Quilting Basics ~ Maintaining Your Quilting Momentum
Jacquie from Tallgrass Prairie Studios shares part four of her Quilting Basics series today. Today Jacquie writes about how to maintain your quilting momentum, with tips on maintaining your machine, your space and even yourself! After you enjoy today’s post be sure to visit Jacquie at Tallgrass Prairie Studios for her latest quilts, and learn more about Jacquie in her Sew,Mama,Sew! Board Member intro.
- Quilting Basics Series posts:
- Part One: Preparing & Cutting Your Fabric
- Part Two: The Quarter Inch Seam & Pressing Techniques
- Part Three: Matching Seams & Quick Piecing Techniques
And today’s Part Four: Maintaining Your Quilting Momentum
Maintain Your Momentum
We all want to make quilts, lots of them. So how do we make the most of our quilting time?
Maintain Your Machine
Experienced quilters know that the sewing machine is our lifeline to being able to work. A sewing machine in the shop is time we can’t sew. No matter if you have an expensive computerized machine, a vintage machine or anything in between, a little tender loving care will go a long way.
1. Cover your machine. Dust is the enemy of a sewing machine and with all our cutting and sewing we quilters create a lot of dust. If your machine didn’t come with a cover, spend a few minutes and make one. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but your machine will thank you.
2. Clean and oil your sewing machine regularly. How often will depend on how much you sew. Dust, fuzz and thread can and will interfere with the smooth operation of your machine. I clean and oil my machine every morning before I start to sew. Your sewing machine manual will have a section on cleaning and oiling or talk to your dealer or local repair shop for advice. These are my go to tools for sewing machine maintenance: a brush and tweezers to remove lint and thread, a mirror for checking hard to see places, and my oil bottle. Charlie works in a sewing machine repair shop. He has lots of great advice on sewing machine care on his blog.
3. Change your needle regularly. You’d be surprised how happy your machine will be with a fresh, sharp needle. Needles need to be changed after about 8 hours of sewing and sometimes more often. The signs of a dull needle are skipped stitches and puckering along seams and who wants those? You can read more about needles from Wanda and from Sew,Mama,Sew!.
Maintain Yourself
Quilting is primarily a sedentary activity and may require many repetitive movements. I’m not a doctor and this isn’t medical advice, but we can do things to maintain ourselves while we quilt.
1. Watch that rotary cutter and be awake and aware while cutting. I cut my face brushing hair out of my eyes. It can happen in an instant. Pins can be dangerous too. I’ll spare you the gory details, but suffice it to say, pins on the floor and a quilter in stocking feet (as well as small children and pets) don’t mix. Find a system for dealing with pins. Use a pincushion or pin box. Get in the habit of putting pins back where they belong as soon as you remove them. I hear that magnetic pincushions work like magic.
2. Cutting is hard on my hands and wrists. This is the Gypsy Gripper. It’s a new to me tool, but so far I’m loving it. It makes it easy to stabilize the ruler during cutting and relieves the stress on my left hand. You might want to look into it.
3. Variety is the spice of life. I try and break up my quilting tasks when I’m working in the studio for hours at a time. I cut, I sew, I press, and I play with fabric instead of cutting, sewing or quilting for hours at a time. I’ve found that my wrists, back, shoulders thank me. I’ve actually moved my ironing board into the next room. It’s not convenient, but it forces me to get up and walk throughout my time in the studio. Depending on what I’m working on, I can add a lot of steps to my pedometer!
Maintain Your Space
I’ve sewn in the dining room, in a tiny bedroom and now in a dedicated place I call my studio. No matter the size of your sewing space, an organized space will make quilting easier and faster.
1. Have dedicated spaces for your tools. It can be as simple as a shoebox, but not having to search for a seam ripper when you need one will save you time and frustration.
2. Organize your fabric. Don’t we all love to do this? I could fold fabric for hours and be a happy camper. You can organize by color, by size of cuts, by collection or any combination of those. I use Monica’s folding method. If your fabric is organized and stored where you can see it, it’s inspiring and also makes for easy fabric auditioning sessions. Try your best to keep your fabric out of direct sunlight and shelter it from dust.
3. Find a way to organize and store your scraps. Mine is pretty simple. I use laundry baskets and I color code my scraps. At the end of a sewing session I sort my leftovers by color and dump them in. AmandaJean has a great post on her method of scrap organization.
4. I love my design wall and I would highly recommend one for everyone who quilts. All you need is some flannel so that you can stick your blocks or fabric to it and stand back. You can pin it to a wall, clip it to your curtains or you can make something more permanent. I used foam core presentation boards from an office supply store. I covered mind with flannel, butted them together and attached them to the wall. Standing back from your blocks as your quilt progresses gives you a whole new perspective on your work. You will able to see value, how fabrics play together and see patterns and designs emerge that won’t be readily apparent close up.
I hope that the Basics Series has given you some hints and tips that will make your quilting easier and more fun or will set you on the road to becoming a quilter. So, sew those first two pieces of fabric together and make a quilt.
We have lots more maintenance resources in our Sewing Machine Month archives too. Check it out!
Comment in any post this week for a chance to win one of these fabulous prizes::
Quilt it With Wool: Projects Stitched on Tartans, Tweeds & Other Toasty Fabrics; Make!: Over 40 Fantastic Projects with 16 Exclusive Designs; 200 Quilting Tips, Techniques & Trade Secrets: An Indispensable Reference of Technical Know-How and Troubleshooting Tips; Jessica Jones Pack ~ 12 Fat Quarters; The Quilts of Gee’s Bend ~ 23 Fat Quarter Pack
190 Responses to “Quilting Basics ~ Maintaining Your Quilting Momentum”
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It makes me wish for more time, space and money. But mostly time! Lovely stash!
Great information!
Very helpful tips. Thanks!
This series has been amazing for a self-taught quilter like me!
Thanks for all the great tips. Since I do alot of cutting , prepping on my feet, I wear my running shoes with my orthodics in them! and don’t forget good task lighting to reduce eye strain.
Great post … now I just have to start getting organized.
a lot of great infomration…my sewing machine is overdue for some tlc!
Excellent, excellent, excellent post! I need to work on so many of these things – organization and a design wall being the biggest!
Well I’ve always thought that I was “kind of” organized but, seeing some of your useful tips brought some new ideas to my head. Thanks
These are all great tips for being a more productive quilter.
Very informative!
I love the ideas for organizing scraps and keeping all materials handy, which is something I always try to do, but don’t always manage to. I think I may visit Target today and get some organizing bins…
This was a really informative post! Thanks!
Scrap control! I could use some of that!
Great tips! I need to do better about needle changing.
Thanks for the great tips!
What a wonderfully informative post! Thank you. I’m off now to read those resources you mentioned.
Great info. Thanks for the link on sewing machine needles.
I really need to get my machines covered! Why haven’t I done that?
Wow, thanks for the great tips! Sadly, my sewing space is not nearly as organized as Jacquie’s, but maybe it’s time to start getting more organized!
Great tips & pictures!!
Another thing to help organize your quilting life is a sketch pad or a dry-erase scribble board in your workspace. It helps to have a place to jot down notes (like a quick shopping list or a thread colour), ideas, tension settings, etc. I use my notepad every day!
Great info and especially appreciate the info about cleaning your machine – going to get busy on making a cover!
Love to hear from experienced quilters — you know that their tips and methods are the ones that will work!
Thx for talking about the Gypsy Gripper – I have just finished cutting some border strips and my left shoulder is aching. I’m gonna go shopping right now.
I have to say tho, that I could never run to the other room for my ironing in between pieces. Just couldn’t do it. *S*
I want your fabric stash! And thanx for the tips (don’t know when my machine was last cleaned!).
My friend Jennie does not have room for a design wall so now she takes a “thumbnail” photo on her cellphone camera. It works great for “standing back” and getting a new perspective of your quilt!
Looks like it’s time to spring clean my “sewing closet” and give my machine a little TLC. Thanks for the tips.
Great tips Jacquie!
What a beautiful stash! I’m jealous.
Excellent tips! Thank you! Especially love the ideas for scrap control.
Perfect timing…my machine has been acting up lately and this post just reminded me that I haven’t changed my needle in quite a while now. Perhaps I’ll try that before getting more extreme
This is so amazingly helpful! I frequently am susceptible to wrist strain (I notice this during counted cross-stitching periods) so I love the gripper idea. Your organization links will be so helpful next month when I prep my office/sewing room and thanks for the tips on the machine! I inherited mine and I’m not familiar with it so I think that’s what’s holding me back from diving into projects right now. This post rocks!!!
Great ideas. I really need to do some machine maintenance. I’ve never taken it in for a checkup, or oiled it or cleaned it. I do blow out the dust when I change the bobbin, does that count?
I’m just realizing the value of the tip to cover my sewing machine every night. I’m switching threads alot on my current project and have come to appreciate how much dust accumulates on my machine!! Lovely photos to go with these excellent tips, too. An inspiring read.
Great ideas. I just got my own sewing table and now have a dedicated space in our little apartment just for sewing. Having a work space is great! After just a couple weeks with my new table, I’ve gotten more sewing done.
Thanks for the great tips, Jacquie!
Great post. It’s a good reminder to respect our tools and bodies. I need to work on ergonomics a little bit.
Where did you get the shelving for your fabric? I see you have two cutting mats and that would be great too, also a bigger table is on my wish list as well. I just got an ergonomic chair for sewing so that is an improvement!!
Thanks for the great ideas!!!!
OOOOh- I see lots of great fabric in your stash! I love how it’s organized by color, now why didn’t I think of that? I’m going to get some flannel & foam core to create a design wall, too. Easy-peasy sounding .
Oh my I wish I had that much fabric!! Thanks for all the great tips.
This isn’t related to the article but the photos. The top photo, the quilts on the rack. The top 3, what is the main fabric being used? It looks like linen? Can someone post specifics on it? I’d appreciate it!
Great info. I’ve been wondering about which machine needles to get.
Is not having enough room still an excuse to be unorganized?
Great post! I need some organizational inspiration!
m
it’s amazing how inspiring just these few tips are to me! I love the scrap sorting!!
I love your posts…all of them,especially since I’m a “wannabe” quilter. I did download a pattern for a machine cover and you’ve just reminded me! Thanks! That will be my second sewing project EVER!…but not the last! (am I the only non-quilter who follows the blog???)
Great tips! And look at all those pretty colors. Someday, when I’m no longer sewing in the dining room, I’ll put some of these organizing tips to use.
i don’t quilt (yet!) but i am just starting to sew and these tips are great for all sewers. so many things i wouldn’t have thought of. i’m such a scattered person so this post is a great resource!
thanks so much for your tips!
great post. I need to organize my scraps.
Wonderful tips. Thank you.
Yep I need to organise myself! Thanks for this article
I’m going to buy felt this weekend! That’s a wonderful idea!!! The floor doesnt look nearly as cool as putting blocks on the wall!
I think I’ve cleaned my machine once since I bought it two years ago. oops! Thanks for the tips!
An excellent post! I’m going to need to get one of those grippers! I usually end up either hurting my wrists, or using my knee to help me stabilize the ruler which is just a bad idea! Thanks for the tips!
Great tips! I really need to maintain my machine better.
Wow – those are some great ideas!! I wish I had a sewing space like that! Love the scraps organization ideas!
Rotary cutters are dangerous! I sliced the tip of my finger when I decided to cut fabric strips after just one relaxing beer.
Very inspiring, and the pictures are WOW!
I LOVE this post. Some stuff I do already, but some stuff I need to do. I LOVE your studio!! Beautiful.
Thanks for the scrap control ideas!
Great ideas! thank you,
Leisel
Smart advice! I need to be better at maintaining my sewing machine.
Great ideas! thanks!
I just loved it!! Thanks for all the ideas… now to expand my little sewing corner and to make some subtle changes!!
Another great post, Jacquie. I would add stretch often and learn to relax your shoulders to the section on maintaining yourself.
Nice, thanks. I love the flannel board and moving the ironing board to force some movement!
Great tips! I have been doing my cutting and layout at the kitchen table and traveling back and forth to my sewing room to sew everything together. Similar to moving the ironing board, that forces me to get up and walk around a bit which seems to make my quilting less sedentary. Thanks so much for all of the info. I am really enjoying this series.
I appreciate the scrap-sorting tips. I sorely need this!
Very helpful and has given me so great ideas. Thanks
Great tips! Creating a design wall is one of the things on my to-do list, and now I want to sort my scraps by colour too!
WOnderful information as Always! Jacquie is so brilliant.
Great info!
Thanks for the tip on how to make an inexpensive flannel board design wall! I love this idea.
I enjoyed getting a peak into your sewing room, Jacquie! I love all the color.
Excellent tips!! Can’t wait til my fabric collection looks like that!
Lots of great tips!
I like keeping all my tool organized. I purchased one of those drawer Storage Cabinets units at HD, it keeps all my needles, pins, pens, blades, ect. nice and neat. I also have a small ceramic crock that hold my rotary cutters, I store them blade down.
thank you, great ideas!
Very helpful, and I’m drooling over your fabric!!
Thank you! I love having all these suggestions in one place.
Such great tips and oh my goodness, look at that fabric collection!
I’m so jealous of organized fabric and scraps. Wonderful tips! Especially about maintaining the machine. It’s so easy to get going and forget about oiling and needle changing.
These are great ideas! Thanks for sharing.
Lots of great advice! I definitely need to clean my sewing machine and change the needle…
Wow – that was a great post – very good advice!
Great post!
Another great post full of useful informatin and tips. best thing I ever did was put up a design wall. I LOVE IT! I just got some flannel backed tablecloth material and pinned it to my wall. Works like a charm. And I think I need to get one of those ruler gripper thingys.
Thanks for the tips and reminders.
I need more fabric so I can organize it to prettily!
Great tips, thanks Jacquie! I do have to say that those rotary cutters stored blades up make me nervous, though!
love the pics of your sewing area!
Always inspiring words and pictures. I’m going to head to my little corner of the house and put all my new fabrics away (that I purchased this morning!) and straighten up a bit…..Maybe I’ll even get a machine cover cut so I can whip it together after the kids go to bed tonite.
That was inspiring! I’m going to clean up my area tonight and get all my tools in a container so I can reach them easily.
Great tips. Off to cover my machine now.
Thank you Jacquie for all that useful information. It has reminded me that my faithful sewing machine is overdue for a service. I will attend to that straight away
I love the stacks of fabric. What a dream!
Such good advice! Wish I had all that fabric to organize
Great tips at a time when I am TRYing to organize my fabric.
And the last step: stop reading about organizing and get up and do it! That’s my biggest downfall.
Great tips!
Thanks for all the great tips! Makes we want to start organizing right away!
Thanks for the information.
Ohh what a heavenly fabric stash and sewing den!! So bright and organised!! To die for!
Great info!
Two greatest suggestions for me: folding the fabric neatly and the design wall! Thanks a bunch.
I feel that I have been neglecting sewing machine maintenance, but I will try to change my ways. And I’m excited to re-fold my fabric. I did some reorganizing a few days ago and couldn’t figure out a way to make different cuts of fabric fold so that they could be stacked in any sort of order. Thanks for all the great tips.
I like the idea of putting the ironing board in the next room to get a little more exercise. I think I just might incorporate that into my quilting routine.
These are some fabulous suggestions! Thanks so much!
Great ideas. I wish I had room for a separate bin for each color of scraps, but I do have them somewhat organized into see through bags by color and long strips together, etc. Love your stash!
Great tips! Thanks for sharing!
This is great advice. I think I just got motivated to re-organize my sewing supplies! Thank you!
Ohh … dull needle. That’s the problem!
wish I had the space to do the fabric organization but alas, my room is a small bedroom and it is filled to the brim already.
This was great, thanks!
What great tips. Thanks so much for the series this month, you have some great advice.
great basic info…lots of us need reminding on taking care of our machines.
Just the motivation I need to continue organizing my space. Love the fabric folding technique and scrap management! Thanks.
Great tips. I should clean my machine more and I guess I better make a cover or use the one it came with!
So many great tips! I need to be better about maintaining my machine.
I love all of these tips and I’m definitely going to have to look into getting one of those ruler-gripper-thingies!
I really appreciated all the links in this post related to quilting, maintaining, and organizing!
Where did you get that great quilt rack that is in the photograph?
Thanks so much, great tips!
I’m really loving this whole month series.
I learned more in this one post than anyone has ever shared with me in my 40+ years of sewing! Thanks you so very much!
Very helpful tips. Thank you!
such great tips! thanks, jacquie!
ugh i need to make a sewing machine cover thanks for the reminder!
Thanks for all the wonderful information. Its of a great help. I’m in the process of re-doing my studio. This will be very helpful to me.
always good advice! just hard to do it all the time LOL!
Lots of good tips there
My ironing board is not right next to my machine either – makes me move!
so organized!
I’ve been learning sooooo much this month, with you! Thanks for taking the time to teach us.
Thank you so much, this is very helpful.
My sewing space is a mess — I like sewing more than I like cleaning! Thanks for the inspiration
ruth,
the quilt rack was designed and made by my father.
Great tips!
Thanks for all of the ideas. I especially would like to have a design wall for quilting.
This is so helpful!
Thank you for taking the time to compile all the information with fabulous links in 1 spot!
alli b
Thanks for the link to scrap organization. I wish I’d fall in love with a project to make with scraps!
I wish I had the space for a real studio.
Oh my machine is naked to the world as we speak. I have to run up and put on her cover. I realy need to remember to do this. Thank you for your great series. I have learned and relearned all kinds of things.
Very informative, thank you so much!
This is really helpful! Thanks for doing the series!
Those are great tips. I find more and more it’s so important to vary my tasks when I’m sewing, otherwise I end up with tight shoulders and a sore back, which keeps me away from my machine for a day or two. By taking breaks, or just doing different activities, i can usually avoid that.
Thanks for the link on needles, that’s just what I was wanting to know.
I love the organized fabric. How beautiful and functional!
I really love this post! I’ve become a stickler for a clean machine and taught myself to to the maintenance so I didn’t have to be without Betsy for a week (or however long it would take to send it out).
And that shelf organization is so pretty! I use plastic bins which is just not as nice to look at since you can’t see all the fabric as easily.
Thank you for all of the fabulous information. It will really help to organize me better.
Thanks for the great tips. Man, I wish I had a fabric stash like that!
Looking at her neat and tidy, colorful fabric stash just makes me feel happy!
I most definitely need to make a design wall. Thanks for the tips.
Oh how I wish I’d lots of room like this – a 5′x7′ room (part lost because of a stair bulkhead) is all I’ve got to play in
Lots of great tips. Thank you!
what a refreshing post! I want more space too!
Being organized is the best way to keep momentum going…I clean up big after every third project.
This is such great info! Thank you so much!
These are the tips I most needed to read. I know I need to be organized, but I feel like I get so little time to do what I love I don’t want to waste it cleaning up. Of course, then I have to rearrange things or find things or do something else that takes up my precious time so my argument is futile. I NEED to be better at maintaining my machine and my workspace! THANKS!
Excellent tips.
fantastic post! thank you so much for this.
Thanks for the info on the Gypsy Gripper. I’ve been considering one since injuring my wrist in a block trimming marathon.
Thanks a bunch! This has been very helpful (and fun to read)!
Wonderful tips, and your sewing space is so neat and organized, lovely!
This is great. I really need to work on the staying organized while working on projects. I tend to have mulitple projects going on at once.
time to organize! My sewing space is a 3×10 foot alley I made behind my bed by moving the bed into the middle of the room instead of along the wall. It’s a small space that demands organization!!
Thanks for the tips!
I’m at the “sewing in the dining room” phase in my life right now, but I’ll be moving into a bigger place (with a spare room for crafting!) really soon – I can’t wait to be able to take advantage of some of these great organizational tips!
Great information ! You’ve given me lots to think about
& comtemplate. From machine care to work habits……
Time for some soul searching !
That Gypsy Gripper looks great. I struggle with dust in my machine, I really need to get better about using the cover. Great tips for cleaning, maybe this weekend I’ll spring clean my machine and put it’s cover on.
I love your fabric organization. I have mine in drawers and it is frustrating to get in and out cause they’re full. Gotta get some shelves.
Great tips:)
Great post! I need to make a cover for my machine, not just to keep the dust out but to keep our curious kitties from dethreading it on a daily basis.
love the design wall! wow – I guess I should clean the machine more than once a year…every day? well, it’s not that hard, and I do want to keep it going!
Thanks for all the great tips!
Think I’ll go spruce up my sewing space…thanks for the nudge!
I am a firm believer in taking care of your machine. I clean lint/fuzz out regularly and change the needles like they are the oil in my car.
Loved this. I love the fabric folding link that was provided. I am in the middle of a room switch and I am getting a remodel in the process. When I move all my stash to the new room, I will most definitely be using this technique. I already own some of the scrap bins used in the photo. I use them in my kid’s toy room. It was interesting to know that someone oils their machine everyday. My mom told me that you can over oil your machine. I guess I will have to check into this further. My book is not that great and it does not tell me how often to oil. I will call the company and ask them. Thanks for posting this. It was alot of great information!
Thank you for this! I love your design wall–how simple and easy and tremendously helpful that must be!! Also, that gypsy gripper sounds like a good idea. I saw them at JoAnn and figured they were just helpful for old ladies who have trouble picking up rulers, but I really do have a problem with keeping my ruler in place when I’m cutting and it sounds like this could help!
Super information! Time for me to get organized.
Thanks for the tips!! I have a project for tomorrow, organizing my studio!!
Great tips! I love your fabric collection. I’m quite jealous.
I like the fabric folding-and my niece sorted my stash by color last weekend while I mended her dress. Good trade!
Thank you for the great information.
This was very helpful! Thanks so much. I wish my fabric looked as pretty as that….
Thanks for the tips! My machine has been behaving very badly this past week. Perhaps it needs a bit of TLC.
Thanks for the tips and reminders of how to clean your machine. I love the fabrics!
Thanks for all the great tips. I’m just getting started quilting and these have all been very helpful
I have just ventured into the world of quilting and sewing. I love sew mama sew!
VERY HELPFULL TIPS
ITS VERY GOOD
I’ve been looking for a flexible shelving system to store my fabric in, and I was wondering if you could link me to what you used in that picture up there? Or tell me where/how you got it? Would be very much appreciated!