Textiles: I-Spy Alphabet Quilt Hints 1

If you're a quilter, I'm probably preaching to the converted here, but there were a few preparations I made before I started this quilt which really paid off:-

1. Make sure you have sharp scissors
I got 2 old pairs sharpened at Hansons and invested in a lovely new pair. It's made a huge difference as the new ones are very comfortable in the hand, and they cut well. I've hand-cut loads of fabric for this quilt, sometimes because I'm cutting small pieces but also because I find it more comfortable than using a rotary cutter if I'm doing a lot of cutting.

2. Buy more pins
I use those flat flower-headed pins and although I had a box already, I got another box of 50. This means that I can pin loads of pieces together downstairs, then run upstairs to the machine and stitch a load at once. (This arrangement also ensures I get some exercise when I'm quilting!)

3. Buy more bobbins

My machine came with about 4 bobbins, but that wasn't enough to swop quickly between colours on a multi-coloured quilt. I bought a pack of 10 extra bobbins, wound them all before I started any sewing and am so much more relaxed as a result!