In August, Tuesday Tips will focus on machine quilting, thanks to Taffy McLaughlin, our resident machine quilting expert and teacher.
Our first August tip deals with those pesky rats’ nest thread globs that glom to the underside of your quilt when your begin quilting.
What really happens is that your spool thread (the top thread) is pulled down by the bobbin thread and tangles into a mess. So here is a way to prevent the globs in the first place.
When you begin to sew, straight stitch or free motion, hold the spool thread (the top thread) end in your left hand and turn the needle down and up one time. Still holding the spool thread end, pull it gently and the bobbin thread will come up thru the quilt (similar to when you pull the bobbin thread up from the bobbin when you put a new bobbin in). Use a pin, seam ripper, scissor tip or other small tool to ease the bobbin thread end to the quilt surface, so then you have both threads on the top of the quilt.
Now hold both thread ends tightly and begin sewing. The threads can’t tangle because you are holding them!
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2 comments:
Great tip! I always knew to hold the top (spool) thread, but not to pull the bobbin thread up and hang on to that too.
That's a good one, thanks!
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