Improve Your Quilting Through Repetition

re: Improve Your Quilting Through Repetition

diayag — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 00:57:05 GMT

I make potholders. It's a very manageable size and has been the basis for practice of free motion quilting, crazy quilting, binding/mitering in a convenient useful format. Of course, everyone I know is getting overrun with potholders and surprised when I give them anthing else! I tried making quilt sandwiches with leftovers to practice on but those end up being part of the collection of what-will-I-ever-do-with-this. At least these leave the house.

I have started making small zipper bags for ipods, laptop cords (laptop jackets oddly fit only the laptop/netbook but you need the cords, too). I am also planning to start making quilted pockets to add to kids clothes that will look like a clever embellishment (I hope). And pockets for purses? You may not feel like quilting a whole bag or (for example) making a whole selvage-quilt handbag/tote, but a pocket is very doable. Quilting being a frugal pursuit by nature, it's got to be practical and not just a pile of quilted bits for someone to tut-tut over when I'm gone.

re: Improve Your Quilting Through Repetition

matate10 — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 19:44:57 GMT

You just have to quilt! don't wait for retirement, or your sewing room to be finished, or the kids to be grown, just belly up to the sewing machine and do it and do it often! and for a long time every day! You'll get better and better and better.

Mary Ann

re: Improve Your Quilting Through Repetition

jcavin — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 12:12:43 GMT

I keep a stack of small muslin and batting 'sanwiches' in a drawer of my sewing machine so that I can practice free motion stitching for about 10 minutes every day I sit down to sew. This has helped me improve both my control and rythym.

Joan