What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

For the past year I have been featured in American Quilter. Every issue has one of my paper pieced block patterns, and a link to a helpful video on paper piecing techniques.

The May 2025 issue featured this Spring butterfly and daisy. You can watch all the videos on my Made By Marney YouTube channel. If you are new to paper piecing, or need a refresher, watch PAPER PIECING TUTORIAL: THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT on YouTube. This is a great starting point with simple tips for easy piecing.

Try some of my favorite Cute Critters in your next project…

These are ...

If you have ever thought about getting the quilt design software from Electric Quilt, this post is for you. The EQ8 Starter Box is a new offer from Electric Quilt that gathers everything you need to design your own quilts and projects, with extra goodies in one box, all at a discounted price! The great folks at EQ sent me a Starter Box so I could show it to you, and we’ll have a giveaway for one, too!

Opening the box, the excitement begins.

First, a quick overview of what you’ll find to install the software, learn a ...

 I fell off the wagon …

The fabric-buying wagon, that is. When I had a few minutes to spare the day before we left Nashville, I mentioned visiting a shop in Murfreesboro. I checked their website the day before and found this adorable panel:

I bought two of them and also purchased a couple of fabrics (a Christmas green grunge and a black and white fabric that could pass for snow flakes). These will make great Christmas quilts that can hang in a doorway (and one will possibly stay here at our home on top of the ridge).

Christmas panel and ...

Have you ever turned a clamshell design on its side and used it as a border design? Well, here you go!

The machine quilting design Foliage is based on molar feathers and quarter circles. The grid design works well as a single border design or as a repeated grid pattern, like in the image below.

Foliage is loose and structured at the same time. Yes, the grid in this design creates structure, but the molar feathers are loose and free-flowing within their available space. 

Stitch this design from left to right as a single or double row and pre-mark it ...

And it feels good.

We took an 8-day trip. First stop to my sister’s to leave the bird and have dinner with her. 

Everyone wants on the Hubs' lap. The bird is in another room.

Every year, the Henderson county Parks and Rec department hosts an event for older residents called Senior Games and Silver Arts. The Senior Games hosts competitions over a couple of weeks in all kinds of games including pickleball, tennis, cornhole, ping pong, basketball, billiards, horseshoes, bowling, swimming and a lot more. The event kicked off with a catered breakfast with a full hot buffet where the participants got their t-shirts and goodie bags. The following week, the Silver Arts competition was held at Blue Ridge College. Participants turned in their entries on Monday, then were judged and the displays were ...

 I posted week 14 results late, which made me lose track of time in posting things.  This means you get to see two weeks of progress. 

During my week of radiation, I stopped at Cotton Creek Mill quilt shop in West Branch, Iowa. I almost didn’t go, but it was only 20 minutes from my hotel…and when would I go again?? Before I went in, I had a little talk with myself, reminding myself what are okay purchases. Fat quarters… yes, …

Quilt Shop Tour: Cotton Creek Mill Read More »

Next week I’m off to Paducah, KY to teach at AQS!

But when I get back, I will get to work on my Fairy Boutique One Block Wonder.

This beautiful collection is by Lumin Fabrics.

These are the fabrics I requested to make a magical One Block Wonder (OBW). I will be using my Star 60 Tool to create some Hollow Cube 60’s and Star 60’s with these coordinating fabrics. Terri Butler of Mama Said Sew, LLC will be creating one of her gorgeous OBW Jackets.

Follow us both on our Facebook page Mama Said These Threads ...

A little bit of perspective of why I do what I do...

Some of you have figured out that I'm an overthinker (especially since I've mentioned it before). Some of you may even think I overshare things, but it's only about my quilting. I do a lot of thinking out loud and while I'm penning a post to this blog...it's just me. I've been this way for most of my life. I am also a planner and with that, I anticipate a completion that often differs from what really happens (for instance, what ...

In the mix of everything that is going on with me, I got an email from American Patchwork and Quilting. They were featuring some of their designers and wanted permission to feature my daughter, Kelli, and me. The plan was to add a designer spotlight page for us. I said sure. I was okay with …

We’re so Flattered… Read More »

Now that I am feeling more like myself, it was great to have a day to work on the next project. I had one more mug that needed a mat for the guild gift shop. The mug was purchased at a Chimney Rock merchant after the hurricane, but it has sat unused. We already have too many coffee mugs. So, I thought I would put a North Carolina motif on a mat for it. I selected a design and then selected threads and arranged them in order in an egg carton.

The design stitched out nicely. I did change the ...

Download this Free Panel Quilt Pattern with Flying Geese. We always need ideas for quick projects, and this one is super fast!

Ladies Love Flowers – click here to download the pattern

I designed Ladies Love Flowers for the Love Bugs collection by Janet Nesbitt for Henry Glass Fabrics. It measures 53″ x 53,” and the blocks finish at 6″. The ladybug blocks on the corners are fused and machine appliqué. The fabric pieces are easy to manage, so you will whip them up quickly.

As always, I worked with The Electric Quilt Company’s EQ8 software to create this project ...

When I went to Iowa City last week for radiation, I ended up stopping at a thrift store. When I left, I didn’t pack a jacket or a sweatshirt. That was a mistake. The Spring warm weather was no longer, and I needed some kind of something to cover me up. I knew there was …

Thrift Store Finds Read More »

 It has been raining all night and all day. But that's good; it will help clean up the ground. The wetland on one side of the pond is finally free of ice and I flushed a pair of ducks when taking this photo last week. The Peepers are finally making their spring calls early morning. They can sound quite raucous and I read why...the females choose their mates by the volume of their sounds. 

Every so often, questions and comments come from readers, and I think others would like to hear my response.  That’s when I feature them on the blog.  This is one of those days. The question today comes from the comment section…and emails. I have been asked numerous times about the tape measure on my long arm. I’ve …

Ask Jo: The Tape Measure Read More »

This beginner-friendly Log Cabin Rings Modern Quilt is a fun twist on a traditional block. Turn the blocks this way and that, and voilà!

USED WITH PERMISSION FROM AMERICAN PATCHWORK & QUILTING®.
©2025 MEREDITH OPERATIONS CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Happy Day! My quilt, Rainbow Petals, was just published in the Summer 2026 issue of American Patchwork & Quilting magazine! It measures 46″ x 46,” and the blocks finish at 10″. I worked with Confetti Cottons by Riley Blake Designs and some fabrics from Blank Quilting’s Lower the Volume collection for the background. If you look closely, though, you will find a ...

Oh, finally, some days warm enough to run around in my roadster with the top down! Now that I am feeling better, it is lovely to have the trees leafing out and my azaleas blooming. I adore white flowers, and these are pristine this year. They had not formed buds when we had our last hard freeze, so the blooms are stunning.

This is just the first plant to bloom, we have several white ones. The sun was just coming up, and I need to take some better photos later in the day when the sun will be shining on ...

Hello Friends,

I hope you have had a good week! I am very happy to announce I just added a new pattern to my Etsy shop.

Chain Mail is a traditional bed quilt that will instantaneously give your bed a glow up!

Click HERE to purchase the pattern.

MORE PICTURES HERE

This is one of my all-time favorite quilts to make. I hope you will enjoy making yours as well!

Take care, and have a great rest of your week!

..and progress was made.

Antelope Canyon will be a flimsy soon-ish...the ...