Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Tip of the Month + a Give Away!

Linda demonstrates the Clover No. 12 Crochet Hook
Please read to the bottom to see how you can enter to win a prize!


Good Morning!

This morning I was stitching away on a quilt for a customer when I saw a dark thread underneath the white fabric on the quilt top. I called my office assistant over to show her a neat trick for removing the dark thread and I thought I should share it with all of you as well. This tip has definitely come in handy over the years!


In the picture above you can see a dark thread under the white fabric if you look closely.


I'm using a Clover No. 12 (teeny tiny) Crochet Hook to gently poke through the white fabric.

I reached in with the hook and gently pulled the dark thread out. The hole that is left behind is very minimal and diminishes completely by rubbing it lightly with your finger.

Here you can see the long, dark thread that was removed.

Clover Soft Touch Steel Crochet Hook - Easy and Ergonomic - Made in Japan

We sell these awesome crochet hooks in our online store at this link: Long Arm Supplies and believe every long arm quilter should have one!

Please feel free to leave a comment on this post and let us know what your favourite long arm or just quilting tip is! We'd love to hear it. Everyone who leaves a comment with a tip will be entered to win one of these wonderful crochet hooks! For an additional entry please post about this contest on your own blog and then leave a comment here letting me know you've done that. Please be sure to leave your name and email address so we have a way of contacting you to let you know you've won. We'll draw a name on Dec. 15. Good luck!

Happy quilting!

Linda

17 comments:

SandyQuilts said...

Thanks for the tip. I use cafe curtain rods to hold up my leaders so I don't crash into the clamps.

Kimberly said...

What a great idea! I remember when I was young and had braces, a doctor in the ER used a crochet hook to remove a wire that was poked deep into my cheek. I guess they're good for anything!
Blessings, Kimberly

Kimberly said...

Oh, and my tip would be to make sure you have a big mug of steaming chai right beside you as you settle in to do your handwork... works for me every time!

crazy4mycrafts said...

This is awesome! Thanks for the tip! My mom will love this one!

chook said...

hi
I am new to quilting I get my machine around christmas time so thank you for the tip
now the only tip I can give is as I have been told just have a go and try new things
and have lots of chocolate on hand
hugs Beth

Lynn Osborne said...

I'm a new quilter so don't have any great tips to share. I have just learned about my 1/4" foot that is speeding up my piecing as I used to go slower to try to be exact about my seams. Thanks for the chance to win!

safaricat said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
mageez said...

Am brand new with my long arm. have only done 2 quilts so far and am looking for all the tips and hints i can find. thanks for this one.

Jeni said...

Thanks Linda, that is a GREAT tip! Love the new blog!!

Irene said...

Welcome to blogland Linda and thanks for that great tip.

NadiaQuilts said...

Great tip Linda. My favorite all time tool to have handy is the 3 in 1 snips from Superior threads. This tool has a curved blade which makes removing any quilting a breeze. The pointy curved end slides under the stitches and you can unpick them in seconds. Makes "unstitching" simple.

Patti said...

I love the crochet hook idea! My tip is when buffing out (ahem) burrs on the hook assembly, those foam core emery boards (nail file) work very well. The ends are the perfect size that the file has the perfect grit. Leaves everything nice and smooth!

New Adventure said...

Thanks for the Hook Tip. I'd love to win that.
My tip is to have a small air compressor handy to blow out the bobbin area and needle/threadcutter plate so the "fuzz bunnies" don't get caught in the stitching. I have a Black and Decker, found in the automotive section of Canadian tire. As effective as canned air, ut much cheaper.

coffeetime said...

Thanks for the crochet hook tip - great idea! I use painter's tape to hold rulers or pantographs down on the table -- it holds well, yet is easily removed and leaves little or no residue.

Kathy Schwartz said...

I have only been quilting on my longarm for a month so appreciate all your tips. I love doing free hand designs on my quilts so my tip would be to practice drawing the new design you want to try on paper first and then once you get the pattern in your brain then it is easy to transfer that into your quilting whether it is on the longarm or regular machine. If you try quilting your name you'll be surprised at how good it looks since you know that pattern so well. Relax and just have fun with your quilting.

libertythreads said...

Love that tip! This tip came from another quilting friend. Instead of putting water in your iron, use a spray bottle with water in it.
Spray your fabric and press with a dry iron. This will eliminate those spits that sometimes come from your iron. Please enter me for your drawing.
libertythreads@charter.net

Kathy Schwartz said...

Opps, i forgot to leave my email address for the draw, it's kathy.schwartz@mts.net