What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Singularity, our latest Stashin’ with Stephanie quilt design, featured large sections of negative space that were just begging for some fun quilting.

I know that negative space can sometimes be intimidating because as a quilter we feel pressure to do something super fancy in it. But I chose echoed swirls to fill the space with a fun, modern texture that looks great but wasn’t too difficult.

I love using quilting stitches that are very different in the background versus the piecing to help separate the two spaces. So I chose some simple rulerwork in the triangles to help accent ...

Are you in search of a rotary cutter to use for your next quilting project? If so, you’ve come to the right place! This blog post is your guide to rotary cutters and will help you find the best rotary cutter for quilting and sewing. We’ll look at several types of rotary cutters available and their features. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced quilter, this guide will help you find the best rotary cutter for your needs.

Olfa 45mm Rotary Cutters

If you’re looking for a quilting rotary cutter that offers comfort, precision, and safety ...

This is the second quilt finished while watching Conference this past weekend.

It is based on THIS tutorial (She calls it Sunburst).

It will be delivered to our Assistant Principal who has a great love for Africa and does much good there sponsoring the education of children.

I hope the rich colors will evoke that beautiful place, and the star will demonstrate the light she shares.

It was an intriguing idea. And it helped address the overflowing basket of small scraps of light background fabric.

But, I had no idea how much I would love the finish.

Very different from my usual quilts in some ways, but with some common factors: small pieces, many different fabrics, etc. And it is finished, always a good thing.

ps–It is 72″ square. Contains 144 6″ blocks, 2304 pieces. More information and a tutorial can be found HERE.

We are springing into spring with a brand new block tutorial! Follow along with the step-by-step photos below to make your very own Easter Egg quilt block. This block is an eggs-celent choice to use in many different projects. We’re sharing a free diagram to make an Easter Egg Quilt and table runner.

Easter Egg Project Supplies

For our Easter Egg quilt block, runner, and quilt we are using Stitch by Lori Holt of Bee in my Bonnet for Riley Blake Designs. The florals and spring colors in this collection are perfect for Easter! In addition, for our backgrounds ...

Quilting with Rulers 5-Pack Kit: I am so excited to announce Intro to Rulerwork, a new course we have coming on May 2!

I lover rulerwork because it makes me look like a much better quilter than I am. You just need to learn how to keep your ruler foot in contact with your special quilting ruler at all times and you can recreate any shape perfectly every time.

In this 23-video series for both the longarm and domestic sewing machine, we will use five different rulers to teach you how to stitch-in-the-ditch, create perfectly straight lines, quilt arcs, circles ...

A pile of scraps and THIS VIDEO TUTORIAL got me started.

In no time at all I had a quilt. It uses 36 blocks and finishes at 35″ square–a nice symmetry there.

I can see using this pattern again. It would work for many different applications.

For now it goes in the donation pile. YAY! No bored babies if they sleep under this quilt.

Hong Kong seams are a thing of beauty–a little extra work but a secret delight!  So even though I didn’t use them in this plaid top, I’m including them with all the seam lessons in this series of technique posts.  I did use them on both my Simplicity S8883  top, full blogpost here, and the Brumby Skirt.   I also used this finish on a jacket I made for my daughter-in-law some years ago that I swear I wish she could wear inside out LOL!

That lime green on the shoulder and princess seams is a Hong Kong ...

Today is a tutorial on making quick four patches from jelly roll strips, rollie-pollies or any 2-1/2-inch wide strip of fabric. If you downloaded the pdf already, I have changed the directions for the four patches into more of a speed piecing method, so here is the revised one – Oh, My Strippy Stars, Revised Pattern

Here is the quilt we are making, it is about 42-inches square using the pattern directions. If you double the number of stars, you could have a nice size lap quilt about 52×62. A few more blocks to bring the size up to ...

Lapped and flat-felled seams are two sides of the same coin.  Both are found in ready to wear–the lapped seams I see most often in men’s dress shirts.  Flat-felled seams are found on jeans…they’re that heavy, bulky seam!  The double stitching makes it strong, so it is good for seams that endure strain–like tight jeans!  They can also be used decoratively with contrasting and/or heavy topstitching thread. Let’s start with the ….

Please note:  I am affiliated with Janome as a Janome Artisan and am compensated.  However, my reviews are honest and I would ...

Please note:  I am affiliated with Janome as a Janome Artisan and am compensated.  However, my reviews are honest and I would say what I say whether affiliated or not.  I’ve also chosen to be affiliated with Janome since 2003 (!!!) because their machines are so good and they are so responsive to the interests and needs of their customers.

To make a French seam you sew the seam twice.  My example is on a 5/8″ seam which is standard in the US.  Please adjust accordingly for your pattern and practice.

First, sew the seam with the fabric WRONG ...

This month’s new fat quarter friendly pattern is inspired by this month’s featured fabric, Wishwell Prairie Song by Leslie Tucker Jenison for Robert Kaufman Fabrics.

This is the third time we’ve featured a Wishwell collection for Stashin’ with Stephanie, and it has sold out every time. The bold, digital prints in a graffiti-like texture and rich colors are always a stunning combination.

I developed Sound Waves to highlight this stunning modern fabric. The pattern uses an entire fat quarter with no waste, so it’s great for quilters who don‘t like leftovers at the end of ...

While visiting a favorite local shop in nearby Rockland, Maine, Clementine, I happened to fondle this amazing thick, soft flannel and thought it would made a perfect winter top.  The plaid adds a bit of complexity and opportunity to teach a few more advanced skills along with a fairly simple pattern for this series.

Please note:  I am affiliated with Janome as a Janome Artisan and am compensated.  However, my reviews are honest and I would say what I say whether affiliated or not.  I’ve also chosen to be affiliated with Janome since 2003 (!!!) because their machines are so ...

At the end of Lesson 1, I was showing you how far off the fitting is in this pattern when applied to my body: broad shoulders, small bust.

Please note:  I am affiliated with Janome as a Janome Artisan and am compensated.  However, my reviews are honest and I would say what I say whether affiliated or not.  I’ve also chosen to be affiliated with Janome since 2003 (!!!) because their machines are so good and they are so responsive to the interests and needs of their customers.

There’s a LOT of detail in this post, but if you ...

I’ve had several people say they have never pieced where you sew directly onto paper to get accurate seams and asked how to do it.  So here is a step by step on how I do it – others might do it differently.  This simple pattern really doesn’t need to be done this way but […]

I thought it would be fun to teach some basic garment sewing techniques using a simple “T” top in woven fabric as the platform, tossing in a few special lessons along the way. This isn’t a class in how to make a blouse–rather it is a way to teach several techniques that are useful in garment making and home dec across the board.  There will be 9 posts total that will publish on Tuesday and Friday through March 21. As they go live, I will update a list at the bottom of each ...

We are simply falling for this easy and fun DIY project that is perfect for Valentine’s Day! Read on for a photo tutorial on making your own DIY Heart Banner. The best part of this project is you can create as many hearts as your heart desires!

DIY Heart Banner Supplies

• Two 5″ squares per heart. (We used two Charm Packs from Beautiful Day by Corey Yoder Charm for a matched look.)
• 3 Oz Poly-fil (this is enough to fill about 15 hearts)
• Cloud Chunky Crochet Thread By Lori Holt of Bee in my Bonnet
• A large needle to ...

With so many types of quilting fabrics available, choosing the right one can be overwhelming. It’s important to understand their differences so you can choose the best one for your next project. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about quilting fabrics.

Types of Quilt Fabric

Although standard quilting cotton fabric is our hands-down favorite for making quilts, there is a wide variety of fabrics available for sewing quilts, home decor and garments, such as batiks, wovens and flannel. Some are made from natural fibers like cotton and linen, while others are man-made. The base fiber affects ...

This month’s Stashin’ with Stephanie quilt design, Cables, was inspired by my other crafting love … knitting. Since the design resembles a knitted cable pattern, I thought it was only appropriate that I carry the knitting theme through to the quilting as well.

I created a 1-inch square “V” stitch to mimic the look of the stockinette knitting stitch, where all the knit stitches are on the right side and all the purl bumps are on the wrong side.

This is a very easy stitch to master and it doesn’t matter if they are all perfect, because in the ...

Hi, all!

Well, finally, as promised, today starts this year's tutorial series.  I thought this year I would go back and revisit some of the most-loved tutorials from past years, plus add in a few new simple designs too!  I think we'll call this year's series Something Old, Something New.  That seems appropriate!  For those of you new to the blog, these quilts will be simple designs that can be easily worked up for charity or comfort quilts.  We'll have one each Sunday for the next five or six weeks, depending on how many designs I ...