January Tip

From Valerie Wall (aka Knishes)

I thought I'd pass along a tip about finger cots for hand quilting (also good for those quilt basting sessions where your fingers get so tired). A lot of quilt supply stores have started selling them in small packages for anywhere from $1.00 to $3.50 per package. First tip: Don't buy any package that has an assortment of sizes. They are a colossal waste of money since your fingers don't change to assorted sizes. Best place to buy them is through a medical supply store. A gross will run under $4.00 and you can order them in small medium or large. Guild members can work out an arrangement with their local medical supply store or an independent pharmacist to stock them for the guild. Ask for the generic variety. They are also a lot cheaper. For anyone who hasn't tried finger cots, believe me, they cut quilting time by about half. no more slipping needles when you stack up your stitches on that little bitty needle.

From Amy

I really like this tip on creating flying geese units quickly (June 97 tips). Only problem is, the measurements given are incorrect. If you construct the geese using the 6" and 3" measurements, you end up with four geese with no seam allowance on the point side. Consequently, when you sew the geese together, or to anything, you will lose the point.

To correct this, the instructions should read: take the finished width measurement (without seam allowance) of your unit and add 1 1/4" to it. Cut your large squares this size. For the small squares, take the finished side measurement of your triangle and add 7/8" to it. Cut your small squares this size. Example: 4" by 2" geese would need a large square 5 1/4", and small squares 2 7/8".

I just constructed 60 flying geese using these measurements, and they came out beautifully. I've squared them up, and they are ready to fly.
(NOTE: The June 97 tips page has been corrected to reflect this.)