Quilt Making Tips For Beginner's Or Advanced Quilters

These quilt making tips have been gathered from experienced quilters and from early Quilting Bees. In the world of art and crafts, quilting is one of the oldest crafts.

• A block is a square that is pieced or made with fabric appliqués. A quilt can be made of blocks that are the same pattern or a variety of patterns. The most popular size square is 12 inches, but quilters have made all sizes, ranging from 6 to 16 inches.
• Piecing is the cutting out of fabric shapes and sewing them together two pieces at a time with a small stitch. Then they are combined to another shape to form a larger section until the block is completed.
• Be very careful about using too much black in your quilt. If you use too much black your quilt will have a dark or somber look.
• The best quilt making tip I can give you is to be sure to choose a color scheme that you want to live with for a while. Some colors go out of style.
• Beginning quilters should buy a package of needles containing a variety of sizes. You can decide what sizes is best for you after you have been quilting for a while.
• Be careful with your rotary cutter. They are very sharp so be sure to always close your cutter as soon as you’ve finished each and every cut.
• A fat quarter is one quarter of a yard. However, instead of the salesperson cutting ¼ yard the normal way across the width of the fabric, she cuts the yard in half lengthwise and then across the width. These pieces are great because you can fit larger patterns on them.
• Be sure to use only rubber cement and not other type of glue when making your templates. Rubber cement dries flat and won’t make the paper ripple. If your template is not flat, it will not be accurate.
• Sometimes when you try to cut a small sliver off your templates, you only make it worse by cutting too much. To make your edge even, file it down with sand paper or an emery board.
• If you have to put your work up for awhile it is easy to lay your pieces out on a piece of felt. You can then just roll it up and then when you are ready just unroll it out. The fuzzy nap of the felt keeps the pieces in place.
• Press seam allowances to one side, not open as in dressmaking. When seams are pressed together, they are stronger.
• Choose thread that is 100% cotton or an all-purpose cotton wrapped polyester. Do not use 100% polyester because it will knot and it does break easily

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