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You are all so ..... so creative and so smart. These are excellent tips and thanks for participating. I hope we'll get lots more replies.
I am still making mistakes because of rushing .... especially when cutting.... that just won't work. Slow down.... take your time...... read your instructions..... don't expect total perfection and enjoy the product of your imagination.... and eat chocolate cake. What great advice!!!!
I found that when I sew triangles or HST, if I lay the tip of the fabric on a small scrap of paper (coffee filters work great!) before I slip it under the needle, the tip doesnt get sucked into the machine and the paper tears away easily without pulling on the threads and distorting the piece.
I have learned to be very VERY careful with a stitch ripper. They easily and unnoticably go through the back of the fabric and cut the fabric too.
Also, replace your seam ripper when it gets dull. You are more likely to rip your fabric due to frustration when using a dull ripper. Have a sharp one, and be careful when you use it.
Also, press gently. I have been know a time or two to IRON my fabric right out of shape rather than just pressing the seam. It's really hard to break the IRONING habit, but you really need to.
Heather
My Tip: use good quality cotton fabric. It is so much easier to work with..plus it keeps it's shape better. 2. Keep your scissors/roller blades sharp. 3. Clean your machine daily. It makes alot of difference when you start off with a clean, well oiled machine. So at the end of a days worth of sewing, I will clean!!
Oh Heather...... me tooo. I've had to really be careful when pressing so that I don't distort the square with too much pressure or too much tugging.
One step at a time. I learned that when I participated in the Christmas block swap. I almost let the block overwhelm me, but took it one step at a time, Jenny's video played endlessly too, and soon I was doing them in big batches. Starch really is a quilter's friend, non-aerosol Niagara is my fave. No more 'cheap' fabric for me, once you sew with the best--Moda and such--you will never like the
lesser quality stuff, I have to save longer to buy it, but it's so worth it. Changing needles often is another great tip, it makes an amazing difference in your stitching.
Very good question Mia.My biggest thing is learning to slow down!!! I am very impatient but the more I make the better I get at slowing down and if I start making mistakes I have learned to just walk away because I am probably either not in the mood to sew or I am getting tired and trying to rush through. My favorite tip is using a scrap of paper to keep my machine from eating my fabric,love love love this tip!!!But the best thing I like about sewing is getting to share projects with all of you wonderful people.I have always said people who sew are just down right good people and you all have proved what I have said all along!! Yea MSQC you have brought all of us together. Thank you sewwwwww much.Hugs
One thing I have learned is to never, ever sew when you are tired...too many mistakes and too much frustration. It is better to get some rest and have lots of energy for all your creativity :)
Great survey. What I have learned the hard way is this. I have purchased several quilt kits from a local quilt shop where all the fabric is pre cut by how much yardage you need. The only trouble is they cut it and pack it but don't mark it and sometimes, if they run out of the fabric that is called for by the pattern, they substitute it with something else. It's just such a puzzle to put the right fabric with the right pattern piece. Frankly, since I have found MSQC, I only use pre-cuts. Life is so much easier and quilting is so much more fun. Thanks Jenny.