m-fay, I use every trick in the book to trace, enlarge or reduce patterns I find and trace them ontoGolden Threads tracing paper. Pin the paper to the quilt and free motion over the pattern then tear the paper away.
This one was taken right from fabric.
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The think the biggest improvement in my quilting is making sure the quilt sandwich is put together nice and stable so it doesn't shift, especially the edges. My favorite method for these small quilts is using Elmers Washable School Glue. It really holds the layers well and totally washes out. The machine has no problem with it.