If your biggest challenge is finding more time to quilt and sew then you don't want to miss our new series, 5 Tip Fridays! For the next few weeks, we will be sharing tips that we got from our designers. So many of them have designed dozens if not hundreds of patterns. They are experienced, organized and efficient enough to be successful designers, teachers and even authors. They know the challenges of balancing home and family with doing what they love, quilting. We asked them for their best tips on how to find more time to quilt.
5 Tips- How to Find More Time to Quilt
1. Cut first, sew last.
Many of our designers mentioned that they will cut all their pattern pieces out before sewing them together. Barb Sackel of Rose Cottage Quilting stated that she cuts out all of her pieces on the front end of a project so that she can "just grab and sew" when she has a few minutes to spare. But this can save you even more time in another way. According to Debbie Caffrey of Debbie's Creative Moments, cutting and organizing pieces before sewing them together can save you "seam ripper time." Debbie stated "Cut and organize pieces or put the cut pieces on your design wall. You will be very tempted to sew, but keep cutting and designing. You may find that you need or want to change a fabric. That is more easily done when the pieces are not sewn together."
Barb Sackel's Swirling Leaves Quilt Pattern
2. Stay Motivated.
Happy quilters are motivated quilters. Finding ways to reward yourself can help you get more quilting done. According to Carol Steely of FunThreads Designs, this can be as simple as having a "to-do" list nearby. Carol says, "Make a 'to do' check list by date or project priority and keep it where you can always see it. It's very satisfying to scratch things off that list!" Rewarding yourself for doing basic household chores in the form of minutes spent quilting can also be effective. Debbie suggests, "Reward yourself by sewing for ten minutes each time you complete a task like, laundry, bill paying, etc."
Carol Steely's Sugar Skulls Quilt Pattern
3. Unleash the Power of the Quilt Group
Ok, so maybe you just can seem to make yourself schedule more time to quilt. How about calling in a few of your quilty friends? Barb states that having a quilting buddy or a group accessible makes quilting a lot more fun and therefore productive. Anne Weins of Sweetgrass Designs suggests, "Get a few quilty friends together and pick a regular time when the few of you will get together and quilt. It can be a day, an afternoon or evening. My friends and I meet on the 1st Sunday of each month at our local quilt shop. I get more done that one day than I do the rest of the month!"
Anne Weins is the Author of The Thrifty Quilter
4. Know Your Basics
Debbie suggests taking the time to learn the basics. If you take the time to learn the basics of quilting, i.e cutting, pressing, piecing, working with patterns, etc,. chances are you will free up valuable time that can lead to you getting more accomplished. Our Mothers, Grandmothers and those that quilted before them have spent years learning the most efficient ways to quilt and sew. Experienced sewers and quilters may have a lot of basic tips to teach you. If you feel like you could benefit from learning fundamentals, look into signing up for a Basic Sewing and/or Quilting class at your local fabric or craft store. Having basic knowledge can save you a ton of time down the road.
Debbie Caffery's Murder of Crows Quilt Pattern
5. Schedule it in
Just like anything else, we have to give ourselves "permission" to treat quilting just like anything else we find worthy of our time. Anne states, "Make a date. Whether you live alone or have a houseful of family, it's easy to be distracted from your quilting time, because let's face it, we put the things we need to do (or other people think we need to do) ahead of the things we want to do...like quilt." We have so much more to share! Every Friday, we will serve up 5 tips that will inspire, educate and motivate you. Don't miss any of them. We can deliver them right to your mailbox. Sign up for our newsletter here!