Use Perle Cotton for some very cute chunky hand-quilting detail. I love the way it's made my Day at the Zoo quilt look even more fun and cozy. It's especially well suited for baby quilts because it reminds me of Crayon lines. Not perfectly even, but bold and playful. I just love it, especially with the contrasting colors. Plus Perle Cotton has a shiny, silky quality that gives the quilt some nice texture. Try it out on your next quilt. You will love it!
But learn from me here, don't use Perle Cotton 5 like I did! Use Perle 8 like all the sane quilters of the world. Once again my laziness (and frugality) got the best of me and I just grabbed the Perle 5 that I could easily find at Michael's. They didn't have Perle 8 in the colors I wanted and I wasn't keen on paying for shipping. So I just went with Perle 5 totally ignoring what Nova (I love that name!) over at a cuppa and a catch up wrote after she had a rough time quilting with Perle 5. Let me tell you, I totally agree with her. I can't feel the side of my left index finger after all that tugging on the needle just to get the fatty thread through. It is not pleasant to quilt with! Listen to Nova! Listen to me! It may look cute, but by the time you finally thread your needle (~5 minutes of utter frustration) and start yanking away at your thread, you'll be regretting that you didn't just pay the shipping and wait patiently for Perle 8. Do your poor little index finger a favor and learn from my laziness (I sense this might be a theme for Tuesday Tips).
For all of you who have already bought Perle 5, there is hope! Tune in next week for a great new tip!
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing the time and frustration we save when we just pay a little bit more. Sometimes a few extra bucks really makes the difference. Good tip--I'm throwing away all my Perle 5. I hate it and it's going on my list of "un-delights."
ReplyDeleteHaha! Don't worry Jacki, I know you'll find a lot of good used for all that Perle 5 you have stockpiled. But really, it will be slightly redeemed with next week's post ;)
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