Quilting Tips

• As with many other crafts, start with simple designs at first. Then, as your experience and confidence increases, move on to more complex designs.
• Try enlarging patterns and designs using a copier or computer software.
• Plastic bags with zippers come in a variety of sizes and can be helpful for separating colors or cut pieces.
• Create a cutting template, or ask a friend to create a cutting template out of firm plastic or even firm colored foam.
• Use the template to help in cutting pieces of cloth. Try using a solid color template or edge the template with contrasting tape such as colored electric tape.
• Try a variety of needle threaders or needle threading techniques.
• Use contrasting textures and colors to make the work visually stimulating and tactually fun.
• To help maintain a straight sewing line, use tape or a line of quilt pins (quilting pins are longer and have a round head. Find the Clover Quilt pins [link opens in new window] shown here at Blackberry Quilts) This tactual/visual line can act as a guide for your sewing and can easily be moved along as the sewing continues.? If you decide to use tape, do not keep it on the fabric too long as the glue will migrate to the fabric.
• Safety pins may be easier to use to hold the project together.
• Small, even stitches are most desirable, but as a new quilter or as a quilter with vision impairment, strive for even stitches — small stitches will come with practice and experience.