There isn’t much I love better than teaching, other than a well-struck iron shot into an elevated green. The Creative Design Society is my ongoing membership, and it focuses on all things machine quilting. Someone asked me what is the thing I love about it the most. That is an easy question to answer. It is all of the members. While the primary focus is on quilting, we have supported members through some trying times. I, for one, leaned on all of the members when my mother passed away. The support was incredible. Other members have had falls, cancer ...

That’s right… we, meaning me, are changing the name of the monthly membership. So I am enlisting your creative minds to help me! Quilter’s Groove TRIBE will live on with a new name. So far, a few suggestions… Quilter’s Groove Society, Quilter’s Groove Insiders, Quilter’s Groove Clique, Quilter’s Groove Guild, or Quilter’s Groove Posse.

What do you guys think?

On the back end, I will combine the Design Decision Dilemma and QG TRIBE. I don’t even think many people know about the Design Decision Dilemma membership, so by combining them, when I ...

I have been teaching quilting since MQX in 2006. I quickly realized that I absolutely love to teach and so I never looked back. When the pandemic hit, it hit hard. Our industry was forever changed. I had to pivot to online classes and in the process learn a bunch of new technology.

Quilter’s Groove Design Academy is my signature class; it is 10 weeks of design “training.” I break down how to design the quilting for your tops week by week. Many students say they never look at a quilt top the same way again. This makes my ...

It’s hard to believe Quilter’s Groove TRIBE will be three years old in June! It has been fun, frustrating, and rewarding all at once! The pandemic sure did a number on our quilting industry. As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I got a divorce in 2019, and in 2020, I was scheduled to have my most profitable year yet. I was set to travel almost every other week, so I would travel the weeks I did not have Brody (my youngest son). Then, in March 2020, life, as we all knew it, came to a screeching ...

I never received any training to be a teacher; it seems to come naturally to me, for which I am eternally grateful. I never planned on being a quilt teacher, but the opportunity fell into my lap (thank you, Gail, at the Hobby Horse for believing in me!), and I took to it like a duck to water! 

I also try NOT to DICTATE RULES to my students. I try to create an environment where they feel comfortable asking questions, and I explain why we do something a certain way. If they want to do it differently, that's OK ...

What a wild day!!!! The temperature had dropped, but it was totally bearable with the sun! Those who were able to come to the full-day INPERSON session for the Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC 3 went home with their heads spinning from the amount of information I spewed at them! The intent was to give them a broad overview of the capabilities, but we need MORE than one day!! 

I was fired up and had fun!!! Thanks to Brampton Sew n Serge for hosting the event. I wonder if there are enough people with EPIC 3 around to host a Zoom ...

Well, I went to Tauranga and it is a small world because I met my friend Helen who I first met 10 years ago when our kids were at school together in Wellington. 

I had a great weekend in sunny, warm Tauranga.  There were 15 people in my wool felt applique class on Saturday, and 17 in my big stitch hand quilting class on Sunday.  

Good morning Good friends! It is a quilting day for sure! I hosted an impromptu Instagram Live that I’m sharing here with you. Below this I’m also adding the information for the Quilters Color Mixer on Creative Spark. The Quilters Color Mixer is Thursday March 30 beginning at 9 am Pacific, 10 Mountain, 11 Central,… Continue reading Invitation

As promised, I’m trying to release more video tutorials so you can have something to watch or listen to while you sew! In my latest chat, which runs about 15 minutes, I go in depth about my teaching schedule for the rest of 2023, plus I get a little philosophical about why I do what I do. Click play below to watch and enjoy!

Click here for my complete teaching schedule

Click here to view my Craftsy Class: Startup Library Quilting
Clcik here to view my Craftsy Class: The Quilter’s Path
Click here to view my Craftsy Class ...

Today we move on to another fun technique:  a lined patch pocket.  I kinda made this up along the way (my first photos are not included because I figured out a better way…this is the revised and improved method!). The flannel is SO soft and comfy–in part because the weave is dense but not terribly tight. That means I might be able to wear holes in the bottom of the pockets, so I decided to give them some strength and structure by adding a lining.  The hand-dyed blue was in my stash and worked well enough  I also ...

Hi, you may remember that I taught a Meditation Stitching course this summer. It was a great experience, and I'll be repeating it (in French!) at the end of November.

Getting Ready

I know that I have a lot of time to get ready, and that this is probably another great way of procrastinating, but I've prepared this lovely piece to show at the course.

Joyful

There isn't anything very about doing mindful stitching. It's all about taking the time to be creative, to set a few parameters around what you want to do, and then ...

the mess created by creative zoom sessions

On a completely unrelated note it was both a good hair day and wow do I have humidity hair. Humidity hair in Texas, it’s a thing. Bob Ruggiero asked me about it in this interview: I’m teaching at Quilt Festival in Salt Lake City. Follow this link to all classes, search for my name, and… Continue reading Quilt Festival Salt Lake City Here I Come

Last month, I gave my first in-person lecture in over two years. This month, I traveled for my first in-person workshop since March 14, 2020. I was delighted to be invited to Lompoc, California to visit Quilters Etc. for a lecture and workshop. As much as I love giving lectures on Zoom, it was delightful to hold a mic and speak to 3-dimensional quilters! I shared my Rules and Options of Planned Improv Piecing lecture with the group on Thursday evening.

Saturday I had a group of 16 quilters in class for Improv Log Cabins. I have a new document ...

Things are settling back to normal! As we get back to normal, I think we all need to take stock of our lives and see what changes need to be made. We CANNOT just go back to normal. We need to evaluate what we what in life (we only have one, and the clock is ticking!), how and who we want to spend our time with. What projects will we work on, what groups will we join, what classes we'll take, etc.? 

Helen recently listened to a decluttering your life lecture from TWO different organizations, so we know it ...

We've all been waiting for this moment -- getting back to in-person events. Well, we must be careful what we wish for! 

In-person events require getting in the car and traveling! It's a challenge to go from ZERO traveling by car to spending THREE hours commuting -- that's 1 1/2 hours each way, and I have one more day to do that. It's not that it's a big deal, but I paid almost $80 to fill the car the other day -- I wouldn't have had to do that if I were doing an in-person event ...

 Elle is BRILLIANT!!!! She suggested using the new doggie bench (when it arrives) as a grooming station. That is brilliant! It'll be sturdy; the bed just sits in the frame around the top and can easily be removed. And hopefully, Murphy will be occupied by the great outdoors. Gosh -- I want Elle to be -- well, I want her to be my consultant -- she is very clever. Thanks so much for that brilliant idea. 

Yesterday was all about free-motion quilting and the second part of the free-motion class at Thimbles and Things. Well, technically, NOT at, but hosted by them ...

When I first started machine quilting back in 2004, I looked all over for a mathematical way to figure out borders. Something that would work all the time on every border. Unfortunately, I could not find one. I thought I would share with you how I figure out an undulating spine that goes around the entire quilt. I have found that it is best to mark these before you load the machine on the frame.

Click here for the video of how I figure out this spine!

You can use this spine for ferns, flowers, feathers… really any ...