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-   -   Tips from a seasoned quilter… (https://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1/tips-seasoned-quilter%85-t91843.html)

DonnaB 01-20-2011 09:46 AM

Good hints we all need to follow

Tweety2911 01-20-2011 11:56 AM

Thanks for the tips, great reminder.

Boise Madhatter 01-20-2011 12:03 PM

thanks for those quilting tips Patticake & MomtoBostonTerriers: I printed out those tips!

I am a newbie quilter but I have been creating art for many years.
Here are a few tips from me. Patticake is so correct it is the journey that counts. This is the same no matter what medium you are working in.

I find sometimes that giving the finished art piece is a tad anticlimactic.
I find I feel like a new mother showing off her new born baby.
Hearing people say oh wow isn’t she beautiful.
When you know they are really saying wow I could have made that better ;).
No one will ever appreciate your art piece as much as you do.
You are the one that was there at it's conception, you created it piece by piece.
Fretting over every little detail.
If you wait and expect others to give you that pat on the back, with the same enthusiasm in which you created the art piece in the first place? you will be somewhat disappointed.

I create art for me first:
If someone finds some pleasure over my art piece, that is a bonus.

Here is to creating art that makes our souls sing!

Boise Madhatter 01-20-2011 12:07 PM


Originally Posted by ArtisticDesign
A testiment to starch: My cousin got hired by a lady who had verrry old blocks that her grandmother had made and she wanted them made into a reversible wall hanging.. Just to explain how difficult this was...The grandmother was not the best quilter..One half squ triangle was almost twics as big as another within the block..The stitching was hand done and very shakey/uneven...Every block was exageratedly unsquare..
My cousin was brainstorming several ways on how to do this..She tried adding borders to the blocks ( so didnt work) She thought about fusing them onto muslin (which would have exagerated the wonky lil blocks and been permanent)...She tried squaring one up (looked really bad)..After a few more attempts she called me freaking out..
I went over and we brainstormed some more... I finally grabbed the heavy starch and starched both sides of the blocks/ironed, twice. As well as the border strips...Then we took the squ ruler and squared them up..They cut like butter, so easy..She took a deep breath and sewed one of the border strips on, also went so smooth she didn't even need pins...
The lady got tears in her eyes when she seen it..Not even caring that some of the (too big) half sq points were cut off lol.. If starch worked on these wonky blocks it'll make anything easier lol

This is a revelation: I use this same idea a paper project: worked like a dream I can't wait to try it with cloth.

chris_quilts 01-20-2011 12:10 PM

Here are a couple of my tips aka 2 cents worth:

Cats, contrary to their belief, do not actually help you sew better BUT they are good for destressing.
Buy a good stitch ripper. That, too, can be your friend. (I, personally, named mine after one long weekend.)
A backup machine or two (or more) can be your friend when your main machine dies, or won't work, unexpectedly.

I agree with create for yourself and if someone else happens to find it beautiful, or even art, that's just an added bonus.

Boise Madhatter 01-20-2011 12:10 PM


Originally Posted by Midwestmary
Great advice - I have personally been lax about squaring up. I realize I need to slow down the process and take a little more time to work on accuracy. Can't say enough about the helpful things I've learned and continue to learn from this board :)

My Grandmother come for a visit and she said well girl I think you have finally found a medium where God can help you with that issue you have.. I said what issues, she said the one with patience. lol

I hear you I also need to slow down: ;0

BrendaK 01-20-2011 12:27 PM


Originally Posted by leonajo
tips r great, and I am going to buy some starch!

:roll: One of the things I have found to eliminate the flakes is to rub the starch into the fabic. Just run your hands over the fabic and it pushes the starch into the fabic it's almost like bonding the threads together. When the starch just sits on top and you iron that's when it flakes.

DogHouseMom 01-20-2011 12:31 PM


Originally Posted by MomtoBostonTerriers
Starch often during the construction process. Don't worry about starch flakes on dark fabric -- wash the quilt after it is completed, and that will solve the problem.

How many of you starch? What are the benefits/detriments? I don't starch. Wondering if I should. Is it something I can do in the middle of piecing a quilt or should I wait until I start my next quilt?

Lucymae 01-20-2011 12:38 PM

thank you!!! Experience teaches us a lot!! :-) :-)

Taughtby Grandma 01-20-2011 02:04 PM

Thanks for the great tips. I didn't understand for a long time how important it was to square all the blocks after they were sewn until I did it the first time and lo and behold, my seams all matched!! I especially agree with the last tip.


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