Judy Moore Pullen’s Quilt Market Class

Applique and All!

Judy Moore Pullen

Just when you thought that all forms of quilting have been learned and revisited, yet another tide of applique interest rolls in! We’re lucky at Colonial that we have an applique’ expert on staff. Judy Moore Pullen, a public school teacher for many years, turned her talents to quilting after she retired. Her special love is applique’ and she uses all sorts of fabrics and threads in her work.

At the upcoming Spring Quilt Market in St. Louis, Judy is presenting two Take & Teach sessions for Colonial Needle. The first is class #308 called Wool Appliqué–Beginning to Advanced taking place Friday May 18th from 8-9:30 AM (before Market opens). The second is the next day (Saturday the 19th, 8-9:30 AM) and is #408 called Hand Applique’-Tips, Tricks, Tools, and Techniques.

Photos from Judy’s recent Wool Applique Class

Judy will educate you in a knowledgeable and gentle manner and answer your questions patiently. She is simply an excellent teacher. When you come to Market, you might as well learn from the best!

Nothing written about Judy is quite complete without a mention of her beloved pup Sable.

Judy’s pup, Sable!

What do you do when your spool is too big for the spindle?

Thread Travel Hack #1

Advice from Pepper Cory

Spool Hack Step 1

This is what happens when I travel and must borrow a sewing machine to work while in a motel room. The loaner machine is almost always someone’s vintage Singer Featherweight. It’s a workhorse machine but has only a skinny vertical unmovable spool spindle. Putting a Presencia spool directly on a Featherweight spindle means the spool rattles around the spindle when sewing and can even go flying off!

Note that Presencia, like most machine sewing threads, is wound on tall spools with large holes in the center. The spools are designed for horizontal positioning (laying sideways) on the top of the machine.

Spool Hack Step 2

The solution to the skinny vertical spindle vs the big spool hole is to beef up the spindle thickness. Easy-peasy. Get two drinking straws, one thin and the other slightly thicker. Cut a 4″ piece off both. Slide the skinny straw over the spindle followed by the larger straw. That’s it! Now the spindle is large enough to hold the Presencia spool securely in place. Happy sewing!

Spool Hack Step 3

Pepper Cory loves Presenica’s #40 weight thread

Color #182

If you want an excellent hand quilting thread (strong, color-fast, soft, and non-kinky) consider Presencia #40 weight thread. It comes 500 meters on a spool and in a variety of colors. It also comes in cones for those who need a LOT of thread or are machine quilting.

Presencia Cones on a Rack

I have been using Presencia exclusively for five years and been very happy. Can’t find it locally? Do not despair–you can order as a retail customer straight from the Colonial Needle Company website. The #40 weight 500 meter spools can be found here, and the #40 weight cones can be found here. And don’t forget to pick up your needles while you’re there too. Colonial Needle has all your favorites from John James, to S. Thomas, Richard Hemming, Mary Arden, and so many more!