Essential Quilting Tips For Beginners

Beginner Quilting Instructions & Tips

Quilting is an ancient craft and is well known all over the world. Quilt crafters are tied in an unseen bond. I always feel so excited to meet another quilter. And after introduction, we usually ask “so is there any special tip from you?” and people do exchange tips with us. These quilting tips are very helpful for all of us.

Time management, product enhancement, creativity boost, fabric trivia, product details and so many other types of tips are usually exchanged. I know you too are expecting some good tips from me, so here they are:

1. For prewashing quilting fabric fill the washer with HOT water and laundry detergent, push the fabric into the water, and let it soak for almost 20 minutes, swishing it occasionally (NOT agitating). Then drain and then spin but make sure you do not agitate it or it will fray.

2. After washing the fabric you can use a liquid starch to press. It gives the fabric a shiny new, stiff look as if it is new. Just mix 1 part liquid starch to 3 parts water. A 32oz. Bottle (under $2.00) equals 10 aerosol cans (about $2.00 a can.) When mixed in a spray bottle there's no clogging. Or you can even use high quality ready made spray starch.

3. When pre-washing your material, particularly for red, aquamarine and other unstable colors, place a piece of white plain muslin cloth in the washing machine that way you will be able to tell if the fabric is really going to run or you need to switch it with another fabric piece

4. You can even make 3D flowers while making an appliqué quilt. Just cut two pieces of the same fabric for each petal, sew them right sides together, leaving an opening at the base to turn right side out to line each petal. Than cut a smaller version of the same flower pattern in batting. Now with the help of long tweezers, insert it inside the flower, petal by petal. Now you can stitch it on the quilt.

5. If you are using transparent plastic thread for machine quilting in appliqués, then make sure that you do not use a hot iron on it! It will melt, and won’t come apart until it's washed! You can finger press or use cold iron instead.

6. You can keep several rolls of batting on hand. To store them you need to have the heavy duty shower curtain rods and put one through the cardboard tube that holds the batting and it goes above the unused bathtub in the guest bath. And whenever you need a piece go and get it within 5 minutes. Easy isn’t it?

7. When you are ready to sandwich your quilt use a large yardstick to smooth out the wrinkles in the batting. It only takes a few strokes of the yardstick to get a fine, smooth straight surfaced batting, and just make sure that yardstick is straight and free of kinks.

8. When doing hand appliqué and traveling, just put your bobbins with the color threads needed into a medicine bottle. Make tiny holes all the way through the top lid of bottle and pull up your thread colors. One medicine bottle holds approximately 7 bobbins of color. No worries for tangled threads any more.