Quilting tips.......

[Heather]

Check out the buttermilk recipe for old age spot stains....wonder if it works? Anyone tried it? This is taken from the site Cotton By Post.

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Keep your threads clean and untwistedsaran wrap! or other brand cling wrap.
Cut a piece 1" wide by the width of the roll .... wrap it around your spool of thread leaving a thread tail outside at the top ..... it will freely unwind with the wrap on . This is a lot less expensive than the product advertised in some quilting catalogues. Beve Jeffery, ... London, Ontario


Place two 2" pieces of fabric together.......always start your sewing through this bit of fabric first ... it will strengthen the stitches at the beginning of your regular piecing. Have another 2" square piece to run off at the end of your work
The benefit of doing this is ... tidy stitches at the beginning and end of your work (always clip your threads close tothe 2" square ) very little thread is wasted ... no long ends start or finish.....back of work is always neat ...
Always leave 2" square under your needle with the pressure foot down when you are finished ...this is easier on your machine ...

Beve Jeffery, London, Ontario

Keep a piece of "bounce" fabric softer in your work kit ..... if your thread is
getting twisted ... run it across the bounce sheet and the static will be
removed and your thread will untwist ...

Beve Jeffery, London ,ON, Canada


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Thought everyone would like to know about the Buttermilk recipe to remove old age spot stains and to brighten colors in quilts. It is a safe method as every ingredient is natural so there is no danger of damaging your fabric.

BUTTERMILK RECIPE

1 Gallon Water
1 Quart of Buttermilk
1 Tablespoon of Lemon Juice

Soak quilt in mixture then wash in mild detergent. The yellowed aged spots will disappear and the colors will have a new vibrancy. I put my washer on the soak cycle and then let it soak for as long as I feel it is needed and it is already for the regular washing cycle. No muss no fuss.

Susanne Ellenberger
One Stitch At A Time :>)


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A quilter's own saliva will remove her blood from fabric. Useful for when we stick our fingers!


Elisabeth from Corpus Christi, TX


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When quilting in a circular motif, begin at 2 o'clock (figuratively speaking) draw half of your thread through, wrap the remainder around a pin (out of the way) then proceed counterclockwise as far as you can comfortably do so. Then thread the tail end and work in a clockwise direction to meet the other stitching.


Maureen Terry, Tillsonburg, ON, Canada


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To make it easier to pull needle through your quilt when hand quilting,
either cut a finger off of latex gloves or purchase "finger cots" at your
local health store and place on middle finger. You won't need to drop your
needle to pick up other rubber disks such as pieces of balloons, etc.


Chip Styles, Thunder Bay, ON

[frugalmel]

I have never tried this, but I would imagine it would work. I have heard of using lemon juice to take out stains before in laundry. My only concern is that it might pull out the color?? Maybe the buttermilk neutralizes it enjough for that to not happen? Just some ponderings.