Double Wedding Ring Quilter

I've always thought that quilters have just a bit of inventor's blood running through their veins, because they are masters at developing tools and techniques to help them stitch their quilts. Members of our generation have developed an amazing number of new quiltmaking methods and tools, adding to the rich heritage passed on to us by previous quilters.

I hope something in this collection of quick tips will help inspire you to make a quilt--or get you past a tough spot in your next project.

Mitered Border

If you are using side-by-side mitered borders in your quilt, sew all of the strips for each side together lengthwise before cutting them to their final length. Add each multi-border unit to the quilt in one piece.

Borders are easier to match at quilt corners when you press seam allowances between the strips in side borders in the opposite direction of the seam allowances in top and bottom border units. The seam allowances will butt into each other nicely for a perfect match.

Some quilting cottons bleed--lose their dyes when washed--especially fabrics with vivid colors like red and purple. The dyes can stain other fabrics in your washload or patches in a finished quilt. Perform this easy bleed test on any cotton fabrics you suspect might bleed.

Perform the Bleed Test

Submerge a small piece of a fabric in soapy water--a 2-inch square is fine. Use the same soap and water temperature you normally use to wash fabrics and quilts.
Let the fabric sit in the soapy solution for about 30 minutes, then check to see if the water is discolored. If it is, the fabric bleeds and the dyes could potentially damage other fabrics.
If the water is clear, try one more thing to make sure the dyes won't transfer onto adjacent fabrics when wet. Remove the patch and, without rinsing, place it on a white paper towel. Wait a bit and check to see if dye has transferred onto the toweling. If it did, chances are good that it will transfer dye onto adjacent patches when your quilt is washed.
Rinse out the soap and dry your test patch, then perform the bleed test again. If bleeding continues, do not use the fabric in your quilts.

If you can't bear not to use a fabric that bleeds or transfers, purchase a commercial dye fixative, such as Retayne, to help make the dyes more permanent. Treat a snip of fabric, following the instructions carefully, then try the bleed test again.

Most fabrics produced by companies that cater to quilters do not bleed, but it's a good idea to do a bleed test on all vivid fabrics until you have a good understanding of which fabrics you can trust.

Keep Your Quilting Fabrics from Fraying in the Wash

The only thing I really dislike about prewashing my quilting fabrics is all the strings that come loose during the wash, wrapping themselves in knots around the yardage.

The threads twist and pull at the fabric when they get tangled up in the wash--and you have to remove them before they go into the dryer so that fabrics come out wrinkle-free. Neglect to lose the threads and you'll see oodles of accordion pleats when you take fabrics out of the dryer.

It's easy to eliminate nearly all of the strings. Just clip off a little triangular section from each corner of fabrics before you wash them. Try about 1/2" or a little less. You'll still see a bit of fraying, but not enough to create bunches of knots.

Give it a try the next time you prewash your quilting fabrics--that little snip really makes a difference.

How to Chain Piece Your Quilt Blocks and Components

Sew units together one after another without breaking threads.

Chain piecing is kind of like piecing on an assembly-line. After cutting your quilt patches, align them right sides together to prep them for sewing. They'll "stick" together more securely if you place a medium-hot iron on top of each pair, so work on them at the ironing board if you want to take that extra step.

Stack the paired units within easy reach next to your sewing machine. Start sewing units together, feeding them through the sewing machine one after another--but without breaking the threads after stitching each pair.

When units are all sewn, cut the threads between them and go on to your next task.

An Easy Way to Make Accurate Quilt Blocks

Before you press a seam allowance to one side, put your iron down on it flat, just as it was sewn. Don't move the iron back and forth--let its weight do the work for you. This step "sets" the seam, flattening puckers that occurred when it was sewn.