Tag: Tips

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The Size of Thread

I don’t know about you, but I’ve always been confused about thread sizes, needle sizes, and the like. It seems like every industry has their own scale and bigger doesn’t always mean larger numbers. The folks at Superior Threads have solidified my understanding of thread sizes:

Have you wondered why thread gets thinner as the weight or thread size number gets larger?  It is confusing but there is a reason behind this system.  Here is a simple analogy to illustrate why:
The goal is to determine how much thread it takes to weigh one pound.
Thread A takes 20 miles to weigh a pound so it is labeled as 20 wt.
Thread B takes 40 miles to weight a pound and is labeled 40 wt.  It is a finer thread because it takes 40 miles to weigh one pound.
Thread C takes 60 miles to weigh a pound so it is even finer yet. 

If you haven’t used their thread, it might be worth a try. It’s really good! And their newsletter is quite funny. Check it out HERE.

Happy quilting!

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Double Batting

Pam's Stars
Pam's Stars

This quilting provided a new experience for me. The customer wanted double the batting, so I used two layers of her batting and did a simple meander. The quilt was heavy and wonderful….very cozy indeed!

Other than trying to get both layers of batting to lay flat as I rolled and quilted, it was a good experience. I learned that I could do it! I used a #19 titanium needle because in addition to the two layers of fabric and the two layers of batting, there were spots on the quilt where another layer of fabric had been fused over the first layer of fabric.  Good thing I have a heavy-duty Gammill!

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501 Rotary Cut Blocks

A lifetime of blocks to be sure! I’ve written about this book before, but this is such a great book, you really have to have it in your quilting library. I started with Judy Hopkin’s “Around the Block” and I loved that so much I now have the “501 Rotary Cut Quilt Blocks” as well. I’ve loaned this book out a lot to friends, so it’s well worth having in your library. One of the neat things is that the book gives you instructions on how to do each block in several different sizes. Check it out….happy quilting!

Great for every quilting library

501 Rotary-Cut Quilt Blocks (That Patchwork Place)

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Help quilt book for beginners and beyond

I’ve had the book, The Quilters Ultimate Visual Guide, for years and every now and then I refer back to it. It has all sorts of good tips and techniques that every skill level can learn from. I highly recommend it! I’ve put this information up here before, but several new quilters have asked me what book they think might be a good one for a beginning quilter, and I think this is one of them.

A must have book for every quilt library

The Quilters Ultimate Visual Guide: From A to Z– Hundreds of Tips and Techniques for Successful Quiltmaking