How to troubleshoot sewing machine tension is an ongoing problem in the sewing community. How do I know this? Because since I started the Suzy Quilts Patterns Facebook Group almost once a week someone posts a frantic question about uneven stitches or breaking thread or loose top stitches.
I get it!
My quilty friends, we’ve talked about many things within the pages of this blog. We’ve covered flannel and linen fabric, cotton and poly thread; we’ve even waved goodbye to conventional wadding and ushered in a new era of bamboo, wool, and midnight-shaded batting. But there’s still one material in which we've barely skimmed the surface, even though it’s a very fine surface indeed.
Giving away a quilt? You're so sweet and generous! Do your friends and family know how lucky they are to have you in their lives?? As you give your incredibly fortunate loved one the gift of a new quilt, make sure you give them the gift of knowledge as well… the knowledge of how to take care of it!
Sometimes when I’m lying in bed trying to fall asleep, I reflect on life, love and quilting. There are other times when I find myself planning my amazing Oreo-based meals for the next day… but on cool fall nights, I get nostalgic about my sewing journey.
I learned to hand quilt a few years ago, and since then I've spent hundreds of hours stitching away. Those of you who enjoy these SQ tutorials have been asking me to "finally write that tutorial!" Even though I've filmed many spontaneous Facebook live videos and IG stories about hand quilting, only now have I planted myself in a chair and filmed everything I know on how to hand quilt.
Writing this tutorial loomed large in my head, because there's so much to say!
We’ve had two successful rounds of commonly asked quilting questions, but before jumping into round three, I asked on Instagram for more questions you’d like answered. I got so many good ones, I've decided to divide these posts into categories so that the information is more organized and digestible.
And we’re back with more basic beginner quilting questions straight from my inbox to your computer screens. If you missed our other installments of questions and answers, you can check it out here – Basic Quilting Questions Part I and Quilting Technique Questions Part III.
Here at SQ HQ we get a lot of wonderful emails from you filled with a wide range of basic quilting questions. After answering these one at a time, it’s finally occurred to me that I could compile these FAQs into a blog series for you to skim and use as a resource.
I know you all think I’m Superwoman when it comes to quilting (right? You do, right?) but I don’t do all of this alone. I have a whole toolbox of sidekicks backing me up during all of my quilting adventures. Building up your team of must-have quilting tools is just as important as perfecting your sewing skills.
