Here are some tips that made my Puff Quilts go much faster:
- Chain piece the colored and muslin squares. Then stuff them all, and lastly chain piece the fourth side closed.
- Back stitch every square at both open ends - they tend to rip open when stuffing!
- Don't over stuff the Polyfil in the squares
- Take tiny pinches of Polyfil when stuffing squares. I took big handfuls, and within six months the puffiness is almost gone.
- When using the walking foot, keep the minky side down. Glides like butter!
- Don't be afraid to hand-sew in places where the machine didn't catch the seam. While you don't have to be too accurate with your piecing, any spots left unsewn will leak stuffing in a bad way. Simply hand-sew them closed as soon as you see them. This is especially true when you're sewing two puffs right sides together, there's a lot of bulk that tends to slip out from under the presser foot.
- Minky is a pain to work with, and sheds like crazy. Be sure to clean out your machine every few hours,
- Reduce your tension when sewing Minky, and set your stitches to a longer length.
Enjoy your little quilt! My baby and I sure do!
