A viewer asks," I was watching your video on YouTube (great video by the way!) and have a quick question.

My understanding was that the three layers needed to be very taut so that the "quilted" look would appear.  Do I have mine too taut since I can't go back and forth and get 3-4 stitches on my needle at a time?  So how taut is taut? "

If the quilt is taut in the hoop there won't be any give to allow for the needle to bend and to go through the steps of the quilting stitch.  It should NOT be tight like a drum but rather loose enough so with the quilt securely in the hoop you can gently move the the hoop up and down and the quilt will move and catch the "wind", then tighten the wing nut all the way!   The beauty of the hoop is it keeps your quilting area defined it maintains the tension of your quilting area.

Thanks for your question.

There is so much more to batting than most quilters realize. 

Please DON'T AGITATE THE BATT IN YOUR WASHER!!!!!  If you agitate the batting WILL FALL APART.  You won't make that mistake twice!  To pre-shrink your batting just fill your washer tub, insert opened batting, soak for a moment to wet and then just SPIN and dry in your dryer.   Now it is ready to use.

Scrim. Many batting are prepared with a substance called scrim sprayed on the outside.  This is intended to keep it from bearding.  This sticky, hair spray like covering is unneccesary  and unwanted for hand quilters.  It makes hand quilting more difficult, having to quilt through an added layer of chemicals.  I like to keep my quilts as natural as possible and  these chemicals have been shown to degrade and discolor fabrics over time. So always look for a no-scrim batting.  The ones I carry have no scrim.

The Bohin Chalk Pencil is my new, very favorite quilting notion. It is completely non-permanent on my quilt tops and has the added bonus of creating a very thin line.  This is the dream tool I have always wanted.  It comes with replacable chalks in a different colors.  So far I have tested and used the white and grey.  With just a click of the pencil I have a new point for drawing my applique shapes or quilting lines on dark fabrics. 

It does have the ability to remove easily so for a more long lasting white line on dark fabrics I have adopted the White Water Erasable Fabric Pen - Bohin. or the Water Erasable White Pen - Clover. They both work the same way.  You draw the line and wait few seconds for it to appear.  I have found that  its easily removed with a heated iron rather than the water.  I had great succes using the Clover pen for my recent summer applique project.

  My preferences for a particular thread come from my own experiences in using many of them. I don't especially like when threads break, unravel or knot.  I've learned to avoid metallics or cotton covered polyester, and many 100% cottons. Such cotton threads  are made from  lessor quality fibers,  have an inadequate twist or finish.

YLI Hand Quilting Thread has been my favorite since I began using it.  I love the colors and especially how it does not knot or break when I'm quilting.  Below is an excerpt from an article I wrote about threads. You can find the complete article by clicking on the NEQ Media Center box on the front page of  www.NancyEllenQuilts.com

 Just arrived for your Spring '10 projects.  Beautiful assortments in a gradation of colors. Available now in Candy Corn, Evergreen, Denim and Pinks. 5.5 yards of fabric enough for almost any quilt top.

   Robert Kaufman Fat Quarter Bundles are available. Check often for updates and the new 2010  fabric lines.       

Fat Quarters Bundles have been added to the store.  Some Stash Builder Packs are available  now and Robert Kaufman Bundles are coming soon. You can see them at Fat Quarter Bundles.

Oruvs Soap by Proctor and Gamble

An extremely gentle detergent used to clean quilts and horses. Non-irritating and will not discolor dyes. Orvus paste from Proctor and Gamble is a favorite for the discerning quilter and the proud horse owner. This soap is solid in cooler temps. and liquid when warm. A little goes a long way!!
Directions for quilts & cotton fabrics:
In liquid form, stir before each use or scoop as a solid. Fill washer with water, add only one tablespoon of highly concentrated Orvus Paste. Agitate water to blend in Paste . Gently place quilt around in washer. Wash quilt on a short, gentle cycle . Rinse quilt twice to remove all the Orvus Paste. If quilt is heavily soiled, wash twice. Do not presoak the quilt. For delicate or heirloom quilts wash without agitation, lay flat to dry.
Directions for horses:
Add two tablespoons to a bucket of warm water. Mix to make sudsy. Use the sponge/washer of your choice to scrub and clean your horse. Rinse your horse very well. He/she will be squeaky clean.

 Precaution: Orvus WA Paste may be irritating to skin or eyes. Eye contact with the product or its aqueous solution may cause mild transient irritation. Eye Contact: flush with water thoroughly for 15 minutes. Skin Irritation: discontinue use, apply cold compress to relieve irritation.

Ingredients: Sodium lauryl sulfate, lauryl alcohol, sodium sulfate, water.

This is an a topic of ongoing debate, but I can't understand why? I know the fabric right off the bolt is so perfect looking, and very tempting to begin cutting. It's pressed so flat with no frayed ends. So hard to resist beginning your project.  But I always do. Straight home from a quilt show weekend, where I usually stock up, my newly purchased yardage goes directly to the laundry room to be washed, dried and ironed, and  I encourage all my students to do the same. 

Why wash? For two very important reasons. Fabric production is not standardized. Therefore manufacturers produce fabrics with a variety of weave counts. Some may have a count of, for example, 55 x 65 and another may have a count of 70 x 77.  When you sew them together  via, piecing, applique or whole cloth quilting and then you wash the completed project the fabric will shrink at different rates cause distortion.  This reminds me to let you know to never use bed sheets. They are too densely woven to comfortably needle through for hand quilting. Also, you want to dry your fabrics in a nice warm dryer to get all the shrinkage out and iron.

The second reason for washing, especially the hand dyed fabrics is to reduce the amount of potential or actual bleeding. I use many hand dyed because they are so beautiful, but I  wash them, several times in a wash tub of hot water and Retayne, a commercial color fixative. You can see that item on my store under, Quilting Accessories.  This is especially true of reds and all darks.

I am so glad to finally announce the arrival of Aurifil! I have added selected colors of the thread to the Quilt Shop. If there are other colors you need , let me know and I can place a special order.

server.nancyellenquilts.com/Aurifil