your own height and find your comfort zone for the height and reach of the head.  Also be cautious about the tension of the quilt.  Once the quilt is all loaded on the rollers, you don’t want to be able to bounce a quarter off the top.  You do want the quilt sandwich to sag just a bit.  I find side clamps help a lot not only to keep the tension correct, but also hold the edges of the quilt steady.

Regardless of what kind of machine you’re quilting on, be sure to warm up a bit before putting your quilt under the needle.

I hope these hints help you in the pursuit of the perfect stitch.  Keep in mind all sewing machines have their own quirks even between those of the same make and model.  But by following some basic checklist items and good machine maintenance, you go a long way to make sure your machine will make the perfect stitch for years to come. 

Until Next Week –

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Felix

Public service announcement before we jump into the blog.  I was scanning YouTube recently and a sewing machine tech popped up in a video discussing how to properly take care of those sealed sewing machines you don’t oil.  If you’ve shopped for one of the new high-tech machines, they may have only one or two places you need to oil, or no places at all.  It can be sort of misleading when they’re advertised as “no oiling needed,” because they do need to be oiled – just not by you.  The reason they don’t want you oiling them is because if you begin taking the machine apart, you may oil the wrong places and mess up sensitive areas that don’t need to be oiled and miss other areas that do.  Now you’ve not only damaged your machine, but you’ve also nullified your warranty (in most situations).  For these reasons, you need to make sure you’re taking your machine in for regular maintenance – every 12 to 18 months.  Treat it like it’s your car.  Give it a spa day.  Clean your sewing machine regularly and have it checked once a year.

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When your pushed into taking more time for yourself, you tend to think a lot:

“Did I layout that roast for dinner?”

“Did I pay the power bill?”

“Do I think Harry and Megs will divorce this year or next?”

“What do I think are the most important characteristics of a good quilt?”

Okay, while we’re not discussing power bills or Harry and Megs (they’re a lost cause in IMHO), we are discussing quilts and what are the most important characteristics. 

I think that a good quilt is a combination of well-chosen, high-quality natural fabrics (especially 100% cotton), a thoughtfully designed pattern and color scheme that creates a visual appeal and contrast, and skillfully executed quilting stitches that hold the layers securely together.  You want to be sure the fabric is durable and breathable, there’s balance in the design through proportion and symmetry, and neat even quilting that enhances the overall aesthetic rather than distracting from it.  This week, we’re taking a look at fabric choice, design and aesthetics, and construction and quilting. Keep in mind, these are my opinions and opinions are like bellybuttons – everyone has one and it’s probably linty.

Fabric Choice

• 100% Cotton.  Hands down, this will always be my first and only choice.  Cotton is the standard for a reason.  For practical reasons, it’s breathable, durable, easy to work with and holds up well to use and washing.

But for quilters, it possesses even more possibilities.  It holds up to the high heat we use on our irons without flinching.  For appliquers, cotton fabric can be easily manipulated by needle turn, freezer paper, Apliquik, or whatever applique process we use.  It will hold its shape, and make sharp corners.  There are good reasons quilters have preferred cotton fabrics for years. It stands to reason most quilters will continue to pick 100 percent cotton fabric over the competition for another century or two.

• Avoid Synthetics.  Fabrics with a significant polyester content are not a great choice for several reasons, and the paramount one is they don’t typically meet bedding flammability standards.  You don’t always like to think about the worst-case scenario, but you certainly wouldn’t want to add to one with synthetic fabric.

Second, they can be difficult to work with.  Once you’re used to cotton’s ability to hold a crease, lay flat after pressing, and it’s “needle-ability” under a sewing machine or hand needle, it’s almost impossible to use anything else.  For me, this includes flannel.  I love flannel.  There are so many lovely flannel fabrics out there, but I can only take them in small doses.  Once I’m through making a quilt out of flannels, it’s usually a good while before I return to them.  Plus it helps I live in a climate where it doesn’t get super cold, and don’t I need a lot of flannel quilts.

The third reason to avoid synthetic fabric is the “crinkly” texture so many quilters desire.  I love the texture after a quilt is quilted, but after it’s washed and dried, and all those crinkles start appearing, I love that texture even more.  We get that texture from 100% cotton fabrics.  Synthetic fabrics have some kind of polyester fiber that keeps them from wrinkling.  If you mix synthetic fabrics and cotton fabrics in a quilt, that crinkly texture will be uneven – the cotton fabrics will crinkle and the synthetic won’t as much, if at all. 

• Quality Matters. High-quality quilting cottons with a high thread count and tight weave provides stability and will last longer.  They’re lovely to look at and even better to quilt with.  Yes, they may cost a penny or two more per yard, but look at your quilt as an investment.  It’s your time, your creativity, your vision.  You want it to look the very best and you want it to last. 

Design and Aesthetics

• Color and Value.  Books have been written on color theory and value.  There are classes offered in them, and YouTube has hundreds of videos on the subjects.  It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when someone begins to discuss them.  However, let me let you in on a little secret:  Most of this stuff comes naturally.  Your brain is more wired to work with color and value than you ever realize.   Color and value are important because they make your design stand out.  Just keep in mind two thoughts – a good color scheme is crucial and contrasting values (light and dark) are more important than using many colors, as they emphasize your design.

• Fabric Placement and Scale.  Thoughtful placement of fabric, considering their scale and how they interact, can elevate a quilt’s final appearance.  Like color and value, a lot of this simply happens naturally.  But let’s break this one down just a tad.  Scale has to do with the size of the print in a fabric.  For instance, this would be a small-scale print:

This would be a medium size scale print:

This would be a large-scale print:

When quilting, match fabric scale to the pattern’s block size.  Use small prints for small blocks and large-scale fabrics for larger, more prominent areas to avoid a cluttered or unclear design.  Consider your pattern’s overall size and style, using focus fabrics for main features and more subtle companion fabrics to enhance the design and add variety without overwhelming the quilt.  Small scale fabrics work best in quilts with smaller piecing or blocks as those prints help maintain clarity.  Larger to medium-scale fabrics should be used to showcase the larger areas of the quilt pattern, such as a focal block or border, to make them a prominent feature.  The focus fabric should be placed in the most prominent position in a block to draw the eye to it. 

Once the focus fabric is in position, it’s time to add companion fabrics and balance the design.  Companion fabrics are smaller scale fabrics, tone-on-tones, or solids which are used to complement the focus fabric and prevent the quilt from becoming too busy.  By mixing and matching fabric scales, visual interest and balance is achieved throughout the quilt.

Overall, it’s important to remember these three tips:

1. Consider the quilt design:  The scale of your fabrics should enhance, not compete with, the overall quilt pattern.
2. Avoid the Overwhelm:  Using too many large-scale prints in a small area can make the quilt look busy and unclear.
3. Don’t be afraid to experiment:  Don’t be afraid to try different combinations, but always keep your pattern’s over scale and desired effect in mind.

• Proportion and Symmetry.  A balanced design uses good proportions, meaning elements are appropriately sized for the overall piece and appropriate symmetry (or asymmetry) creates a pleasing look. 

• Creative Touches.  This is one of my absolute favorite things to find in a quilt.  Quilters can be overwhelmingly whimsical, such as in one of my favorite quilts below:

It’s the little touches, the attention to the smallest detail which adds so much interest to a quilt – whether it’s through the use of a cute print fabric or a detail in an applique which is sure to make folks chuckle.  Adding a unique or creative touch through color, details, or sashing can make a quilt even more special than it already is.

Construction and Quilting

After the excitement of choosing fabrics and figuring out whimsical touches, thinking about construction and quilting seems a little dry.  However, both of those are so important for both the quilt’s appearance and its longevity. 

• Secure and Even Quilting Stitches.  The quilting stitches should be consistent in length and density, holding all three layers together without being too heavy or too sparse.  Even quilting is the name of the game. 

• Straight and Neat.  Construction stitches should be even and personally, I decrease the stitch length on my sewing machine.  My M7 is set at 2.5., but I usually lower that to 2.0 when I’m piecing.  Quilting stitches should also be straight and even, whether machine quilting or hand quilting. 

• Consider the Softness Level.  For a softer quilt, consider prewashing your cotton fabrics and using a soft batting, such as an 80/40 blend and leave more space between the quilting lines.  For a quilt you want a bit stiffer, such as a wall hanging, use a cotton batting and densely quilt your quilt.

I hope this little blog helps my readers as they go forth and quilt.  A lot of this information you’ll find does come sort of naturally to you, and you become better at it the longer you quilt.  Currently, I’m heading towards my fourth out of seven rounds of chemo and I do have a scan coming up.  Do I have “scanxiety?”  Absolutely.  Keep me in your thoughts and prayers.

Love and Stitches,