Block Party
These quilt “birds” don’t honk or migrate south, but they do fly across your quilt in tidy little triangle formations
Flying Geese
Great for your truck or tractor, terrible for lubricating your Gammill.
Motor Oil
Quilters either love this finishing step… or leave the quilt in a closet for three years.
Binding
Accelerate TIP: Attach binding to the front of your quilt right on the longarm frame for a quick and profitable finish!
This kitchen wrap was designed to seal leftovers, but quilters discovered it also works great for auditioning designs or cutting minky
Glad Press 'n Seal
TIP: Cutting minky? Put Press ’n Seal on the fuzzy side first — it catches most of the fluff before it takes over your sewing room.
This simple maintenance step keeps your longarm running smoothly and is the best way to keep your machine happy.
Oiling
TIP: Place a puppy pad, batting scrap, or old towel underneath to catch excess oil.
If it’s not dripping a drop every once in a while, you’re probably not oiling enough.
This block spins like the colorful toy stuck in every childhood flowerbed.
Pinwheel
Cranking this tension too tight on this doesn’t give you more thread — it just gives you terrible bobbins.
Bobbin Winder
TIP: To make bobbins last longer, use a higher-weight thread!
This tiny spool hides under your needle plate but secretly does half the work in every stitch.
Bobbin
Ironically, this paper was originally used to record calculations, but now quilters use this long strip to avoid quilt math and stabilize fabric
Adding Machine Paper
TIP: Use adding machine paper to easily divide and subdivide borders for quick placement of quilting motifs
These rubber “doughnuts” dry out and crack over time, but luckily they’re cheap and easy to replace.
O-Rings
TIP: When cleaning your wheels, check to make sure your encoder o-rings aren't cracked.
This star block is named after the Buckeye State — proof that this state contributes more than just astronauts and famous marching bands.
Ohio Star
Quilters sometimes incorrectly twist this part, hoping to fix tension, but it’s rarely the real problem.
Rotary Check Spring
TIP: To change top tension, twist your Intermittent Tension Assembly!
Many longarmers don’t trust these 108" wide precuts for this layer. One crooked cut and suddenly you’re quilting a parallelogram.
Backing
TIP: Tear your wide-backs to ensure your backing stays square.
What is an iron?
Some quilters change this every quilt, some after eight hours of sewing, and some wait until the machine sounds like it’s making popcorn.
Needle
TIP: When replacing your needle, use the tip of the old needle to clean any trapped lint from the needle bar.
This classic star block is called this, because “complicated relationship star” didn’t test as well.
Friendship Star
This spool from the back of your drawer seemed like a good idea… right up until the thread started breaking every ten seconds.
Cheap Thread OR Old Thread OR Non-longarm Thread OR Serger Thread.....
TIP: Thread does not last forever. Keep it in a cool, dry, dark place to extend thread life. Use longarm thread for best results.
When quilting a dark quilt with a black backing, choosing black this prevents those embarrassing white “pokies” from showing up.
Batting
Tip: Black batting helps camouflage dark threads from shadowing through the quilt top.
Instead of keeping your leftovers fresh, quilters use these kitchen items as circle templates for swags and other circular quilting designs.
When troubleshooting skipped stitches, replacing this tiny fragile part is sometimes the solution.
Check Spring
This block layout shares its name with the community event where neighbors came together to build a farm building— kind of like a quilting bee, but with hammers.
Barn Raising
Dust bunnies aren’t the real threat to this expensive part — vacuum cleaners and static electricity are.
This tool measures the resistance of the lower thread so you can set consistent stitch balance.
Bobbin Tension Gauge
TIP: If you get a bouncy needle on your bobbin case, you probably have a bad bobbin or even a bad cone of thread!
This phone accessory can be attached to rulers to give your fingers a much-needed grip.
PopSocket / Phone Grip
This tiny tool helps you find the correct 5:30 position — even if you forgot your cheaters!
Needle Alignment Magnet