Here are some of the hints I have accumulated for your paper piecing.

Use small stitches to stitch your pieces together. There are two reasons for this. the closer the holes from the stitches are, the easier it is to tear the paper off and the smaller stitches make the seam  stronger.

Check the June 15 new letter which I will post in the Forum on our website for the directions for marking your copies by stitching through a stack of paper. This also makes the paper easier to remove.

Do not use steam to press as it makes the paper curl or if you are using water soluble paper it can melt the paper.

Do not reverse or knot the ends of the lines of stitching , just end the stitches, but do extend the stitches over the intersecting line as this is this intersection that locks the stitches in place.

Even though you use tiny stitches, it is not impossible to get the stitches out. Pull apart one end of the stitching slightly and use your sharp seam ripper to slice the threads inside the seam.

If you can not remove the stitches as above, cut the most recent piece completely off very close to the stitching either pull the remaining fabric threads out or leave it and stitch over it for the replacement.

It is very handy to have one of those tiny Clover irons to iron the pieces open as you go. Do be careful though. I knocked mine off once and burned a hole in my carpet. A small ironing pad is very handy here

Other ways to "press" each step are to jump up and run over to the ironing board after each seam, helping to defeat Quilter's Fat Quarters, press it with your finger nail or use a wooden iron, or half of a clip clothespin and run the hard surface over your seam line.

Consider printing or tracing your pattern onto muslin instead of paper. This foundation is left in your piece.

Check out Foundation by the Yard, which is very accurate foundation piecing patterns on a muslin base. I have used their New York Beauty foundation as well as Prairie Braid and loved it. No paper to wrestle with. Quilter's Threads is starting to carry some of these.

A final hint is to remove the thin piece of paper from within the seam area before you sew sections together. It is a lot easier to do before you sew it again.

Have fun enjoy the results!

Horizontal Spool Holder - First ones sold out, we now have a waiting list for the back order

Supreme Sliders- This goes on you sewing machine and lets your quilt slide freely as you are quilting

Bobbin Washers - sometimes certain machines experience a backlash of bobbin thread causing knots and thread breakage, these washers prevent that.

Ergonomic Seam Rippers -bless Fons and Porter, those of us with arthritis can no hold onto the seam ripper with ease.

Chalk Holder Pen - This is a pen that holds a thin piece of hard sharpened chalk for marking. There are a number of colors of chalk included. I like these very much.

Foundation by the Yard - Preprinted muslin panels with foundation patterns on them. Very rewarding to try. I easily made a perfect New York Beauty wall hanging with these.

The Shining 12 X 12"

My last paper piecing hint is that if you are going to use lame in paper piecing, be sure and iron interfacing on the back of the lame fabric before using it.

Call for Volunteers for Quilt of the  Month

A couple of times we have seen orcas off the island there, more often we hear reports that they have been here and gone. Sometimes we see the huge aircraft carriers go by from their base in Everett. It is very impressive to look down the bluff right above them and see everything on board. They seem to go on forever.

We have a small lighthouse here in Mukilteo next to the ferry landing and a few good restaurants as well as a picnic area and kite flying field. It popular with our extended family to go to that park, get fish and chips to go at Ivars next to the ferry dock and have a Seattle style picnic and help the kids fly their kites, collect rocks and wade in water so cold that no one over 5 can tolerate it.

Western Washington gets quick a bit of rain, but actually less than New York City. The rain we get makes this area wonderfully green and in the spring, it seems like everything blooms. We have flowers in our yard from February to November. My favorites are the hydrangeas, roses and fuchsias. We have a tiny native fuchsia that tolerates the year round weather. We get some snow usually a couple of times a year and a couple of very windy storms when the Sound is beautiful and covered with white caps.

There are lots of outdoor activities to do and I know very few Washingtonians that own an umbrella. One just pulls up the it coat color and continues on. The temperatures here are generally quite mild. Although I have seen it get down into the teens it is more often in the 40s during winter days. The summer is a delight for those of us who mind the heat. It has only gotten to be over 90F one day in meteorological records here. So most temperatures in the summer top out in the high 70s and low 80s. If we have a spell in the mid to high eighties everyone is complaining about the heat wave.

Kathy lives in Everett which is just north of Mukilteo. This is a truly spectacular area.

Some Mukilteo Pictures

View from my street of the Puget Sound and Whidbey Island, Flowers from my Garden, View from my Deck, This past winter, taken from my deck

All sales items limited to stock on hand. Prices good through July 14 2007

Bobbin holders $1.25 While supplies last. Great for storing bobbin in a drawer or sewing basket. Were $2.75. Look under Notions in Thread \Accessories Category

Gloves $4.50. Use these instead of your gardening gloves when quilting to help you move your quilt around more easily.  The little dots grip the fabric.Were $7.20 Look under Notions

Sulky Cut Away Stabilizers

Cut away Plus $2.00/1 yd package was $3.79

Soft and Sheer 1.75/1 yd package was $2.49

Stabilizers are under Notions

Diane's Little Hint

I think it is a lifetime supply of it, but I have only had it for 5 years so it is hard to tell!

It is really handy for many things, if the kids need a big piece for a pictures, or if I need to protect a surface for painting or dyeing projects, then I just cut off a piece.