What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Have you started on your Seeing Stars quilt-a-long quilt? It’s not too late! This month (March) we are selecting fabric and cutting. I will share my progress and thoughts as we go. My friend Pam is also going to quilt along and I’ll share her approach as well.

Selecting Fabrics

My Choices

Since this quilt is mostly scrappy, I started with a fat quarter pack from my stash that was very “well-aged”.  It gave me a start on my color palette. Then I added in some additional fat quarters for more variety.

I wanted to follow the hack ...

Have you started on your Seeing Stars quilt-a-long quilt? It’s not too late! This month (March) we are selecting fabric and cutting. I will share my progress and thoughts as we go. My friend Pam is also going to quilt along and I’ll share her approach as well.

Selecting Fabrics

My Choices

Since this quilt is mostly scrappy, I started with a fat quarter pack from my stash that was very “well-aged”.  It gave me a start on my color palette. Then I added in some additional fat quarters for more variety.

I wanted to follow the hack ...

Have you ever joined a quilt-a-long? Now is your chance to try one on for size. Handi Quilter’s first quilt-a-long is just starting and it’s FREE!

The Videos

The last Tuesday of each month we will premier a video with hints, tips and techniques you can use to create your Seeing Stars quilt. Noon Mountain time (11am Pacific time, 1pm Central time, and 2pm Eastern time in the US) is when the videos will premier. If you are outside of those time zones, you can figure out when to watch here.  If you can’t watch live, you ...

Have you ever joined a quilt-a-long? Now is your chance to try one on for size. Handi Quilter’s first quilt-a-long is just starting and it’s FREE!

The Videos

The last Tuesday of each month we will premier a video with hints, tips and techniques you can use to create your Seeing Stars quilt. Noon Mountain time (11am Pacific time, 1pm Central time, and 2pm Eastern time in the US) is when the videos will premier. If you are outside of those time zones, you can figure out when to watch here.  If you can’t watch live, you ...

Last week we explored 5 things to do with your quilty friends. Here is a continuation of that list, 5 more things to do.

6. Go on a Shop Hop

This is something you can tailor to your group. Just plan a day to visit all your local-ish shops together. Or get in on an organized shop hop that offers special deals, prizes and lots of fun. Ask at your guild or favorite shop about what’s available in your area. There are some state-wide shop hops too! Check out Shop Hop Inc on Facebook to see if there’s ...

Last week we explored 5 things to do with your quilty friends. Here is a continuation of that list, 5 more things to do.

6. Go on a Shop Hop

This is something you can tailor to your group. Just plan a day to visit all your local-ish shops together. Or get in on an organized shop hop that offers special deals, prizes and lots of fun. Ask at your guild or favorite shop about what’s available in your area. There are some state-wide shop hops too! Check out Shop Hop Inc on Facebook to see if there’s ...

Do you have a group of quilty friends? Here are 5 suggestions of things you can do together, just for fun.

1. Join a guild

This is one you can do solo, if you want to make some new quilty friends! Quilt guilds offer many opportunities to learn new things and to share your quilting skills with others. It’s a place where you can say you just made 128  two-inch flying geese and they will know you are not talking about migrating birds. And they will appreciate just how much work you did! You’ll be inspired by the ...

Do you have a group of quilty friends? Here are 5 suggestions of things you can do together, just for fun.

1. Join a guild

This is one you can do solo, if you want to make some new quilty friends! Quilt guilds offer many opportunities to learn new things and to share your quilting skills with others. It’s a place where you can say you just made 128  two-inch flying geese and they will know you are not talking about migrating birds. And they will appreciate just how much work you did! You’ll be inspired by the ...

Argyle is a timeless and classic design that has been around for centuries. It is a pattern that is made up of overlapping diamonds, and it is known for its unique and distinctive look. The design is often associated with traditional knitted garments such as socks and sweaters, but it has also been adapted for use in a wide range of other crafts, including quilting.

The beauty of the argyle pattern is that it creates the illusion of depth and dimension, giving the quilt a three-dimensional look. This creates a dynamic and visually interesting quilt that is sure to catch ...

Back on Dec 20, 2022 we aired a HQ Watch and Learn Quilting Show about Signature Quilts. You can watch it here. In the show Kim and Kristina share several kinds of signature quilts. One of them was a quilt that was gifted to Handi Quilter by my guild, The Southern Wake Quilters’ Guild, here in beautiful North Carolina. Every quilt tells a story, especially signature quilts.

Several guild members created spool blocks and signed them. I had the honor and privilege of quilting it. Kim mentions in the video that there is a story behind the quilt. And what ...

Back on Dec 20, 2022 we aired a HQ Watch and Learn Quilting Show about Signature Quilts. You can watch it here. In the show Kim and Kristina share several kinds of signature quilts. One of them was a quilt that was gifted to Handi Quilter by my guild, The Southern Wake Quilters’ Guild, here in beautiful North Carolina. Every quilt tells a story, especially signature quilts.

Several guild members created spool blocks and signed them. I had the honor and privilege of quilting it. Kim mentions in the video that there is a story behind the quilt. And what ...

I made a temperature quilt for 2022. Have you heard of them? Just Google temperature quilts and you’ll find lots of examples!

Making a Temperature Quilt

The idea is to record the high and low temperature for each day. Assign a fabric (color) to temperature ranges and use the fabric associated with the high and low temps each day to make a block. Sew all the blocks together in chronological order and you’ll end up with a visual representation of the year’s weather. It can be pretty darn beautiful!

Choose your block

You can choose whatever block ...

I made a temperature quilt for 2022. Have you heard of them? Just Google temperature quilts and you’ll find lots of examples!

Making a Temperature Quilt

The idea is to record the high and low temperature for each day. Assign a fabric (color) to temperature ranges and use the fabric associated with the high and low temps each day to make a block. Sew all the blocks together in chronological order and you’ll end up with a visual representation of the year’s weather. It can be pretty darn beautiful!

Choose your block

You can choose whatever block ...

At the start of December 2022 our friend, Helen Godden, started her annual Christmas Countdown Quilt-a-long. Helen is our Handi Quilter Ambassador who lives in Australia. She’s an accomplished artist and a superb stationary machine quilter. I decided to join in the quilt-a-long and take you all along with me. So today I will share my journey, some things I learned along the way, and the finish.

In the last post about this topic I showed you how I prepared my fabric with Helen’s design by tracing her pattern. I made a few changes (thanks Helen for understanding ...

At the start of December 2022 our friend, Helen Godden, started her annual Christmas Countdown Quilt-a-long. Helen is our Handi Quilter Ambassador who lives in Australia. She’s an accomplished artist and a superb stationary machine quilter. I decided to join in the quilt-a-long and take you all along with me. So today I will share my journey, some things I learned along the way, and the finish.

In the last post about this topic I showed you how I prepared my fabric with Helen’s design by tracing her pattern. I made a few changes (thanks Helen for understanding ...

There’s no need to wait until Christmas day to gift a handmade Christmas gift.

You can always surprise them with a homemade gift instead of spending money on something that you can get for much cheaper. This is why it’s important to think about what handmade gifts you can make during the year rather than waiting for the holidays.

Sewing Christmas trees is an easy way to create a handmade Christmas present that everyone will love. Even if you’re not very crafty, you won’t have any trouble creating this festive project with a few simple sewing ...

This roundup of quilt patterns is all about pretty snowflakes and winter quilts. All of these patterns and tutorials feature the Snowflake design, perfect for Holiday quilts, Christmas quilts, and Winter projects.

I have included a few Snowflake table runners also, as they were too cute to pass up.  Some of these designs are in non-traditional snowflake colors (ie. not white). Of course, you can change out your colors to suit your own decor, I have to say the black and white snowflake quilt is a stunner, even though it is not your typical winter color or design.

Do you ...

There’s something about the Nutcracker that makes us want to create with it year after year. Maybe it’s how this story can be so many things — sweet and innocent, dark and sinister, silly and frightening all at once. Or perhaps it’s because, in this world of high-tech electronic toys, the Nutcracker is quite possibly the cutest wooden toy ever invented. Whatever the case may be, we love designing quilts inspired by this classic tale. In this post you will find 21 different quilt patterns inspired by The Nutcracker, some are modern interpretations while others have a vintage ...

International Quilt Festival in Houston, TX for 2022 is in the books. Festival, as it is affectionately known, is the big show each year in Houston. It is held at the end of October / beginning of November. Quilters from all over the globe come together to celebrate the art of quilting. They enjoy classes, quilt displays, vendors, lectures, and a judged contest. It is a real treat to see the winning quilts.

Handi Quilter is proud to sponsor the Best of Show award for the judged contest. Along with Best of Show, the show presents 5 Master Awards, and 1st ...

International Quilt Festival in Houston, TX for 2022 is in the books. Festival, as it is affectionately known, is the big show each year in Houston. It is held at the end of October / beginning of November. Quilters from all over the globe come together to celebrate the art of quilting. They enjoy classes, quilt displays, vendors, lectures, and a judged contest. It is a real treat to see the winning quilts.

Handi Quilter is proud to sponsor the Best of Show award for the judged contest. Along with Best of Show, the show presents 5 Master Awards, and 1st ...