Quilting Tips and Tricks

Iron With Joy: Make your own lavender water and save a mint (this is my most popular tip)! Combine 2 cups of distilled water, 2 ounces of cheap vodka and 15 to 20 drops of 100 percent essential oil of lavender (available at health food stores) or another scent. Add lavender water to iron and enjoy the aroma.

Homemade Spray Starch: Boil 1 quart of water. Dissolve 4 tablespoons of liquid starch into 2 cups of cold water; add to boiling water and return to a boil, then remove from heat immediately; add 2 more cups of cold water. Starch should be clear and not milky. Place it in a mist spray bottle (figure B) and store in the refrigerator. This is extremely cost-effective--only 2 cents a quart. Clean the iron with a wet terry towel.

Displaying Unfinished Quilt Tops: Iron a long strip of freezer paper to the wrong side of the border's edge. This also prevents unraveling.

Strip Piecing Time-Saver: Organize and store cut fabric strips by hanging them on an over-the-door towel rack or a wooden or plastic drying rack.

Pin Magnets: Pick up loose pins quickly with a flat refrigerator magnet, rather than buying expensive magnet wands. Tape a magnet to your sewing machine to pick up/secure pins.

Eraser: Erase snippets of thread after seam ripping with a Pink Pearl eraser or pencil eraser.

Reducing Glasses: Instead of purchasing an expensive reducing glass, buy a door peephole from the hardware store. Or look through your binoculars backward or use a camera lens to view the quilt. Alex Anderson suggests putting your back to the quilt and using a hand mirror to view it (figure D)!

Budget Buying: Use a permanent fabric marker to write the name of the fabric collection, the style and color numbers, the quilt shop of purchase and the price per yard on the selvage of the fabric--just in case you run out and need the exact fabric to complete your quilting project.

Fusible Webbing: Use parchment paper instead of expensive fusible sheets. It will save money and also prevents glue from adhering to the iron's surface.

Pinpointing Your Hand-Quilting Place: Tie a milk bottle cap with holes punched into it and sew it in place where you last stitched (figure G). Untie the cap and begin quilting. It's a big time-saver!