Last week on What's New Wednesday, Cassie asked our Kimberbellas [and Fellas, Too] what their machine embroidery questions were. (Thank you so much for your responses!)
Below are the questions we saw more than once, along with answers and resources. These questions were also discussed during the September 10th episode of What's New Wednesday episode found HERE!
Let's get into it!
Q: What Do You Do With Batting and Stabilizer Scraps?
Melissa from Kimberbell has some suggestions: "I use the weird batting pieces inside of stuffies (such as North Pole Stuffies or Nativity Stuffies).
"I also keep scraps of Sticky-Back Wash-Away to patch Sticky-Back stabilizer when I accidentally slice through it when scoring," Melissa adds. "I've also used it as paper tape!"
Q: What Tips Do You Have for Binding?
There were a lot of questions about binding . . .and that's great because we have a lot of resources for you! 😀
Sara from Kimberbell uses quilting clips to make binding easy. "I like to clip 6-12" of the binding while I sew it, then move them as I'm sewing so I don't have to clip/pin the entire thing before starting."
Becky recommends the FREE Kimberbell Resource Guide, found HERE! There's a whole section on binding.
Psssst . . .check out my blog post Common Questions About Binding found HERE!
It's also important to be sure your project is square before adding the binding, otherwise it will look wavy. And remember to slow down, take your time, and do it right—even if you're excited to finish the quilt!
Q: Is It Okay to NOT Put a Border on a Quilt?
Cassie from Kimberbell says this, " You can do whatever you’d like with the quilts you're making. The quilt police are not real!" 😀
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One of the easiest ways to make a quilt bigger or smaller is by adjusting the border. You can remove the border (or make it thinner) for a smaller quilt, or add to the border to make your quilt bigger.
Q: How Do I Use Clear Blue Tiles to Do Background Quilting?
You're in luck! We have a lot of resources to teach you about Clear Blue Tiles® and the Kimberbell quilting system. I'll mention just a few of them:
- We're holding a CLEAR BLUE TILES SEMINAR on Tuesday, September 30, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. Mountain Time. This seminar is FREE, but you'll need to register! Please click the button below to sign up.
- There are several YouTube videos on the Kimberbell Channel. See our Clear Blue Tiles demos HERE!
- Also be sure to check out my article "Understanding Kimberbell Background Quilting" HERE.
I highly encourage you to sign up for the Clear Blue Tiles Seminar, during which Kim will demonstrate how to use Clear Blue Tiles, step-by-step. (By the way . . .they’re so much easier than you think!)
If you’d like to follow along as you watch the seminar, please prepare a small quilt sandwich and have a Clear Blue Tile and water-soluble pen at the ready!
Q: How Do I Best Prep for a Big Project?
We've got lots of suggestions for prepping for a big project:
- Clean your workspace so it's nice and tidy.
- Skim through the instructions first, at least section by section.
- Gather all threads, stabilizers, and tools needed for the project.
- Pre-load bobbins and USBs.
Also be sure to watch this short video!
Cassie likes to draw a grid on her BIG whiteboard and tape her fabrics for each block within the squares of the grid. (She likes that the whiteboard doesn't take a lot of space and keeps her floors open!)
Kim swears by the bag method, which is to cut all your pieces beforehand and organize them in resealable bags, block by block:
Q: Where Can I Find Thanksgiving Project Ideas?
I published a blog post last year with Thanksgiving project ideas HERE. (Psssst . . .another post is coming in a few weeks, so you can look forward to that!)
You can always use blocks from the Sweet as Pie Bench Pillow to make something cute. Mashups are always fun, too! Take a look at what Camilla (a Kimberbell digitizer) did as a gift for her mother last year!
Camilla used blocks from Kimberbell's Falling for Autumn quilt and In All Things Give Thanks pillow. (I'm sure her mother gave well-deserved thanks for this darling gift!)
Q: Where Can I Find Kimberbell Tutorials?
We have a LOT of tutorials on Kimberbell's YouTube channel. Click HERE for our tutorial playlist!
Here are a few, just to whet your appetite:
Q: How Do I Use Orange Pop Rulers?
Orange Pop Rulers are easy and once you've tried them, you'll never go back! Here's a short demo Kim filmed about a year ago (but is still relevant today):
Psssst! Click HERE for a step-by-step illustrated guide on using Orange Pop Rulers!
Q: Any Hints for Lining Up Squares?
For lining up squares, I'm going to refer you to the Kimberbell Resource Guide, specifically the sections called "Sewing Two Blocks Together" and "Joining Rows Together." (Click the image below to download the guide!)
Camilla from Kimberbell also says this:
"When I'm sewing a project together and need seams to line up neatly, I'll line up the seams visually, looking at them from the side of the future seam allowance, and poke a pin through the sewn seam on each side as exactly as I can.
If I have excess fabric on one side between the pins I will try to pin the excess down as evenly as I can to avoid getting a pucker, then I'll usually (carefully) sew over the pins so it all stays where I want.
Sometimes how a seam appears to line up on the front is also influenced by which way the seam allowance is ironed on the back. If it doesn't look quite lined up on the front with the seam allowance ironed to the right, try ironing it to the left before you pick out the seam. That sometimes fixes it."
Melissa from Kimberbell says, "I like to stitch the intersecting seams first with a basting stitch before stitching the rest of the seam. That way I can focus on making it perfect before worrying about the rest of the seam."
Q: Which Stabilizers Are Best to Use?
The right stabilizer plays an important part in reinforcing fabric, reducing shifting, and providing a solid foundation for your machine embroidery projects. But how do you know which to choose?
Because stabilizer can be on overwhelming choice, I published a post a while ago called 5 Must-Have Machine Embroidery Stabilizers. (Read that article HERE!)
We also have a handy reference chart below, which you could print out and use!
Witch Hat Project
Now, this may seem random, but hear me out: as part of the What's New Wednesday episode where Cassie answered the above questions, she also showed a darling Witch Hat project.
Take a look! (If you don't want to watch the whole thing, go to about the 44 minute mark.) 😀
For the FREE witch hat pattern from Heather Handmade, click HERE! Then be sure to watch the above video to see how Cassie changed it with machine embroidery and background quilting!
Thank you so much for submitting your questions! It's all about helping each other as we Experience the Joy of Creativity® together.
Happy stitching!
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