Best Metallic Thread Tip

I tried out a lot of tips for easier stitching with metallic threads today, but this one thing made way more difference for me than anything else. Thread lubricant works! I applied it to the thread itself by squirting a couple of drops on a scrap of fabric and then running the free end of the thread through it, picking up a light coating of lubricant as it went. I then threaded the top of my machine with the lubricated end of the thread, and I couldn't believe the difference.

See the looped, loose stitches on the back of this sample? It's the second line of stitching from the top. That's BEFORE tread lubricant. The rest of the stitching was done AFTER thread lubricant. Wowser. Here's the front view, all done after the lubrication:

MUCH better. Sorry about the photo quality...we'll get much better shots in the studio Wednesday for the February/March issue of McCall's Quick Quilts.

You can buy thread lubricant at any quilt shop or fabric store. The one I used was a Collins product, available on Amazon.com and lots of other places. If you're planning to stitch with metallic thread, this is definitely something you want to have by your machine!

On Pressing, Etc.

Today I finished the top for the Quick Quilts sampler, and then had to make the hard decision about backing. I had lots of fabric left from the Studio Stash collection and could have pieced a backing from it, but somehow it seemed like a waste of really current, really cool fabric. So I decided to just go out and buy yardage and keep things simple. True confession...I went to JoAnn Fabrics. I love my local quilt shops, but on a Sunday afternoon, for just a backing, I'm going for the open store with sale coupons. I ended up getting a soft gray print from their Legacy line for $7.19 a yard, and I only needed 4 yards because it was 44" wide. Great solution.

But then I had to piece it (easy peasy) and press it. On an 80° day, not my favorite thing. Which got me thinking about my foremothers and what their pressing experiences must have been like. I actually have several pressing-related family heirlooms...my grandmother's wooden ironing board, a sprinkler bottle with metal cap, and two packages of non-stick ironing board covers (shown in photo). I must have been moving these things with me for the last 35 years, and I still can't bring myself to throw them away. The silicone one has a sticker price of 49¢, the Teflon one $1.19. The advertising copy on the silicone one claims it will give me "more satisfaction than ordinary cotton or ASBESTOS covers." Uh, like, less cancer? I wonder if the General Textile Company, maker of the Teflon cover, would still honor the guarantee: "This set will be replaced against any defect in workmanship or material." Guess I'll never know...I prefer a cotton cover  :)