Monday Tip

Freezer paper. Yes it is to wrap food to be frozen, but it has many other uses.

One of the well talked about and used method is to press it on to make applique shapes. Many have given tutorials about how they use this product and yet there are other uses for the stuff.

It is a dull paper with plastic fused to the back side. I use it to cover my ironing board to keep fusible extras from sticking to the iron board cover. I cut a sheet the size I need and iron it down to make a clean surface to cover the board cover and it can be peeled up and keep my fusibles from ruining my new ironing board cover. Also another tip is to use it in your tracing of the shapes without a light box is to take a sheet of the freezer paper and on the covers of the freezer paper touch and iron in several places to the pages of your quilt book. It will peel up and not ruin the pages of your book, but it will hold it in place.

If you need a stiffer edge to press starched shapes over a shaped edge use two layers together. Shiny side to a dull side and the edge can be used over and over again. The most I have layered is three layers and cut out my shape to make it stiff enough to reuse several times.

Be careful you use the paper going in the same direction. The paper will shrink in width when heated. Use a permanent marker to draw shapes to it doesn't rub off on your fabric. Pencil will rub off and water soluble pens will become permanent when heated so use the right tools.

Off to look at my stash and see where it takes me. Chris