I handsome extra minky fabric and wanted to think of a something else it could be used for other than baby blankets.  I decided to make my daughter a pillowcase.  She got to pick out the color and the embroidery design.  She thought that was great!   She loved  how soft it was on her face.  Well, when she woke the next morning her long hair wasn’t tangled like normal.  Which meant less brushing and fusing that morning!.  It’s the pillowcase.  Grandma was right!  If you don’t want your hair messed up during the night than sleep on satin…..and now minky too!

When free motion quilt I prefer to wear quilting gloves. I wish they were magic gloves that made my free motion perfect, but they’re not. They are, however, great grippers and they keep my hands from drying out.

Generally with free motion quilting you want to hold the area that you’re quilting as if your hands were the hoop. When you have finished that “hooped” section, stop and reposition your hands. Remember, practice practice, practice! And, don’t forget to pick you up a pair of gloves.

I have just recently began putting embroidery designs (some with applique) on t-shirts, sweatshirts, and dresses.  Once I wash the items it seems to have a pucker or wrinkle in the design.  Any suggestions on the proper stabilizer to use?  Thanks for your help!

You’ve put hours of hard work into the quilt top and it looks gorgeous, but what about the backing fabric. Don’t cheapen your quilt by using any old thing from your stash or what was on sale at the fabric store. It’s important to use the same quality backing fabric as you did for the top.

Some other quilt backing tips:
- Cut the backing at least 4″ wider than the top on all sides
- When seaming your backing fabric, use vertical or horizontal seams, whichever requires less fabric
- Be sure to press your backing seams open

That is the question. Should you starch your quilting fabric?

First, it’s important to prewash your fabric, so you don’t have any shrinking, fading, etc after you have it all put together. Prewashing removes the finish that is part of the manufacturing process. Starching your fabrics after washing makes them more stable. If you decided to starch, keep in the mind the following tips.

1. Don’t mix starched and non-starched in the same project
2. Press your fabric — don’t iron!
3. Allow the starch to dry before pressing to reduce flaking
4. Be careful not to scorch your fabric
5. Starch right before use — don’t starch and store (it can create deep creases and attract silverfish)
6. Don’t starch your backing fabric — it will make it harder to move the layered quilt through the machine.
7. Wash the starch out when finished to soften your quilt and keep bugs away!

Got kids?  Calling all children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews!
This Bath Time Hoodie is quick and easy to sew up for those special children in your life. Make bath time really special.

Download project

I’m all about short cuts and there is one author and found some great ones when it comes to creating quilt tops — Eleanor Burns.

For over 30 years she has been inspiring quilters and making the impossible, possible. Her books are easy to follow and full of pictures. She even has accompanying notions to make the work even easier!

My personal favorite is the Quilt Trip Quilts book. I never thought I would be able to make such a beautiful quilt in no time at all.

Check her out.

Have you ever had pieces of quilt batting too big to throw out yet to short or too narrow for your project? You can still use the batting by piecing it together. First using two pieces of the same weight, color and type of batting, cut the edges you want to sew together so they are straight. You do not want different types, textures, or colors of batting as they can handle and launder differently. The batting also should not overlap or gap as this would be noticeable in the finished project as the quilt would appear uneven or lumpy. Second attach the edge joining foot to your machine. Select a fairly wide zigzag stitch 6.0 with a longer length 3.0. Align the batting pieces on each side of the center guide of the edge joining foot and sew. Make sure you use a thread color that matches your batting so the seam does not show through the fabrics on the quilt project.