Tip of the day

I found out someone in my office quilts. She gave me a tip today. You know the paper that reams of copy paper come in. That outside wrapping is just like freezer paper and is shiny on the inside and can be used just like freezer paper.

thanks luv, I gotta check that out....

I guess its wax coated to keep it dry inside, good idea!

Not over here :( the paper is covered with a real thin plastic foil............ it wont be fun using this paper. We dont really have freezer paper.... I always get me some when I´m visiting the US.

I have seen that tip mentioned many times before. The paper I use has never had that type of wrapping ! so no freebies for me. Bizkitea we can't buy freezer paper here in the supermarket like can be done in the US . It is a very expensive quilt shop item here , usually sold in small sheets. I use a lot so buy the large rolls online.

What type of paper do the butchers wrap their cuts of meat in over in Germany? Maybe you should look for butcher paper...same thing as freezer paper.

GMTI Bearfoot...my thoughts exactly as i read through this post.

No such thing as Butcher paper here anymore. The meat is put in plastic bags now. When the butchers did paper wrap it , it wasn't like freezer paper . It was sort of like a sandwich wrap paper , then wrapped in an outer paper that was thinner than freezer paper and didn't have that shiny side to it . Just " paper paper " like newsprint paper.

Besides being able to buy freezer paper in either a roll or in 8 1/2x11 sheets, you can also use a tempory spray adhesive like 505 on a bit heavier paper and accomplish the same thing. If the adhesive is TEMPORARY, it will either wash out or evaporate. Just for the record, I use 505 all the time because it doesn't have an obnoxious odor.

When we go on retreat as a guild, one member goes around with masking tape and small paper bags. She fastens one bag to each tablefor our little scrappies and threads. This makes for easier clean up of our rented hall

QM, that's a good tip. I used to do that but stopped; don't know why....

Like 505 for longer term hold....like Sulky for temporary. It really doesn't smell, but is pricey. Only buy it with coupons.

We just replaced our miniblinds in two rooms with the wider white blinds from Lowes. DH was about to throw away the extra slats after adjusting them for our window length. I confiscated them.....they make wonderful dowel replacements for hanging smaller wall quilts...used one today for one I just finished...will post pics soon. Flat, wide and easily cut down to size!

Great tip TMM...gonna have to remember that

Great ideas here.

HP - well yeah its a real expensive item in the quilt shops here also. I´m from time to time in the US - so I purchase it there.

BearFoot - most of the butchers using paper with a thin plastic foil (different kind as for the copy paper) also. When you touch it you might think its wax - but when you tear it apart you can see the foil.

That's interesting Karin ! never seen or heard of that type of paper.

Something I use in PPing is called "deli paper". It is a common waxy wrapping for deli sanwiches. I buy it by the Kleenes sized box at Costco. Unlike regular paper, it tears off really easily, but is strong enough to frog stitch...not that I EVER have to do that.....

Some folks on another site were talking about pillow case style or birthing of quilts, which I often do with baby quilts, thus avoiding binding, one of my less favorite activities. People who don't know the reasons (laziness, even corners) are impressed that I make the corners as quarter circles. The question arose, how big do you make them? It is important to have everything properly ironed, but even so, even twin seems a bit wonky to me. Usually this is a technique I use for lap/baby quilts. Lately, when I have sewn top to back and turned it right side out, I "play tug of war" with DH, pulling it every which way.This seems to get everything properly lined up. For a 42x65 quilt, I generally leave about 8-10" unsewn for the birthing, then sew that later by hand.

Here's a tip I saw on Facebook from Bernina.

Avoid the Fuzz: When changing thread on your sewing machine, cut the thread at the spool, and pull the thread out toward the needle. This will avoid fuzzing up the tension disks and will actually "floss" the tension mechanism at the same time.

Here's a tip I saw on a enewsletter today...

"The plastic fast-food cups that come with kids' meals are perfect for dispensing invisible threads that your machine doesn't feed right. Just drop the spool in the cup, insert the thread through the straw hole, set it behind your machine off to the side and then thread your machine. It will work great and not tangle up. Try it."

Sounds good. Thanks.

I was told the same thing about unthreading my Bernina, but my Janome dealer said it did not matter. What I do is take the thread out of the pressure plates, make sure there is no knot o kink at the needle, then pull the thread out.

These are great tips. About the paper thing, when we buy individual reams of paper, the wrapping is plastic. When we order a case of paper at work, the wrapping is that heavy freezer paper stuff.

Many of you already know this one. If you need HSTs for a pattern, say a Friendship Star, save yourself a headache. Cut squares 1" larger than the finished square you want. Not only is the measuring much easier (7/8" is a %^&%&^%*&^% to measure) but you have a reasonable margin of error for trimming up your half square triangle. Sew; cut the 2 HSTs from each other; Press well. Then use a ruler with a 45* line to put on your seam line and get exact triangles every time.

Good tip!!!!!

I think you've mentioned that one before QM because I started doing that when you suggested it. It's a great tip and reduces stress.