Quilting

I am still quilting on my entry. While doing this endless, or so it seems, quilting I keep thinking of tips I should pass along. So here are a few thoughtful tips when machine quilting.

1. Clean out the lint in your machine bobbin area often. Lint quickly accumulates and can cause many problems while quilting. Routine cleaning and oiling is very important to the longevity of your quilting machine. Brush out the fuzz from around the hook and foot. A tiny amount of lint can cause poor stitches. Use a soft bristle bush to wipe out the bobbin area. Canned air only blows the lint around. Use oil if your machine requires it.

After each project, and during a large project, I take the time to remove my metal throat plate and clean out the bobbin area. Even using polyester threads you are probably still using cotton fabric and cotton batting  these will create lint in your machine.

2. Change your needle regularly to avoid thread breakage, tension problems and needle breakage. A worn needle can mean skipped stitches, shredded thread and a weakening of the needle itself. Use the old needle to make sure the new needle is firmly in place. Place the tip of the new needle in the eye of the old needle and push up until it stops. Then tighten the screw.

3. Use the right needle for the right thread. Check out different needles for different kinds of thread. At Superior Threads you can download a chart of what needles to use with what thread.

4. Dispose of your old needles in a safe way. Keep an old lidded container of some kind by your sewing machine and mark it with OLD NEEDLES. Place the used needles in this until it fills up and then discard the whole container. Get a new container with a lid to start saving the old ones again. This way when the container hits the land fill they won’t just be floating around for little critters to get stuck with.