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 I received two questions recently from quilters who sew by hand, and I thought you might be interested in my responses, too.
First, from Kim Bennett in Lake Oswego OR:
Hi, Jinny. I am hand piecing a quilt for my daughter using a Gold'n Glide needle (size 10) and 28-weight Aurifil thread. My problem is the thread is fraying and breaking. What am I doing wrong? Should I be using a heavier thread or a larger/smaller needle?
Kim, your needle and thread should be just fine. I suspect that the problem is with the position of your needle and thread on the thimble. Make sure that the thread is not getting caught between the needle and the thimble -- that pressure and friction will certainly weaken the thread and could cause the kind of problems you're having.
And from Nancy (we're not sure where she lives!):
Why don't you start your seam at the edge of your fabric? I can understand starting in 1/4" when you have to set in angles but not on straight piecing.
As long as the seam is not set in, I generally start my seam somewhere convenient near the edge of the patch. Starting right at the edge is unnecessary and actually not ideal: it's more difficult to position your hands to begin stitching right at the edge and you can also cause fraying at the cut edge. Great question! | 
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I often find myself down to the wire getting sewing projects ready for the holidays. So I'm happy to announce that my 
I hope you like the new quilt design, too. Scenes cut from the toile peek out from sashing reminiscent of window frames. The quilt finishes 51" square so it's perfect for a wall or even as a table topper. 
