20 Tips to Celebrate 20 Years of Love of Quilting
We just added more tips, and now you can see all 20. Be sure to check out the new additions! Did you hear? Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting is celebrating 20 years! As we started gathering ideas for the big 2-0, we reminisced about the amazing tips our fans and contributors have shared over the years. So, we decided to kick off the celebration with some of the best and most interesting tips for quilting.
Week after week we’ll share our favorites, starting with five and then adding more every week! Plus, over the next few months, we’ll have all sorts of other special events, blogs, and projects that you won’t want to miss.
We hope you enjoy reading these fun tips from our first 20 years and stay tuned for even more anniversary goodies!
Tip #5 – Quilt Blocks To Go
“I cut a flannel-backed plastic tablecloth into 18″ squares. As I cut pieces for blocks, I lay them out on the flannel side of the squares. I can … roll the stack to take to my weekly quilt class or keep the stack by my sewing machine at home to keep my pieces in order.” ~Annie B.
Tip #7 – Centering for Quilting
“To align my quilt sandwich, I first fold the top into quarters, marking the center and sides at the folds. I do the same with the backing, and I also sew a small shank button temporarily in the center on the right side. I can easily feel the button through the layers, which helps me match the centers. Then I align the sides at the marks.” ~Becky B.
Tip #8 – Bookmarking Patterns
“I buy sticky bookmarks from an office supply store and use them to mark favorite patterns as I read through magazines. I made a key, so if I’m looking for a 4th of July pattern, I look for red bookmarks, etc. You can mark the quilt name or other information on the bookmark if you like.” ~Kathy C.
Tip #9 – Fabric Matching
“To make sure the fabrics I purchase coordinate with the fabrics I have in my stash, I sew a swatch of the fabrics I’m planning to use to a ribbon and keep it in my purse. It’s easy to carry along when shopping and the pieces don’t fall off and get lost.” ~Kay M.
Tip #10 – Pre-Cut Prep
“Sometimes a pre-cut strip roll has a lot of loose threads, so I use a lint roller on both sides of the roll before I open it. That seems to eliminate most of the messy threads and lint, and I use it on my mat afterwards to pick up the rest.” ~Kathy L.
Tip #13 – No Corner Seams
“I leave the little dog ears on the seams of my binding so I can easily make sure a seam won’t land on a corner. Pin the beginning of your binding to the quilt and lay the binding along each edge, folding the corners as if they were sewn. If a seam lands on a corner, adjust the beginning of the binding and try again.” ~Carolyn H.
Tip #14 – Fun Binding
“This is a fun way to finish flannel quilts for children. Cut straight binding strips 2″ or 2-1/2″ wide. Sew to the back of one side of the quilt, right sides together. Turn binding to the front and stitch through all layers, covering the binding stitch line (I use a serpentine stitch). Clip binding to make fringe. Repeat for the remaining sides.” ~Elaine P.
Tip #17 – Keep Track of Your Quilts
“I use a small photo album for keeping quilt information handy. A 5″ x 7″ card fits into each plastic sleeve. On the cards, I write measurements of the quilts and phone numbers for machine quilters and quilt shops, attach swatches of fabric, and keep a list of materials I need to buy.” ~Exie L.
Tip #18 – Test Your Binding
“Sometimes I need to change the width of my binding depending on the thickness of the batting and fabric in the quilt. I made sample bindings so I can audition them to find which size I need before cutting the binding for the quilt. The widths are marked on the samples.” ~Alice M.
We’ll reveal five more tips every week, so be sure you check back for more!
~The Quilting Company Team
Originally posted with 5 tips on June 12, 2019. With additional tips added on June 19, 2019, on July 1, 2019, and again on July 8, 2019.
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