Finding the time to get into your sewing room for some quality quilty time can be hard. Once you get there, you want to make the most of the time you have. Today, I'm giving you my top six time-saving tips to help you move through projects with ease.
Chain Piecing
Chain piecing saves time and thread. Instead of clipping after sewing each piece one at a time, just keep feeding your pieces under the needle until they're all done. You can save even more time by attaching a thread snip to your sewing machine (like the pink one on my machine) to quickly separate your pieces. Once I learned about chain piecing, I couldn't believe how much faster my piecing went.
Seam Allowance Washi Tape
Every time I recommend this seam allowance washi tape to someone, they can't stop talking about what a time saver it is! When you're making half-square-triangles or stitch-and-flip blocks, it is so time consuming to have to draw diagonal lines on each of your blocks. When you use this washi tape, you can sew right down the center when you line your corners up on the red line and 1/4" from the center when you line your corners up on the blue lines. You can pick up a two pack for about $4. (If you use my links, I get a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!)
Organize Cut Fabric Pieces
Staying organized along the way helps you save time, too. Make sure you label your fabric pieces as you cut them. Your pattern will likely tell you which cuts have which labels (for example, 2 1/2" squares are piece A), so you can use that information to keep your cuts organized. Whether you use fabric labels like Alphabitties or make your own with post-it notes and clips, labeling during the cutting step allows you to easily pick out the pieces you need for your next step without having to dig or meaure your cut pieces.
Organize Your WIPs
The real time saver would be to work on one project at a time, but I'm trying to keep this post as real and practical as possible! Since we're notorious for having multiple projects going, we need to keep them organized. These bins have been the best tool for keeping my WIPs organized than any other method I've tried. They are big enough to hold everything I need for a project up to finishing the quilt top. Since they're clear, I can see which project is in which box, and it's easy to pull one out, work on it, and put it back where I got it when I'm done.
End Sewing Sessions with a Quick Tidy
I'm not saying your sewing area needs to be spotless at the end of every session, but it definitely shouldn't look like this the next time you go in to sew. Taking even five minutes to put away any tools or rulers you used, wiping down flat surfaces, and putting the dust cover on your sewing machine will leave you with an inviting, tidy space the next time you want to sew.
Take Care of Your Sewing Machine
Nothing is more frustrating than having to stop what you're working on to deal with breaking threads, lint, or tension issues. Make sure you're keeping your machine clean and oiled and change your needle between every project or every eight hours of sewing. She is the star of the show and deserves to be treated that way!
What would you add to the list? Leave your best time-saving tip in the comments below.
