Using Leaders Enders
 

I thought leader-enders were used on stand up longarm rollers, but I wasn't sure. So, I Googled, and I had been using small bits of scrap to catch/save thread as I began stitching and at the end. And, it gave me the idea of using a scrappy quilt block to slowly stitch together, one seam at a time, using them for enders as I work on the main attraction! Feels like I am working on 2 quilts at the same time! Anyone else doing this?

I learned this a few years back from Bonnie Hunter. She has a free Leader Ender project she puts out every July. I can’t begin to tell you how many “second quilts” I’ve made using this idea. Happy to have you as part of the Leader Ender train.

I have to laugh at myself when I'm "saving thread" but then I look in the waste basket when I've taken out a lengthy seam. What a waste!! Can't we use that somehow?

This has been done for years by many quilters. It saves on thread for sure, but I have a hard enough concentrating on one quilt at a time....it isn't something I do.

I have used them on my regular machine while piecing another project, not sure how you use them on your long arm though.

I thought that the roller-part that you attach the quilt to at the beginning and end of LA were leaders/enders, until I researched the meaning. Now I know it refers to thread-saving technique.

The way my mind works is I would need a leader for my leader, so I use a spider, that is a bit of fabric that you start sewing on. This helps especially if you are sewing triangles to not drop the points of the fabric down into the bobbin area. You reuse the same piece repeatedly, making the legs on the spider.

The other day when I cleaned off my sewing area, I didn't have any little bits out, so I used a bit of paper towel. Lately I've just been using the paper towel to adjust my stitches, I find I have very little to improve on when I switch to fabric, and I can see the plain white much better!

I have gotten my new sewing machine but I haven't worked with it yet. But one of the few options I really wanted was a thread cutter and I got one on this new machine. Is amazing how much less threads I have on my pants and such. I am also much more likely to work on projects that have partial seams with a thread cutter.

Leaders and enders is a good concept in my mind, but I get so busy with the bitty scraps or small parts that I forget and just start making the blocks using my leaders and enders. Oh, well, what works for one....works. Tee-Hee-Hee! In the end we just want to use every bit of fabric and save on thread no matter what method we use, leaders/enders or spiders.

I look in the waste basket when I've taken out a lengthy seam. What a waste!! Can't we use that somehow?

You mean the thread that you unpicked from a seam?

I learned this from Bonnie Hunter, and I love making two quilts at a time! I'm not an improvisational quilter, so I cut out a whole quilt and use that as my leader/ender. I do sometimes have to grab that old strip of binding and use that as a leader for my leader, especially now that I've had to start using my button rather than my foot for sewing.

I've heard of people who save all thread scraps in a clear container, like a bottle. When full, seal it up and you have a decorative bottle.

Oh, yeah, I’m a big ol’ ender / leader quilter! I’m usually doing some string something-or-other as my ender/leader project, or some other specific project with a lot of fussy blocks that need to be stitched together, but lately I’ve been on a kick of stitching together the “waste triangles” from various stitch and flip blocks from throughout the years, creating, over time, a bunch of hourglass blocks in the colorways of whatever quilt the stitch and flips came from. What I’ll do with all the hourglass blocks… Um, I don’t have an answer for that yet! LOL

I'm another one that uses lender-ender system. I heard of the idea from Bonnie Hunter, who I love following. In fact, I'm working on one of her leader-ender projects right now as I finish up my Indigo Way top.

I do that too. I have many blocks now to sew together.

To respond to those who posted regarding my comment on the thread in the waste basket. Yes! There are yards and yards of thread there from taking out a seam, yet we "save" thread with leaders and enders. Saving where we can anyhow. I suppose this is somewhat akin to putting those orphan blocks into something usable. Waste not, want not!
Perhaps those quilts using orphan blocks are somewhat "memory quilts" as each one brings back the memory of "when i made that quilt" and "it was for a special person/a special occasion".