Sally Quilts and SEW Can You!
Learn tips and tricks for quilting from our expert quilter!
Hi my name is Sally Scott.
I have been with The Grace Company since it started 25 years ago, and it has been amazing to see the fun and wonderful changes that have come about in quilting, sewing, embroidery, crochet, knitting, and all these fun arts in general.
I have been sewing for over 50 years—everything from quilts to wedding dresses, to camping equipment. Even lots of little girls’ dresses which I made my little sisters model at school and various fashion shows.
When my daughters were little I had my own in-home sewing business, sewing everything from prom and wedding dresses to home décor items. At Christmas my kids always wanted to make their gifts with mom’s help. As they got older, my daughters’ appreciation for sewing grew—only because they knew no one would have a prom dress like theirs.
My daughters have their own families now. I love spoiling and teaching my grandchildren about these things, but most of all, it is fun to watch them discover their own talents.
I have always loved cooking! Every Christmas I dip chocolates. I’ve done a lot of food dehydrating over the years, and like to get fancy with my cooking.
It’s also fun to see my daughters picking up on some of the hobbies and skills I enjoyed when they were young. It’s really rewarding to see this.
I always have a project to work on. I love being able to take my sewing or handwork with me wherever I travel (mostly to quilt shows for the Grace Company) or with family. In fact, I started a grandmother's flower garden, and thirteen years later, it's still growing.
It has been wonderful to be able to put a word or two into some of the great frames and notions that The Grace Company has come out with over the years.
And now we are all into computers and wonderful things like blogs and newsgroups. We are even doing computer-assisted quilting with our QuiltMotion! I enjoy creating new designs to personalize each quilt. But even with all this new technology, hand quilting will always be a faithful stand-by for many quilters.
I'm excited to be able to share some of my quilting classes, taught here at The Grace Company, quilting tips and tricks, new quilting products, and other exciting developments. I also look forward to hearing from all of you quilters, sewers, knitters, and crafters, as you keep us informed about your own projects and discoveries.
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Hi Janet,
For most of the home sewing machines, I make sure I am using good needles and thread. I like the 100/16 Denim Jeans needles because they are a heavier needle with a little bigger eye and the thread will do better. Also I use a 40 weight, all cotton thread for most things, but if I want to use the real decorative thread, then I will use the Titanium 100/16 needles. If my spool has the rough edge around the top, I will use the little plastic lid cover that should come with my sewing machine, so the thread isn't rubbing against it and breaking. There are a lot of great threads out there. One other thing that will help you is to make sure you are not rolling the fabric too tight. (Please check out the post about putting the fabric on the frame )Always let the backing fabric give to the top.
Hope this helps you.
Sally
I use the Schmetz sewing machine needles Denim/Jeans 100/16 on lots of the different machines. If I am using a Long Arm machine I will go with 100/18. And for most cotton quilts, I use a size 40 thread and I will use that in the bobbin also but I use a size 30 also and sometimes I use the pre-wound bobbins and that is a finer thread.
I just took a quilt off of my new EZ3. I tied this quilt and was quite suprised with the results. As I looked at the quilt, the top fabric bunched against the ties like the top wasn't pulled tight. But it was. This happeded through out the entire quilt except for the area I started on. Now I am cutting out all of my ties to start all over again. I thought I would only have to tie this quilt once. What happened?
Hi Carol,
When using any no baste frame, (machine quilting or hand quilting) you need to make the backing longer and wider so it can always give to the top. If the backing is pulled tighter then the top, then when you take the quilt off the frame, the top will be puckered. I am sending you a paper that will show you how to make your backing and batting larger. Also be sure to clamp your bungees to the backing and batting only and then every time you roll the quilt, baste along the sides where the binding will be going and that will help keep the fabric from creeping to the middle when you start quilting. It will also make your quilt ready to add binding to when you are done quilting, because it will lay nice and flat for you along the edges to put the binding on.
-Sally
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When I put my Brother Machine on the Grace Frame, the thread keeps breaking. Do I have the practice piece I am working on pulled too tight, too loose or can you think of another problem. I took the machine off and it sews fine so it has to be something wrong on the loading of the practice piece.