- When piecing your quilts, use a "security blanket" (a small piece of scrap fabric) to start your chain piecing so the fabric and threads do not jam up when starting to chain sew.

- When sewing two pieces of fabric together where one requires to be eased to a shorter piece, place the piece of fabric with the most ease on the bottom near the feed teeth. The feed teeth will ease the extra fabric to the shorter top fabric easily.

- Having trouble sewing with metallic thread and getting a lot of breakage? Try using Schmetz Metallica needles-they work great and reduce breakage! If that doesn't work, try lowering the tension.

- Attach your tape measure to the side of your sewing table with self stick velcro.

- Keep a small magnet in your sewing basket. Use it to pick up any pins that fall on the floor.

- If sewing needles get rusty or dull, rub them lightly with fine steel wool to bring them back to life.

- Always leave some thread in a needle before putting it in a pincushion. You'll be able to spot it faster.

- Use clean, dry plastic egg cartons to store thread.

- Store pattern pieces and their envelopes in self sealing bags so you can see the pattern.

- When patchwork pieces are finished, run doubled length of thread through a pile of patches, leaving the knotted end of the thread at the bottom of the stack. They'll stay together and you can pull off each one as needed.

- Before you sew on buttons, coat the thread with a wax coating. Simply run it around a candle several times. This makes the thread stronger and helps getting it through the holes.

- For clean, sharp and handy pins and needles, use a covered steel wool pad as a pin cushion.

- Keep a chopstick in your sewing basket for all poking and stuffing needs.

- If you are not certain where the seam is lying when you are quilting in-the-ditch, place a lamp or torch under the quilt and the seam allowances are easily seen.

- When using pinking shears always have fabric between your blades. Never open and close the blades without fabric between them, this will dull the blades.

- Use a low-melt glue gun when working with net, tulle or sheer synthetic fabric. A hot glue gun will burn you and melt the fabric.

- Keep soap slivers in the freezer to use to mark quilts. This keeps soap hard and easier to use. It also washes out right away

- Avoid the frustration of threading frayed edges by folding thread in half, and pulling the smooth edge through the needle

- To Open that Stuck Zipper: Rub the teeth with a bar of soap or spray with shaving cream.

- An Ideal Pin Cushion: Use a bar of soap. Makes sewing easier and needle just slides through hard material.

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From Margaret in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia
When you have used only part of a pack of battting, measure the remaining piece, mark the measurements on the outside of the bag and when you need a small piece, you have only to check the outside of the bags to see if you have one large enough.

From Connie in Lexington, Michigan
I finally figured out that if I pay attention to the grain line during any pressing stage of my quilt projects, everything comes out square. Just remember to press with the straight grain of the fabric (the selvage edge runs on the straight grain). Cross grain and bias both stretch, the straight grain won't.

From Connie in La Plata, Maryland
I like to use fax paper (the roll kind, not plain paper) for my paper-piecing projects. I just run the original through the fax machine. It enables me to make multiple copies so I don't use up my originals, the paper is very thin so it rips from the seams easily, and the ink/toner is very stable so it doesn't transfer onto the fabric. All in all, it's very easy & cost effective!

From Susan Wright
Whenever I make a quilt to give away (which is almost all of them), I make an additional quilt block into a pillow top which I keep for myself as a reminder of the quilt and the person who received it.

From Barbara in Manhattan, Kansas
I believe I have a tip that might be useful to quilters. When machine quilting, wear rubber finger tips (the kind you buy at the office supply store) on your thumb and first two fingers on both hands. It gives you complete control of your work and freedom of movement when using free-motion quilting. I don't machine quilt any other way. It's great. You don't have to hassle wearing gloves or moving a hoop.

From Shirley in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
For those who use Silk Thread when they do applique but get frustrated because the thread keeps slipping out of the needle, try this. After you thread the needle, pull the thread through so one end is only about 4" from the eye of the needle and tie a double knot immediately behind the eye of the needle. (I use the old boy scout reef knot as it doesnt slip). You will find that it will not hinder your appliquing as the knot is still smaller than the end of the needle.

From Kay in Stevensville, MD
Over the years I have made several "Block of the Month" quilts. I decided to keep all the blocks safe in a new/unused pizza box. This way I didn't have to go looking for all the blocks at the end of the year when it was time to put them all together. Your local pizza place will usually give you a box for little or no cost. Also, you can get a medium or large depending on what size your blocks are.

From Karen in Loco, Oklahoma
The containers that 35mm film come in are great to carry in your sewing bag to dispose of bent needles and pins.

From Anne Marie in Dundee, New Brunswick
When using cardboard for templates, a good sturdy cardboard is one you can get from your x-ray depatrment at your local Hospital. This cardboard is used to sandwich the x-ray film's when shipped from the company. You can trace on it and cut it out with an x-acto knife. You get a sharp straight edge and can be re-used several times.You can store the un-used cardboard in it's own box for neat storage. The cardboard comes in sizes 13x16, 9x12, 7x9. and is a nice clean white.

From Rose in Abbotsford, B.C.
Just a tip for those who have to work the early shift: Don't get on the 'net after 11:00 PM. You'll find yourself hitting the snooze button in the am because there is just too darned much interesting quilting stuff to look at, and you don't notice you're tired till about 3 am. By then it's too late to get a good night's rest!

From Allison in Calgary, Alberta
I use non-fusible light weight interfacing as the foundation for paper piecing. I do a lot of clothing and the interfacing washes nicely. Very light, no bulk and I don't have to tear away the paper....more time for sewing!

From Doris in Australia
If you've been eating at your sewing machine and you've got a spot of grease on your material, don't panic. Use a piece of chalk to get rid of the stain. Just rub it over the area, leave for a few minutes, then brush off. The spot will disappear like magic.

From Jenny in the Philippines
When hand-quilting, I often find it hard to pull the needle through; to eliminate this difficulty, I pull on my forefinger a bit cut off from the pinky finger of an old rubber glove (the kind used for household chores). This is more comfortable than using "rubber fingers" like those used in offices, as they are sometimes too tight.

From Theresa and Moira from Down Under (that's Australia!)
To view a quilt pattern from a distance before sewing, place pieces on a flannel backed table cloth, no pins required, and hang it up somewhere. Gives you an idea what the quilt will look like finished.

From Brenda in Charleston, WV
When cutting fabric into quilt pieces, spray starch it and iron it first. Then it holds its shape better and there is less distortion when sewing--especially if it is a soft fabric.

From Rosemarie
For the sturdiest binding for any quilt: Measure the perimeter of the quilt and add 10 inches for mitering corners. Divide this number by 40 inches. This will be the number of 3 inch wide strips you need to cut on the crosswise grain of 100% cotton fabric. Sew these strips together to create one long strip. Press in half, lengthwise, wrong sides together. Stitch to the outer edge of the quilt which has been trimmed and the edges zig-zagged, being sure to miter the corners for a sharp look. Use a 3/8ths inch seam allowance. Finally, wrap the binding to the back of the quilt and hand sew the binding to the back of the quilt. E.g.: Perimeter of quilt: 120" + 10 " divided by 40 + 3 strips plus 10 inches or 4 full strips cut on the crosswise.

From Teressia in Blairsville, GA
When making repeat cuts of same size place 4 post-it pages on width line of the ruler. This enables you to slide the ruler up to cut without having to search for the line. (I've always done this, especially for those hard to find 3/8", 5/8" and 7/8" marks! - Daphne)

Hand Quilting
Save yourself some time and eyesight by threading several needles onto your quilting thread without cutting it off the spool. When you want a threaded needle to quilt with, hole onto the first needle and slide the remainder past the spot where you cut your length of thread. The other needles will be ready for you when needed.

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