Quilting the Layers

I just tried this last night and it worked!  I'm hand-quilting a log cabin quilt for my mother.  There is one of the fabrics that it is always difficult to pull the knot through when I am finishing off and the knot seems to frequently break off on the top of the quilt instead of between the layers.  I have spent a lot of time with my needle trying to pull these little buggers through so they are sandwiched in between the layers, as they are supposed to be.  Last night I threaded my needle and knotted the thread, poked the needle through the knot that was on the top of the quilt and pulled it through which caused the pesky knot to go where it is supposed to go - in between the layers.  Oh I wish I would have tried this sooner! 

When setting the quilt top for sandwiching, press all seams as you want them, then apply light weight, iron-on interfacing onto the back side of the pieced top. This will hold all seams in correct position and all the seams will lay compleatly flat when quilting the sandwiched artical. I have found the machine needle to go smoothly through the seams easier when they have no buckling or fliped edges and make for less bulk for intersecions. I have also gone to the extra trouble to put the iron-on interfacing onto the backing also, especially when I am making wall hangings or table runners that need to have more regiddity than bedding quilts. When I do this I use lightweight batting as I already have the extra hold from the interfacing. Even after many launderings the table topper/runner/placemat hold their shape better.

Calling all commercial quilters - you can make your own labels to advertise your work.  Use one of the fabric sheet products which you can iron on.  Create multiple labels - I do about 12 per page so they are economical and fairly small.  A software program which creates business card graphics, or a more complex one like Corel Draw is ideal. Mine has my logo on it and it says:  This is a KoolKat (my business name) quilt professionally quilted by Kathy A and telephone number.  I iron it into the bottom right corner of the back of the completed quilt.  My customers love them, but they can be easily removed if not wanted.  Each quilt is then an advertisement for my quilting service.

When pinning your sandwich, if you stick the pins in a bar of soap, as you would into a pincushion, they become like butter to slide thru all 3 layers.  No more pushing to get the pins thru. Also works well when pinning your quilt to the quilt frame

When assembling the quilting frame, we made a copy of the parts listing and cut out the name and picture of each piece and put it with the corresponding part as we unpacked the boxes.  When time came to assemble the frame, there was no need to refer back to the parts list to see what we were looking for and did not have to review the instructions again after searching for a part.   Just like any quilting project, the more time we put into preparations, the easier the project comes together.

P.S.  Expanding the categories or having an option for "other" would make it easier to submit ideas.

When developing pantograph patterns for use with my Handi-Quilter, I discovered that "on the roll" fax paper works wonders!   The "on the roll" fax paper has solved my problem of not having just the right pantograph pattern on hand.  It is inexpensive, easy to find (local office supply stores) and allows me to make the pantograph any lenght I need.  You can either trace a commercial stencil or do an original free hand pattern.  When tracing a commercial stencil, I have found that a pencil line is just not dark enough, so I retrace with a fine line marker. 

When I need to have a straight line of quilting, I use blue painters tape to keep the lines straight.  It doesn't leave a sticky residue on the fabric and my lines are perfect.

I baste projects well, using an "ugly" color of thread.  I am more inclined to work on a project knowing I am removing the "ugly" thread as I go.  The more basting in the quilt, the less likely the quilt is th shift.

IWhen your needle gets hung in your fabric because of the thickness joining the seams and batting together, instead of buying the round rubber disks, save your rubber bands that come wrapped around vegtables or your newspapers and use it to wrap around the needle to pull it through the thickness of the fabric.

I use a bar of glycerin soap to make my hands a bit sticky so they don't slide around during machine quilting. Glycerin soap won't hurt the fabric. I have found any gloves or cots on my fingers make them sweat and this method avoids that problem. For classes, I pop the bar of soap into a butter tub with a snap lid. Rub your hands against the soap, especially the fingertips and the palms until they feel slightly sticky. Repeat as necessary as you are quilting.