What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

I've been creating a few small Chrismons for our home tree. This one, the Beaded Fish, is symbolic of the action used by the Persecuted Believers to secretly designate themselves as followers of Christ. The initials (IXOYC) for Jesus Christ is the Greek word for fish.  It's a precious little addition to our tree. Do you have a kitchen tool like this? It's a fish spatula. It's a fairly

I've been creating a few small Chrismons for our home tree. This one, the Beaded Fish, is symbolic of the action used by the Persecuted Believers to secretly designate themselves as followers of Christ. The initials (IXOYC) for Jesus Christ is the Greek word for fish.  It's a precious little addition to our tree. Do you have a kitchen tool like this? It's a fish spatula. It's a fairly

I have had one of these hand-held fuzz removers for 50 years. I remember where I bought mine, in the cash register checkout line, where they hang all those last minute impulse-buy temptations, at Osco Drug in the Tippecanoe Mall, Lafayette, IN, back in 1973 or '74. I worked across the hall at the Singer store in those days, before I was married. I really had no business buying anything on a whim,

I have had one of these hand-held fuzz removers for 50 years. I remember where I bought mine, in the cash register checkout line, where they hang all those last minute impulse-buy temptations, at Osco Drug in the Tippecanoe Mall, Lafayette, IN, back in 1973 or '74. I worked across the hall at the Singer store in those days, before I was married. I really had no business buying anything on a whim,

Don't you just love it when you find that one tool that works for a myriad of tasks, and works so well! I don't know how I ever got along before the handy-dandy Folded Corner Clipper took up residence in my sewing room but I can tell you this: I'm not looking back. I use mine, literally, all the time! If you don't have this tool, you need one. (Click on the link above to check it out, there are

Don't you just love it when you find that one tool that works for a myriad of tasks, and works so well! I don't know how I ever got along before the handy-dandy Folded Corner Clipper took up residence in my sewing room but I can tell you this: I'm not looking back. I use mine, literally, all the time! If you don't have this tool, you need one. (Click on the link above to check it out, there are

One of my favorite quilting helpers is this little rolling 3 drawer plastic unit. It rolls underneath my table when not in use. I have an ironing pad and a wool pressing mat on top, and, it is to the left of me when I sew. I can turn and iron very easily anything I want to iron. I have had it for years.

Hello, friends. Today I’m sharing a new-to-me sewing notion that I’ve decided I can’t live without. The Creative Grids Ultimate Flying Geese Tool is my new favorite for making quick, accurate, and fabric-saving flying geese. I love that this tool has options for eight different sizes using just one tool. I’ve also loved the speed […]

The post Ultimate Flying Geese Tool appeared first on A Quilting Life.

This is what happens when snow is predicted in the south; naturally there's the insanity that occurs as everyone runs for bread and milk at the grocery stores but, then, the conversation turns to anticipated snowfall amounts and, ultimately, how long folks expect to be stranded. I'm not too worried: we have firewood enough to last and I have an adequate supply of books and stitching projects

This is what happens when snow is predicted in the south; naturally there's the insanity that occurs as everyone runs for bread and milk at the grocery stores but, then, the conversation turns to anticipated snowfall amounts and, ultimately, how long folks expect to be stranded. I'm not too worried: we have firewood enough to last and I have an adequate supply of books and stitching projects

As we close out those twelve days of Christmas it's a good time to reflect on the holidays and get back to that guiding word and how I plan to respect it in 2022. I did receive two Christmas gifts for use in the sewing room that I had asked for from Mr. Goodneedle, I'm eager to try them out and will report on them after the next few days; those will be spent taking Christmas down and packing it

As we close out those twelve days of Christmas it's a good time to reflect on the holidays and get back to that guiding word and how I plan to respect it in 2022. I did receive two Christmas gifts for use in the sewing room that I had asked for from Mr. Goodneedle, I'm eager to try them out and will report on them after the next few days; those will be spent taking Christmas down and packing it

Step 1: Read through the pattern

Understanding a pattern, I feel, is the first step when starting a new project. Read the pattern thoroughly and take note of the following.

Skill Level - Ask yourself, can I make this pattern? Is it at my current comfort or skill level?

Tools Required - Do you have the tools, and do you know how to use them if ...

I found this unpublished post from Feb 2014 in the draft folder. I have finished some applique projects since this post. The blocks for Hop to It are all fused but not yet stitched. Now that I’ve had some machine applique experience I’m starting to think about this one. Did I really use Misty Fuse for that project? Yikes. I find Misty Fuse very hard to work with because there’s no there there, if you know what I mean. The white version just disappears into thin air because it is so fine and there is no paper ...

One of the most difficult things about quilting on a domestic machine is managing the bulk and weight of the quilt. For some time now, I’ve been looking at a couple of tools that claim to help hold the weight to make quilting easier and less tiring. One of those tools requires floor space, which […]

Today’s prompt is ‘favorite tip’. I had a million thoughts! So, here’s a simple one. I am not good at precision sewing.  Getting my 1/4 inch piecing seam straight and even and consistent is a real challenge for me. So my favorite piecing tip was to buy a 1/4″ piecing foot with a flange edge.  …

Favorite Sewing or Quilting Tip Read More »

The post Favorite Sewing or Quilting Tip appeared first on Carole Lyles Shaw.

I have a very short list of favorite tools because I’m not a gadget person. Let me start with the most important one.  That would be my Janome 9450 that I talked about in my previous blog post on December 3! Here’s the next important tool:  My retractable Rotary Cutter.  I bought 4 of these …

Favorite Quilt Tools Read More »

The post Favorite Quilt Tools appeared first on Carole Lyles Shaw.

I love seeing the #honestcraftroom on Instagram–it definitely helps to know that most of us don’t work in professionally decorated studio sets. Of course, a woman can always dream about a 400 square foot space with long design walls and built in overhead LED lights….and an assistant to do the pressing and cleaning up.  Sigh…….. …

Real Sewing Space Read More »

The post Real Sewing Space appeared first on Carole Lyles Shaw.

Hello, friends and happy Friday! Today I’m sharing the first of a new series for beginning quilters on the YouTube Channel and have begun it with a Quilting Basics: Tool for Beginner Quilters video. I’ll share a little bit about that today and also let you know about a couple of Black Friday Sales (including […]

The post Quilting Basics: Tools + Black Friday Sales appeared first on A Quilting Life.

Hello, friends! Today I’m sharing my annual Quilter’s Gift Guide 2020 with notions, tools, rulers, and other quilting products that I can’t live without. My list is pretty long, lol, but I’ve divided it into categories to make it easier to search…and I have a quick video sharing all of the featured gift guide items. […]

The post Quilter’s Gift Guide 2020 appeared first on A Quilting Life.