Philippa says...
Philippa answers common quilting questions.
When quilting, my quilt will not feed evenly and I get uneven stitch lengths. What will help me to solve this?
Oh no! Usually the reason for uneven stitch lengths is to do with poor travel of the work through the machine. This can be for a variety of reasons:
The work is under tension and not lightly...
How do I quilt a large size quilt on a domestic machine?
Question: " I wanted to tackle quilting a large size quilt under my domestic machine without stringing myself or disappearing under the mass of fabric while still trying to see the needle!"
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What is the difference between binding using 'bias cut' and 'width of fabric cut' ?
Philippa says:
I use bias binding for anything that has a curve or shaped edge because the stretch of the bias will enable the binding to mould around the edges of the work. I do not use bias...
Pressing. Should I use steam and/or a tailor’s clapper?
A member says she only uses a dry iron when pressing seams, being under the impression that steam could result in distortion. Should she be using steam to press seams and does a wooden...
How do I stop 'birds' nests' tangling on the underneath of my work (when I am not using a 'leader strip' between sewn sections)?
Philippa says:
I think there is no one fix as there are many variables. I find my machine likes finer threads best and tends to snarl more when I use thicker threads (such as general purpose...
When I'm piecing should I press my seams open or to one side?
A bit of a tricky one to answer. For beginners I suggest pressing to one side for ease of butting seams together for matching. Also this was advised in the past because there was a theory that...
I don't like hand sewing. What can I do?
I wonder why you say you do not like hand stitching? Like everything there is technique and although it seems like everyone should naturally be able to just pick up a needle and sew, you would not...
My back aches when I sew for a long time. What can I do?
Philippa suggests you to really analyse how you sit to sew. Take a good look at yourself and even get someone to take a photo for you to look at. Don't alter what you normally do when this photo is...
How do I calculate how much fabric I need for bias binding?
Here is the formula for calculating bias fabric. The example uses inches and yards:
Multiply the length of the binding by the width of the binding. Then find the square root of this figure. There...
Sewing with Metallic threads. Tips to help you.
Lots of things to consider when sewing with metallic threads:
Firstly buy Metallic needles in a range of sizes so you can try different ones. They have a larger eye than regular needles so help to...
