Alex Anderson - Piecing Tips & Tricks Tool: Piece Like the Experts - Easy-to-Use Color-Coded Sections - Everything You Need to Know!

2006 C&T Publishing

Publisher: Amy Marson

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Published by C&T Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 1456, Lafayette, CA 94549

Background of pages: Images of fabric from Kimono Art II from In the Beginning by MLiss Rae Hawley.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Piecing tips & tricks tool : piece like the experts : easy-to-use color-coded sections, everything you need to know / Alex Anderson ... [et al.].

p. cm.

ISBN-13: 978-1-57120-983-2 (paper trade : alk. paper)

ISBN-10: 1-57120-983-2 (paper trade : alk. paper)

1. Quilting. 2. Patchwork. I. Anderson, Alex, II. Title.

TT835.P552 2006

746.46--dc22

2006007141

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

For further reading and more detailed information on many of the topics included in this book, please refer to these books:

www.nancyjohnsonsrebro.com

www.ruthbmcdowell.com

www.alexandersonquilts.com

www.sharyncraig.com

www.caroldoak.com

For more detailed information, see Stars by Magic by Nancy Johnson-Srebro.

Use four types of lighting: natural, fluorescent overhead, sewing machine, and swing-arm lamp attached to your sewing table.

Position your sewing machine near a window, if possible.

Adjust the swing-arm lamp so it shines on the throat plate and needle.

Position your sewing machine so the bed of the machine sits flush with the tabletop. Cut out a section of a wooden table and attach two iron supports beneath the tabletop to hold the machine in position.

Position your ironing board at your left side, perpendicular to your sewing table. Adjust the height of the ironing board so you can rest your left elbow on it. This arrangement makes it easy to press as you sew and helps keep your left arm from getting tired.

Use a five-wheel secretarial swivel chair with an adjustable back and height.

Match the height of your chair to the height of your sewing machine, not your table.

Hang as large a piece of Warm and Natural or Hobbs cotton batting as you can fit on the wall using pushpins on the edges.

If you dont have room for a design wall, tape white flannel to a door.

I use the Big Board on top of my ironing board (). It gives me more than twice as much room for pressing and laying out pieces and blocks. This big pressing surface works well for pressing lattice strips and borders.

Use a foam pad (no more than thick) under the cover of your ironing board for pressing pieced units and a thicker pad for pressing appliqu blocks.

Choose an ironing board with four separate legs for more stability and a solid top (no holes) for an even pressing surface.

Use a light, solid-color ironing board cover so you can see small pieces of fabric easily.

Place muslin or flannel on top of the area of the ironing board where you press the most. Replace it when it gets dirty.

Use a lightweight iron to prevent stress on your hands and wrists.

It is very handy to have an iron with an extra-long power cord.

Always unplug the iron when its not in use.

Another safety trick is to plug the iron, sewing machine and swing-arm light into a power strip. When the light is off you know the sewing machine and iron are also off.

To make a portable ironing/cutting mat, use a 10 12 piece of paneling. For the ironing surface, place one or two layers of cotton batting on one side of the paneling. Cover it with a piece of flannel a few inches larger than the paneling, wrap the excess to the other side, and glue the edges down. For the cutting surface, glue an 8 10 cutting mat to the other side, covering the glued flannel edges.

The bigger the diameter of the handle, the more comfortable it will be for your hand, especially if you suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome or arthritis. The comfort comes from the diameter of the handle, not the size of the blade.

Increase the size of a smaller-diameter handle by wrapping and taping a layer of soft foam around it.

Use a cutter with a small blade (28mm) for cutting around templates.

When you put in a new blade, mark the date on the blade with a permanent marker, so you know when you last changed it.

Try as many rotary cutters as possible before purchasing one. Cup your hand. The bottom of the cutter should fit in the center crease of your palm. Wrap your hand and fingers around the handle. Your fingers should not overlap your thumb.

Always close the cutter after each cut.