Quilting Tips and Tricks

Organizing Your Sewing Room

Thread Spool Storage: Store thread spools in clear plastic egg cartons. These are also great for stacking.

Burn Test: To identify fabric content, burn a corner of a piece of scrap fabric (figure A) and extinguish it in a bowl of water. Cotton will feather with a light ash as it's burned; poly blend will feel like plastic when it is burned.

Paint Chip Tip: Create your own color library with complementary paint chips available at home decorating stores. Paint chips are easy to take along when shopping for fabric.

Cutting Mat Cleanup: Clean your rotary cutting mat with a napped lint-removal brush. This prevents dark or light lint from depositing on your next cut of fabric.

Stop Unraveling Threads: Cut strips from inexpensive vinyl/cling wrap and wrap it around the spool and bobbin to secure the thread.

Rotary Care: To keep your rotary cutter sharp, mark the date of the blade change with masking tape on the flat part of the cutter. When your rotary cutter starts skipping, take it apart and turn the blade, add a drop of sewing machine oil and you get double the life on your blades.

Fabric Flags: To shop for fabric economically and efficiently, determine your fabric color scheme beforehand. Write down the colors and yardage required on individual sticky notes; i.e., border=3 yards, house=2 yards, grass=1/4 yard. As you choose a fabric bolt, stick the note on the end of the bolt and take it to the cutting table; after the fabric is cut, transfer the sticky notes to the cut fabric.

Organize Blocks: Purchase medium and large pizza boxes to store quilt blocks. They are easy to stack and your blocks are organized. This works especially well if fabric is cut on the bias and handling it repeatedly can cause distortion.

Portable Flannel Wall: Purchase a flannel-backed vinyl tablecloth from a dollar store or buy flannel-backed vinyl at a fabric store. Hang the portable flannel wall near the ceiling with grommets and small finishing nails.

Flannel Carriers: Cut out large pieces from a flannel-backed tablecloth and roll it up to store quilt blocks and unroll it when you're ready to work on it.

Breath Mint Box: Make a pin holder with a recycled breath mint box and magnetic sheets. Magnetic sheets can be purchased at a craft store.

Trading Card Holders: Buy trading card dividers for needle storage and place them in a binder (figure E). Insert needles into felt or muslin squares that have been cut to the size of the dividers. The holders can also be used to store swatches of your fabric stash (figure F).

Prescription Bottles: Store thread spools in an old prescription bottle (figure G) to prevent the thread from tangling. Burn a hole in the lid with a hot nail for ease in controlling the thread. Bobbins can also be stored this way. Store discarded needles in an old prescription bottle too--this lessens the chance for needles to get lost in the carpet and thus avoid accidents.

Scissors Keeper: Attach an acrylic suction cup hook on the side of the sewing machine to hang small scissors or thread clippers (figure I).

Seam Ripper Holder: Tape a pen cap to the machine to hold the seam ripper (figure J).

Felt Arrows: Cut two giant arrows from felt and attach them to the design wall. The arrow reminds you which direction the seams must be pressed.

Page Reinforcement Stickers: To identify the front side of a quilting ruler, attach self-adhesive page reinforcement circles over the holes in rulers (figure K).

Basting Guns: Organize and connect quilt blocks, block pieces and paperwork together with basting guns (figure L). They are also great for quick fixes for curtains and to secure buttons.

Organize Sewing Machine Needles: Divide a tomato pincushion into sections by labeling one machine needle number per section.

Glue Sticks: Store glue sticks in the refrigerator to keep them fresh and to avoid having them dry out or mold.

Fresh Flowers for Sewing Room: This recipe will keep flowers fresh for a week. Combine 1 capful of bleach, 2 teaspoons of sugar and 1 gallon of water. The bleach kills bacteria; the sugar gives the flowers energy.