Your Camera is your most valuable quilting tool

• When you take a picture of a quilt or block it removes your emotion from it and allows you see what need to be changed
• Great tool for checking value, most cameras allow you to take pictures in grayscale you just need to find out how your camera does it.  Take a picture of the block or quilt in grayscale and see if you need to change the values
• Your camera is also a great tool for checking values in fabrics before you even buy the fabric.  Take it with you shopping and stack your fabrics then take a picture in grayscale to check the value.
• Value does all the work, color gets all the credit.

 

• You can also use your camera to help design a quilt with blocks.  Arrange the block on a design wall, take a picture.  View the picture then make changes to your quilt. 
• Keep taking pictures and re-arranging the blocks until you are happy or too tired to move the block around any more.
• Take a final picture and print the picture.  Use this when sewing the blocks together to make sure that you sew the blocks in the correct order.

Accurately Sewing Strip Sets

 

·        In order to keep track of the end you started, leave the threads long on the start end and cut them short on the finished end.

·        This technique works well in our Riding the Waves Quilt Pattern

·        Alternate the starting end when sewing strips together to get straight strips.  The bottom teeth gobble up more of the fabric.  If you always start from the same end then the strips will start to curve.