As with any handicraft, quilting can be done in a variety of ways. There are a lot of tips for methods of cutting and piecing that can improve your accuracy and speed up your project. Find out ways to get inexpensive fabric or free patterns. This is a guide about quilting tips and tricks.
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How to Quilt
Professional quilter, Barbara Black, demonstrates how to make a quilt. Be sure to check out the related videos for additional steps and more quilting tips and tricks.
Today I was cutting some strips of fabric with my rotary cutter and a ruler. My ruler kept slipping, causing my cutting line to go crooked. This has happened to me so many times. It drives me nuts! Then a light bulb went off in my brain. My husband uses painters tape for a zillion things, so why not try taping each end of the ruler so it will stay in place while I am cutting. It worked! Why hadn't I thought of this before?
I was able to re-use the tape for several cuts. It was still sticky even then. I was using a 2 inch metal ruler, but I'm sure it would work on plastic as well. I used the blue painters tape (2 inch wide) and taped some onto the ruler, leaving about 2 inches free to tape to my cutting board. I hope other sewers and quilters will find this tip a great help.
When cutting several of the same shape, staple several layers of the paper needed or fabric needed and cut several at one time. If you are cutting paper put your staples outside your pattern lines on three sides.
With a firm hold, start cutting between two staples and work around to your starting place. If the staple holes won't matter in your finished product put them inside your cutting line. Most fabrics are forgiving of the staple holes, not satins and the like, test if you are not sure. If working with fabric you can staple inside your cutting line just be careful removing them.
When making several of one image to fuse with fabric do the same thing. On your fusible web layer 5 or 6 layers of web, staple inside your pattern line and leaving 1/4 inch extra around your pattern cut them out. Arrange them on your chosen fabric and iron as per your directions. As you can see in the photo I wrote on the top piece how many copies I needed.
Saves a lot of time. I used to teach quilting classes and this was one of the best time saving tools I came up with. Remember to reverse your patterns for fusible web.
Source: A way to save time I came up with when teaching quilt classes.
Make the quickest most accurate quilt you'll ever make using a gridded stabilizer. It's made with one inch squares, but you can use any size squares you want. I place the squares in the area I choose, use the tip of my iron to make them stick till I get all the squares on. Now you just iron the fabric down, fold on the lines at the squares edges, and simply sew a straight line. One direction first, then the other direction. It's so fast and looks perfectly accurate. It's fun and it really is that simple, I love it.
Quilters are all fabricaholics. I don't even throw tiny scraps away. The tiniest scraps go into a jar labeled "quilt jelly". Larger pieces about the size of the palm of a baby's hand come in handy when you're doing applique. I thought I was out of black fabric. All I needed was tiny shoes for my Sunbonnet Sue quilt. Sure enough I had saved a very small piece that worked out just right.
Make a weekly trip to the thrift stores. You'll always find new fabrics. I prefer cottons, but I have a friend that uses polyester.
COLORS: Keep stocked up on the basic colors like black, white, red and blue. Paper piecing has made quilting possible for everyone, even kids. Muslin is a real basic need, especially for the back of the small wall quilts.
Before you get started, get out your book that came with your sewing machine. Sit at your machine and go through all the exercises. Know your machine or forget it. I'm hooked on quilting, and I love it.
When quilting with thin, flimsy fabrics, use USED fabric softener sheets as an inexpensive backing. It gives it body and makes it a whole lot easier to work with.
For people who want to quilt but hate to sew, there are many books in the library just for you. You'll find choices for simple or complicated patterns. Calendar quilts are often done by hand because they use so much applique. These types of quilts go over very big at quilt shows, so don't be shy. Then of course you have to enter it in the county fair.
I like to sew a lot. I wanted to make my friend's first baby a special quilt. I made the flock of geese pattern. The quilt was unique and I had a lot of fun with it.
When you make a quilt for someone, make it even more special by making a label saying "This quilt was made with love for:___". Add a second line with the name of the quilt and the date. I realize that a lot of quilts I've seen didn't have a label.
Turning your squares makes it so you do not have to match seams. Great for beginner quilters.
Update: Here is what I mean by "turning". When you make your squares, you turn one square opposite the other square so that one side goes horizontal and the other square the sides go vertical, and there is no need to match the seams.
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Questions
Here are questions related to Quilting Tips and Tricks.
I have bags of clothing (stained or ripped) that I want to make a simple quilt with. Can anyone tell me the easiest pattern for a beginner? I also have about 40 pairs of jeans.
I agree with redhatterb; squares are the easiest and I tie knot my quilts with yarn I just made my last grandchild a quilt and tie knotted it together It was for her first birthday. I am working on a baby doll quilt for her and it is squares cut diagonally and I mixed them up. There are a lot of Quilting sites on the internet just google it in. They will give you step by step instructions and some even have videos on how to.
When cutting several of the same shape, staple several layers of the paper needed or fabric needed and cut several at one time. If you are cutting paper put your staples outside your pattern lines on three sides. 
Turning your squares makes it so you do not have to match seams. Great for beginner quilters. 
By judylowery02/13/2012
By MarySou08/08/2009
Quilting Tips and Tricks