Pocket Guide to Quilting Tips & Tricks. Penny Haren
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Copyright © 2020 by Penny Haren and Landauer Publishing
(www.landauerpub.com), an imprint of Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc., 903 Square Street, Mount Joy, PA 17552.
Shutterstock credits for front cover: Iryna Kalamurza (bottom far left); MaxCab (center, bottom middle left); melnikof (bottom middle right); SunCity (bottom far right)
Print ISBN: 978-1-947163-53-9
eISBN: 978-1-607658-57-3
First printing
Contents
Introduction
Whether your sewing room is large or small, if you take the time to organize both your space and your supplies, you’ll have a much easier time when you’re ready to sew.
So let’s get that sewing room organized! Regardless of your skill level, these quilting tips and tricks will make your quilting faster, easier, and better!
I’m sharing some of my tried and true quilting tips and tricks in this handy pocket guide. From keeping your supplies clean to making design boards and so much more!
I’ll help you find ways to organize your sewing room to keep everything ready for your next quilt project. You will love these thread, tool, and fabric storage ideas as well as design organization and displays.
Author of:
Penny Haren's Pieced Appliqué Blocks Made Easy Penny Haren's Pieced Appliqué More Blocks & Projects Penny Haren's Pieced Appliqué Weekend Projects Penny Haren's Pieced Appliqué Blocks Made Easy Quilt Block Fusion Log Cabin Quilts
Organizing Your Space
1 Hanging Projects
Many of us have a closet in our sewing room. Hang your projects on the rod in vinyl mesh bags with “S” hooks. These bags come in a variety of sizes—large enough to hold a book and everything you need to make the project. You can literally hang over 100 projects vertically—easy to see and easy to find!
2 Folding Tables
If you use folding tables in your sewing room, consider two 4' (1.22m) tables instead of an 8' (2.44m) table. The shorter length makes it more stable and less likely to vibrate when sewing.
3 Cutting Tables
Design your cutting table so that it is the appropriate height for you. Kitchen counter height is ideal for someone who is of average height—approximately 5' 4" (1.63m) for women. Adjust accordingly.
4 Stash
Organize your stash by type rather than color. Then when you are ready to make a scrappy project, simply pull out the bin of country fabrics, batiks, brights, backgrounds, Asian prints, pastels, etc. and start cutting. Everything in the bin will go together!
5 Background Fabric
If you are uncomfortable choosing fabrics for scrap quilts, use the same background fabric for the entire quilt. It gives your eyes a place to rest and gives a more controlled look.
6 Distributing Colors Evenly
When making scrap quilts over a period of time—and in my case, sometimes years—wait to put the blocks together so that the colors will be distributed evenly throughout the quilt. The shades of popular colors change from year to year. (Moss green is popular one year, evergreen the next.)
Sewing Machine
7 Buy from a Local Dealer
When buying a sewing machine, buy it from a reputable local dealer who also services machines. Then when you have a question or want to learn how to use all of those bells and whistles, the support is there.
8 Marking Your Machine
You own your sewing machine so you can deface it! When I have my machine serviced and the stitch is perfect, I mark the tension guides as the “default.” Have a favorite width for machine appliqué? Mark it with a permanent marker in an inconspicuous place.
9 Threading
Having trouble threading a machine needle? Switch to a jean needle. It has a larger eye to accommodate heavier weight jean thread and has a sharp point so it works well for traditional piecing.
10 Microtex Needles
When topstitching, machine appliquéing, or embroidering, use a Microtex needle. These needles have a very sharp, fine point. When