Straight Stitching vs. Free Motion Quilting

If you are intimidated by free-motion quilting, this is an easy way to straight stitch your quilt with a cross-hatch pattern. All you need is some blue painters' tape in the width of the cross hatch you want. Lay the tape out and stitch along the side of the tape. I laid mine out diagonally, but you could lay it out to achieve a square pattern instead of a diamond. Then, keep moving the tape until you have quilted up one side and down the other.

I wanted to cross-hatch this table runner. I thought the appliqued flowers needed a trellis to ground them. I decided that the wide painters' tape was best. However, I have used a smaller width on smaller projects.

Easy Peazy. Hope this helps.

UP or DOWN-Thread Spools

Cross-Wound vs. Straight-Wound Thread Spools

I can never remember where I should place a spool of thread on
my machine: horizontal or upright. This is a great tutorial on YouTube.

Quilting: Patching Batting

I heard this tip on 'Fons & Porter'  Saturday morning PBS show.

There are times I don't have a big enough piece of batting for my quilt project so I have to add a piece or two. I find that sewing it together is tedious and sometimes does not make a good transition on the front of the project.


Answer: Patch it using iron-on interfacing. All directions on are the package. I use a wool setting and no steam on my iron. Also, I lay a piece of parchment paper over it. It helps keep any adhesive of the iron. 

Sample using scraps

I cut a piece about 6 inches wide and long enough for the project (you can even piece the interfacing). I want at least 3 inches on each side of the pieces that I am connecting. Be sure and put a piece on each side of the batting.

Great tip! Thanks to whomever sent this tip into Fons and Porter.

Tip from 'YouTube'

I have been trying to figure out how to make a cloth label to put on the back of my quilts.  Some time the far distant future someone may find my quilt and wonder who, what, and where?  Quilters use labels on their quilts to provide the answer.

I found the answer on YouTube.

Here is my result.

Done for my 'Heritage' Quilt!

Double Wedding Ring
Queen Size
Hand Pieced
Hand Quilted
Took about 20 years on and off