What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

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 ...

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Learn how to sew soft fabric toy blocks that are fun to make and perfect for little hands to play with. These soft blocks are a great beginner-friendly project and a wonderful way to create something both cute and useful.

If you’ve got fabric scraps or leftover pieces from other projects, this is a great way to use them. Each side of the block can be a different fabric, making it easy to mix colors, prints, and textures.

You can even add simple details like ribbons or different fabrics to make them more interesting for kids.

These soft toy ...

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Learn how to turn simple fabric yo-yos into fun sewing projects you’ll actually want to make. These little gathered circles have been around for generations, and once you start making them it’s easy to see why—they’re quick, satisfying, and a great way to use up fabric scraps.

Fabric yo-yos are one of those small sewing projects that can turn into something much bigger. A handful of them might become a quilt, a pillow, a bag, or even a bit of home décor. And because they don’t require much fabric, they’re perfect for using ...

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I had such a busy week that I actually forgot that I had a long weekend. At first I wondered what I was going to do with it. Perhaps I should’ve planned to go away. I had two intense days of long arm quilting mastery teaching which went very well. I also gave a talk to the local Quilt group and everybody stayed awake so that’s always a good sign. It was great to see some of my quilts again which just live in a suitcase. I have been driving around with them all week because I can ...

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Our sleep-at-home retreat was this week for three days. We take our machines and projects to sew all day. The room is locked at night, so we can leave everything there while we go home for dinner and sleep. Then the next morning, we are back to having fun. I got there as the doors were opening on Tuesday morning, and set up my spot.

The first project for the day was to make three more bowl cozies in this fun print, so I would have a set of four for the gift shop at the show. About an hour ...

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There’s something about sewing for the Fourth of July that just feels fun.

Maybe it’s the bold red, white, and blue fabrics, or maybe it’s the excuse to pull out star blocks and patriotic prints that have been waiting in your stash. Either way, holiday sewing projects are the perfect excuse to make something quick, festive, and a little bit different from your usual quilts.

If you’re looking for a few ideas to decorate your home, sew a small gift, or add something handmade to your holiday celebrations, these flag-inspired projects are a great place to ...

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Learn how bed sheets can be used as quilt backing, what to look for before you sew, and when they’re actually a smart choice for your project.

If you’ve ever stood in the fabric store calculating how many yards you need for a backing — and then glanced at the price tag — you’re not alone. Backing fabric can sometimes cost almost as much as the quilt top itself.

That’s why so many quilters start wondering about flat sheets. They’re wide. They’re affordable. They might already be in your linen closet. It feels like an easy ...

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The Project Quilting Challenge for this week was about something from another era. Well, instead of looking backwards, I decided to go forward. I’d had an idea for a BTS-themed denim jacket for my sister. My sister is a huge BTS fan and we are lucky enough to have gotten tickets to see them later this spring. I’ve been loving the denim jackets I’ve seen with quilted insets and wanted to create BTS’s logo on a jacket. I pieced the logo and then quilted it directly to the jacket back with a layer of thin batting ...

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My friend, Diana, gave me this kitchen print fabric recently. She had purchased it for herself, but lost interest in making anything with it. I thought it would be perfect for an embroidery project for the kitchen. Measuring it out, I could cut it into four rectangular pieces about 18 x 20. Adding a band with the embroidery would bring it up to a great size for use.

Red and teal are such a popular combination, not only for modern kitchens, but also the ones vintage inspired. I pulled threads to match the colors in the fabric, and assigned the ...

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Hi all! I can't believe we are already starting February. I hope everyone is doing well.

Me? I am pretty busy because my one and only daughter is getting married at the beginning of March! If you have been reading my blog for a long time (Thank you so much for visiting this humble place.), you have known my daughter since she was a baby. It's surreal that my kids are old enough to be married and adulting. Starting with my eldest son, we have been having weddings every 10 months. So far, I have made some flower ...

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Last time it was buttons, today it's stitched papers.

I'm building a huge stash of complimentary bits and pieces for my current, ever growing design collection. 

Who knows what will be next.

I am enjoying this one so much. 

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I have survived a long, wet January. I am thankful that I did not have several feet of Scottish snow, icy temperatures and probably power cuts but it seemed like every time I stepped out of my door I got very wet. It made a lovely change to wander into town on Nessie’s 6th birthday to see a spring-like display of crocuses. 

I had a different week at work – due to a last minute cancellation, I was able to be a pupil in the 4-day intensive B990 training course. There are interesting crossovers between the B990 and the computerised ...

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What we’re doing during our sometimes-annual Snowmaggedon week.

Snowmaggedon is being re-nicknamed to Snowzilla. Or Sleetzilla. The snow came and came and finally stopped Sunday, and sleet was off and on all day Saturday and I think that night. But we’re still warm and toasty inside, and if we wanted to go anywhere, we couldn’t. I’m ok with it. The windchill has us in the negative digits this weekend and Monday; no thawing will happen until Tuesday afternoon at the earliest, but it will take awhile for this stuff to go away. 

The photo above is ...

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The small herd of five deer have been hanging around here lately. They were back earlier in the week on the mountainside behind the house. I believe they are all females. Two appear to be adults, while the other three are likely juveniles almost grown.

One was moving ahead of the others, and paused to look at me near the rhododendrons with their leaves curled up against the cold.

The others behind headed up the west side in the morning sun.

They nibbled their way behind the rhododendrons. I put an arrow to the one almost hidden.

They ate the ...

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At the guild gift store at our last show, I bought a cute mug with a mug rug to go with it. I just loved the idea, so I made a couple of mats and found mugs to go with them. I put them out for sale at the Fall Fiber Faire at our local quilt shop last fall, and sold all but one.

This one was the first thing sold that day. The mug is huge, and really cute.

You’ve seen the one I did with the Paris theme fabrics. I found the mug first on this set ...

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After finishing the previous denim jacket (Denim Jacket Refashion) using the embroidered panels, I was charged up to do another one to put in the guild shop at our upcoming show. Working on the second denim jacket, I had a lace collar that I thought might be a nice addition. But, when I placed it on the yoke, it just didn’t fit right.

Two small lace hearts are the perfect size to adorn the front pockets.

At the bottom, I used a flat lace with a pretty edge as a replacement waistband.

Start with folding the raw edge under ...

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For this week’s tutorial we are back in business with free-motion quilting! This design, Hourglass, is basically a geometric and modern version of an earlier design: Cursive L’s. The technique of these two designs is very similar, so if you got one down, you can easily do the other!

Dot n’ Dash Quilt – Pick Up Piece and Quilt With Precuts

I admit I haven’t actually made a full-size quilt with Hourglass – that is on my bucket list! However, I’ve quilted a similar design on Dot n’ Dash, the featured quilt of this week. I call this ...

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When we left off on Tuesday, both sides of the purse had pockets and handles attached. Today, I’ll show you the finishing.

Next is to put in the zipper. I place the zipper right sides together at the top of one side of the purse. Stitch at about 1/4-inch seam allowance. Stop when the pull is reached, lift the presser foot and move the pull out of the way, past the point of the needle. Then lower the foot again, and continue stitching to the end.

Fold over the zipper to the wrong side, pushing the seam allowance ...

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