Quilting Tips and Tricks

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

Seam Ripper Holder: Tape a pen cap to the machine to hold the seam ripper.

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.

Basting Guns: Organize and connect quilt blocks, block pieces and paperwork together with basting guns. 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.

Machine Tips

Stop Fabric Diving: Buy a single stitch plate for your sewing machine instead of using a slotted zigzag plate. It will be easier to begin new seams without the fabric sinking into the notch. In a pinch, use transparent tape to create a smaller hole.

Finger Traction: To improve traction for sliding fabric, use gardener's gloves, tips of rubber gloves, rubber fingertips or finger cots. Another tip: Use Sortkwik Fingertip Moistener or a similar gel product from an office supply store.