To get a true 1/4 inch use, use 1/4 inch graph paper.  Place the line directly under the needle and lower the presser foot.  Place a strip of masking tape right up against the cut edge of the paper or use the guide on the machine.

Use self-sticking freezer paper for applique templates.  Affix applique pieces to your background fabric with fusible web.  Then finish with machine-sewn satin stitch.

Make your own speedy quilting stencils with nylon tulle.  Trace the design onto the tulle with permanent marker.  Then pin or trace the tulle onto the quilt top and retrace the design through the net with the marking tool of your choice.

Use window templates to cut out specific motifs from printed fabric.  Trace both sewing and cutting lines for the pattern piece on a sheet of template plastic or cardboard.  Cut along both sets of lines to create a window template.  Move the window across the right side of your printed fabric until a motif you like fills your frame.  Then trace along both edges for a perfect 1/4 inch seam allowance around your chosen motif.

When selecting fabric for small pattern pieces, choose a small print with no more than two colors.  Multicolor fabrics will look muddy at a distance.  Very small pieces work best in solid colors.

For beautifully behaved borders, cut borders from the lengthwise grain of your fabric before any other pieces are cut.

Chain piecing turns your sewing machine into a supercharged assembly line.  Stack pieces to be sewn in pairs, with right sides facing.  Join the first pair as usual but DO NOT cut thread or lift the presser foot at the end of the seam.  Just feed in the next pair of pieces, and the next, etc.  Now clip the threads between each pair.

To make a guide for the placement of applique, fold the background fabric in half, turn the fabric 90 degrees, then fold in half again.  Thumb press the folds to make a crease and reopen the fabric.  Use the guidelines to place your applique.

When hand quilting, the number of stitches per inch is less important than the uniformity of the stitches.  Don't worry if you take only five or six stitches per inch - just be consistent throughout the project.

Before pre-washing your quilting fabric, snip a 1/2 inch triangle off each of the four corners.   The snips will keep your fabric from raveling in the washer and dryer.

When cutting borders, measure through the center of your quilt top to determine the exact length of your borders.  If you measure along the edge instead, you could end up with finished edges that ripple.

Before you settle down to a day of sewing patchwork, wind a few extra bobbins of your neutral thread.   It's easier to replace a bobbin when you don't have to unthread your machine and wind a new one.

Turn a bias strip into pretty piping.  Just fold your bias strip, wrong sides together and insert the cording.  Use a zipper foot to sew cording into the strip.

Use a wooden toothpick instead of a needle to turn under your fabric.  The rougher surface of the wood keeps your fabric from slipping.

Add a hanging sleeve to your quilt or wall hanging at the same time you bind the quilt so you can exhibit it at shows or display it in your home.

Setting in pieces by machine is easy when you make special templates.  Use a large needle to pierce a hole in your template at each setting-in point.  Mark a dot in each corner of your pattern pieces for easy stitching.  You can use this tip even if you rotary cut your pattern pieces.

When attaching binding to your quilt, begin in the middle of a side, not at a corner, for best results.

If one of your fabrics bleeds when you pre-wash it, use a cold water vinegar solution to set the dye.

Make a master pattern of the applique block design.  Use it as a guide for positioning the individual applique pieces on the background squares.