We're not huge sports fans in our family. But we do enjoy the tennis, especially Wimbledon. While enjoying the tennis this week I was struck by the sheer power and agility of the players. Watching the games, I noticed this moment of tension as they are waiting for the serve. The crowds get quiet and the player gets in position rocking slightly back and forth on their feet, poised to go in any direction to return the serve.

Quilting Tips from the Pros

All the players; Federer, Anderson, Isner, Nadal and Djokovic all have such different serving styles. But they all held a similar position as they were waiting to return the serve. Now, I realise that quilting is not a sport! But sometimes we can forget that it is a physical activity. We can certainly learn some quilting tips from the pros to get the most out of our own performance.

I like to use this 'waiting for the serve' to illustrate a good technique for machine quilting on a frame.

When we are standing at the frame concentrating on our quilting it is easy to get tense. Our bodies stiffen up and our feet seem to get rooted to the floor. All the tension can make us stiff and our movements jerky. Then instead of moving with the sewing machine as we stitch our line designs across the quilt, we stand in place and lean until we just can't reach any more. Then when we finally do move, we are off balance and as we stumble so does the stitching.

We can correct this fault by adopting a 'waiting for the serve' position. Gently rocking back and forth on the balls of your feet loosens you up. The tension just disappears. When that happens your line of stitching becomes noticeably smoother. This rocking movement also makes it easier to move with the sewing machine as you glide it up and down the length of your quilt.

Next time you're at the quilt frame, take some quilting tips from the pros and give the 'waiting for the serve' position a try. It's a winner!