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SINGER Phone Number
 from Ann Hoehn (A)
Ann said she got good help from Singer recently in trying to identify her treadle machine. She said Singer was very helpful and will even send papers on parts and directions. They can also tell you the date your machine was "born" if you give them the identification number (especially the Featherweights). Call them at 1-800-877-7762 if you need help.
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Substitutes for a Light Box
 from Jeanne Coglianese (C)
Here are some cheap substitutes for having a light box. Of course, the old standby is to tape your pattern to the window during the daytime and lay a sheet over it to trace the pattern.

Another way to do this requires a glass top table and a small lamp. I lay the lamp (without the shade) on its side under the coffee table, propping it up so that the bulb does not touch the floor. Then I can trace in comfort on the table top.

Recently I had one small pattern to trace and did not want to bother setting up my lamp at the coffee table. It was night time so I couldn't use the window trick either. I came up with what I think is an ingenious subsitute...my wall oven door! I turned on my oven light and was able to trace my pattern against the oven door. This worked great, the surface was just the right size and there was no setup time. Hope someone else will enjoy these tips.
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Paper Piecing Trick
 from Betty Ladd (V)
Here's a tip Betty got at G Street and would like to pass along. To make a bunch of identical paper piecing patterns when you don't have a Xerox in your house, staple a stack of pieces of paper together with the original pattern on the top. Then with a large stitch length and NO thread in the machine, "sew" on the patterns lines.
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Paper Hexagons
 from Anne Littleton (B)
Anne had a quilting tip printed in the August issue of American Patchwork & Quilting. "One afternoon when I was unable to locate my paper hexagons for making Grandmother's Flower Garden blocks, I placed my hexagon template on a small pad of self-stick (Post-It®) notes and used my rotary cutter to cut around it. Not only is it easy to cut a whole pile at once, the papers stick slightly to the back of the fabric pieces, preventing shifting."

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"Easy Tear" for Foundation Piecing
 from Jane Gessaman (C)
Jane has been using a product called "Easy Tear" for foundation piecing and highly recommends it. She started out doing samples for a vendor and got hooked on it! You can even tape it to an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of paper and feed it through a computer printer, or single-feed it in a copy machine. She says it's easy to tear out and does not slide around while sewing on the machine like paper. You can e-mail Jane for more details at Gessaman@Searnet.com.
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Using the Clover Needles Threader
 from Linda Roberts (V)
Linda notes, "in one of my classes the instructor gave lessons on how to thread needles using the Clover needles threader. She said most of them break because we held the needle and pull the needle threader. She recommended holding the needle threader and pulling the needle off. Mine last a lot longer now using her method."
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Prevent Fabric from Stretching
 from Jo and Jos Hindriks (B)
We use sizing (available in spray cans in the supermarket) to prevent fabric from stretching before we cut and sew it. Since our discovery our points look great! After completing the quilt top gently wash out the sizing with lukewarm water and just a little bit of detergent. Starch is not recommended, since it leaves scorch stains when ironed and those are hard to remove.
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Prevent Sewing Machine Repair
 from Marilyn Hunter (B)
Marilyn recently had her machine repaired (see below), and wants to pass along a tip she learned from the repairman. He suggested running her sewing machine through all its stitches every month or two. She said, "no one ever told me this...and that was the problem with my Bernina. When I tried to use the long/basting stitch, the needle went up and got stuck and wouldn't come down. The lubricant had gotten sticky from not using that stitch in quite a while. It was easy to fix, but would have been easy to prevent if I had known!"

What follows is just a small sample of the great information that's available through QU Digest, the compilation newsletter that's frequently emailed to members. Marilyn compiled the answers she received from QU Digest readers about having sewing machine repairs done locally and posted her poll online. She received 11 responses, including glowing endorsements for Jim's Sewing Machine Repair (703.435.2060). Although there are many fine establishments in the area that handle repair, etc., Jim's is worth mentioning because his service is mobile - house calls are made at no charge. This service could be a boon to some of QU's older members, or those suffering health problems that would make it difficult for them to deliver their machine to an outside shop.
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Source for Transferring Photos to Fabric
 from Ellen Issner (V)
A number of you have favorite places to take your photos to be transferred. Ellen reports on one such place here.

(This is not using the paper, like "Photo Effects," that you buy at the quilt shops...it's special paper that's stocked by the copier company. They do the trial and error work, so you don't waste your valuable paper when it jams in their machine! Some stores will even iron it to the fabric for you, using a special iron used by T-shirt companies.)

Ellen writes, "There is a Xerox company that does all our [the company she works for] copier work, etc. So, I called them and asked.

Lo and behold, it takes some time to get done because if a project for AMS comes along, it takes priority. But, the manager said it was ok to call and get work done. They can do 81/2" by 11" and/or 11" by 17" pieces. Both are the same price, $5.75. (Obviously, the larger one is the better deal.)

Jeff is the guy who does the work. He was so excited by what I wanted him to do. All you have to do is provide the pictures and the fabric and have at least a week to spare on a project. The manager's name is Mauricio Coreas.

Anyway, the scoop is, if you want to have photo transferring done, allow a week for the project. When you call or go in, identify yourself as a quilter and you can use my name (I don't get a commission!) The place is called The Document Company.

They are located on the first floor of the AMS building at 12601 Fair Lakes Circle in Fairfax, right next to the Hyatt at Fair Lakes. The phone number is 703.227.5528. They are open from 8am to 8pm, Monday through Friday. Ask for Jeff when you call. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to email me at levinera@erols.com, or call me at home."
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Photo Transfer to Fabric Tip #2
 from Diane Herbort (Ar)
Diane notes there is a less expensive alternative to color transfer paper -- Disperse-Dye transfers. QU members could see lots of samples of this method displayed in Diane's half-booth at our QU Quilt Show '98. The transferred image end up monochromatic (all shades of blue, brown, black, etc.), but it only uses a regular B&W photocopy and is easily done with a home iron. Diane will have the transfer paints needed to do this method, which many quilters find less nerve-wracking and far more economical than the various heat transfer papers (particularly when you are doing several transfers).
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Sorting Thread
 from Jan Krentz (S)
During the springtime, the QU Digest listed a tip from Jan recommending the purchase of a Hot Wheels (yes, the toy cars) Jammer's Garage Car Storage Case from Wal-Mart or a toy store. She said they are "super" for sorting thread - the box is clear plastic, open on both sides, with a carrying handle. You can sort thread by color families, decorative, topstitching, machine embroidery, metallics, etc. Jan notes that it helps you see what you own so you don't keep buying duplicates. When you go to a workshop, you grab the handle and go! At the time the tip was published, the price was under $10 for two.
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Organizing Quilt Projects
 from Dori Nanry (V)
While making my block for my quilt, I put them away, nice and flat in a new pizza box. I have several and list the color or style of the quilt block on the outside.

I spray paint the outside of the box so that I can clearly see the list that I have created on the front! When I stack these up, I can easily grab the project that I am working on and it is nice and neat.
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Copyright Violation Warning
 This article originally appeared in the August 1998 issues of Threads, our newsletter.

Respecting an artist's copyright is not only legal and ethical, it can save you and your guild money. In the below case, a large check had to be written to satisfy the designer. Please be vigilant about how you treat copyrighted material!

Dear Cotton Patch Quilters,

I was very disappointed to learn that your group has photocopied my copyrighted pattern and distributed it to all of your members as a Block of the Month pattern. This was done without my permission, which I would not have granted, because "Bonny Button Basket" is a commercial pattern which I sell to stores, catalogs and individuals.

Block of the Month patterns sent out by quilt guilds should be traditional patterns in the public domain and/or patterns developed by the individual who is sending them out, not copyrighted, commercial patterns. The copyright symbol © with the year means a pattern or design is not to be photocopied or copied for any reason, whether or not money exchanges hands, without my permission. That symbol indicates that it is my property.

There is an in-depth, three-part article in Ladies Circle Patchwork Quilts on copyright rules and regulations. Part 2 is in the April 1998, Issue 123, pp. 70-74. Another article is in Quilter's Newsletter Magazine, June 1998, pp. 46-47. I suggest you read both articles for further enlightenment on this subject matter.

The Southern California Quilt Council, of which your group is a member, did a major story on copyright infringement in the Winter issue of their newsletter. Your group has chosen to ignore this information by copying and distributing my pattern.

The money I make selling this pattern allows me to continue designing and publishing other patterns. If this source of income is removed, it is no longer feasible to do business and I will stop publishing patterns. This same concept applies to all publishers of all patterns and books of every kind.

So that you will understand the hours of work time and money that go into the development of a pattern, here are some of the steps involved:
  1. Developing the idea, making sketches means many hours of work.
  2. Making the sample takes days and weeks of cutting, sewing and stitching.
  3. Writing the instructions means more days of work.
  4. Photography means money spent on film and development.
  5. Printing the pattern means driving to and spending money on transportation and at the printer.
  6. Qriting to shops and catalogs to carry the pattern, means money spent on postage and more time.
I am sending a copy of this letter to each of your board members and to the president of the Southern California Quilt Council. You owe me the price of the pattern for every copy you sent out to your members. I will discount the pattern price, which normally sells at retail for $6.75, to the price of $5.00. That is how much I charge the students for the pattern when I teach a workshop.

I expect an apology and a check.

Barbara Dieges
bdieges designs
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"Make Time Count"
 from Susan Fisher (B)
Susan notes, "Too often we think that we need great blocks of time to make a quilt! While this might be the ideal, too often it is not the reality. If life hands you scraps, make a quilt. If life hands you minutes, make a quilt block."
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Quilt Layout Assistant
 from Pepper Dittinger (FC)
I use a lap Cross stitch frame - the one where you roll the fabric onto rollers to hold it tight and can wind it up as you move along - and attach flannel to it. It stands on a shelf by my sewing machine and as I cut out blocks, I arrange them on this flannel. The flannel keeps the pieces from shifting and it makes it very easy to sew the block in the correct order, allowing me the flexibilty to sew in "snippets" when time is short.

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Updated: October 3, 2006