{"id":1451,"date":"2011-05-17T17:11:00","date_gmt":"2011-05-18T00:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sandymike.net\/blog\/2011\/05\/17\/have-you-ever\/"},"modified":"2015-01-01T12:08:21","modified_gmt":"2015-01-01T20:08:21","slug":"have-you-ever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sandymike.net\/blog\/2011\/05\/17\/have-you-ever\/","title":{"rendered":"Have you ever …"},"content":{"rendered":"
\u2026 broken your threads in the middle of a line of machine quilting? Or run out of bobbin? If so, you know how frustrating it is to try to get the thread ends knotted off so you can get back to the quilting. Here’s how I do it, with very little fuss or muss. \ud83d\ude09<\/div>\n
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The first step, of course, is to pick out enough stitches that you will have at least a short length of thread to work with. Ugh. I know you probably hate that part as much as I do! But I’ve discovered that I don’t have to pick out that many stitches any longer, since I’ve found a method for knotting the ends while still fairly short. When I have long thread ends, I make a thread loop around two fingers and pull the ends through that, but shorter thread ends can still be knotted with the help of everyday tweezers. (To give credit where credit it more than due, I learned this from Sharon Schamber<\/a>.) I prefer the reverse tweezers \u2014 you know, the ones that remain tightly closed unless you squeeze them, but you can easily use the regular ones instead. Here’s how, keeping in mind that I’m left-handed, so you may have to reverse direction on some steps. \ud83d\ude09 All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.<\/div>\n
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1. Hold your two thread ends in one hand. I’ve put my needle in the photo to give some general sense of proportion, and my thread ends are longer than needed so you can see them more easily.<\/div>\n
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2. While still holding the thread ends, slip your tweezers under the threads.<\/div>\n
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3. Still <\/i>holding the threads, make a loop around the tips of the tweezers.<\/p>\n

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4. Open the tweezers (if they aren’t already open) and grab the ends of the threads through the loop. You can release the threads from your fingers now. \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

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5. Place the tip of your needle through the thread loop and into your fabric where you’d like the knot to end up.<\/p>\n

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6. Use the tweezers to pull the thread ends through the loop. (Sorry this shot is a bit fuzzy!) Pull the thread taut to slip the knot down to the required spot on the quilt.<\/p>\n

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7. Okay, now you have a knot. But what if the thread ends are too short to be able to thread the needle and feed the whole thing into the quilt? Easy! Put the needle into the quilt before<\/i> threading it! I like to use one of those self-threading needles for this, but use whatever kind you like.<\/p>\n

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8. When the needle is sufficiently into the fabric to allow you to thread it, go ahead and do so. I’ve done this with threads short enough that barely more than the eye of the needle was showing.<\/p>\n

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9. Pull the needle through …<\/p>\n

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10. \u2026 and pop the knot into the quilt center.<\/p>\n

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11. Now all that’s left is to snip of the threads close to the top of the quilt!<\/p>\n

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See how easy this is? Since the tweezers are so much thinner than human fingers, this technique saves lots of unpicking! I hope this helps someone. By the way, this can also work when your thread breaks during hand piecing or hand quilting. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u2026 broken your threads in the middle of a line of machine quilting? Or run out of bobbin? If so, you know how frustrating it is to try to get the thread ends knotted off so you can get back to the quilting. Here’s how I do it, with very little fuss or muss. \ud83d\ude09 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":748,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[299],"tags":[276,234],"class_list":{"0":"post-1451","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-quilting","8":"tag-knotting-thread","9":"tag-tutorial","10":"czr-hentry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sandymike.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/IMG_3417.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5yzuO-np","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3025,"url":"https:\/\/sandymike.net\/blog\/2017\/05\/19\/machine-quilting-practice-installment-three\/","url_meta":{"origin":1451,"position":0},"title":"Machine quilting practice, installment three","author":"Sandy","date":"May 19, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"I've skipped posting a few \"installments\" here on the practice piece I began here and continued here. Between those two installments and now, I added about a zillion \"pebbles\" around the flying geese, as well as two sections with curved feathers. The latest task, which I did today, was to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Free motion quilting"","block_context":{"text":"Free motion quilting","link":"https:\/\/sandymike.net\/blog\/category\/quilting\/free-motion\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sandymike.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/silk100wt.jpg?fit=640%2C364&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sandymike.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/silk100wt.jpg?fit=640%2C364&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sandymike.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/silk100wt.jpg?fit=640%2C364&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1563,"url":"https:\/\/sandymike.net\/blog\/2010\/01\/29\/quilting-in-the-desert\/","url_meta":{"origin":1451,"position":1},"title":"Quilting in the Desert","author":"Sandy","date":"January 29, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm in Phoenix right now, staying with a good friend and taking a couple of classes at a retreat called Quilting in the Desert. This is my third year doing that, and it's such fun! It's put on by the same people who organize Quilt Camp in the Pines each\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Free motion quilting"","block_context":{"text":"Free motion quilting","link":"https:\/\/sandymike.net\/blog\/category\/quilting\/free-motion\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sandymike.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/IMG_2584.jpg?fit=640%2C360&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sandymike.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/IMG_2584.jpg?fit=640%2C360&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sandymike.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/IMG_2584.jpg?fit=640%2C360&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1337,"url":"https:\/\/sandymike.net\/blog\/2013\/07\/11\/thread-catcher\/","url_meta":{"origin":1451,"position":2},"title":"Thread catcher","author":"Sandy","date":"July 11, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Today I went to the monthly meeting of the quilt group I belong to. Our usual routine is to have a business meeting (never long, of course!), followed by one of our group showing us how to do a project or technique.Today's project was a very cute little fabric bag\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Quilting"","block_context":{"text":"Quilting","link":"https:\/\/sandymike.net\/blog\/category\/quilting\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sandymike.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/IMG_0273.jpg?fit=640%2C456&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sandymike.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/IMG_0273.jpg?fit=640%2C456&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sandymike.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/IMG_0273.jpg?fit=640%2C456&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1318,"url":"https:\/\/sandymike.net\/blog\/2013\/10\/02\/beginning-the-quilting\/","url_meta":{"origin":1451,"position":3},"title":"Beginning the quilting","author":"Sandy","date":"October 2, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"A couple of weeks ago, I posted about another Drunkard's Path quilt I was planning to finish after letting it languish for over a year. I've now put all of the blocks together and decided that borders on this one just don't add anything to the effect I want. So\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Free motion quilting"","block_context":{"text":"Free motion quilting","link":"https:\/\/sandymike.net\/blog\/category\/quilting\/free-motion\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sandymike.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/IMG_0386.jpg?fit=480%2C640&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4304,"url":"https:\/\/sandymike.net\/blog\/2020\/10\/04\/glamorous-clams-part-3\/","url_meta":{"origin":1451,"position":4},"title":"Glamorous Clams, part 3","author":"Sandy","date":"October 4, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I've been working pretty hard on the online classes I've mentioned before, but I did finally get all of my clamshells stitched to the background, using a variety of decorative stitches and thread colors. The next step will be to quilt this piece and the backing before putting them together.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Appliqu\u00e9"","block_context":{"text":"Appliqu\u00e9","link":"https:\/\/sandymike.net\/blog\/category\/quilting\/applique\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"clamshells attached","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sandymike.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/IMG_1213-300x246.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1379,"url":"https:\/\/sandymike.net\/blog\/2012\/09\/17\/sakura\/","url_meta":{"origin":1451,"position":5},"title":"Sakura","author":"Sandy","date":"September 17, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"I've shown you this quilt in progress a few times, but it's now finished! I'm really happy with the way it turned out, though it doesn't quite fit on the wall where I'd planned to hang it; it's a little too long. That's okay; I'll figure out a solution. ;)What's\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Quilting"","block_context":{"text":"Quilting","link":"https:\/\/sandymike.net\/blog\/category\/quilting\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sandymike.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Sakura-1.jpg?fit=552%2C640&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sandymike.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Sakura-1.jpg?fit=552%2C640&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sandymike.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Sakura-1.jpg?fit=552%2C640&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandymike.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1451","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandymike.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandymike.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandymike.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandymike.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1451"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sandymike.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1451\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1693,"href":"https:\/\/sandymike.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1451\/revisions\/1693"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandymike.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandymike.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1451"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandymike.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1451"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandymike.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1451"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}