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Hello, Quilters! It's Victoria Newmyer Here! 

Welcome to Week 1 of the Summer Jubilee Sew Along!  

I'm so happy you are here. I know this is a busy time of year with graduations and summer approaching, so I appreciate you sewing along with me. It's always more fun to sew with friends.

Ready to quilt up some summer magic? Grab your Summer Jubilee Quilt Kit and jump into the fun! Don’t have your kit yet? No problem — get yours here, and let’s get stitching! 

If you haven’t signed up to the Sew Along yet ...

Last Friday, I met Sherry from Haw River at our local quilt shop, Beginnings, to receive a fabulous shipment of quilts. She brought 12 queen, 6 twin / full and 14 throw/comfort quilts in both adult and children’s themes. Since I knew well in advance that she was coming and what she was bringing, I was able to coordinate with Diane at Steps to Hope to pick up quilts for the shelter. We all met together, dodging the raindrops, and marveled at what Sherry and Morris brought!

We proceeded to unload Sherry’s car into both Diane’s and ...

What can I say? I was on a roll and just couldn’t wait to see how each of these little birds would turn out. So here are the final five birds, all ready to be combined into a quilt top! My Bernina has really had a workout in the past several days! The photo on […]

One of the joys of Springtime is going for a sunny walk in nature, discovering new paths, different vistas and beautiful plants. The design Trail resembles such a walk, the lines look like a wandering path through a landscape, moving away from and moving back towards your path.

The allover design Trail is mix between a curl and Stipple. I have written about stippling before and expressed my amazement that a lot of quilters learned the Stipple pattern as one of their first freemotion designs. I understand the appeal of a good stipple, but this freemotion design really isn’t ...

I told you in an earlier post that I finished this quilt and put the binding on it. Between having family here and the windy weather, it took a bit for me to get pictures of the quilt taken. Here it is all finished. Some of the blocks look pink from a distance, but they …

Quilt Finish: Brushed Cotton Charm Quilt Read More »

Today, we’re bringing you a free quilt that looks just right from every angle! With 12 fat quarters and a background fabric, the Square Up Quilt will add unparalleled style to your home.

The Square Up Quilt Pattern

DOWNLOAD THE FREE SQUARE UP QUILT PATTERN

The Square Up Quilt is perfect for confident beginners, and it finishes at 45.5″ x 57.5″. If you are already a member of one of our Fat Quarter Clubs, this quilt is another great stash buster! With just 12 fat quarters (aka one of the Fat ...

Making meals from a new cookbook is always fun, but one problem is making them an appropriate size for just two people. Sometimes the leftovers can be frozen for a meal another time, but most of the time we just eat it until it is gone over the next few days. No matter how good the recipe, I get tired of it after day 2 and really don’t want to see it anymore. So, I am continually doing experiments to make smaller sizes. Often a published recipe can simply be cut in half, but not always. So, using the ...

Spring is trumping winter-at last- as I write this. I saw our first robin on Sunday last. And the little chipmunk has emerged from the underground winter den, the one I imagine lined with my sunflower seeds. 

Just after the snowstorm this guy below appeared acting like this, a sure sign of spring. The flock of females that were with him had wandered off but he hung about showing off, just because he can, I guess. I'm curious about the mechanics of this- being able to lift all these feathers and change certain body bits to different and bright ...

Floating in a stream, moving with the current, just relaxing! That just sounds wonderful.

The edge to edge design Drift is an allover freemotion design that is based on a continuous line with curvy bends. The design looks like kelp drifting in a stream, don’t you think? This FMQ pattern would work great on quilts with themes like nature, water, ocean, sea, river, fishing and meditation.

Pattern Tutorial

The designs based on feather shapes on the inside of a deep curve. The combination of the two feathers looks a bit look an oven mitt too. Depending on the way ...

I told you on Monday that I finished my Kathleen Tracy Quilt Along mini. I bound the quilt and put a hanging sleeve on the quilt. You can see it in the photo below. This can be used as a table topper or can hang. The finished size is 27 1/2″ square. The original quilt …

Quilt Finish: Kathleen Tracy Quilt Along Read More »

I recently got an email from Ann. She works with quilters to provide quilts for a group called Wrap-A-Smile. I am including this here on the blog as I know there are many of you out there who make and donate quilts to worthy causes. Ann writes: Hi Jo, I would like to introduce your blog …

A New Cause for Quilters: Wrap-A-Smile Read More »

I wanted to share my next OBW project using the 1776 line from QT Fabrics. (Correction, the video states 1776 will be in shops Summer 2025. 1776 will be shops Fall 2025)

@QTFabrics @Studio180Design #1776, #Star60Tool

A free quilt pattern is always cause for celebration, and this time, we’re playing for keeps with the Backgammon Quilt! With 12 fat quarters, a background fabric, and plenty of pins, you can make your move on your next quilting project today.

The Backgammon Quilt Pattern

DOWNLOAD THE FREE BACKGAMMON QUILT PATTERN

The Backgammon Quilt is perfect for intermediate quilters, and it finishes at 62.5″ x 64.5″. We recommend picking up the Creative Grids Starburst 30-Degree Triangle Ruler, but we’ve also included a FREE template for you in the pattern. If ...

I was able to get back to the Kaleidoscope block this past week. Here’s where I left off after doing the paper piecing. I put it aside for quite a while, as I thought about what to do with it. All I knew is that one of these blocks was enough, and I wasn’t going to make any more of them for a quilt. Should it be a pillow? How about a wall hanging with some additional borders? The more I looked at it, the more the hexagonal shape jumped out. It needed to become a table topper ...

Every 2025 issue of AMERICAN QUILTER magazine will include a Made By Marney Collectible Pattern. How exciting!

Each issue has not only the full pattern, but also has a link to a free video with paper piecing tips and tricks. “Bee My Honey” includes this free video Using the Butterfly Effect While Paper Piecing…

The “Some Bunny Loves You” issue includes this pattern and a free video on Connecting Paper Piece Segments Together. This bunny would be great for an Easter project.

The “Think Spring” block will be arriving in the ...

I've put off learning to quilt with a walking foot for years.  The walking foot was this scary sewing machine accessory that I didn't want to take the time to figure out. I'll give myself a break for when I was working, I barely had time to piece a few quilts each year. But I've been retired for almost 2 and half years.  I have lots more sewing time. But the idea of getting out that walking foot and doing something with it was just off putting. I'd so much rather piece.  But with the ...

In a hand-me-down bag there were these little bits. A 1-1/2″ strip with 6 1-1/2″ squares attached. Twenty of them. Such cute little bits. They wanted to be a quilt.

Adding 6″ stars in matching colors and some sashing fit the bill. I like the way it makes the stars shimmer with movement.

The polka dot binding was an unexpected decision, and the backing is a little odd, too. But they do work, and it all came from stash, so that’s a win.

Second Chance projects can make one dig deep to find a solution. I do ...