Employee Hints

Notes from Nancy- 

Today I am struggling with the job of packing my sewing room to move to a new house. Yeah! Right??? Well it’s not that easy and it’s something that I wish I had paid attention to a long time ago. 

Every quilter has a stash (I’m pretty sure!..). Our stash is made up of things that once upon a time we thought we had to have. As I look over my stash, things come to mind like “what was I thinking I’d use that odd fabric in” or “what was I thinking??” 

Even after all of that, why can’t I part with it? I am unable to part with things that I am fairly sure that I will never use. What’s up with that? 

While watching TV last week, an expert in home organization was talking about why people can’t part with “things”. His explanation was simple; they are an example of unfulfilled dreams. 

Sooo that started me thinking. I bought those horrid purples thinking that if I had to make a toddler a quilt they would be perfect! That day never came (thankfully). 

Now I am faced with the prospect of moving all these things that I know I won’t use. 

I am donating them to many charitable organizations that will use them. I wish that I had done that sooner! How many times have you said that you need to use up your stash before you buy something new? I have said it many times but never practiced it and all that happened is it made me feel guilty. Now I am free to work on things that I want to work on (because my style has changed dramatically since I started quilting). 

I highly recommend a “stash reduction” in your sewing room. It’s like lifting a weight off your back. The charities that you donate your discards to will do wonderful things with them. Everybody wins!
 

Lessons from Laurel - Pressing Matters

I tell new quilters that they can become successful quilters if they remember three easy steps: 

Cut accurately 

Sew accurately 

Press carefully 

Of course, there’s a little more to the perfect quilt than that, but those three steps will produce a perfectly made quilt. In classes we tend to dwell on the cutting and sewing process, but the pressing is equally important. 

First of all, press the seams flat- just as it came out from under the presser foot on your machine. This sets the new stitches into the fabric. 

Next, press the seam to one side. It’s always a bonus if your pattern tells you which way to press the seam. If it doesn’t, one of the oldest rules in quilting is to press the seam toward the dark fabric. I have to admit I don’t always follow that rule! Sometimes the light fabric is a better choice. For instance, if the darker fabric has several seams, it’s much easier to press toward the lighter fabric rather than against all those seam allowances. 

Hint: Do your pressing from the right side of the fabric. Then you will be able to see if you are pressing little pleats along the seams. Press the seam flat from the wrong side with the fabric on top that you intend to press the seam toward; then flip the top layer up and press from the right side. 

Pressing is not the same as ironing. Don’t drag your iron across the fabric, rather use an up and down motion. Any movement should be made parallel to the grain of the fabric. 

To steam or not to steam? Talk to quilters and you’ll get strong opinions on the use of steam. Steam can help you get a beautiful, crisply pressed seam and even help you ease in a little extra fullness. Steam can also distort your fabric, so use it carefully. 

Proper pressing will eliminate those little folds along the seam line and make it easy to match up seam lines. Improper pressing will distort your carefully cut and carefully sewn seams. So use your iron with as much care as you use your rotary cutter for your next award winning quilt.
 

Maggie’s Organizational Tip

What do quilting and the Fishing Opener have in common? Organization!!!

If you visit any of the large sporting goods stores this time of year, they are filled to the brim with organizational supplies for the quilter!

A large fishing tackle box makes a great quilting notions case. They have lots of little cubbies and are portable. There are lots of shapes and sizes to choose from. They are sturdy because they were made for fishing and the outdoors. If you don’t like the 'manly” colors, decorate it with stickers!

The small tackle boxes are great for needles, thread and a small pair of scissors. They are very inexpensive and you can create several sewing kits, for those take along hand projects. By combining small, medium, and large tackle boxes, you can customize your quilting supplies organization and use it at home, for classes or retreats!

PS- If you are a knitter, the tackle boxes work well for all those knitting notions and needles too!