Make your quilting more enjoyable and more successful simply by cutting accurately and maintaining a consistent 1/4" seam allowance, two "musts" for quilt making. Try Kate's tips:

• Work on cutting accurate sizes and shapes - if you are off by more than a 1/8" your patchwork pieces will not fit together and will throw off your quilt block. It's better to cut a new piece than have to throw out a whole block.
• Make a 1/4" guide on your machine. Measure 1/4" away from the needle, using a seam gauge. Stick a short stack of sticky notes at that measurement, parallel to the presser foot. Line up the raw edge of your fabric against the edge of the notes as you sew. When the top sticky gets dog-eared pull if off the stack and keep sewing.
• Rotary cutting blades do get dull with lots of use. If you notice that the blade is no longer cutting well, carefully replace it with a new blade.
• Always use rotary cutting tools together - cutter, ruler and mat.

It's important to be familiar with your sewing machine. If you haven't used it for a long time or if it's new to you, take time to check the instructions and practice threading, winding a bobbin and backstitching. Here are some tips:

• Always thread the machine with the presser foot up.
• Stitching Problems: If you notice loose or skipped stitching on the bottom of your work - stop and rethread the top of your machine. If you notice stitch problems on the top of your work - take the bobbin out and re insert it - take care that the thread is going in the proper direction.
• If stitching is loopy or too tight on either side of the work, adjust the tension.
• Make a stitch sampler. This is a good way get to know the decorative stitches, plus give you a quick way to find a stitch quickly for a future project. Try out all the stitches on your machine on a large piece of scrap fabric. Experiment with the length and width. As you try out each stitch, use a fine marker to make notes directly on the fabric - note the stitch number, etc.
• Always start stitching with the upper thread under and behind the presser foot. Hold both threads for the first several stitches.
• Don't look at the needle when you are stitching - look ahead a few inches to where you will be sewing -just like driving - look down the street, not at the hood of the car!