Mary Hiemke received this tip from a vendor at the International Quilt Show in Rosemont. This information is provided by OLFA.
To clean your OLFA mat, use a generous amount of room temperature water in your bathtub. Add ¼ cup vinegar per gallon of water, and a few drops of mild detergent. Use a soft, mild bristle brush to create a lather and gently clean your mat. Rinse with room temperature water and wipe dry with a cotton towel. Please note that warm or hot water and direct sunlight may damage the mat

Fabric Shopping

Sharon Peot came up with a tip for taking your fabric swatches with you to evaluate additional fabrics for your quilt.

Purchase the clear plastic sleeves for baseball cards or photos. The sleeves are 8 1/2" x 11" and fit in a binder. They have 9 pockets. Cut swatches of your fabric and insert in the pockets. The clear plastic allows you to lay the sleeve over a bolt of fabric and easily see how the fabrics will look together. The sleeve has the additional advantage that it easily folds in thirds and fits nicely in an envelope in your purse.

Auditioning Quilting Designs

Robin Camarata takes a clear sheet of stiff plastic, laid it over her quilt block and drew the design to be quilted using a dry erase marker. This allowed you to see what the quilting design would look like on the block, and allowed her to wipe off the dry erase marker and start again if she wasn’t satisfied with her design. Once she is satisfied with her pattern, she makes a photocopy of the block with the plastic sheet. This is an important step because the dry erase markers rub off so easily. Dry erase markers (used for writing on “white boards”) can be found in any office supply store or aisle. She purchased the plastic at a fabric store (used for making templates) but you could use any clear plastic sheets (like those for report covers or for overhead transparancies)

Free Motion Quilting

Jane Simmons was practices her free motion quilting using a technique that she had used in a class that revolved around quilting the design printed on the fabric. She had a piece of fabric that had cherries printed on it and was practicing circling around the cherries. She also practices by circling small motifs or outlining large flowers printed on the fabric.

Recipes

Diane Gaudynski's recipe for homemade starch is available at http://www.dianegaudynski.net/tips_january.htm

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