Along the way, I've learned a few things that I'd like to share with you. Most of these I learned after doing much trial and error. A few I've picked up from other quilters.

• NEVER mark a quilt top with your quilting pattern using a regular lead pencil. It doesn't wash out! Instead use a pencil manufactured specifically for quilt marking.

• Never use an invisible marker to mark your quilting pattern UNLESS you plan on finishing the part you marked before the ink disappears. I dislike marking a quilt and to have to do it twice is illegal in 47 states. ;)

• When choosing fabrics for small pattern pieces, either use a solid color or select a small print with just two colors. Large prints or multi-colors get lost in small pieces.

• Mark your quilt top with a dark pencil if it's light colored. Use a light pencil (I prefer silver or yellow) for dark fabrics.

• To cut out specific parts of the fabric for your piece, make a window template (one in which the center of it has been cut away, leaving only the ¼" turn-under allowance. Move the window template across your printed fabric until you find a motif you like that fills your 'frame'. Then, trace along both edges (the inner and outer lines) of the template. You'll have both your cutting and sewing line drawn onto the fabric. I recommend using either plastic or cardboard, plastic if you plan on using it a lot. Cardboard doesn't hold up nearly as well.

• If you aren't using a rotary cutter and transparent ruler yet, buying these two items (along with the cutting mat) would be the best thing to happen to you since electric appliances. Using these new tools can cut hours off of your cutting, measuring, and marking time.

• Chain-piecing turns your sewing machine into an absolutely wonderful assembly line. Stack pieces to be sewn into pairs, with the right sides facing. Join the first pair as usual, but don't cut the thread or lift the pressure foot. Simply feed the next pair of pieces, and sew again. Continue this until your stack of pairs is gone. All you have to do after you finish this is go back and clip the small thread between your pairs. Talk about another way to shave off time!

• Use freezer paper to appliqué with. It's so easy and saves time.

• Make your own quilting stencils using tulle. Trace the design onto the tulle with a permanent marker, then pin or lay the tulle onto the quilt top and retrace the design through the net with the marking tool. It can be used over and over.

• When appliquéing, fold the background block in half, then in half again (which now makes it folded into quarters). Finger press (or lightly press with a warm iron). Once you open this up, you can easily use the creases as reference points in placing your appliqué pieces.

• Forget the rules about how many stitches to the inch make quilting perfect. The key is to be consistent! If you can just stitch five or six stitches to the inch, but your stitches are all uniform in length, then don't worry about it.

• If your thread clumps into a knot at the beginning of sewing a seam, try holding the two (2) threads (upper and bobbin) in your fingers for a few stitches.  This stops clumping!