A quick blog post today to show you a tip on how to cut down on the number of pin pricks we do to our fingers. Who amongst us quilters can say they’ve never poked their finger with a pin or needle? For me, the worst was when I got a needle under my nail. Ouch!

If you do poke your finger, luckily a poke doesn’t usually spill blood onto a quilt, but if it does, you do have a few choices to remove it before it stains.

• Hydrogen peroxide: Some people swear by applying a small amount of hydrogen peroxide on a blood stain and then rinse the fabric with cold water. This is also supposed to work on old blood stains, but I’ve not tried it on a set stain, just a fresh one.
• Saliva: Apparently, if you use your own saliva, this will remove a fresh blood stain. And it has to be your saliva if it’s your blood, according to this article. This is one I’ve tried and it worked for me.
• Toothpaste: I’ve not tried this one but some people say to dab some plain white toothpaste on the stain and rub gently, and then rinse.
• White vinegar: Soak the fabric for a half hour and then rinse with clean cold water.
• Salt water: My mother used this on all blood stains. It seems to me that sometimes it worked, other times it didn’t. Dissolve some salt in cold water (warm and hot will set the blood) and soak the fabric, rinse with cold water.

But, hopefully you won’t need any of these tricks because here is a tip that may help cut down on finger pokes: