What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Hello, friends! I’m looking forward to beginning a new quilt along next week. (Be sure to read to the end of this post for some important details about the Sampler Spree Sew Along). But first, I thought I’d take a little time today to share How to Prepare for a Quilting Sew Along: 5 Top […]

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Last week I cut a rainbow of 3 3/4″ squares using fabric from each of my scrap bins. I was preparing for a project I’m doing with my daughter’s 5th grade class (she’s the teacher) involving hexagons and tessellating shapes. I’ll give you the full report on that later next week. Anyways, it turns out that 2 1/2″ squares will work better, but I didn’t want to trim the previously cut squares. Too much work and who wants to waste fabric? I had a bunch of mini charm packs that were perfect and ...

Lately I’ve been making lots of flying geese units for various blocks. There are so many ways to make flying geese, but my favorite way is to make them oversized and them trim them to the correct size. Today I’m going to show you my two favorite methods for making oversized flying geese and several ways of trimming them. I’ve also included a cutting chart for each method that you can download and print for handy reference!

Method 1: 4-at-a-time oversized flying geese

The 4-at-a-time method of making flying geese is my favorite way to make them ...

Every time I free motion quilt something, I find there’s a lesson in the process. Today I’m sharing FMQ lessons learned (the hard way) during my most recent finish. This wall hanging was a bonus project from a class I taught last year. I wanted it to have lots of open space for free motion quilting, giving me the opportunity to practice more. I’ve been “practicing” for 20 years!

I’m really happy with how this turned out overall. In general, I practice a design on a whiteboard until I feel comfortable with it. Often I will ...

Happy Wednesday! I’m in that place where I would love to start a new project, but I’m forcing myself to finish a UFO (or two) before I do. That sounds reasonable, right? If I did that all the time, I wouldn’t have such a long list of UFO’s (unfinished quilt projects). I think this could be another one of those perfect mottos, Finish a UFO before starting something new. It’s right up there with Finished is better than perfect.

Last week I finished my Possibilities Quilt with a flanged binding (my second this month) and ...

When Diagonal Seam Tape was first introduced a few years ago, I thought it was a brilliant idea. I purchased a roll and placed a piece of it on the bed of my sewing table and waited for the magic to happen. It worked great for diagonal seams that I stitched directly on top of, but I had a hard time using it as a guide for half-square triangle seams. Last week I tried adding additional tape guidelines and it worked! So, today, I’m sharing a magical tip so you can use it perfectly too.

What is Diagonal Seam ...

Hello, friends! Today I’m sharing a few new Simple Quilt Hanging Ideas. I’ve recently (finally) started to get more of my quilts up on the walls, and thought you might be interested in some of the methods I’ve been using. I’ve also filmed a quick video so you can see exactly what I’m describing for […]

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Inside: Make your quilt borders spectacular!

I’ve used heavy rulers, I’ve used cans of soup, I’ve even used a person on the other side of the machine, hands keeping the area flat. What am I doing? Trying to long-arm quilt a border that is far larger than the center of the quilt!

Borders! They’re that misunderstood step to finishing your quilt that will make or break it.

The most common problem I see as a long-arm quilter is borders that have stretched larger than the pieced quilt top. This happens when borders are added to a ...

Introducing the Turned Up quilt! This fun quilt is easy to make using the Perfect Rectangle Ruler by Creative Grids. What’s that you say? No rectangles in sight on this quilt? I know! But this ruler cuts those perfect half-rectangle-triangles to complete the Turned Up quilt. The quilt is made using seven half-yard cuts of […]

If you’re looking to mark your fabric, you have a lot of choices when it comes to fabric marking pens and other tools for marking your fabric. Not all fabric marking pens are created equal, and different pens are ideal for different purposes. Are you marking the back of the fabric for half-square-triangles or are […]

Hi, all!

Wow do you all rock!!!  As of the time I'm writing this post, 242 people have already signed up for the Challenge!!!  That is AMAZING!  Now, if you're just now seeing this, it's not too late to sign up, and there's still lots of giveaway goodies to be had at the end of the Challenge - so in the theory of "better late than never", hop over here, read about the Challenge, then if it appeals to you, sign up and join in the fun!

And, as promised, there's a giveaway drawing for those ...

I don’t know about you guys, but I like to have a few hand stitching projects going at all times. It seems that during this pandemic, there’s been more time and opportunities to work on those kinds of projects. I think that means I’ve been watching too much television, but that’s what happens when you’re faced with staying at home.

Hand stitching projects

I just finished hand appliqueing my last hexagon flower block to a pieced background. These blocks will become a quilt soon, and I’m very excited about it! Aren’t they bright ...

Whether you’re a quilter or a blogger or a proud parent, it’s important to get that perfect picture. Today I have 8 tips for better quilt photography that can be applied to other types of photography as well. As they say, a picture paints a thousands words.

Camera Equipment

You don’t need a fancy camera to take good pictures. I have a DSLR camera (Canon Rebel T5i) that was my main camera for taking pictures for my blog. Lately, however, I’ve been using my iPhone to take most of my pictures. Why? Simply because it’s ...

I like to keep an eye on what’s new in the quilting world, especially when it comes to new quilting tools. I’m lucky that I work in a quilt shop so I get to see many of the latest quilting books and gadgets as soon as they hit the market. Let me show you a few of my latest finds!

Note: Affiliate links have been provided for your convenience and I will receive a small compensation (with no additional cost to you) if you make a purchase using one of those links. With that said, I strongly believe ...

Hello, friends. Today I’m sharing Tips for Small Quilt Blocks and Accurate Piecing. I recently started working on the Sewcialites Quilt Along blocks in the 3″ finished size and have been having a lot of fun with them. But there are some tips and techniques that are very helpful when piecing these smaller blocks. And […]

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