What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

A couple years ago we put out one of the first video tutorials on how to make a jelly roll rug and you guys went crazy for it. It has nearly 225,000 views and is one of our most popular videos of all time.

But we felt it was time for an update. First, you all HATED the music in the background. So this video only has music when I am just sewing and not when I am talking.

Second, I had some new tools to try out from Purple Hobbies to see if it would make the process ...

Hugs make us happy. 

A good snuggle releases oxytocin, a chemical associated with happiness and less stress. But I wonder…can quilts do the same?

This week Jenny, Misty, and Natalie showcase 3 new projects based on the classic X’s and O’s quilt. And these hugs and kisses are almost as sweet as the real thing!

Jenny’s Design

Jenny calls her quilt “Social Distanced Hugs” because the O’s are separated with a fun sashing. (What a unique way to remember these “unprecedented times!”)

Natalie’s Design

Natalie adds Wonky Star legs to her quilt, creating a ...

  Valentine's Day is one of my favorite reasons to make little gifts.

My Quilted Love Keychain is a feature over at

The Quilted Love Keychain is a quick patchwork and applique project.

There’s nothing more fun that showing off your latest quilt on Facebook or Instagram. And with many quilt guilds meeting virtually during the pandemic, a lot of times a photo is the only way we have to show off what we’re working on to our quilty friends.

So I turned the camera on while I was photographing my latest Stashin’ with Stephanie quilt so I could give you my top tips for taking better quilt photos. I don’t use any special cameras or lighting in this video. I just use natural lighting and my cell phone camera ...

I folded more than 70 quilts in one day a couple weeks ago as we were getting the new studio up an running and thought you all might enjoy seeing how I fold quilts of all sizes to fit my shelves perfectly.

In the video show you how I fold a lap and a bed sized quilt, both so that they end up the exact dimensions of your shelf so they can look fantastic displayed for all to see.

It really does look stunning when you see all your hard work stacked up with your pretty fabrics on display. It ...

Hello, friends. Today I’m sharing a 9-Patch Table Runner Tutorial with a step-by-step video so you can see just how easy it is to make one of my favorite scrappy runners. Additionally, this little runner is set on point, so you can see how to set the blocks together for any on-point runner you might […]

The post 9-Patch Table Runner Tutorial appeared first on A Quilting Life.

It’s been a hot minute since we did a bag tutorial, mostly because I’ve gone to the shop and home and that’s about it. But we are in a new year, and I’m optimistic, so I finally sewed together the All Around Tote pattern by Sew Many Creations I cut nearly a year ago to use as a diaper bag.

This bag will hold everything and keep it organized. There are eight outside pockets, two zippered inside pockets, a divider and a flap to keep everything secure while you’re out. And it’s BIG, finishing ...

In the “olden days”, little girls learned to sew at a very young age. Their tiny hands were trained to stitch up four patches, hourglasses, and shooflies—all without rulers, rotary cutters, or even sewing machines!

This week, Jenny is using those same old-fashioned beginner blocks to whip up a dazzling Sunshine Shoofly quilt. And like all our favorite patterns, this super-simple layer cake quilt looks SO much trickier than it really is! Click HERE to watch the video! 

You’ve finally made it! You have your supplies in hand and you have a great knowledge of precut quilting fabrics so it’s time to create your very first quilt block! Before we begin, remember Jenny’s favorite phrase, “finished is better than perfect”. Your first quilt block might not be perfect (maybe it will!) but what is most important is that you learned new skills along the way and ...

Before Jenny Doan, there was Nancy Cabot.

During the 1930s, Nancy wrote a column for the Chicago Daily Tribune featuring a new quilt pattern every single day. A diagram of the daily block was printed next to helpful tips and bits of quilt history. (The pattern could be purchased for “5 cents in stamps or coin.”)

Nancy’s column was chatty and casual, like a tea time conversation between friends. I think I would have loved her!

On January 27, 1933, Nancy highlighted a simple half-square triangle pattern called The Old Gray Goose. Of course, like all old-fashioned blocks, it ...

Merry Christmas, my friends! 

After months of planning, sewing, and wrapping, you’ve created real magic this holiday season. I’m so proud of you!

Now it’s time to kick up your feet and rest. Treat yourself to a cup of peppermint cocoa and a warm soak in the tub. 

You know, quilters love to give and serve. But sometimes we forget to take time for ourselves. So every Christmas, Jenny plans a special project meant just for YOU.

This year, she is using Shannon’s Cuddle® Cuts Minky 2-Yard Cuts to make a quick and easy throw blanket ...

I made this Junk Journal for my 8 year old grand daughter that is an outdoorsey kid. I am trying to teach my grand kids.. you don't need to sit and write pages .. write as much as you want.. but really, just a name, date and a sentence or two is enough to keep that memory for later! So far, they...

Click on the blog article title to continue reading this post or to browse to Fabric and Memories for more...fabric and memories!

I’ll always remember 2020 as the year we stayed home. We wore stretchy pants. We watched movies. We sewed and sewed and sewed (and sewed). And, we baked A LOT of banana bread. 

Jenny’s Design

Some days were boring; some were lonely. But through it all, I’ve felt grateful for the peace and safety of these four old walls. Dorothy was right, there’s no place like home.

Natalie’s Design

For this month’s Triple Play tutorial, Jenny and the gals used Daisy & Grace’s tiny house quilt-as-you-go templates to make a garland, a pillow, and ...

You may think we forgot how to count. But today’s video is not a mistake … we are bringing you a 13th Make of Christmas!

We originally planned to remake Retro Tiles, my modern log cabin quilt using a layer cake with Polar Magic by Lemoni for FIGO. But when it was time to start filming, we still didn’t have the white fabric we ordered a month previously for the background.

But white 10-inch square packs AND white yardage arrived after I started shooting, so we decided to squeeze one bonus video in for you.

In this video we ...

We’ve done it! We reached our 12th day of Christmas makes and we are finishing up with a tutorial on how to create bias binding and attach it to your tree skirt so that it curves beautifully around your edge.

I also cover how to mark your quilt for your inner and outer circle, cut it down and cut the slit so that you can get it around your tree. Since bias binding is a more intermediate technique, I assume you already know things like, how to make a mitered corner and join your ends for continuous binding.

But ...

We’re onto our 11th Make of Christmas and today is all about quilting on your home sewing machine with a walking foot.

I walk you through using fusible batting to baste your quilt top, how to divide your quilt into sections to get it tacked down with straight line quilting, and then talk you through how I divide up the quilting into sections and maneuver it on a home sewing machine.

To all of you who have been asking for me to demonstrate quilting on an actual quilt, this is your video! While I am showing you how to ...

On cold winter nights, the sky is an icy blanket of twinkling stars. The truth is … I rarely take notice. It’s just too cold for stargazing! 

But if you are willing to bundle up and brave the winter chill, you will be treated to a glittering show far brighter than any summertime stars. 

This week Jenny is whipping up a Winter Star quilt in icy shades of blue and white. This quick and easy layer cake pattern is perfect as a lap quilt or winter wall hanging.

For our 10th Make of Christmas we are starting a series, within a series. Today we will go over how to piece my new FREE pattern, the Star Bright Jelly Roll Christmas Tree Skirt.

Then tomorrow we’ll cover how to quilt it and wrap up with how to create and sew on bias binding to cover those curved edges on Saturday.

As the name suggests, one jelly roll will make one 50-inch diameter tree skirt. We are going to strip piece the diamonds and use a 60-degree ruler to offset the start of the strip rows to make the ...

For our ninth make of Christmas I am bringing you a FREE pattern for the Charm Pack Table Runner.

I probably dozens of these for gifts for my family when I was a new quilter, and it is still one of my favorite ways to use a charm pack. They are so fast, and inexpensive to make that you can easily make one for all the seasons.

One charm pack and 1 1/2 yards of coordinating fabric will get you one large, or two small table runners, and the pattern includes instructions for both.

This project can easily be ...