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Quilt 'n Sew
281-398-0670
829 S. Mason Road
Suite #224-230
Katy, Texas 77450
Quick Tips
Clean Bobbin Area
- Is your machine noisier than it used to be? How long has it been since you've cleaned your bobbin area? Clean it often to prevent many problems. Clean after each project, or more often if you're sewing on fabric that produces a lot of lint.
Stitching
When stitching a straight edge to a bias edge, stitch with the bias next to the feed dogs so it won't stretch out of shape.
When hemming by hand or machine, use a small needle to make invisible stitches.
Machine Embroidery
When stitching small letters, slow your embroidery machine as much as you can.
It’s OK to mix rayon and polyester embroidery threads in a machine embroidery design.
Thread
- Avoid nylon thread. Nylon thread should not exist in your sewing supplies unless you want the thread to melt. Nylon threads, whether they are woollie-type threads or invisible monofilament threads, have a very low melting temperature, discolor or "yellow" over time, and go brittle. In contrast, polyester thread has a high heat tolerance and will not discolor or go yellow. Polyester threads exist in both the woollie-type and the invisible monofilament.
One more thing to check: If your monofilament thread is labeled "polyamide," that is not polyester, but the chemical name for nylon. Don't be fooled.
~ Reprinted with permission from Bob Purcell, Superior Threads www.superiorthreads.com
Basic Paper Piecing Tips
Please read all the instructions before beginning your paper piecing project.
Adjust your sewing machine stitch length to 1.5, or 20 stitches to the inch.
Use a #14 sewing machine needle to create larger holes which allow easier paper removal.
Cut apart the pattern units, being sure to leave a little paper around the outside of the dotted lines.
Begin each unit of the block by cutting the fabric piece for the #1 section a little larger on all sides than the printed area. Pin the wrong side of the fabric to the wrong side of the paper.
Build the block by adding each piece in numerical sequence, right sides together, and stitching on the lines.
Be sure to trim away your excess seam allowance after adding each piece, and press well before moving to the next number in the sequence.
Watch out for tricky angles and test each new addition by holding the pieces up to the light to make sure the piece you’ve cut will cover the space.
It’s a good idea to roughly cut fabric for the largest sections of the block first, to make sure you've allowed plenty of fabric for them when you come to them in the sequence.
Remember that you’re working with a kit (which has limited fabric) but don’t make things too hard on yourself by cutting tiny pieces that may not fit. The kit has plenty of fabric if you’re reasonably careful.
Trim really well on the dotted lines before joining the units into the completed block. The better you trim, the better your block will fit together.
Remember that paper piecing patterns are mirrored – what you see on the printed side will be opposite of what you will see on the fabric side of the block.
- We recommend that you make a copy of the paper pieced pattern included in your kit so that you can save the pattern for future use.
Tips for Preparing Your Quilt Top
Whether you quilt your top yourself or employ the services of a long-arm quilter, following these simple tips will make the results more successful.
Press Your Quilt
Press all seams so that they lay flat. You may press them all to one side or press them open which ever will result in the least bulk at seam intersections. Pressing as you go will result in a better quilt.
Measure Your Borders
The most common problem when machine quilting is a top with a wavy border. This happens when you don't measure your border before adding it to your quilt top.
Before adding a border, measure the width across the middle, top, and bottom of the quilt top; average those three numbers and cut your border length to that measurement.
Mark the center and each quarter of the quilt top; do the same for the border. Match up all marks and pin the border to the quilt top. Sew the border, being careful to not stretch or distort the seam a walking foot can help prevent seam distortion.
Press seam toward the border.
Repeat for each border.
Backing
Press the fabric for your quilt backing and remove the fabric selvages.
Piece backing (if necessary), being careful to not stretch or distort the seam a walking foot can help prevent seam distortion.
Press seams.
Backing should measure at least 6 inches wider and 6 inches longer than your quilt top.
The Science of Cotton Threads
An excellently pieced seam requires skill as well as good components. One of the major components of a good seam is the thread. Most quilters prefer cotton thread for piecing because cotton has a high heat tolerance and is therefore iron-safe. Cotton is also softer and more pliable than most other fibers. Here is what to look for in a quality cotton piecing thread:
- Twist. The twist should be consistently smooth and quite tight. Hold the thread up to the light. If you see bumps in the thread or inconsistent twisting, it is not high quality. These bumps, or slubs, will get caught in the tension disc and in the needle which will result in lint buildup and a weakened thread as they are snagged. They will also add unwanted bulk to the pieced portions, resulting in not-so-flat seams.
- Fuzz factor. If you hold the thread up to the light and see no fuzz at all, that’s bad. Either the thread isn’t cotton or it is a glazed cotton. Glazed threads are for hand quilting, not machine piecing or quilting because the glaze rubs off in the tension disc and other areas and gums up the machine. If you see a lot of fuzz and uneven amounts of fuzz along the strand, it is not a quality thread. If you see a very small amount of fuzz and the thread is consistently smooth, that’s a good one.
- Thread thickness. Cotton thread is almost always either a 2-ply or 3-ply thread. A high quality 2-ply thread can be stronger than a lower quality 3-ply thread due to the fibers and the processing. A thin, smooth thread will make the best seam because it lies flat in the fabric. Therefore, assuming the quality is the same, a 50 wt. cotton thread will make a better seam than a heavier 40 wt. cotton thread. When pressed, the finer thread will make a better seam and the points will match up better.
- Strength. A non-glazed, fine cotton thread will not win any strength contests by itself. However, because the average stitch length for piecing is 12 stitches per inch, the strength is in the stitching. A high quality 50 wt. 2-ply cotton is the perfect piecing thread.
- Piecing with matching colors. I saw a beautiful quilt that had what looked like pencil marks next to all the seams. I wondered why the quilter didn’t erase them. Upon closer examination, what I was seeing was a gray thread showing through a yellow fabric. Had the quilter pieced with a matching yellow thread, it would have not been noticeable. Although many think that white, cream, and gray threads are the only necessary colors for piecing, matching the piecing thread color to the fabric really does make a big difference.
~ Reprinted with permission from Bob Purcell, Superior Threads www.superiorthreads.com
Dream Angel Batting
Now available at Quilt 'n Sew! Quilters Dream Batting proudly presents Dream Angel – the first and only quilt batting made from 100% flame retardant fibers. Dream Angel fibers are neither cotton nor polyester - they are specially engineered fibers created to be flame retardant. There are NO PBDE's, bromides or chemical additives. You can not rub or wash off the flame retardant quality – the fibers are inherently flame retardant.
Dream Angel is very soft and breathable and very comfortable to handle and use. It has the appearance of soft wool and washes and handles similar to the Dream Cotton but has the added feature of being made from Flame Retardant fibers.
Safety can never be guaranteed, but we feel that Dream Angel is an excellent choice for children's quilts, teen and college quilts, nursing homes, Christmas tree skirts, and quilts for smokers. As one of our customers said - "a great batting for the ones you love."