A New Quilting Gadget Gives Me Hope—and That’s Saying Something
There are several parts of quilting I genuinely enjoy. Piecing is satisfying, pressing seams is oddly calming, and choosing fabric could easily become a full-time occupation if anyone were willing to pay me for it.
Sandwiching quilts, however, is another matter entirely.
No matter how carefully I smooth the backing, batting, and quilt top, I seem to end up with shifting, bunching, or a wrinkle hiding somewhere underneath. I can pin until the entire quilt looks like it has developed armor, and somehow the backing still finds a way to misbehave. I have also tried spray basting, but the smell gives me a headache, so that method and I are no longer on speaking terms.
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Last night I had four quilts waiting to be sandwiched, which is not exactly my idea of a relaxing evening. Before I started, though, I decided to try something new: the Micro Stitch tool.
I managed to sandwich two of the four quilts, and my first thought was, Why am I only finding out about this now?
The tool uses tiny plastic fasteners to hold the three quilt layers together. Once I had them in place, the quilts felt much more stable than they usually do when I pin. The layers did not seem to shift while I moved the quilts around, and the entire process felt a little less like wrestling a stubborn octopus.
I should be clear that I have not quilted either of them yet, so this is still very much a first impression rather than a final review. The real test will come when I run them through the machine and see whether the backing stays smooth. Still, I have high hopes. If these little fasteners prevent slipping and puckering, I will gladly spend a few minutes clipping them out afterward. That seems like a perfectly reasonable trade.
Sometimes the most useful quilting tools are not the flashy ones. They are the quiet little gadgets that solve the job you have been dreading for years.
I will report back once these quilts have been quilted and the Micro Stitch has survived the full test.
In the meantime, it has been unbelievably hot here, which means I have been staying inside with the air conditioning, my sewing machine, and a steady supply of audiobooks. I am starting book fifteen of Jennifer Chiaverini’s Elm Creek Quilts series, and I am honestly surprised by how much I have enjoyed these books.
I didn't expect to become quite so invested in the characters, but here we are. They've become perfect sewing-room companions, especially on afternoons when it's simply too hot to be outside.
What I discovered recently made me smile even more. Many of the quilts featured throughout the series have actually been turned into companion pattern books, so you can make some of the quilts you've been reading about. I had no idea those even existed. Now, of course, I'm trying very hard to convince myself I don't need another quilting book on my shelf...although we all know how that usually ends.
If you enjoy listening to books while you quilt, I'd definitely recommend giving the series a try. Just don't blame me if you end up adding a few more quilting books to your collection along the way.
Now I still have two more quilts waiting to be sandwiched, but for once, I'm not quite as grumpy about it.
Have you tried the Micro Stitch tool? I would love to know whether it has earned a permanent place in your quilting toolbox, or whether you have another basting method I need to know about.
~Chris
