QM Tips

Master these machine-quilting techniques that require no marking!

For Starters

Stippling and Meandering

Quilting in the Ditch

Echo Quilting

Con-Tact® Paper Templates

Follow-the-Fabric Quilting

And Still More Options

Tips & Techniques

 Mark No More

Quilting on Tissue Paper

Tissue paper comes in pads of individual sheets or on a roll. The paper on a roll is especially good for marking borders, long sashes or overall designs for free-motion quilting. Because it's see-through, tracing and reversing designs is easy.

For patch or block quilting, first draw around the patch or block along the seam line. Then trace the motif in place. Make as many copies as you will need--they're used one time only. To make multiple copies, layer up to 10 sheets of tissue with the marked design on top. Pin together. Remove thread from your sewing machine and "sew" on the lines of the design with a medium stitch length. The design is most visible when tissue is used on darker fabrics; for light fabrics, you may need to connect the holes lightly with a pencil.

Pin the drawings to the basted quilt, aligning seam lines. Shorter rather than longer stitches will puncture the paper more frequently, makeing it easier to tear away later. Quilt on the drawn lines of the motif and lock stitches to end.Tear away the paper carefully.

With tissue on a roll, you can easily space motifs evenly to fill a border. Cut a length of tissue as long as the border and fold into equal lengths. Center and trace the motif in each section. Draw extra curves or loops to join the motifs.

Quilting On Tissue Paper