Tidbit Tuesday

It's been a while .... a long while scince I posted a tidbit. This one is for cleaning your Iron.
Last week while doing some fusible applique I happened to get some sticky on the iron. Just a bit but it was enough to make a mess of a project. I remembered about using a used dryer softener sheet to clean the tip of a hot glue gun and thought, why not.  It might just work for a hot iron with fusible web.
And it did. It took off allof black( burnt glue ) and any sticky residue and even shine up the sole plate of the iron.

all clean and ready to go again

I also received a package in the mail today form Angie from morgaine77.blogspot.com
she sent out a few fat quarters , a neat little seam ripper and tweezer and a fabric fairy magnet( I knew she was real just like the quilting fairy .... I found 3 new quilt batts on my door step once,)

Thanks Angie

We are down to the last week of the McCall's Quilting Quilt Design Star 2012. Your votes will be counted until Sunday the 21 and the winner will be anounced on the 23.
Thank you to all how have voted once or daily. It has been a great experience and has helped me design a few more quilts. and the desire to do more. Next week in my Wicked post I will have one that I am thinking of doing a pattern for. I am taking little steps but I am going forward to see what I can do. Sew thank you for your support in my quilting.

Sew until next time happy stitching
in stitches
Annette

Tidbit Tuesdays

It's been a while but here's another tidbit........

Here is just a short little tidbit that I used this weekend making Picking Petals
found in Better homes and Gardens Quilts and more spring 2012.

back side of block with stabilizer

The tidbit is when removing the stabilizer from under your applique.

scoring the seam

run your stiletto along the stitching line and

lift off

the stabilizer almost pops off. This prevents pulling on your block.
 You can run the stiletto under the stabilizer to lift it off after scoring it.I found that this works great on small areas. I found that this went along quit quick and I was off to the next step of the project .
 Another use for your stiletto would be to score the back of the iron on fusible web  to remove the paper backing.
Hope you find this useful.
in stitches
Annette

Tidbit Tuesdays #3

 Tuesdays Tidbit is on Thread guides and holders

Well this little tidbit is one from playing around with different type of thread holders. For those large spools and cones and speical threads.

cone thread holder ... could be mounted on a block of wood
 or attached to your work surface

thread holder guide that
sits on the machines  spool
pins

 What I have found is that sometimes I have to use a   thread  holder to get a better stitch on my machine.
Maybe it has something to do with the tension or it just lets the thread relax a tiny bit before running through the tension discs.( I would have a terible problem with thread shreding and breaking as well as jumping behind the needle screw)
  I have used a free standing holder , one the attaches to the thread pins ( doesn't work with the machine I am using at the moment) as well as using the guide off the surger when in a pinch. and now I have one that fits on the top of my machine sew that the cone is not in the way on the table.

The one made for my machine.

By using it the thread has behaved very well, with no shredding or breaking even using the variegated threads.
I still have to test the tensions and pivot hieghts when free motion quilting.   And I have put it through  a good test working one my daughter's quilt. A good friend has one of the cone flower thread holders and is testing it out at this time ... I do believe that she is happy with it. It has a little more weight than the one I have sew it is not tipping like mine did.

The nice thing about having the  thread behave is that you do not waste sew much thread and time.  I am not using extra items such as sewer's aid to lubricate the thread ( when using this item make sure that you wipe off the needle and bobbin case  you do not want a build up of this product * I also had the okay from the company to use it to fix my problems with the thread and not do any damage to my machine).

Sew now I have finished quilting my daughter's quilt and happy to say that I did not have any of the problems that I have had in the past.
Sew if you need to sew with special threads give a cone/thread holder a try. It just may give you the results you are looking for.

Well now I will be off to hand sewing the binding ( over 400 inches ,1016cm ) sew that will take a day or two.  Pictures to follow, and then a label to make ....must have a label to give a little history... But that's another story

In stitches and hugs
Annette