To clean your quilt make a paste of Oxyclean stain remover and apply to the stains. After wetting the spots, use an old soft paint brush to apply the paste, threw the quilt into the full washing machine and let it go through a full cycle on gentle.
Use a small wooden wall paper seam roller to "IRON" the seams on small pieces.
Use a grapefruit spoon to help close safety pins when you are pin basting your quilt. This saves your fingers and does not loosen the backing that you have taped down.
A straight-stitch plate on your sewing machine will help with straighter, more even stitches. The groove for zigzag, decorative stitches can cause the fabric to move. Straight-stitch plates are available for most sewing machines. Of course, remember to change plates when doing decorative stitches or the needle will break.
When using adhesive spray on a block, put the block in a cardboard box before spraying. This will contain the spray and your table surface will be protected.
Threading pearl cotton is difficult because the strands separate. Put a dab of glue on a scrap of paper and run the end (about 1/2 inch) through the glue. Let it dry and threading is much easier. This should work for embroidery thread as well. Why not prepare 3 or 4 strands at one time and they would be ready to thread when needed.
When rotary cutting strips for piecing, to ensure the most stable grain, cut the strips parallel to the selvages, along the lengthwise grain.
If you put two standard pencils together by wrapping a rubber band around both and then trace the line you have drawn on the fabric using a template and the second pencil marked the 1/4 " seam allowance.
To remove blood from fabric use hydrogen peroxide on a cotton ball.
Did you know that if you eat while covered up with a quilt made of vegetable fabrics, you won't gain any weight?
Use a cloth eye-glass case to store your rotary cutter. You can throw it in your sewing basket without danger..
A pair of tweezers is a great quilting tool. They are great for pulling clipped threads when you've had to rip out a line of stitches, for preparation work for machine appliqué and for paper piecing and guiding very small pieces through the sewing machine.
Wrap masking tape around the end of a pencil (sticky side out) to pick up individual squares, half-square triangles, etc, stacked for sewing. It acts kind of like a rubber finger when separating sheets of paper.
If you need to rip out a seam, give it a quick shot of spray starch and press it first. It's easier to rip out and helps stabilize the fabric so it doesn't distort or fray as much.
