Originally Posted by
NJ Quilter
All of the other advice you have gotten is just wonderful. The only thing I will add is to WRITE THINGS DOWN. I took a serger class (actually several) last year and the one thing the instructor harped on was to write down all of your settings for each given fabric/technique. Granted, this was for a serger where sometimes it's a bit more finiky (sp) but I think it's an excellent suggestion for basic sewing as well. When you find the settings that work for your piecing; mq'ing; binding, etc., write down what fabrics/battings you used along with the settings that ultimately worked. I think it would probably save all of us a tremendous amount of time in the long run!
Great advice - my Janome has temperamental tension, and now I have a notebook in which I write down the settings that work for different combinations of fabric, thread and batting. It saves me a lot of time and tears.