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Hello! I realized recently that I have never posted a binding tutorial here for how I machine bind my quilts. I'm not sure exactly where I learned this technique, I suspect it's a blend of several picked up over the years.  It's fast and secure and I'm very happy with how it looks finished.

Assemble your binding. I use 2.5" strips for my binding. If you're feeling motivated you can join them with 45 degree angles so that the seams make less bulk, but it works fine with straight seams, too. I recommend using ...

This quilt came to be as the result of a personal challenge: to design the most efficient quilt I could using THREE charm packs, and still have it be interesting. I hope you enjoy it.

Three Times The Charm

66-1/2″ x 66-1/2″

NOTE: You could also use a layer cake and give the quilt an additional border set. The finished size of that would be 74″ square.

MATERIALS

3 5″ charm packs of 42 squares each (You will use all but 8, assuming no cutting errors)

2-1/2 yards background fabric

1/2 yard for centers of the ...

This meandering freemotion design Mistletoe is open, airy and whimsical. It resembles a mistletoe plant but not exactly, making this design more versatile than just a Christmas quilting design.

The design consists of a series of two leaf shapes, two feathers and one or more small circles. The circles on sticks will help you travel to a new spot for the next sequence.

Pattern Tutorial

This design is built on a sequence with three design elements: leaf shapes, feathers and a circle on a stick.

Move into the area you want to fill with your design and try to use ...

The edge to edge design Cogs is based on a soft curl surrounded by a boxy echoes and hops.

This funky design would be lovely on a quilt for a person who likes to know the inner workings of a piece of machinery. On the other hand, this freemotion design would work well within a mix of various flower designs too. 

The elements within the sequence of Cogs are pretty simple. A soft curl, a series of boxy shapes as an echo around to the curl and then to complete the shape, add a series of hops around it all ...

National Sewing Month has us thinking about all the ways we can sit down at our sewing machines and come away with a project that will add a touch of charm to our homes. At the beginning of the month, we brought you a roundup of 5 Cute Weekend Sewing Projects For The Kitchen, and this week, we have a brand new tutorial for the cutest tissue box cover with all the trimmings!

1. Gather Your Supplies

If you love collecting cute trims and pretty lace as much as we do, you probably have everything you need for today’s ...

Here is my promised three-charm-packs quilt (could also be made with a layer cake or cut from scraps).

Finishes at 66″ square. Great throw, table topper, or even wall hanging (if you have a big wall).

Tutorial coming soon (probably next week).

Halloween is getting closer, and I have a few small quilty projects planned to get done before then. I have shared a few freemotion designs in the past that suit the scary season, and I will share them again below.

This weeks’ design is called Hair, maybe not specifically named after Cousin Itt from the Addams family, but if the shoe fits…! The random and free-flowing design Hair looks just like ghosts flying and tumbling through the air, don’t you think? Maybe it makes you think of flowing water or kelp too. The edge to edge design Hair is ...

Learn how to make a braided key ring with this quick and easy sewing tutorial. This is a fun project to whip up with fabric scraps, ribbon, or strips of fabric you already have on hand. The finished keychain is not only practical but also a great way to add a little handmade flair to your everyday items.

This key ring project is perfect if you’re looking for a beginner-friendly sewing idea, a thoughtful handmade gift, or a way to use up leftover fabric. It only takes a few minutes, and you’ll end up with something both useful ...

Let’s do another zigzag design, which also works in sashings and borders. This week’s design is named Coral.

This design is based on fat curls and echoes and it can transition corners without stopping and breaking thread.

This whimsical design is very suited for projects with themes like the ocean, the sea, nature, octopus tentacles, kelp, coral, marine animals, ferns, and the forest.

Pattern Tutorial

The design can be quilted in any direction, horizontal, vertical or diagonal. In the tutorial drawings and video footage you will find all of these angles used.

In this tutorial I will use ...

Learn how to sew a fall pumpkin mug rug that’s quick, scrappy, and perfect for using up those little fabric bits hanging around in your stash. You know the ones—too small for a quilt, too cute to toss, and just waiting for a cozy project. This pumpkin mug rug comes together in no time, making it a great beginner project or a fun seasonal sew-along if you’ve only got an afternoon to spare.

Think of it as a mini quilt that’s big enough to hold your favorite mug (pumpkin spice latte, anyone?) and a cookie or ...

Learn how to sew a DIY smock apron with this simple sewing tutorial. This beginner-friendly apron pattern is perfect for quilting, cooking, crafting, or even working in the garden.

It slips right over your head, so there are no ties to fuss with, and the roomy fit makes it extra comfortable to wear.

With just a couple of yards of fabric and a little sewing time, you’ll have a handmade apron that’s not only practical but also a great scrap-buster project.

Whether you’re looking for a handmade gift idea, something to keep your clothes clean while you ...

This interesting and simple grid design is based on wide wishbone designs placed on top of each other. It can be used as an allover, or just in a block or border. 

The design will look great on projects with a theme like farm yard animals. Don’t you think it looks like two layers of chicken wire, but then placed at right angles of each other? I can also see this pattern being used on clutch bags with a metallic thread. The grid is so beautiful!

This wishbone-based grid is pretty simple to execute once you have marked a ...

Strut your feathers!

The design Peacock is composed of pretty standard shapes, the design just look complex because various shapes are all thrown in together into one sequence.

The Peacock design is an intricate allover that is elegant and elaborate. The denser edge to edge is suited for bags, placemats and maybe even a quilt coat.  It looks great on projects with themes like peacocks, birds, flowers, florals, nature, elegance, exuberance, exotic and mysterious gardens.

Pattern Tutorial

Don’t let the multi-step designs hold you back. You are probably very familiar with the separate design elements of this pattern; a ...

This sweet and magical grid design is based on a clamshell pattern. The design is pretty dense and it would be perfect for a bag or backpack. This grid design looks great on projects with themes like nature, plant, flowers, butterflies, fairies, fairytales and fantasy.

The design is pretty dense and it would be perfect for a bag or backpack. This grid design looks great on projects with themes like nature, plant, flowers, butterflies, fairies, fairytales and fantasy.

The pattern is based on the work by Jen Eskridge of Quilty Quill, and it is featured in her book “Quilted Clamshell ...

This fun and whimsical grid border design is based on a series of loops and echoes. It can be used in a wider border with some simple pre-marked lines. This playful border design looks great in modern quilts or quilts intended for children.

This fun and whimsical grid border design is based on a series of loops and echoes. It can be used in a wider border and a few pre-marked guidelines will help tremendously with stitching this design out evenly.

Pattern Tutorial

This loop-based border design takes a step back to move around one of the loops before continuing ...

It has been a while since we talked about zigzag quilts. In 2022 I put together several resources for you about zigzags. I will be sharing these again in this blogpost, so keep reading.

Zigzag quilts are pretty easy to piece, but how do you quilt them? You could definitely choose an allover / edge to edge design, but you can opt for a design that shows off the zigzag angles more by placing a design inside of each zigzag row. You could even do different designs in each row.

Let’s take a closer look at one design that was ...

A free pattern is worth trying, right? Especially when the fabric is free, too!

I received a bundle of cut 2-1/2″ strips of assorted blue and green fabrics. There were so many I couldn’t see them getting used any time in the near future if I added them to my general stash of strips.

So, it was a try at something new. If I did it again I would make the quilting a darker shade of brown to help tie the front, the quilting, and the backing together better. I don’t love it, but someone will. If ...

Before we delve into this week’s design, I wanted to let you know that there will be another Free Motion Quilting Summit in two weeks time! This multiple day free event focuses on all things freemotion. I think you would really enjoy taking part.

Maybe you spotted my face in amongst the teachers read more

Celtic, Austrian or Chinese knot?

This elegant freemotion border design Knot is a variation of the Ribbon Candy design. It can be used in a wider borders and a few pre-marked guidelines will help tremendously with stitching this design out evenly. 

This border design looks great in quilts with themes like weddings, knotting, Austrian knots, Celtic designs, ribbon candy, hearts, lace, and tatting.

Pattern Tutorial

It is basically one loop after the other ...