Know Your Notions

How to Use the Oliso M3 Pro Mini Iron: Small Iron, Full-Size Pressing Power Good quilting is pressing as much as it is stitching.

A Rug You Weave and Build from Jelly Roll Strips Most jelly roll projects end in a quilt top.

Sashing That Is Part of the Design, Not Just the Join Quilt As You Go (QAYG) lets you quilt each block before you join it to the next, but that joining step has a catch: QAYG sashings have to be…

Stop Throwing Away Batting Scraps Every quilter has a bin of batting leftovers: strips trimmed off quilts and offcuts too small for a whole project but too good to throw away.

Take the Guesswork Out of Bobbin Tension Few things slow down a longarm quilting session like wondering whether your stitches look off because of the top tension or the bobbin tension.

One Pen, Two Ways to Make Marks That Disappear Every quilter needs to mark fabric — a quilting line to follow, a seam allowance to check, or a pattern design to transfer — but no one wants those…

A Small Habit That Keeps Your Machine Running Smoothly A quilting machine works hard.

Structure Without the Stiffness A handmade tote that slumps the moment you set it down, or a purse that loses its shape after a week of use, is a frustrating finish to hours of careful sewing.

Small Ruler, Straighter Blocks A block that is even slightly off square will fight you later — seams drift, sashing will not line up, and borders ripple.

Beautiful Flower Quilting, Without the Free-Motion Stress Feathers and flowers look wonderful on a finished quilt, but many quilters put off trying them because free-motion quilting feels…

Why One Good Ruler Changes Your Cutting Most quilting mistakes start at the cutting table.

Why Pressing Makes or Breaks a Quilt You can cut accurately and sew a careful quarter-inch seam, and still end up with wavy blocks if the fabric was wrinkled or shifting while you worked.