TIPS FROM OUR NEWSLETTERS................................

PROBLEM: Temporary Spray Adhesive gets really messy and it smells. What can I do? Nancy, Trevor, WI ~~~ SOLUTION: We have come up with a great idea A soft simple plastic cylinder container. We cut the bottom out. It doesn't have to be perfect. Place the container over the area you want to spray. No mess and you don't get all those fumes; everything stays contained in the cylinder. Great for all embroidery projects and your hoop will stay clean. It also helps with small quilting or craft projects. If you can't use the container, stay safe and spray outside.

FABRIC: Always buy the best fabric you can afford.

When you purchase fabric, read the information on the bolt before you take it to the cutting table. Get info on the fabric, width, washing instructions, and whether or not it's flammable.

Virgie from New York was asking "Do I need to wash my fabric?" We recommend that you do. The solution is simple especially if you spend a lot of money on fabric and don't want your fabric to bleed. If you have a lot of dark colors like red, browns, blues, etc. it is best to wash like colors together in your washing machine with a little baking soda. Throw in a sheet of Shout Color Catcher (there are other brands out there) in with the load. It will trap all the loose dyes. It's a wonderful product that you can purchase at your grocery store. It's also great for your every day laundry when you want to wash different colors together. Great for college students who have no time to separate their laundry.

FEET Invest in some specialty feet to aid in your sewing. Feet with guide bars on the side or in the middle do wonders for our ability to sew straight in-the-ditch or otherwise. The 1/4" foot is especially a valuable tool in quilting.

A GARDENER'S GREEN TIP: Use your leftover cotton strips to tie up tomato plants. It won't cut through the plant.

MARKING: Why use blue painter's tape? (1) Use it for marking straight lines when quilting your quilt top; (2) Mark a 1/4" or more on your sewing machine bed for sewing accuracy; (3) Mark lines on your ruler. P.S. You can also reuse it.

BORDERS: In regard to borders, use lengthwise grain and most likely you will not get ripples or waves on the border edge.

BINDING: Be careful when sewing on bias binding; stretching can cause your edge to ripple.

RULERS: Use the same ruler throughout your project to ensure accuracy.

Put sandpaper dots on your rulers to avoid slippage when cutting your fabric.

LINT: Keep a rolling lint-roller handy to pick up those loose threads; keeps your sewing area clean and saves time on saving to drag your vacuum cleaner out.

STORING YOUR QUILT: After you make that beautiful quilt, make a matching pillow case to store it in. If you put it in a plastic bag, it might get tossed out in the garbage.

EMBROIDERING: When you embroider, don't forget to lower your speed--it just makes it easier on your machine and you get better results.

PIECING: For a pieced project, make a sample block and press it. Measure each pressed finished block against the sample for an exact match.

FREEZER PAPER: When ironing with feezer paper, never use steam as this keeps the freezer paper from sticking.

NEEDLES: Cut thread on the diagonal for easier threading. Also wet the needle, not the thread.

When starting a new project, start with a new needle.

When paper piecing, change the needle several times throughout the project. Paper dulls the needle.

THREAD COLOR: When in doubt about quilting thread color, go with a neutral color. Don't forget about the back, it's just as important as the front.

THREAD TENSION PROBLEMS Having thread tension problems lately? The most common problem with thread tension starts from a bad habit we all do at one time or another. When changing the spool, we tend to grab the spool and pull the thread up and out of the machine in the opposite direction (ouch). The machine was made for thread to only go in one direction--from the spool down through the tension discs through the needle. By pulling it backwards through a path that's meant to go forward, you force the thread in the opposite direction; thereby, causing misuse of the tension discs.

Solution: Snip the thread near the spool, make sure that the presser foot is raised and the needle is in the up position, then pull the thread out from the needle. What we don't need is a tension headache and a costly bill from the repair man.

DON'T FORGET TO TAKE YOUR MACHINE IN AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR FOR IT'S ANNUAL CHECKUP.

QUILTING: It's better to use a busy pattern on the back to cover those little quilting mistakes. Even the experts do this.

After you pin your quilt sandwich, make sure you get the quilting done in a few days. Leaving your quilt pinned for a long time will create holes in the fabric.

When cutting fabric with your rotary cutter, keep your little finger off the ruler when you cut strips. This helps keep your ruler from pivoting.

When making a child's quilt, use flame retardant batting for safety. This batting can be purchased at most quilting stores or on-line.

Attach your quilt label on the back before you quilt the layers together. The quilt stitches will integrate the label into the project and prevent anyone from removing it later.

Ever have skipped stitches? The cause could be a damaged (bent) needle, the wrong needle, or the wrong thread in the top and bobbin. Change each one at a time to find the problem. This exercise really works.

NEVER sew over pins. If the needle hits the pin, you could damage your machine. When the machine is forced to jump over a pin, the stitch is weakened which causes the area of the seam to eventually break.