Gadgets

I’m still practicing free-motion quilting and I am getting a bit better. I read somewhere that you need 100 hours of practice before you are competent. I have a long way to go.

I’ve watched many free-motion videos online. Leah Day has over 100 short videos on her blog. Her goal is to present 365 designs in a year. It is really fun to watch her videos. I like the beginner ones.

Now I am thinking that I might need some gadgets to improve my free-motion work. I’ve seen two Teflon “slip-slide” things to put on the bed of the sewing machine. They are supposed to make the fabric glide easily. I think the bed of my old machine may have some minor rough spots which cause little jerks while I slide the quilt sandwich around. One of the gadgets is called Supreme Slider (click on the picture below for more information).

The other one is named Sewslip (click on the picture below for more information).

The Supreme Slider is 8½ by 11 inches and the Sewslip is 12 by 18 inches.

There is another gizmo called Quilt Halo by Sharon Schamber. It is a weighted ring coated with some sort of sticky substance. The ring is used as a sort of steering wheel to move the fabric around under the needle (click on the picture below for more information).

I think it is typical that beginners want all sorts of fancy tools to improve their “game.” I am tempted to get some gadgets but I don’t expect a miracle.