Time-saving tips from our contributors

We asked the contributors to the June/July issue of Quilting Arts Magazine® to offer their time-saving tips for stitch, and here are their answers (with the titles of their articles in the current issue).

Leslie Tucker Jenison – "Stepping Out" (Taking Needle Felting to the Next Level)

• Play music. “I find that an audio background gives me a great deal of focus, and creates a little cocoon around me while I work. It seems to prevent distraction.”

• Keep a drawer of favorite threads within easy reach of your sewing machine. “I use only Superior mono-poly thread in my bobbin, so I can easily change thread colors, which I do very often. Having the mono-filament in the bobbin negates the bobbin thread from showing through to the surface. This saves a lot of time! (One caution: when using mono-filament thread it is a good idea to only fill the bobbin half or two-thirds full, as the edges of the bobbin tend to “flare” outward if filled to capacity.)"

Connie Fahrion – “Thread Trash”

• Always use a free-motion quilting foot on your machine—even for straight lines. 

• Never thread-baste, pin-baste, or use spray-adhesive on your quilt work if it small enough to manage without it. Note: I use wool batting most often and since most fabrics cling to it very nicely, I never baste small work. 

Carol Wiebe – "Against the Grain"

• Use the machine to piece your quilts. "I love to hand stitch, but now I save it for really detailed, focal parts of the quilt."

• If color doesn’t matter, stick to white thread. “Because I paint my quilts after they are quilted, I use only white thread. Not having to change colors constantly is a big time saver!”

• Baste with spray adhesive. “505 Temporary Fabric Adhesive has saved me hours of basting. It does not gum up the needles of my machine, or hand needle, plus the manufacturer claims it is non toxic, and does not use CFC or HCFC.”

• Keep all your project materials together. "I keep the thread, related sketches, printouts, beads, buttons, and trim—whatever—in a banker’s box and label the box by the working title of the piece. That way, I don’t have to hunt for the “right stuff,” especially when I’m working on several projects at once."
  

Denise Linet – “On the surface”

• Keep threads in cutlery trays, sorted by color. "When I am working with a particular color group I can lift that tray out of the drawer and bring it to my work table so that I have my threads right where I need them." 

• Thread several hand needles at one time with different colored threads. “That way, you can switch back and forth easily as you sew.”

Rose Hughes – “Textural Play”

• Have a room of your own. “The biggest time saver I have found comes from having an area where I can leave things in place while working on them without worrying about them being disturbed. Even if it’s a corner of the family room hidden away by a screen or a small closet, when you have a dedicated work space, there no need to take valuable time in order to put it all away and take it all out again each time you work.”

Annette Morgan – “Different Points of View”

• Stop procrastinating. “Several of my students find it difficult to get started—the most important thing is just to launch into a project.”

Gloria Hansen – “Digital Design Principles”

• Set a timer, or two. “I often feel overwhelmed by everything on my to-do list. To get quilting time in, I use an egg timer in my workroom and another computer-based timer on my computers. I alternate between a work list and a personal list. When one alarm goes off, I go into a different area of my home to work. When that alarm goes off, I return to my office (which is also located in my home). Granted, the time set for each isn't the same, and it does take some discipline to do this, but for me it works. Or at least it helps!”