quilters advice

8/6/2019 Quilters Advice

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/quilters-advice 1/17

Quilters advice

Lyric¶s

Machine Stitch Secrets

Free-motion machine stitching is a hallmark of contemporary quilting. But, my friends, it does not always come easily. Practice andexperience are key, and if you're like me, you also get by with some help from yourexpert friends.

As you can imagine, I know many expert free-motion stitchers. When I have aquestion on machine quilting techniques, one of my favorite go-to gals is LyricKinard, because her approach to free-motion stitching is very thoughtful and designoriented.

Lyric walked us through her process on how to use stitch as a design element in a

video on our new eMag, Quilting Arts In Stitches Vol. 2, and also shared her 12 tipsfor free-motion quilting success.

I'm listing five here that might surprise you. I know the first one will elicit somegasps.

Lyric Kinard's Free-motion Tips

1. Don't be afraid to adjust your bobbin tension. You can check to see if thetension is right by placing the loaded bobbin case in your hand and lifting the thread.The case should lift but if you give the thread a little jerk it should come back downto your hand. Use the tiny screw driver that came with your machine to turn the

screw a quarter turn at a time until it is adjusted to whatever thread you are using.

2. Practice on a charity quilt. Throw toget her a bunch of scraps or pull out thatquilt you started ten years ago and can't stand the sight of any more. There issomeone in a nursing home right now that will greatly appreciate a nice warm lapquilt.

3. Have a small fabric and batting sandwich by your machine at all times touse as a warm-up and testing c loth. Use it every time you begin to quilt to test yourthread tension and to get into the flow of movements that you will be using for yourquilt.

4. Doodle on paper as often as you can. Set your pen down and don't pick it upuntil the page is filled with a single line of pseudo-stitching. It is a great way to getyour mind in gear for machine quilting and to come up with new designs.

5. Pause the quilt's movement, but not the needle whenever you changedirection. Corners and other directional changes are where tension problems oftenshow up. Just slow down and pause for a heartbeat before you head off in the nextdirection. The close stitches will relieve some of your tension difficulties.



How to Quilt>freezer paper

Paper for Transferring Photos onto Fabric



the FirstPractical, Step-by-Step

Roadmap for Your Successin Printing on Fabric.

Using the Information in this Valuable Quilting Resource,

all of Your Fabric Photos will be Copied to Perfection, and

the Memory Quilt You Create will be as Beautiful

Decades from Now as it is Today.

It's As Simple as Watching a Video on your TV or

Computer...Even if you Never Thought of

Transferring Photos onto Fabric for a Quilt

Before Today

See first-hand the secrets for transferring your photosonto fabric for a beautiful heirloom quilt.

With a simple inkjet computer printer and the

techniques in this valuable quilting resource, you cancreate beautiful heirlooms using treasured family

photos or pictures of items that bring back fondmemories of times past.

Read more. . .



I am based in the UK. I am not a quilter, but came across your site after a long, longgoogle search trying to find how to copy / transfer my own very complicated hand drawn

flower designs for a wedding-ring cushion I am making for my daughter, which will be

embroidered in silk shading.

I came across the term "freezer paper" on another site and how to use this to help run

actual fabric through a printer to transfer a right-side copy of a line drawing image. I triedto "stick" my own freezer paper to some trial fabric, by ironing, but it didn't "stick" to the

fabric at all.

American and UK products being often different I then found your explanation of "whatis freezer paper" - and it seems that in the UK they now seem to have abandoned the idea

of waxing freezer paper, but silicone it instead, which doesn't work of course. It's actuallyvery difficult to find waxed paper in the UK.

I looked around my home at all the types of paper I have and dicovered that the

packaging/wrapping paper around reams of office stationer's normal printer paper has been waxed lightly on the inside, I suppose to protect the product inside.

I cut a section off the wrapping/packaging, ironed it lightly to my test fabric, cut the 2layers to perfect printer feed-roll size and simply photocopied my hand-drawing on,

resulting in a perfect line drawing image for me now to use for my embroidery.

We all just throw away our paper-ream packaging.

Thanks for your time,



Using Pencils in Quilting

It¶s a very common item and we probably never gave it a second thought. But someone

did, so now there is Pencil Day each March 30th.

The pencil is so common that we may not even think about how much we use one indaily life and in our quilting.

Naturally you can use a pencil to trace quilt block and quilting patterns from books

and magazines. Trace it dark enough and you can make copies of your pencil tracings.

Use a pencil to mark your quilt designs or applique placement on your fabric. Just be

sure to use a light marking tool that is specifically designated for fabric and water solubleto wash quickly away.

If you create your own quilt patterns by hand, pencils are a must. They allow for

erasing, moving lines easily and can be altered very simply. Those who create their ownquilt patterns with the help of a computer and software will probably never even need a

pencil.

All the erasing and line moving can be done with the computer program. Still, the meremotion of erasing and drawing lines very closely mimics an actual pencil.

Pencils are great to use as a stylus when turning fabrics inside out. When you stitchitems together right side, you can insert a pencil in the open space to help facilitate

turning. If using the pointed end, add a small piece of tape over the edge so the lead willnot leave unwanted marks on your fabric. Even if the marks are on the unseen part of

your fabric, they can be dark enough to show through.

You can also use pencils to pick up your dropped needles and pins. Using anunsharpened pencil, attach a glue dot to the writing end. Then, attach the dot to a magnet.

When you use craft glue dots you won¶t even have to wait for drying time.

Your pencil needle magnet is ready to go to work. Hold it by the eraser end and slowly

scan the area around which you have been sewing. The pins and needles will be drawn tothe magnet. You save your back, save time, and save money by making your ownquilting tool.

Use a pencil to lightly sign your quilt projects, then hand embroider over the markingsto make a nice, permanent signature. Because you are accustomed to writing with a

pencil, your quilt signature will look more natural.



If your name looks crooked, you can erase the light lines and start again. To keep your signature straight, use a ruler to help you or draw a simple straight line on which to write.

Be sure to keep it light so the pencil marking will not become a permanent part of your quilt and so it won¶t smudge onto another area.

Pencils might even be part of a quilt design. Wouldn¶t they make a great border for ateacher¶s wall quilt? Quilt blocks that feature apples bordered by pencil-inspired borderswould be a great gift for a teacher.

Paired with the right fabric prints, pencils would make nice borders for a project inspired

for an artist. They would also make a great applique quilt to present to a child who isstarting school or who has just mastered handwriting.

Pencils may be less than fascinating and taken for granted in our daily lives, but for atleast one day a year ± March 30th, also known as Pencil Day ± we can find a way to give

these handy tools a little well deserved respect. Find a way to incorporate this simple

household item into your next quilting project.

Here are two quilts I made for elementary school teachers:

Each of these 'pencils' had a child'sname quilted on it.

In this quilt, the children's names were written in permanent ink on linesbetween the pencils.



Fave Embellishment Techniques



When someone asks mewhat's the differencebetween contemporary artquilts and traditional quilts,one of the first things I thinkof is embellishment,

especially beads andencrustation.

Beaded embellishment is just not something you are going to see on a traditional

quilt, but it does pop up in the art quilt world. And it makes foreye-popping quilts.

Two of my favorite articles from Quilting Arts on beadedembellishment ar e Andrea Stern's pieces, Extreme EmbellishmentI and II from the Spring and Summer 2004 issues. Andrea mixesbeads of all kinds, found objects, laminated images, copper mesh,wire, and more to encrust and embellish the surface of a quilt.

Here are some of her tips for sewing beads on fabric and making your quiltembellishment more interesting and personal.

Andrea's Embellishment Tips

Add visual interest by mixing beads. Make custom mixes using beads withdifferent finishes (matte, shiny, opaque, rainbow) as well as by throwing in beads of contrasting colors.

A transparent bead will often appear darker when sewn down. Try to match yourthread color to the bead to enhance the color or produce contrast. Background fabric

color or pattern will also af fect the bead's appearance.

Beads can be altered using etching cream.

Have several needles threaded so you don't have to stop after each thread tostart a new needle.

If you're using different size beads in the same piece, it may be easier to sewthe flat beads first, then the bulky ones. Threads tend to catch on bulky items suchas buttons or sequins.

Another of my favorite beaded embellishment articles is the one featured on the

cover of our Spring 2005 issue, Fun with Silk Rods, Cocoon s, and Bark by Stef Francis. I just fell in love with the bell-like ³embellished jesters.´ Others must agree,because this one on of our most asked-for issues.

Here are Stef's directions for layering the cocoons to make the ³jester.´

1. Using sharp scissors, take one cocoon and cut a zigzag pattern into it, beginning



at the open end. Slide an intact cocoon into the cut one.

2. With a sharp hand needle and metallic thread, stitchthrough the center of both cocoons so that the threademerges on the outside at point A (see figure 1).

3. Push the needle back into the inner cocoon at B and comeout again at A. Enter the inner cocoon at C, come out at A.

(You may find a thimble is useful.)

4. Continue around until the cocoons are safely joined. Then embellish with beads,sequins, and stitch.

That same year, in the Winter 2005 issue, Margaret Ball offered readers a tutorial onHyperembellishme nt, creating layers of hand embroidery, machine embroidery,beading, and found objects. She then covers the area with a sheer layer, such astulle, and irons it (with parchment paper protection) to fuse it all in place. And that's just the beginning of her embellishment escapades!

When I think about it, 2004 and 2005 were very rich years for beaded embellishmentarticles in Quilting Arts. If you don't already have these issues, they're nowavailable (eight complete issues, just as printed) on one handy CD, the 2004 - 2005Quilting Arts CD Collection.

So, what are your favorite embellishment techniques? Have you ever made these jesters or done encrusted embellishment? Leave your tips and suggestions on theQuilting Daily blog!

Penny: Do you mark your quilts for machine quilting or do you just have that in your mind?

Ricky: Yes and no. Here's something I'll tell everybody... I never always do anything and I never, never do anything, which is an oxymoron in itself. I do

what is required or necessary for each individual project.

I love to do improvisational quilting, even if it's feathers. I 've done several quilts where I will do little feather plumes randomly over a border, just lettingthem do their own thing. This border doesn't look like that border and this plume will run into that plume.

It doesn't matter because I can draw them. I tell people, if you can draw them, you can learn to quilt them. If you're trying to quilt them without

learning to draw them, you don't know where you're driving.

You have to know where you're going to drive. By practicing on paper, I'm able to know what I'm doing. Then I start doing it on a quilt.

Penny: It goes back to that hand-eye coordination.

Ricky: Absolutely. This is a hard one to describe, but it is on my ³Grand Finale Machine Quilting´ DVD on my website. When I need to have a perfect

mirror image on an L-shaped border and really want that to be symmetrical, I use a polyester tear-away stabilizer.

My brand is called Ricky Tims Stable Stuff. It comes on a roll and also comes in 8.5 x 11 shee ts. The reason I have it in sheets now is because I used to

take a different product and cut it into 8.5 x 11 sheets. I've eliminated that cutting part.

I will usually draw my design on freezer paper templates for large sections. Then I will copy that design as many times as I need it onto this tear-away

stabilizer. Then I put that on the back of my quilt top.

That's important. It's not on the quilt top. Most people mark their quilt top right on the surface of the quilt top. I put this on the back of the quilt top.

Then I use water soluble thread, top and bobbin. I free-motion stitch on top of that copied design.

That design is very faint. I don't need a big, black design. I just need to be able to see it, so I usually set my copy machine on a faint, light setting.



Then I just stitch on it. It allows me to practice my quilting design before I'm really quilting it. The bobbin is marking my quilt top. That bobbin water

soluble thread can be seen on any fabric, including navy, black, prints or whatever you want to do.

I practiced my design and didn't trace it. I tell people, "You don't need to learn how to trace.Tracing is not a skill you need to improve." Most people

are looking to improve their quilting skill.

Mark your quilt by quilting it. Then you've already practiced the whole quilt. It didn't take you any longer to do it that way than it would have to trace it

all.

Now when you put your sandwich together, you follow those water-soluble thread lines. Then you dunk the quilt in water when it's done. Those threads go

away, and it's quilted. That's how I mark it now. If I have to mark, I use this Ricky Tims Stable Stuff product.

Penny: That's brilliant.

Ricky: It doesn't dissolve. The product is made out of polyester. The substance that makes it feel like paper is what dissolves. When the quilt gets we t

and the water soluble thread goes away, this Stable Stuff product turns into a spider web of dusty polyester filling inside the quilt.

You'll never know it's there, because it's way thinner than your batting. You haven't even added trapunto or extra batting. It's just inside your quilt and

totally soft.

Li

To control your stitches:

y Use quilting gloves to help control the quilt as it feeds under the needle.

y Put your hands down on the area you are quilting, like a frame, with your thumbs touching. The area between your hands is the onlyarea to pay attention to as you work.

y Have in your mind where you will be stitching and what kind of shape you will be making. Then watch the fabric where you want to

stitch - not the needle as it is stitching.

y Practice stitching on a fabric sandwich (2 layers of fabric with a piece of batting between) about 24 inches square. Practice stitchingvarious shapes, and pay attention to the sound of your needle. The goal is to move your fabric about 1/8 of an inch as your needle goes upand down.

y Make sure that the tension on your sewing machine is set correctly.

About thread:

y As a beginner, it is better to use light thread on light fabric. As cool as it sounds to use dark thread on a light fabric, every stitch will be

magnified - and every mistake will also be magnified. If you want your stitches to show, you could use light thread on a dark fabric. For somereason, that combination does not show the mistakes.

y A lot of thread for machine quilting comes on a cone. That saves money and time (having to re-thread your machine). If your sewing machinedoes not have a built in thread stand, you could put the cone in a glass measuring cup, and let it bounce around in there.

y Be sure that the thread is coming off of the cone from the top, not un-rolling from the side. (I use th is method, and have found that I

need to place the measuring cup on the side of my machine, instead of behind it. For some reason the angle that it feeds into the machine

makes a difference

Q: I am just getting into machine quilting. Is there an easy way to turn corners. Hope I am making this clear enough to get an answer and a solution.

Bonita

A: The easiest way I have found is to stop stitching, leave your needle in the fabric, and then raise yourpresser foot so the fabric can move freely with the

needle holding its place.

Then turn the fabric around so it is pointing the direction you want to sew. Line it up, and then lower the presser foot again, and continue to stitch.

Hope that answers the question.

These instructions work for machine quilting straight lines, especially if you are using a walking foot.

Often quilters use a darning foot for machine quilting on their home sewing machine. This allows you to move the quilt freely under the needle as you are

sewing - which is also called "free motion quilting."

Free motion quilting allows you to create an interesting quilting design around a corner - something different from straight lines or a grid



What is the difference between a freemmotion quilting foot and a walking foot?

A free motion foot is usually a darning foot that allows you to move the quilt in all directions as you sew.

A walking foot allows the quilt to be fed evenly under the sewing machine needle in a straight line. When you want to change direction, you would stop the

machine and then turn the quilt.

Both of the feet bounce up and down on the quilt

Why is the material puckering and myopening on my old machine is small howcan I put a king size quilt through to

quilt?

I can feel your frustration in trying to quilt a king-size quilt.

A couple of 'hints' come to mind.

First, make sure you have the top, batting and backing securely together (and smooth) to start with. Use a basting spray (a brand called 505 BastingSpray is a good one) to 'hold' the layers together.

In addition to using basting spray, pinning will also keep your layers from shifting - I try to keep my pins about 10 -12 inches apart and it seems to work

for me.

Now, for the issue of getting the quilt into your machine....

Just remember you do NOT have to have the entire thing in the machine at once. Think of your quilt in 'quarters'. Work from the middle out, all the whileheading for the corner. Do one quarter at a time.

Roll the quilt from the edges of the section you are going to work on, toward the center of the quilt. You can unroll as you need to in order to get to the

section you are going to quilt.

Happy Quilt

Squaring Up Your Quilt

Once your piece is quilted, you need to make the edges even and square before adding your binding. It is easier and more accurate to trim the quiltsandwich if the three layers are sewn together at the edge. Otherwise, the bottom layer can shift and you end up with edges that are not the same.

The absolute best way to sew the layers together is to use a walking foot and, with abasting stitch length, zigzag down the very edge of the outer border.

Your stitches should be less than 1/4" wide so they will not show once the binding is attached. If you miscalculate, you can go back and remove themwith a seam ripper.

If you do not have a walking foot (also known as an even feed foot), you will have to baste the edges by hand, right inside the 1/4" seam allowance. Onceyou have done this on a large quilt, you will run out to buy a walking foot!

After you have stitched the edge, the next step is to trim away the excessbatting and backing. You have secured the three layers together so that they

do not shift or fold under while you are cutting. They also will act as one piece of fabric when you sew the binding, which means you can use your regularfoot and still have no ripples. It is easier to get a 1/4" seam allowance with your regular foot than with the walking foot.

Lay the quilted piece on your cutting board with the top and one side in position for trimming. Support the weight of the quilt if it is larger than your tableso that it is not pulling at the edges. You have to decide what to use as a guide when cutting. If you have added a border which is narrower than the

ruler, you can use the interior seam allowance as your guide. Line this seam up with the proper marking on your ruler and continue to place the ruler inthat same position as you move around the four sides.

Put your 24" rotary ruler with the long side against the quilt side and the 6" width of the ruler running across the top of the quilt. This will allow you to

trim around the corner and know that you are making a right angle. Trim.

Move the ruler down the length of your quilt. Align the ruler with your interior guide and overlap the previously cut edge enough so that you know you are

still trimming in a straight line.

In addition to trimming off the excess batting and backing, you are trimming the edge of the top at the predetermined width of your outermost borderstrip, but quilting will often distort that edge and you will find yourself trimming off small pieces. The naked eye will not notice that the border has been

trimmed. Wavy lines are a lot more visible.



As you get to the bottom, you will do the same thing with the square end of the ruler as you did at the top, making another perfect right angle corner.Continue in this manner all the way around the quilt.

When you have finished, check for any places where you have trimmed off the basting. Resew those areas. It is important that the three layers be sewn

together so they will act like one piece of fabric as you sew on your binding

How do you transfer quilting designs from

your patterns onto a quilt?



I make templates from the thin plastic template material you can get at your quiltshop or online.

Often I am able to find some nice pattern in one of those big books of quilting designs.

Pictured here is a quilting design from "It's Not aQuilt Until It's Quilted" by Shirley Thompson.

She suggests that the design be used in ahexagonal shape, as indicated by the solid linesaround the design.

Of course, you can use it wherever you would likeon your quilt. In addition, you could use just part of

the design.

Once I choose a design, I trace it onto the thinplastic template material, and then cut the plastic

around the edges, as shown on the right.

Because this design can easily be cut in half, Itraced only half of it, and will trace around thetemplate two times to complete the design.

First, I place the template on my quilt top where Iwant the design. Then, using a chalk-type pencil or some washable or easilyremoved marking device, I trace around the template.

Once that is complete, I turn the template around, line up the center with the designI just traced, and complete tracing the other half of the design on my quilt.

Then I am ready to quilt that area. Because I use chalk that wears off easily, Iusually do not quilt more than one design, or one area that fits into my hoop.

By using this design in "halves" it is also easy to use this template on a border.Simply place the flatter side on the seam of the border, and have the curly designextend into the border.

The other kind of template I use is one that has cut-outs in the center of thetemplate. I will use the baptist fan design template as an example.

Although this is a template for machine quilting, it serves as a good example of what

I am talking about.

This template is a rectangle with curved holes in it. The spaces (holes) are inside thefan shapes.

Lay the template on your quilt and then place your tracing pencil or chalk inside thespaces in the template.

Which style of template you use depends on the quilting design and your preference.



In the first example, you could create a cut-out styletemplate. I find them a little more difficult to work with,since you need to have a relatively sharp marking device toget between the lines. So whenever I can, I use the topstyle of template.

However, you can see that might be a problem if you werequilting using the second type of design. Since these arelines that repeat themselves, a better template design isone that is cut out. Be sure that there are places that arecompletely attached, though. Otherwise, you will end up

with a big hole that is fan-shaped.

Many quilting machines, come with a wide range of templates that you can use withthem. Most hand quilters and machine quilters using a home sewing machine stilluse plastic or paper templates to trace the design onto their quilt

A template is usually made of plastic and has a pattern etched into the plastic or is a specific shape.

They can be used in a couple of ways.

As a plastic shape, they can be used as a tracing or cutting pattern for patches in quilt blocks.

In the template set on the left, each piece represents a shape of a patch in a quilt block, and include the 1/4 inch seam allowance.

These are hard acrylic plastic, and can be traced around on your fabric. Or you can place the template on one or more layers of fabric and cut around the

shape using a rotary cutter.

These are very handy to have because they are accurate, resist being cut with your rotary cutter, and are easy to find when you need them.

The little hole at the top of each template can be used to store them on a binding ring. These are available through amazon.com. If you click on the

image, it will take you directly to the page on amazon.

A second kind of template is one that is used for quilting designs.

As a quilting template, the patterns (slots) in the plastic are used to assist you in keeping your design on target and make quilting easier.

The template on the right is a machine quilting template for a Baptist Fan quilting pattern.

As you use this template, your machine will duplicate the quilting design, and you move the template as you finish one section of your quilt.

Templates for hand quilting are very similar. There are generally holes in the template so you can draw with a special pencil or marker or use a chalk

pounce to duplicate the design on your quilt. That way, you can follow the lines of the design as you hand quilt.

If you are a beginning quilter, chances are that you will choose to quilt in the ditch,outline quilt, or tie your project to finish it. Those seem like the easiest choices. Even if

the technique isn¶t exactly easy, at least the concept of it is.

But once you¶ve gotten the hang of quilting and you are ready to advance your skills,

maybe you are ready to begin backfill quilting.

As the name suggests, backfill quilting is the design that is easily seen from the back

side of the quilt. It may or may not be so obvious from your quilt top. That will depend

on how detailed the fabrics on top are, their color choice, prints, etc.



The idea for backfill quilting is to create a visually pleasing element in the entire quilt. So instead of quilting around a design, backfill quilting will feature a design across the

entire quilt.

Backfill quilting relies on repetition. You will select a quilting pattern and repeat it

throughout the entire quilt.

There is no rule that says you must use only one quilting pattern for your backfill. You

can use two or more, but the key is to proportionately alternate them throughout theentire quilt without distracting from the design of the quilt top.

There are numerous types of backfill. For example, crosshatching is a form of backfill.

The quilting design is not limited to each quilt block.

Quilting is done throughout the entire area of the quilt. Feathers are another type of

backfill. You can also find patterns for custom backfills for your quilting projects.

This takes a little practice for several reasons. First of all, your backfill design should

complement the quilt top. A backfill design featuring pineapples may not be the most

appropriate quilting pattern for a Christmas quilt.

A holly leaf and berry design might be just the thing, though. The key is that the backfill

should enhance the quilt and give it texture. Selecting the right style of backfill is the firstchallenge you will face.

Another reason that backfill takes a little practice is that scale and proportion of the

design must also be taken into account. It will take some practice to evenly distribute

your quilting throughout your project. In the best possible situation, your backfillquilting should accent the focal points in your quilt.

The thickness of your quilt will also help determine the pattern you choose. If your quilt batting is very thick, for instance, you would not want to use heavy stippling. This

will affect the quilt texture. Your quilt will not have much flexibility or drape to it.

The size of the prints on the front side of your quilt should also be considered when

using backfill quilting. If the motifs on the front are rather large, do not opt for a smallquilting design as backfill. They need to be proportionate.

A large motif on the front warrants a large motif in the quilting stitches you choose for backfill.

You will also want to experiment with threads to determine your own backfill style. For instance, a black thread on a light colored backing would be a bold statement. If you

prefer for your backfill to accent the quilt top, choose a thread that blends rather thanstands out. Once you decide which pattern to use for backfill and which thread you

prefer, just know that those very choices may not fit the next project on which you work.



Just because you choose one pattern and thread this time around, doesn¶t mean you haveto choose the exact same on your next project.

.

Here are five quilting supplies the pros use that mighthelp you, too.

Mistyfuse. I use a variety of fusible products for my quilting. But I was thrilled whenMistyfuse came along because it's so light and airy, perfect for using with sheers andsilks. It doesn't change the hand of the fabric, so if you want to do some three-dimensional draping, the fabric won't b e too stiff.

Transfer Artist Paper (TAP). I love transferring images to fabric. But let's face it,it can be a, shall we say, unpredictable technique. When fabric artist Lesley Rileycame out with TAP, it took a lot of the guesswork out of the process but left all of thebeauty.

Moldable stamps. Raise your hand if you have bins full of rubber stam ps andnever have just the right one when you need it? I thought so. Moldable stamps arethe ultimate in creative efficiency. Heat the stamp material with a heat gun, andpress the material into a raised pattern. When it cools you can use this stamp asmany times as you want. When you're tired of it, zap it with the heat gun again andstart over.

Machingers. Free-motion stitching expert Susan Brubaker Knapp swears by thesegloves. Slip them on before stitch to help you maintain light but firm contact withyour quilt as you move it around under the needle.

Quilt Halo. Another of Susan's favorites, the tacky, rubber surface of the Halo holdsyour quilt tightly and smoothly while you quilt. Especially good when you need tokeep the fabric taught for thread sketching.



So there you have it, five of my favorite, most helpful quilting tools and products.

quilters advice

Documents