Today was “Quilting the Sandwich Day”. Jason put on a CD of his music and enjoyed the rhythm of quilting – the sound of the walking foot and the natural rhythm that you get into after a few rows of quilting. It’s relaxing. But, you do have to remember to get up and walk around every 1/2 hour or so. Don’t want to get any stiff muscles. And rotate your shoulders and neck.
I think one of the most helpful tips for Jason has been the “cheater”.
That’s what we’ve been calling the little piece of fabric that you sew between 2 items that you are chain-piecing in case you don’t have another item (yet) to add to the chain.
It saves on thread and it also keeps the threads from getting pulled into the underneath that causes the rat’s nest of threads on the underside of your seam. I’m used to holding onto the threads when I start stitching. As a beginning sew-er, Jason was not used to doing that and sometimes the threads got pulled down into the needle hole. If he uses the “cheater”, that does not happen. He uses it all the time.
4 comments:
Oh, yes, I love the "cheater",too, which I call a Thread Trap.
There is an almost unlimited supply of them in my trash! And I love the way they get filled with threads, becoming stiffer and easier to slide right under the foot.
At some point they need to be replaced (though mostly they just go AWOL, showing up later in a group underneath something).
So far, I have firmly resisted the urge to keep them for "a craft project", pack-rat that I am.
Over here, the girls call those leader-enders, & many make another quilt by making the 'other' blocks- such as 4 patches or 9 patches, in between the current quilt blocks. You have a second top made in no time!
Sunnie, I have never thrown away a cheater, they just disappear on their own!
Meggie, I've heard them called leader-enders, also. Good name, cuz that's what they do. That's a good idea to actually make a block in between.
My scrap doesn't have a name, but I think they're the best thing since sliced bread! I love how they stop that snarl of threads on your work and save on thread too.
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