QUILTING WITH MY SISTER

 WELL - Christmas 2015 came and went quilting with my sister, Robin.  She came in from Arkansas and brought a few jelly rolls.  She said she wanted to "whip up" a quick 1600 inch quilt for a friend.  Great idea, but I couldn't let it go at just a 1600 inch quilt in straight lines - no - not me.  She thought she was going to sit down and sew a whole bunch of strips together and Ta Da! an instant quilt!
Right. Like I am going to let that happen? No - I just had to put my two cents in and I convinced her if she was going to make a 'strip' quilt, to at least put a little style into it.  I showed her some photos from Pinterest and she relented to a "V" strip quilt.  That's when the fun started.

FIRST - she explained she had no pattern. I told her to just sew strips together on the diagonal.  I forgot that although she is a fantastic garment sewer, she doesn't know that much about making quilts. I think that was a mistake. She had no concept of what a rectangle should look like made out of fabric strips.

EASY, I said. Just like this . . . and I printed out a diagram and taped it to the window above the sewing machine. Just sew them at a slant.  I soon found out beginners have issues just sewing strips together, let alone on the diagonal. Turned out this whole idea wasn't the best thought out idea I've had.

So, here's a picture of the diagram from which I figured she could get the idea after I sewed the first couple of strips into the beginning block.

I thought this shouldn't be too hard. Easy Peasy. Forgot - forgot -forgot!

First, this is a classy style for a jelly roll. Shouldn't take too long and we can visit and get other Christmas stuff done. I realized it was off-center (which I carefully explained added an artistic element to a quilt).  and I figured she could just start it and when she got about so far, I would whack it off on the sides creating a left and right edge. The whining started about that time, but continued for 3 days! The sounds coming from my sewing room were awful. She kept telling me she knew how to sew (and she really, really does!), all the time explaining she also knew what a rectangle looked like, but this was no rectangle.  "Don't worry" I promised her, "It'll be a rectangle soon."
Less whining and more sewing. Jeeze!

I soon realized beginner's PULL on their fabric something awful. If you add the 'diagonal' component to that - I can only describe it as a mess.  She kept whining it was never going to stop and it was going to go on forever. I gave her a left edge to make one side shorter, but that didn't help a lot with the fussiness. While I like scraps quilts and their originality, beginners tend towards matching and coordinating. So, she spent a lot of time selecting WHICH colors should go where out of a jelly roll! Oh Boy!

I wasn't standing over her since I had things to do, too. She kept pulling those strips and telling me she was going to be sewing forever. When I looked at what she was doing, she was pulling, pushing, and stretching the poor strips into an un-Godly shape! Ultimately, I could only listen to her sewing and whining for so long, and here is what she ended up with AFTER I whacked off the left and right side. Can you see where this went wrong?

Not bad. We can work with that. Of course, not as long as I would like to see it - but let's face it: there was no way I was going to get another whiney row out of her!

So. . .  a little trimming, a little quilting, and a whole lot of stroking (both sis and the quilt), she finally ended up with the  photo at top.

The PHOTO at the top of this post is the great Christmas Quilt on a bed with the binding. Not bad for 3 days of Quilting at Christmas! Now, do you think she is going to ask to do this again?
We'll see. She's back in Arkansas trying to forget (probably involves alcohol), I'm sure.

What's the moral to this story? Think twice before offering to quilt with your sister at Christmastime. Don't try 'thinking outside the box' with a beginner - they don't get it.

Higgly-Piggly scrap quilts work great for some, but a lot of beginners don't see quilts the same as an experienced quilter.
Sewing with my sister - would I do it again? YOU BET!
REMEMBER - it's not just the final quilt - IT'S THE JOURNEY WE ENDURED!

I had a great time and I think after a little time to heal, she will agree with me?
AND HERE IT IS FINISHED and given to her friend!! I still think she should have made it longer-don't you agree?

Can quilting be used as part of the STEM initiative in the Elementary School curriculum?

I am going to start a page about using quilts, quilting and literature to teach elementary kids about quilting. The most important objective I wish to accomplish is to introduce this rich, uniquely American craft to young children as just that, an American craft with all the "hidden riches" of the Core Curriculum and STEM (Science Technology Engineering & Math).

Introducing children to quilting is not intended to create "seamstresses" out of any of the students, but to educate them relative to the diverse lessons quilting contains. If you think about what I have written, I am sure YOU can come up with even more theories contained in quilting:

• Art - patterns, color theory, repetitions, and just plain enjoyment of an individual creation.

• Literature - stories, books, and articles that link quilting to real-life and families.

• Critical thinking - teaching analytical skills that cause one to 'think' about how to solve a particular problem or issue.

• History and traditions - "The world sews - America Quilts!!" But, where did American quilting come from? Why have we treasured it so much? But, more importantly, can we continue the tradition?

• Science - Where did dye colors come from (other than Michaels)? What were the first colors used in dye and how were they invented? Does that mean now that we are in the 21st century, all colors and dyes have been discovered? No. just ask Heather Purcell from Superior Threads, she creates new colors with the help of science all the time. Plus - we all had such a great time dyeing fabric last summer!! Whoo hoo!

• Engineering - I honestly didn't think engineering played into the whole quilting curriculum until I thought about some of the patterns I have created and realized sometimes I had to "engineer" the method used to complete the project. Such as the mouse pincushion. One thing we did recently in Thrilling Threads. There was the matter of the wire mouse tail holding the spool of thread. Without engineering, the mouse would either be sitting on her face or rolled over from the weight of the thread....that was a good one!

• Technology - You would think technology just doesn't have much of a role in an old American craft such as quilting. Anyone who even peruses the quilt magazines today realizes everything dealing with quilting has gone 21st century. The magazines themselves have all gone to digital editions and speak about adding technology to quilting through computer programs that not only design quilts, but the computers that now power our sewing machines, embroidery machines, and even our Longarm quilting machines! Someone has to know how to build bigger and better equipment and software programs, AND LASTLY,

• LIFE SKILLS (a hidden benefit) - Just teaching children how to handle a needle, thread the needle, tie a simple knot, do a running stitch, and sew on a button is LIFE ALTERING for them. I cannot explain how all of a sudden boys and girls are going home and beginning to repair all their stuffed toys, their friends' toys, their parents' pants, pockets, and anything else they can use a needle and thread to 'create' something they can use. It is a life skill they will always remember and use. It also allows students to be creative with what they have at home or what they can obtain. Again, it is not designed to create seamstresses out of anyone - merely an appreciation and use of a skill. Remember not everyone can afford to take their pants to a tailor for a pocket or hem repair. Teach the children and they will always know how to do it, forever!

I will try to post some lesson plans as I develop them in order to share the integration of quilting into any curriculum.  I sincerely hope other teachers may read this blog and would like to start such an educational thread in their elementary school.

My thanks to my friends in quilting and the 3rd Grade teachers at Tuscany Hills Elementary School who have embraced this project for several years before I ever heard of it, and to those brave teachers who are allowing me to 'mess around' with it! It was their perseverance that got me thinking about this all over again.

How to move a Longarm Quilt Machine – DON’T DO IT ALONE!!!

(and don't include alcohol or easily excitable friends!!)

Next came moving day. Like any quilter preparing to begin a new project, I organized. I read article after article about longarms. I prepared with blankets, tools, men (at least 3), trucks, trailer, moving van? I was getting overwhelmed fast. Hopelessly stuck – and here is where quilters are a unique group – one of my friends (a longarmer from Hemet CA) graciously volunteered her husband to organize and help move this behemoth. She said he had moved her Gammill three times and was an expert. Easy Peasy! Right! In my mind I knew with such an expert, this would be no problem. Well – right! Did I have a lot to learn.

So today we moved it. I figured you just picked it up, put it in the truck and drove it home. Popped it in the house, plugged it in and started quilting. Oh was I wrong – soooo very wrong. These machines come delivered from the company in 3 CRATES. YES, CRATES that are 12 feet long. I didn't know that before I took on this – guess I choose not to think about it. Needless to say Baby had to be taken apart to get out of her former home, and then further disassembled to get up my steps and into my house. All the time three men were unbolting, unscrewing, disassembling pipes, bars, plastic, light bars, and anything else they could get their wrenches on. All I could do was stand and pray to God someone would know how to put all the pieces together again. Yes, please let someone say they could put it all back together again.

Well, so far today Baby is inside her new home. Not dropped, scratched, or bent. All the pieces are lying quietly in the living room while the table and the quilting machine ‘head’ is in the den. This is no walk in the park. I don’t know why any quilter would volunteer her husband to help move a longarm. This is a test of patience; finding the right tool when you need it; leverage physics, blankets, balancing, and an awful lot of sweat. I swore if I ever sell my house, it will have to be to a quilter and the Gammill goes with it! Thank God my sons weren't here or there would have been pieces of a very expensive machine all over the pavement. But Baby is in now. Not put together, but inside and safe.

After my friends left, I was so tired, I just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep, but NO – friends and neighbors knew the machine was coming today, so guess what? Just like when you have a new baby at home, everyone has to come by and visit. What does the new baby do? Sleep. So I had the pleasure of showing off Baby unassembled and quite honestly, not as impressive (other than size) as they all thought Baby should be. I had to explain she’s not assembled, which means they will all have to come back and inspect the next phase. That will be tomorrow…maybe. We will have to see if Dave and Nancy have the guts to return to the scene of the crime and if any of us can actually move or bend after yesterday. This was not for the faint of heart. I realized you really have to love this to go through this, notwithstanding using friends to help bear the torture.

It made me wonder about all the longarms I see advertised for sale on the internet in towns all over the country I didn't know existed. How in the world do these things get packed, shipped, and assembled by the totally unsuspecting? Thank you God for quilting friends who just roll up their sleeves and say “we can get this done.” So, what do you think tomorrow will bring? Will we find all the parts? If we do, will any of us senior citizens remember where they go? Don’t know. That is for another day. All I can say is thank you Dave and Nancy, thank you God, and pray for us all. These are the times that try quilter’s souls . . . to be continued . . . 

SURE – DON’T WE ALL WANT A LONGARM MACHINE?

Well, after 30 years of quilting, piecing, stitch in the ditch[ing], begging quilters to please, please, please, “Do this one quick thing for me by this weekend?” . . . I got a long arm quilting machine. It has taken me a long time to think about it (like 10 years), then there was the ‘discussion’ with other long arm quilters (another 10 years), then I progressed into the ‘I’m actually looking at them phase,’ (another 5 years).  Needless to say, this is nothing I have rushed into. Notwithstanding the number of quilt tops I have sitting in my sewing room waiting to be quilted. I figure if I never quilt for anyone else, I should be busy for years.

I looked at as many longarm brands as possible; high-end, low-end, unknowns, all of them. From day to day, I changed my mind. I finally heard through the grapevine about a cherished Gammill that “may” come available and I thought that would be the way to go. A known quilter’s pride and joy would make a terrific jump into the long arm foray. That was more than a year ago. It took my quilter friend more than a year to finally decide to let her “baby” go and countless conversations on my part trying to convince her that I would be the perfect home for “Baby.”

The last time I spoke with her while she was still undecided was around October or November and she said to wait until after the holidays (which came and went), then there was “the call.” I am telling you it must be like getting the call your new baby was ready for adoption!

So – where do you start with the whole longarm migration situation? What do you do first? Well, money was probably the first thing I thought about. We had to ‘do a deal,’ and I have to say, it must have been like negotiating to buy a child . . . not that I would know, mine were delivered to me. So, I asked the most difficult question: “Do you deliver?” I was really, really, hoping there was some magical method to transport a 1,000 pound machine that I didn't want to have deal with. NOPE, not going to happen. Talk about scared to death.

Since I didn't just wake up one day and decide I would like to become a longarmer, I had to decide where I was going to put it. That was no small task. It is sitting in the middle of my den as I write this simply because I still don’t know where it is going to finally reside. Who knows, it may stay there forever. As a classically trained quilter (is there such a thing?), I immediately cut out a “template” from paper using the dimensions of the machine. My friends and I drug that stinker from one room to the other, considered everything from moving out of my bedroom, giving the living room up to the ‘monster,’ dining room, den, spare room, back porch. You name it.  I tried to think of what that room would look like with a monster sewing machine located there. I was exhausted just moving the machine back and forth in my head! Anyway, I decided to practice what all quilters do; put it in the middle of the house, walk past it for a few weeks, or thereabouts, and hope that inspiration would tell me what to do! I loved that because I didn't have to make any decision at all, just keep walking past it for a while or so like we do with a indecisive quilt in progress.

Too tired to post tonight…going to sleep to dream about where to put Baby…..

HELP!! MY MACHINE WON'T SEW THIS THREAD!!

This has happened to all of us.  We know there are a couple things we can do - but we refuse to believe that we COULD have threaded the machine wrong, put in the bobbin backwards, or possibly have a dull or bent needle in. Like, we know we just put a new one in! Right. 

The THRILLING THREADS ladies have come up with a no-fail method to walk you through the right steps to take in order to get that machine up and running again. I have to say that I still walk up to a student and ask, "did you re-thread it?" No. Did you take the bobbin out? No. When was the last time you changed the needle? I don't know. What size needle is in your machine? Don't know. What size thread are you using? Dunno, green thread, I guess. It's things like this that keep a lot of service people in business. Easy fixes for them - expensive for you. So, here are the four (4) steps to run through every time your machine stops sewing:

REMOVE AND RE-THREAD the TOP and BOBBIN thread delivery.  Believe it or not, the number (1) problem experienced with machines is that the machine is threaded WRONG.  Sometimes the thread does not get placed correctly in the tension disk or take-up lever, or while sewing, it can jump out.  Take the time to remove the thread (correctly: cut the top thread and remove the needle thread through the needle) and re thread the upper thread with the presser foot raised.  Then, pull the bobbin out and check to see if there are any little "bits" of thread or fuzz in the bobbin case.  Replace the bobbin, making sure to have the bobbin in correctly (and facing the right direction for the machine).  Try running the machine again to see if this was the problem.  

IF NOT, then . . .

TENSION:Check the thread reference or a Thread Journal for that particular thread.  If no reference, DROP the tension to number (1) and sew a few stitches.  Take time to look at the sample, front and back. If the machine is sewing, but the stitches are wonky, continue adjusting the tension up in small increments. Don’t keep moving tension UP THEN DOWN and UP AND DOWN.  Starting with (1) on the dial and moving tension up is the best way to adjust the correct tension.  

IF THIS HAS NOT FIXED THE PROBLEM, then . .

CHANGE NEEDLE: Size does matter!! Using the wrong size needle with a particular thread counts for a lot. If the needle is too small for the thread there will be shredding and breaking. If the stitch is still wonky, the needle is too large for the thread. How to test a needle for the right thread? Cut a length of thread about 12” long, take the needle out of the machine and thread it on the piece of thread. Tilt the thread so the needle slides from one end to the other.  If the needle does not slide easily from end to end, the needle is obviously too small. If the needle goes WAY TOO FAST, it is probably too large. Change the needle to a correct size.

AND . . .

CHANGE NEEDLE if it has been in for a long, long time . . . you know who you are – just want to get one more project out of that poor needle! DON’T!! Figure the cost of a needle – this is the cheapest fix on a sewing machine.  Using a needle that is either dull or bent (and the eye cannot perceive either all the time) can ruin the timing on your machine; not to mention a good project.

BALANCE THE THREADS: Make sure the size of the top thread (needle thread) is GREATER OR EQUAL to the size of the bobbin thread. Using a larger size thread in the bobbin than in the needle makes wonky stitches. Balance the two threads by using a larger size thread on the top than in the bobbin. If that doesn’t work, use the SAME THREAD in the bobbin as on the top. IF THIS STILL HAS NOT FIXED THE PROBLEM - - - change to a different thread! Don’t let thread be frustrating. Switch and see if that fixes the problem. (That’s why we have a thread stash!)

It's not where you start, but the journey that matters. Are you enjoying your quilting path?

Recently I read an article asking, "Has your quilting path changed from where you began?" Consider this: when I began with my Gramma, I saw quilting only as some squares made out of ‘leftover’ ugly fabric sewn together (That’s why it was leftover; if it was pretty, we would have used it.). They were definitely higgledy-piggledy and I saw no redeeming quality to them. I was living in an age of “everything had to match; toilet seat covers, tissue boxes. Absolutely all living room furniture had to match and you were truly blessed if you had a bedroom “suite” that was purchased at one time with every piece matching the other.

Not only did furniture have to match, we all walked around with index cards in our purse with snips of fabric on them for each quilt we had in progress. Maybe that is where we all got the habit of not finishing one project and going on to another because we could not find the ‘matching’ fabric. Yes, I was one of those ladies walking into the quilt shop or fabric shop holding up my little pieces of fabric saying, “No, doesn’t match!”

Well, have I changed! Scrap quilts now grace my home everywhere. Each quilt tells a story in term of friends, places I made the quilts, and even down to where I got the fabric. I still haven’t cut into my “Liberty” fabric I bought at Liberty of London . . . I haven’t found the perfect pattern yet. One day I will find the best pattern for it and until then, I pet it every time I gaze upon its beauty in the closet.  Truly, every quilt tells a story, mine all do.

My house now looks like it was a collection site for the local thrift shop. I can honestly say there is not one piece of furniture that matches another! Where there is any doubt, I have artfully used those silly round wooden tables that are fortunately covered top to bottom with either an old quilt, or something I tried to make to spruce up the place. If I would only start decorating with more of my UFO’s this place would be outstanding! My quilts now are not just an art show; they are a peek into how my quilt path has changed from a beginner repeating everyone else’s quilt seen in magazines to ‘how did you think of that?’

But, I digress. Back to my original statement: Has your quilting path changed from where you began? I certainly hope so.  Somewhere along this path I discovered quilting boredom. It wasn’t just me, it was people who would come into the quilt shop and say they wanted to do something different, then turned around and walked out with exactly the same thing.  You see we are all scared to creep out of our comfort zone. What if our project looks like child’s art hanging on the refrigerator? How will we explain that was all we got out of class? Well, we wouldn’t look very proficient to our friends after taking all those classes would we?

Sometimes quilters worry about what the ‘Quilt Police’ will say rather than practicing something new. Or, worse yet, we take the class to learn something new and then never use it!!! As a quilt teacher, I see that all the time. Looking at newly finished quilts that looked the same as the last ones, I often ask why they didn’t consider using this or that technique we learned in class. The answer is always the same, “Never thought of that.”

In asking one question, it poses another question; how do we remember all the stuff from all the classes we take? I didn’t say I had the answer, I am asking for answers. The quilt path won’t change for any of us if we don’t exercise new skills. My problem now that I’m older is remembering new skills. It is so easy to just slip back into doing the same thing. If you are afraid of looking weird to your friends, quilting isn’t the hobby for you. All quilters look weird to their friends from time to time. That’s why we have friends (You know those are the people who like us in spite of ourselves!).

Push the envelope on occasion. Keep a file not just for future projects, but with skills you want to practice. Refer to this file when you are trying to think of a different way to put on a binding or a different foot to use. If you get into the habit of checking your New Skills file, you will undoubtedly begin to think of expanding your quilt path.

I had a friend who was about an advanced beginner level. Her best friend asked her to make her a quilt and she said she would. They went shopping for a pattern and what do you think the friend picked out? A very complicated quilt pattern done with circles! Not only was it all circles (which beginners haven’t done yet), she also did not like the cover photo and wanted the selected six different fabrics reduced to three. My friend wanted to make a quilt for her friend that her friend would value, and then came over to my house. First thing I did was laugh and ask if she was taken any strong prescriptions at the time. She told me she loved this dear friend, and if this is what she wanted, then this was what she wanted to make.

First, it took a month just to arrive at fabrics we thought would work. Next, I had to teach her how to sew circles. We cut up, like, a hundred “pie and crust” pieces of muslin. I told her to go home and stack them by the sewing machine. Every time she got 15 minutes she was to sit down and at least try sewing one circle. It took her a year to make this quilt. Her circles are perfect all through the quilt. He colors came out exactly the way her friend wanted (Not my colors, but that is what happens when you make a quilt for a friend.).

Cheryl had NO IDEA what she was in for.

Cheryl's one-year quilt! Viola!

The point is, sometimes you have to practice a particular skill until you are ready to introduce it into one of your quilts, or not. But you do have to practice one way or another. I tell my students that all quilts are art. That is what our foremothers gave us. Not just thriftiness, not just utilitarian, but how to take our imagination and make art to enliven our lives. I then remind them of what I learned a long time ago: BAD ART IS BETTER THAN NO ART.

Art isn't a neat project.

So, take out those magazines and tear out the things you want to learn. They are never going to happen collecting dust in the closet. Start a “New Skills” file folder and put things to be learned. Once a new skill was practiced in a class, place a photo of the skill inside so you will be able to recall the skill and practice it.

Now, let’s get out there and start practicing! Let’s make our Quilting Path start to curve or wobble, or even change a bit. Quilting changes. Don’t stay stuck in the same old Sunbonnet Sue path; enjoy!

...and definitely not for the faint of heart...even the dog gave up on me!

THE AMAZING FANCY FEET CLASS

Not More Shoes – More Feet!

This month the fabulous Thrilling Threads Ladies helped me work through a class on how to use sewing machine feet. We made a wall hanging which exhibited many of our machines’ utility stitches as well as decorative stitches quilters seldom use. The goal of having a “Foot” class for quilters was twofold: (1) it demonstrated many of the clever feet that could be used for various quilting needs; and (2) many of the stitches which have wonderful and exciting effects for quilts, we never consider using. When these two elements were brought together with many FABULOUS SUPERIOR THREADS, the effects added to quilts and other sewing projects were endless! The ladies left thinking about how they would use all the various feet, stitches and THREAD for their next project.

Sew, what were the winners after two full classes on feet? I am going to list all the feet used on a special page entitled FANCY FEET. Here are a few of the highlights:

• ·        The humble Standard Foot (especially if it has that little black button) is actually an amazing “go-to” foot for quilters. It has a wide footprint which helps hold a wide area of fabric down against the feed dogs. The button (if you are lucky enough to have one), can hold the foot ridged and flat for use going over fat, raised seams. It also has a fairly deep tunnel to allow a fat seam to travel easily beneath the foot. The Standard Foot (A-Foot for many), is one of the best feet to use for many decorative stitches because we now have such versatility using needle positions. Our quilters discovered that re-visiting this often-neglected standard foot offered some great uses for quilters. One other added benefit to the standard foot would be to check and see if it or the ankle has that little hole in the back allowing one of those quilting bars often coming with walking feet to be attached. This expands the use of the standard foot to allow for even placement of decorative or regular stitches in quilting.

• ·         In comparison, using the Open Toe Foot (which is a foot commonly used for decorative stitches) is NOT THE BEST selection for decorative stitches. While the open toe foot provides great visibility, it actually does not press down on the feed dogs as firmly as the standard foot. This information means consideration for the type of stitch to be used on specific fabric thicknesses combined with the type or weight of thread used. There will be occasions to go to the open toe foot on a thick quilt, but not necessarily on a single, or thin piece of applique. While the “tunnel” beneath the foot is decent, the foot itself may not provide enough pressure against feed dogs to allow control of movement. What is a great foot to go to for applique? Find out if your machine company makes a specialty “Applique” foot. That foot has a deep tunnel to allow thick thread to travel easily beneath it, is clear plastic for easy visibility, and is incredibly “stubby.” Yes, stubby is great! This allows the foot to negotiate curves and corners much easier than the typical open toe foot we all thought was an applique foot!

• ·         THREAD. The right thread for the right stitches makes all the difference. Most quilters are so set in their ways, they just pick up the thread they are using at the time to use specialty or decorative stitches. Often the stitch may look skimpy, not filled in correctly, or over-filled. Thread makes the difference and sewers need To remember when selecting thread that it is ALL ABOUT THE PROJECT, or “stitch” in this instance. Specifically, if using a beautiful, artsy stitch with a lot of flowers or detail, don’t use a thick thread. A thick thread won’t make all the delicate turns as sharp as the sewer would like. On the other hand, if sewing a simpler design perhaps with filled-in effects, using a thicker thread will ensure filled-in elements are in fact, filled-in completely.

•  Using the right thread was also most apparent when using the “Hand-Look” stitches. These stitches are the triple-stitch, saddle stitch, and perhaps more, depending on the machine. These stitches work well when tension is tightened and a fat, thick thread is used in the bobbin (such as So Fine #40ä, or another SUPERIOR #40 thread). Using a strong polyester monofilament like MonoPolyä through the needle to “draw-up” the bobbin thread to the top of the project completes a perfect hand-look effect.  Also remember to think about what effect shiny or matte thread would play on the project.
  Just think about it. For years quilters and sewers just picked up the thread they were using last, or the most convenient spool or color of thread without giving a bit of notice to the type or weight of thread. STOP DOING THAT! 
  
  
  Think about the project, which foot would be the best (or which foot could do it better?) and which thread is going to provide the best effect. With all the threads rolling around in most quilters’ drawers, settling for skinny, dull, unappealing stitches is no longer necessary. 

•  STABILIZER. The very last thing we all discovered was using stabilizer for quilting projects. No one gives a thought to "stabilizer," because many believe stabilizer is for garments and embroidery. There are so many times that using a sheer, all-purpose PELLON® will change irregular stitches, eyelets, satin stitches, and decorative stitches into perfect works of art! Quilters have forgotten that mystery element we all used when we learned to sew. It doesn't take much, just the right kind of stabilizer placed in the right spot to support those beautiful thread works of art. ALWAYS keep plain old PELLON in your stash for emergencies when no matter what you do; the right foot, the right thread, and the stitch is still miserable, a little PELLON®  goes a long way to fix lumpy, bumpy stitches! Personally, I make sure I always have Pellon® 910 Sew-in Featherweight or 911FF Fusible. I pick it up at least 5 yards when it goes on sale. Watch for more about stabilizers in my upcoming blogs. I will set up a special page when our class does the "stabilizer" class.
  
  
  THINK about the project, THEN reach into the thread drawer and select the right thread, the right needle, and the foot that works best for the project.

Sew, I leave you with this today . . . THINK about the project, THEN reach into the thread drawer and select the right thread, the right needle, and the foot that works best for the project. Who knows? You may find out a dab of stabilizer helps too!