Quilting Daily put together this fantastic article of 31 Quilting Techniques, Tips, and Tricks to celebrate National Craft Month, which also happens to be March. Check it out and try a few things!
Try a new color palette - this is something I strongly encourage! If you use the same color palette over and over again, your work starts to look the same. I make a point of expanding into other color palettes, though I do have what some friends and buyers call my signature (which is black with bright rainbows).
Embellishing using washers - I do some embellishing, but haven’t considered this. I favor using buttons, beads, embroidery, and may soon expand into thread painting.
Big Stitch Quilting - I use big stitches for my handquilting by default. It’s faster, easier to see, and makes the variegated thread I use stand out. Tiny stitches are for making some features pop out, like butterflies, birds, or other things in the prints I use. I haven’t used perle cotton thread, mainly due to the fact I will need so much and it’s expensive.
Chain Piecing - I use this as much as possible, even with my foundation paper piecing. Why? It saves thread and time. I’ve saved soooooo much thread doing this. Seriously, you need to consider apply this to your work. Your wallet will thank you.
Finish Binding By Machine - There are two reasons why I don’t use this method. The first is I will be arguing with the quilt. My seat is too low and getting a new chair isn’t a priority atm. I’m very low at my machine and fabric tends to drag and becomes difficult to manage. I also don’t like the look of binding when done with machine quilting. Personally, I favor hiding the stitches, which I’ve found can only be done by hand. Plus, it gives my hands something to do while I watch TV (I have ADHD; busy hands is a must).
This is just a small list of what’s there. Set aside a little time to read and try things out. You may find something that works better or differently than what you’re currently doing. Remember: Work smarter, not harder.
