must have tools? Not to be missed books?? help me shop!

[E.M. T.]

This has been fun and enlightening to read all the responses. I went a long time before getting a "slider" and I wish I hadn't
waited so long. BTW..you trim it so feed dogs can be used. If you quilt much you will find a way to make a working extension
table for the support of the quilt top..and the slider helps! I use all kinds of gloves, grippers and finger tips...somedays
one works better than the other! the fusible paper liner works in a pinch..but often has residue that gunks up my iron...so
I used regular applique mat 'till it got krinkle-y and last year got a light duty baking sheet from the cooking store for a little less $.
You can clean them better than the paper.And I can see thru it ! There's always something new to try.
I'm thinking those bags are gonna be heavy !!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

[E.M. T.]

Norma is quite right, the thread I can get here is either low quality but affordable, or high quality and not very affordable. On that note, with a horizontal thread older thing on my new machine, can I use big spools? Or just the normal sized ones?

Thanks again!

For large cones of thread I just place it behind my machine and bring the thread up to the top, around the vertical reel spike and then thread as usual. I don't usually have any problems doing this, even if the cone gets knocked over, I usually catch it straight away and put it right. The vertical reel spike is removable for transporting the machine & it is a Janome - you might have one on yours when you get to play with it.

[Diane F.]

You have mentioned several times that you are on a limited budget and that you have limited packing space, therefore I am going to streamline my suggestion to you. There are a series of how-to books written by Harriet Hargrave along with her daughter, Carrie.

Purchase the first book and try it. It is a step-by-step guide to setting up your workspace, cutting area, sewing, etc. Eventually there will be six books in the series. Four books have been published to date. You can order the books from Amazon.com (or just look at the information and read the reviews.) They are EXCELLENT reference materials.

Quilter's Academy Vol. 1, Freshman Year: A Skill-Building Course in Quiltmaking

The book is also available as a download for the Kindle. However, I do not have an electronic book reader, so I do not know if that option is useful.

Regards,

Diane

[Diane F.]

In Brazil you can buy excellent sewing scissors made by MUNDIAL. They are exported and I suggest that your smaller snips have a slightly curved up end which makes snipping threads easier and no risk of snitching fabric.
Jeanine

[Diane F.]

A CAUTION FOR TRAVELING WITH CUTTING MATS

Cutting mats are sensitive to heat, cold and even direct sunlight. They also need to be supported in the suitcase to prevent warpage. When I travel, I prefer to take a dual use cutting mat (cutting mat on one side and ironing pad surface on the opposite side.) The mat is not as nice as the plain mats, but they better tolerate weather fluctuations.

[Diane F.]

another item to buy in Brazil is very good quality thread by the company CORENTE I think they are still called LINHAS CORENTE. These are great for general sewing and I have occasionally used them for machine quilting placemats.
Jeanine

[Diane F.]

Jeanine, thank you for the Brazil specific tips! I have seen that Mundial brand but didn't know anything about it; will definitely look for some good snips here then! Thank you!

I do have one tiny spool of Linhas Corente; it is definitely a nice thread! I only seem to find it in tiny spools though, 100 meter or so, but it is nicer than the other stuff I get, at least as far as hand-piecing goes. The other stuff tangles, fuzzes, etc. The Corente, not at all. I need to make the effort to get to the BIG shopping area for fabric/sewing stuff, which I only just discovered in my city recently. Takes a great deal more effort to get there, but what a treasure trove of stuff!! I could have easily stayed hours, but had only enough time to grab fabric to back my son's quilt and also to back my (eventual) Brazil quilt. *THAT* was a piece of pure serendipity, as I've designed this quilt based off the sidewalk patterns of Brazil, and what did they have but a fabric patterned in the exact sidewalk pattern that makes the outside edge of my quilt!!!!! I bought loads of it, as I haven't planned what size, exactly, the quilt will be. Can't wait to start on that!!! Not until I finish the baby quilt and my son's quilt, though....

Continued thanks to everyone for the great tips. I will definitely look for the Nancy Hargrave book on Kindle; that will be wonderful! and will figure some way to create a slider; was thinking even a large piece of vinyl would work, no? such as you can use for covering seat cushions? That big clear vinyl? Or would that stuff not be slippery enough? Probably something like that, though, I can find here in Brazil -- maybe not the name brand item, but some substitute that will work just as well.

If I can be diligent in not buying fabric I don't need (ahem), I'll have sufficient funds for the tools I *DO* need. As I'm sure you all know, that's easier said than done! 'Tis an expensive hobby my friend started me on......but, man, is it FUN!!!

[Diane F.]

I haven't looked up what style of machine you will be getting, but if you arn't getting an extension table surface for it it is always possible to make one The corrugated cardboard box has a nice shiny finish to it, there are extra support posts inside and the right angle joints are multiple layers of newsprint & pva glue. As another suggestion heavy weight tracing paper on the roll (bought for schooling :wink: ) is very good for covering extra support surfaces for fabric to slide on, when I helped my mum with putting together this http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/photo.php/photos_id/4949 alter frontal, we had to machine the top edge and used books covered with tracing paper to bring the width of the table to the height of the machine bed, to reduce drag and snagging and it worked very well ( it took 3 of us to feed the thing safely through the machine because of the size, weight & the fact that we couldn't fold it)

[Annis C.]

Some plastics/vinyls have a film on them that keeps them from being very slippery. I found that buffing with a used dryer sheet helps. You could just laminate a sheet of cardstock to make a smooth surface and buff it until your fabric slides easily over the surface. They also have laminators that put a coat of removable adhesive on the back. Check with your local office supply to see if they can do this for you. I have a Supreme Slider but haven't done enough quilting with it to know if it helps. I'm assuming the teflon top has something to do with it sliding with zero friction.

That's a great idea for an extension table. You definitely need one if you plan on doing a lot of quilting. A machine set in a cabinet is of course much better as your fabric can get caught on the corners of the extension table. The bigger the table the better.

[Norma H.]

You might be interested in a spray to make the surface smooth. I have found where I heard about it but I have not found it here in DK, so did not try it.
Patsy Thompson shows it here
learn/classrooms/

[Nancy R.]

I have used the spray and found that it works well. Patsy warns to get a certain kind of silicon spray so that it doesn't stain your quilt, so pay careful attention. I don't remember the details on that since I just ordered from her Web site. I only use it when I find I'm having trouble. I also have a Supreme Slider which I use periodically. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't seem to make much difference. I think it depends on the backing fabric, the weight of the quilt and probably on things like the humidity. The Supreme Slider can be a bit of a pain since it hides your bobbin opening so makes it more difficult to change your bobbin.

Nancy

[ANNE E.]

To make a table that fits your sewing machine watch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g14gova4pim
Anne

[Debbie W.]

Don't forget replacement blades for your rotary cutter!!!

[Debbie W.]

Oh--good one Debbie!

[Debbie W.]

I am looking for a hard black rubber thimble. I got one at the Knoxville,Tn. quilt show 2009, but I lost it. I paid around $30.00 for it. Can anyone help me out and find this company? I think I'll buy two this time.
Beth1