Great tip...thanks~! Marilyn

Amazing...do all quilters have pets...they just seem to go together! I myself have two black cats...who as long as I behave will continue to let me live and sew here~! :wink:

Great tips - have a new digital camera (first one) - it should be helpful to view my quilts as suggested. Also the idea of scanning blocks - love all the wonderful info on this board..thank you!

I use a board to place my blocks on. Never thought about using a camera. Thanks.

And, it's fun!

I also keep a pic of most of the quilts I've made in a folder.Camera makes it easy.Kind of lets me see where I started & where I am in making quilt tops.

With throws or wall sizes,can drape it on the back of a chair or sofa that faces me & leave it for a couple days.Often times that top or pinned together blocks needs to be changed.So if you don't use a camera, try that.

I took a class many years ago at the local high school and the teacher gave us a great idea which I have used with every quilt since then. Buy an inexpensive door peep hole at a home improvement store. It is about 1.5" long and easily carried in a pocket. It 'reverse' magnifies. Lay out your quilt blocks, then look through the peep hole. You can see the whole quilt and see if the blocks go well together. I also use it at the fabric store to see if certain colors and prints go good together.

Mine is definitely my computer - a couple of years ago I wrote a program in Excel to design my patterns, which I now use for all my quilts. I think I enjoy designing the quilts more than actually making them!

Sounds like the start of a pattern business.

Fons & Porter have a great design wall for about $30.00, and if you have a 40% off coupon from Joann's you can get it on their website for under $20.00. Well worth it.

My iron is my most favorite tool for quilting. The computer is my second 'must have' finding what people are saying and also finding new fabrics/ideas... & coupons!

* fantasize * fantasize *

This website! I seem to get more help here than any of the videos. I'm sort of quilt challenged. :shock:

Design wall,camera and the peep eye glass is really a big help.

I agree, when laying one out, I arrange the blocks and take a picture of it. Looking at it with the naked eye is so very different than looking through the camera lens.

Ditto - so I print them!

Easy! My debit card!

Great tip, thank you!

You have a beautiful kitten! It is so helpful too,holding down that fabric for you.LOL

My design wall is one of my biggest helpers.That way I can move the blocks around and decide how to sew them together. My other helper is my Black Bombay "Lilly" and my granddaughters. Sammi likes to reach me the quilt pieces to sew and my 4-year old Kaylee likes to be the one to get thread from the thread bin when I run out.

You all have such helpful pets, my cat Keishi usually takes of with my thimble or pencil or measuring tape, basically anything he can carry or play with by hitting it with his paw.He does love to sleep on a quilt though, unfortunately he choses the one I'm working on every time, is it any wonder I'm always working on several at the same time? He bites when I try to move him .

Maybe we're sisters :-P ....so much is beyond me,but this is the place for help.

:-P

I agree, the camera is a wonderful tool.

It used to be my quilt notebooks and books. Now it's my computer,then my notebooks and books. I have printed 5 notebooks full of patterns from the free quilt pattern sites and have enough to fill probably another notebook in my save file.

Accuquilt Go cutter. Amazing how quickly I can cut, and how accurately. HSTs especially! No dog ears. Worth every penny. Now I look for ways to use HSTs instead of avoiding them!