by lsmith | Sep 6, 2019 | Quilting Tips
Clean Iron When was the last time you looked at the bottom or plate of your iron? Generally, the plate faces away from us for safety reasons or it is working on a piece of fabric. Either way, we aren’t paying much attention to it. We typically notice there is an...
by lsmith | Sep 5, 2019 | Quilting Tips
Mat Bath My cutting mats have been in use for years. Even though they are “self-healing,” they were beginning to show some wear and tear. So while I was at the Quilt Odyssey, I stopped by the Olfa booth to look for a new one. That is where the Olfa...
by lsmith | Sep 4, 2019 | Quilting Tips
Rotary Cutting Have you ever tried to cut through fabric with your rotary cutter and it doesn’t cut all the way through? So you try again, and your ruler slips, so you end up with jagged cut. If so, you are not alone! Many people will try to cut harder or cut...
by lsmith | Sep 3, 2019 | Quilting Tips
Planning for a Project Ever get to the middle of project and realize you don’t have something you need? For example, you are making dinner when you discover you are missing a key ingredient. Or you are helping your partner with a home improvement project only to...
by lsmith | Sep 2, 2019 | Quilting Tips
Every machine quilter’s worst nightmare is to be in the midst of a project and their machine malfunctions. That nightmare was a reality for me a few weeks ago. I was cruising along, strip piecing a quilt, when my machine just stopped. I pulled it apart, turned...
by lsmith | Sep 1, 2019 | Quilting Tips
A new pattern and lovely fabrics always excites me – so much that I am tempted to skip the essential preparation steps. Skipping preparation can definitely affect your project. These simple steps when done routinely, can improve your project quality and minimize...
by lsmith | Aug 12, 2019 | Quilting Tips
Christmas Quilt Square This morning, I had a wonderful surprise in my email – one of my patterns was published in the EQ Newsletter – August 2019 Mid-month Update. Each month, Electric Quilt publishes Behind the Mouse, the Electric Quilt Blog. In that...
by lsmith | Aug 8, 2019 | Quilting Tips
Ironing Pressing Have you every followed a quilt instruction that says to press your seams open for a half square triangle? If you were anything like me, you would pull out your steam iron, put it on the open seam, and run it up and down the length of the seam to make...
by lsmith | Aug 7, 2019 | Quilting Tips
There is a great debate amongst quilters – should I or shouldn’t I wash my fabrics before quilting? My answer is that it depends. I have a series of questions that may help you decide for yourself if the fabrics for your project should be washed before...
by lsmith | Jul 30, 2019 | Quilting Tips
With all of the projects I have on my plate, why would I attend a quilt show? I could spend that time and money toward finishing some of those projects… Quilt shows can provide inspiration, education and deals if you know where to find them. Well, this weekend,...
