Author name: alywilsonquilts.com

We all have those unspoken rules in out sewing room.  These rules help us to be more efficient.  Rules that I try to follow make my space and quilting journey more enjoyable.  But they are not rules that you have to follow.  Which leads you to my first and the most important rule that you will always hear me say to any quilter, new or old….   ♥Rule One: Your Quilt … Your Rules … Maybe you want to add a larger border or do a scrappy binding.  Maybe you don’t want to make 4 at time flying geese and want to use half square triangles instead.  Or maybe you want to use a different placement of your blocks than what a pattern suggested. Well guess what…It is YOUR QUILT and YOUR RULES!  YOU DO YOU!  At the end of the day, you are the one who has to enjoy the piece you made.  If you are gifting your quilt, chances are the person you are gifting it to is not going to know the difference.   ♥Rule Two: Quilt police are never welcome! After stating Rule One….some people have donned a badge and labeled themselves as self-proclaimed “Quilt Police”.  Well, they are more than welcome to take their magnifying glasses and tape measures and move on.  You are not welcome in my sewing space.  If you want to judge my points and examine how my seams are pressed, please make sure to bring your latest quilt over so I can do the same (but I won’t).  You may not like someone’s color choices or quilting techniques, but whatever works for them and makes them happy, is perfectly fine for me.   I am just happy you are putting metal to the medal and expressing your creative talents.  Now if you are putting the quilt in a show to be judged…well be ready to be judged.  But you will never find judgement here!!   ♥Rule Three: No shoes in my sewing room Yep, I definitely just ruffled some feathers.  “But what if you step on a pin,” some may say.  Well, you walk around your house and outside barefoot and still have the risk of stepping on something sharp. Risk taken here!  I don’t want dirty shoes on my floor where I may be laying out projects.  I want to be able to feel my machine pedal under my feet.  Mostly, I just want to be comfy and hate shoes (and wearing a bra).   ♥Rule Four: If I gift a quilt, I want it used Now would I be totally heartbroken to see if slung over some boxes in the back of a pick-up truck on a rainy day while moving, probably.  At the end of the day though, I gave them the quilt, and it is theirs to do with as they wish. Would I love to see every quilt I give to someone displayed front a center in the living room of their home for the “OMGS”, maybe yes, but I know that is not going to be the case.  Why I really gave them that quilt was to make memories.  I want that quilt taken to a park and had a picnic on.  I would love to come over and see it over some chairs with you little ones laughing in the fort.  I would have zero hurt feeling to see their fury friends curled up on the couch with it napping in the afternoon.  My hope in gifting it to someone is it brings them something of comfort and joy.  I do make sure to give them instructions on how to care for and wash it.   ♥Rule Five:  I starch my fabric Starching fabric is topic all on its own.  Yes? No? When? What kind? How? Why? Here is the shortened version.  Yes, I saturated all of my fabric is Faultless Spray starch before I cut it.  There are lots of pros and cons, I know.  I will not make a quilt if my fabric has not been starched.  I find I have better cutting and piecing results.   Remember my Rule One though …. It is MY QUILT… MY RULES.  You do you boo!   ♥Rule Six: Music must be played Music is a must in my sewing room.  There is a good chance that you will get a very eclectic mix of music from oldies to country to 90s hip hop blasting through my headphones.  It just depends on my mood and what I am creating.  I cannot do quiet and have to have something in the background.  I cannot watch a movie or binge watch new shows either.  I am easily distracted.   ♥Rule Seven: New needle, clean machine Everyone does this different and some don’t change their needle for months.  I follow a schedule on cleaning my machine and changing my needle.  We all invested in our machines, and they need to be taken care of.  I change my needle and clean my machine out every 5 bobbins.  I pre-wind them and this helps me to keep track of where I am at and when I am due.  I mean who is really sitting down and logging hours or days spent on their machine.  Do you know how many sewing hours are left until you need to change yours?  Probably not.  I know how many bobbins away I am.  Find a schedule that works for you and your machine will thank you!   I hope that you enjoyed or giggled at some of my quilting rules that I try to follow.  These are in no means what you have to follow.  They are just what helps me to be productive and enjoy my journey.  Now go clean your machine and change you needle!