Some Of My Favorite Things

Geta asked bloggers to join her in sharing some of our favorite things we love for quilting.  I instantly thought of two things I learned about in the last machine quilting class I took.  I use my home sewing machine to quilt my quilts, and although I still have a long way to go in having something look "picture perfect," I have noticed a great improvement using these two items.

The first are these Machingers quilting gloves.  I have tried a lot of different gloves for quilting, but these are by far the best I've found.  I can change bobbins and rethread the machine without taking them off.  They also have the grips on the fingertips which make moving the fabric while quilting a lot easier.  The best part, they are not that expensive.

My second favorite product for machine quilting is the Quilt Halo from Sharon Schamber.  I do not understand why it works, but it does.  I think maybe when a quilter is beginning to free motion quilt we sometimes become overwhelmed with the whole project rather than just focusing on working in a smaller area.

You can see in these photos how I move the quilt with the hoop while quilting (it has grips on the bottom of it).  This is just a small practice piece, but honestly, it works on bigger projects too.

I will usually start out with the hoop on a project and then as I become more accustomed to the project I'm working on I will eventually put it aside and work without it.  I have found when I start with it I do tend to work in smaller areas even after I stop using it.  I'm actually much happier with my quilting than ever before.  Like I said though, I still have a long way to go.

Don't forget to visit Geta's blog for all the helpful tips, tricks, and products that others have shown.  And thanks to my 12-year-old son who so happily took these photos for me.  :)  Happy Stitching!!  --Kristen