More About Sewing Machine Needles and Weekly News

It’s amazing what treasures you find traveling across the country.

In addition to the fabulous quilt shop discovered in Texas (so I could get special Texas fabric for a quilt), Jim and I visited the town of Tombstone.

Yes, the one Wyatt Earp and his brothers had the shootout at the OK Corral!

A couple of years ago, we stopped at Oatman and were greeted by wild donkeys wandering up and down the main street.

As we walked the real, live boardwalk in Tombstone, I was fully expecting to see some wild donkeys pop out of the side streets.

Alas, none did.

But, at the end of the street was the Bird Cage Theater, which has been converted into a museum and retains its original bullet holes from numerous gun fights.

Of course, we had to do the self-guided tour to see the stage with its original curtains, the private boxes above the main floor, and the basement which was home of the longest running poker game in the history of the US (or so they claim).

The stuff was all pretty cool; and they had tables full of the “tools” of daily life in years gone by.

It’s interesting to imagine what life must have been like back then, and how rugged the folks were – compared to our life now.

Even so, in the OK Corral museum area there was a room set up with a nice quilt – and the Bird Cage Theater even housed a treadle sewing machine!

Alas, though, no modern-day fabric or quilt shop in Tombstone.

Still, the town’s worth a visit.

In today’s news, you’ll see a picture of the sewing machine and read insights from a Conversation with Annie Smith, expert quilter:

http://how-to-quilt.com/newsletter/machineneedles.php

 

Needle Threaders

How could a crazy-looking gadget be so useful?

That was my first thought when I saw it hanging on the notions wall in my local quilt shop.

Yet, it is amazing how easily this weird-looking contraption will thread needles for you.

With my more-challenged eyesight, I’m finding that having additional tools like these around makes my sewing a lot easier.

You may, too.

There are a bunch of different needle-threading tools around, yet this is one of my favorite.

It’s easy to use (once you get the hang of it), and is reliable!

You’ll find step-by-step instructions when you visit:

http://how-to-quilt.com/articles/6008-needle-threader1.php

Needle Threader

 

My Beloved Singer Featherweight

Often I am asked what sewing machine I use for my quilting.

The answer is twofold, actually.

For piecing, I use a very old, but in fabulous condition, Singer Featherweight.

And for free motion machine quilting, I use a pretty much bottom of the line Janome.

Even though I know many quilters use more modern machines for their piecing, I love my Featherweight in its simplicity.

Plus I can easily carry it with me – to a workshop, on vacation (?), wherever!

A few years ago, Jim was in the local Sew and Vac and saw a Featherweight on display for sale.

He immediately called and asked if I wanted it.

The price was great, it was just like new and I instantly said ‘yes!’

The timing couldn’t have been better because the motor on the one I had got to the point where it was tired and needed a long rest.

Now it’s packed away and I’m enjoying my “new” Featherweight:

http://www.how-to-quilt.com/articles/6029-singer-featherweight.php

 

Strange Sewing Machine Needles and Weekly News

Actually needles aren’t all that strange.

And, as a quilter, you have probably seen several different types of sewing machine needles – needles that make your quilting easier and much more fun.

In today’s article, you’ll learn about several different specialty needles for your sewing machine:

http://how-to-quilt.com/newsletter/strangeneedles.php

 

Cutting Layers of Fabric with a Rotary Cutter

Every time I begin to cut fabric for a quilt, I pull out my rotary cutter, ruler and mat – and I say a word of “thanks” to the person who figured out that a pizza cutter could also cut fabric.

That’s because I remember the days of cutting individual patches with scissors.

Not only did it take hours of time more to cut the fabric, but the stitching lines had to be marked.

And then before I started sewing the patches together, all of those little stitching lines had to be lined up and pinned – so the patches were sewn correctly.

Not that I’m complaining, mind you.  After all, there wasn’t a choice – and it was far better than quilters 200 years ago, since I had really sharp scissors.

Those days are long gone for me, and I appreciate my rotary cutter.

And one of the things I appreciate about it is that I can cut through multiple layers of fabric at the same time.

Before you do, you need to make sure that the fabric is lined up correctly.

In today’s article, you’ll get tips for cutting through several layers of fabric and you can watch a video showing how to fold your fabric to ensure straight strips:

http://www.how-to-quilt.com/articles/6113-cut-layers-of-fabric.php

//

 

Thread for Your Quilting

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just read the label on a spool of thread and know exactly what you are getting?

Maybe you thought it worked that way.

For years, I thought it did.

Even though I didn’t understand what “thread weight” meant, it seemed to me that if two brands of thread said they were 30 weight, that would mean they were the same thickness.

Turns out that thought was wrong.

To find the facts, we turned to expert quilter, Dierdre McElroy, who was happy to tell us how it all works and how to tell the difference:

http://www.how-to-quilt.com/articles/6096-thread.php

Dierdre McElroy

 

A Handy Quilting Tool

Just like great craftsmen, most quilters have their favorite tools – ones they rely on often in order to make their construction easier (and for quilters – more fun).

And I’m no different.

Yet, in the Rotary Cutting Department, which ruler I use depends on what I’m cutting.

A few years ago, I ran across a ruler that caught my eye in the quilt shop.

I hadn’t seen an ad for it or another quilter use it, yet I thought it might be very handy.

Maybe what caught my eye was its odd shape.

Or possibly it was just because I hadn’t seen it before.

Whatever, I decided to invest and try it out.

And I’m glad I did.

It is very easy to use, although I did need to read the instructions and do some testing.

Not to worry, I’ve written up some instructions with pictures showing you how to cut triangles with it – I’m sure you’ll be able to figure out how to cut strips!

http://how-to-quilt.com/articles/6027-allinone-ruler.php

All in One Ruler for Quilting

 

Straight Pins and How to Quilt Weekly News

It’s amazing to me that something simple can change my entire outlook.

When I first started making quilts, everything took soooo long.

My corners weren’t all that square and my blocks ended up being different sizes.

It seemed like I spent more time fixing things than sewing them in the first place.

Then I decided to take a class to learn how to make an Irish Chain quilt.

It turned out that it was using a strip piecing technique.

I had heard about it, but had not tried it – I was still cutting my patches with scissors!

By the end of the class, my quilt top was almost finished – having started with no fabric cut!

And my corners were square and the blocks all fit together.

Just learning that one technique opened my eyes to a whole new world of quilting because I realized how much fun it could be – and that I would be proud to have someone know I made that quilt, generations from now.

Every March I think fondly on that Irish Chain quilt I made oh so many years ago.

Glad I stuck it out and kept learning from those quilters who were so willing to share their techniques.

In this week’s news, you’ll discover more of the inside story of that quilt and get the March quilt block patterns:

http://how-to-quilt.com/newsletter/straightpins.php

 

 

Rotary Cutting and Weekly News

When I began making quilts many years ago, the tools were pretty much the same as they were when quilters were creating quilts 250 years ago.

The scissors were a little bit sharper than our quilting sisters used then.

The patterns were a little bit more plentiful, and we didn’t have to rely on newspapers, magazines and word of mouth as our sole sources for quilt block patterns.

And some people were actually beginning to make plastic templates instead of having to rely on sandpaper, cardboad, manila file folders and the like.

The best, first invention for quilters in decades was the rotary cutter.

In this week’s news, you’ll see a video showing rotary cutting techniques and download your free quilt block patterns:

http://www.how-to-quilt.com/newsletter/beginner-quilting.php

 

Sewing Machine Needles

So, there you are, a new quilter trying to decide which needle to buy for your machine.

It should be easy, right?

Then you notice some strange fractions written on each needle pack, like 80/12 or 110/18.

Those numbers really are not fractions.

They denote two sizing systems — Metric and American.

The American number is the smaller number and it is sometimes listed first.

The number refers to the diameter of the needle’s shaft.

Knowing that much you would think it might be easy to choose the right needle, wouldn’t you?

Yet, it’s not quite that easy.

The good news is that often the package of needles gives a kind of hint about what types of fabric or projects the needle is made for.

For example, Denim needles are heavy duty and are great for denim rag quilts.

Topstitch needles are made to sew through several layers of fabric and make great machine quilting needles for your home sewing machine.

And for piecing, I use Universal needles – a kind of medium weight needle.

For more information about sewing machine needles and how to choose the right one, visit:

http://how-to-quilt.com/articles/6095-sewingmachine-needle.php