Get creative with fabric scraps! Learn the stitch and flip technique to make a one-of-a-kind crazy quilt block. Follow my step-by-step guide.

FREE PIECED FABRIC MAKING OK players! Got your bin of scraps? Here's a step by step of 15 minutes of play... Put those strips of fabric away and dig out all your little bits... This will be 15 minutes of sewing... They go together quickly, Don't think, just sew! I have a box under my sewing table that I put all my itty bits in that I save for making fabric. Grab a handful of various sized scraps. Sew one on, press open. This is a good place to add in angles. Is it looking to straight up and down? Lay your next piece on at an angle.... You don't have to line up your seams. I stitched a piece on at an angle, now trim off the bit that sticks out... press it open. Always press your pieces as you sew them on, this will keep your allowances smooth and flat on the back. Keep adding bits... at odd angles, you do NOT need to follow your fabric edge when you do this. THINK ANGLES at all times... sew it on, trim off the bit that sticks out... Keep adding around and trim off pieces that stick out. SAVE the BITS and add them in other places or use to start a new block. Working on any edge that you can add to, keep adding bits and pieces to your made fabric. I am NOT focused on making a SQUARE, I am focused on making a usable piece of FABRIC. Once you have a piece about 7", lay your ruler over the fabric and cut your shape. Here I just followed the size of my ruler. Makes for easy cutting! At 15 minutes, I have on my ironing board, This fun block to play with. When you cut out your squares, try to cut the blocks that will give you the most angles. Save the bits you have cut off to start your next 15 minute fabric process... If your edges get to Curvy or crazy, just trim them to a straight edge. Just don't focus on making them square. You may find you are working with a pentagon or hexagon shape or some unrecognizable shape... just keep adding where you can. If you find your piece, as you practice, does not lay flat, then cut off the wavy bit. Once you cut that wavy part off, you will find "THAT wavy SCRAP" will lay flat after you cut it off. Save it and use it on your next block. You can continue adding to your blocks with made pieces and make even bigger blocks these blocks below are 13 inches square. Often times, I had 4 bits of made fabric that I pieced together... See if you can figure out where I sewn the pieces together. this one above started with the lower right hand section, I squared it off into a pentagon shape then added the top strip, then the LEFT long strip. Use strips of made fabric... You can make strips of fabric and join them around a funky shaped piece of made fabric... Can you see how this block came together? This last one, I had two large pieces of made fabric, and one strip. I cut them on curves and joined them together, then made one more strip of fabric to go across the top... The more angles you use the more interesting your block will get... and it you've made something that you can then try a new idea with! Sometimes you find a piece that is just so perfect and you don't want to cut it down... that is were your Y seams come in... or rather, PIVOT points... If you think of Y seams as pivot point it makes them seem less scary... And it's far better to try Y seams here then on some big fancy project... See where the fabric leads you... It's a good way to practice your sewing techniques that you may otherwise avoid... or not! Like I said, CUT IT OFF, and add something else... That's what your scissors are for! :-) Have a go... Hope this helps.

Here is another fun craft to try :) Choose complimentary fabrics Cut a square the size you want of a base fabric ( it does not matter what you use as long as it doesn’t stretch as you will no…

We are sew excited to share our ultimate guide on how to make a crazy quilt! From planning to stitch type, we've got everything you'll need!

Here is another fun craft to try :) Choose complimentary fabrics Cut a square the size you want of a base fabric ( it does not matter what you use as long as it doesn’t stretch as you will no…

I would like to introduce block 8 in the I dropped the Button Box quilt . I hope people will enjoy seeing it in more detail over the next week or so. Fabric content: How I managed a small block like this with 9 pieces of fabric on it I am not sure but …

Go crazy with these free crazy quilt and crazy patchwork quilt patterns and projects!

We have begun our ambitious crazy quilting class with seven lovely and talented ladies. As we mentioned in a previous post, Crazy Quilting—Start to Finish, we have created a six-month crazy quilting class that teaches our students how to piece their blocks, stitch and embellish them, and finally put them together in the format of their choice. Taking photos of the class models for reference All our ladies had been eagerly awaiting this class and were ready to get started. Each student was instructed to bring at least 24 different fabrics, which could include cottons, silks, satins, or any other fabric they liked. We did have some fancy fabrics for sale to help their collection, but some of our ladies had been collecting fabrics over time, just for a future crazy quilt. A rainbow assortment of silks, satins, and velvets Many of these fabrics were sourced from thrift stores. One student's collection Each lady received four different patterns, as well as a fabric Little Red Riding Hood vintage postcard print to use as a center for one of their blocks. Most of the patterns were put together the same way, by having a center piece and then sewing each section around that center piece. We had the ladies bring in four 9" squares of flannel to be used as a base for the block, and Teri demonstrated how to construct the block with the flannel base. The flannel base provides a great support for the future block embroidery, and it also helps manage some of those slippery fabrics. The first piece is centered on the base. The second piece attached. As each piece is added, the excess underneath is trimmed away. Ready for embroidery After the demonstration, the ladies got to it and began constructing their blocks. Getting ready to choose fabrics Going around the center block with the next piece Checking if this fabric is a good fit This block is ready to be trimmed to its finished size. Such beautiful, bright colors We designed the patterns to be 8.5" finished, so having 9" base allowed for a little wiggle room as we pieced. An 8.5" square ruler was used to bring the pieced blocks down to their finished size. Trimmed and ready to go After the block was finished, the ladies basted around all four sides, and their blocks are ready for next month's embroidery session. Some of our students' finished blocks: The silver fabric in this block is a lacy overlay. Most of these fabrics were found at local thrift stores. As an unexpected treat, one of our students brought in some antique crazy quilt blocks that she had purchased. The blocks were in various stages of completion, absolutely beautiful, and she has more of them to bring to the next session. We can't wait to see them, and we will be sure to share them with you as well. Such lovely embroidery This unfinished, basted block is mostly made of silk. Another block a little further along in regard to the stitching Everyone was able to complete one block and will have the other three ready for our February meeting, where we will be focusing on motif selection, transferring design, and stitching the motifs. Thank you for joining us as we build these crazy quilts, and please come back to see the outcome of our next session.

Gratis quiltpatronen Op deze pagina`s staan honderden gratis blokken van de maand. Elk blok van de maand past in een groter geheel. Bij elke serie blokken staat hoe u de blokken in een quilt kunt verwerken. U kunt natuurlijk ook maar één blok van de maand verwerken tot een kleine quilt. Kijk ook eens bij

Crumb Quilt VS Crazy Quilt, both patchwork techniques are made with scraps of fabric, but which one is better and easier to make? When you love to make quilts or to sew, sooner or later you will end with a basket full of scraps of fabric, small and big, and as any other quilter these

This caught my eye at the Dear Jane retreat last month... the MONDO Bag! (not quite done) Fitting the lining... still needs straps an...

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Find the full sewing tutorial for the Simple Tote Bag

Copy Right Anne Ibach 2021 (I’m really happy that a lot of people are making this bag! Since it’s free, when you post a photo of your bag on social media, please credit me, use the hash…

Several people have asked me for a pattern for Lily the Dragon quilt and I replied that it is an improvisational technique that does not require a pattern per se. However, I decided I can share the outline, let's call it a template, which can be a starting point for anybody who wants to make their own dragon, so here you go. You can find a lot of tutorials on the "ticker-tape technique" online, I can recommend one by Ruth from Charly and Ben's Crafty Corner as I learned this technique in her workshop. I'll just quickly outline the process here, with the differences I made. So, to begin with, you can download the template and print it out (use "poster" setting in the Acrobat printing menu if you are printing it on a home printer and it will split the image onto multiple pages which you'll have to glue together). The image is 30'' by 50'', but if you want a different size, you can tinker with image scale, just bear in mind that if you make it too small it will get too fiddly. Download the template Next, you'll need to transfer the template onto your background fabric. I used black background, and this is what makes her really pop and creates a stained glass effect, but it will also make image transfer trickier. I can suggest making holes along the lines in the paper template and tracing them with chalk. Alternatively, just cut out the large shapes and trace them around with a white pencil or washable marker (in this case you can just freehand the spines). I didn't stitch around the outline as I thought it would not go with the stained glass effect. Assemble your quilt sandwich and baste it in your preferred method. Now you can get out your scrap basket and start playing. If you go for a black background, bright and light-coloured fabrics are best, in my case I used patterned ones for the body and blenders for the wing and the spines. The exact shape and positioning of the pieces will depend on the scraps you have, you'll just need to trim them to follow the line of the template on the outside. Leave from 1/8'' to 1/4'' between the pieces. Ones you fit several pieces in place, secure them with pins, glue or fusible tape and take the sandwich to the machine. I used quite loose zigzag stick with a neutral thread to stitch around all the pieces. Again, check out Ruth's tutorial for the details. Continue the process bit by bit until you fill in the outline. Because you are stitching through the quilt sandwich, it will also mean you have already quilted the dragon shape! So, all that is left is quilting the space around her, and here the sky is the limit - you can create a whimsical landscape around her or just go for echo quilting. I tried to use Angela Walter's Swirl hook pattern, it didn't turn out great, to be honest, but I still love the overall effect created by the bright variegated thread (it was one of YLI machine quilting threads). I really hope this is helpful, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me, and if you make your own dragon, please send a pic or tag me on Instagram, I'd be thrilled to see it! Linking up to: Off the Wall Friday at Creations by Nina-Marie Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? at Confessions of a Fabric Addict TGIFF at Devoted Quilter

There's an imminent new arrival in our extended family, so it's time for me to get working on another version of my baby beach scenes. Simon suggested I incorporate surfing since the father is a keen surfer. That was the starting point for my designing, anyway. I ended up with this row of (potentially surfable?!) waves which will go across the top of the reef/water section, and I started by piecing them. I divided the waves into organic shapes, much like those I used in the much larger Australian scene and space quilts, which I could then piece from different colour water fabrics. The first step was to trace these onto mid-weight non-woven interfacing and mark some registration points along the curved seams to help piece thems evenly, then cut the pieces apart. After carefully selecting the fabrics to use for each piece (colour, and a smooth gradation was the main consideration)I placed the interfacing patter piece directly on the fabric and drew around it with a air-erasable marker, adding the 1/4in seam allowance by eye as I went. I then added the registration marks and the piece number with a fine-tip permanent pen before cutting it out. I've saved all the interfacing pieces in case I want to do the waves again. Then I pinned all the pieces in place on my pattern and checked I was happy with my fabric choices. Then it was just a case of gradually sewing them all together, carefully easing the curves. The wave section is all done now and will be pieced to the top of the reef/water section once that's done (the bottom is straight-ish).

Check out these fun crumb quilt ideas - let's use those little pieces of fabric you aren't sure what to do with. Crumb quilting is a delightful and resourceful technique that involves piecing together the

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This week we’ll assemble the blocks into a quilt top. Follow the instructions on page 23 of Turnabout Patchwork. Simple quilts with a twist to assemble the quilt top. Assembling the quilt top…

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Kawandi is a style of quilt created by the Siddi people of India, traditionally done by hand. It is truly scrappy and improvisational. While I like doing hand work, I was also intrigued by faster machine methods. I've listed some resources at the end of this tutorial if you are interested in creating Kawandi by hand, want to see another machine tutorial, want to see some footage of Siddi creating Kawandi by hand, and a discussion of creating Kawandi in your own style. This tutorial describes a new way of creating Kawandi by machine. These are NOT traditional Kawandi, but inspired by the joy and movement of Kawandi-style. I started with a background piece of fabric approximately 8x10", a piece of batting of the same size, and many scraps of batiks or quilting cottons. 1) Place the background over the batting, right side up (this is a quilt as you go technique, so the batting is incorporated from the beginning. 2) Place 4 scraps in the corners, right side DOWN - NOTE I'm using batiks in these examples, so its hard to tell that these pieces are upside down. In this image, you are looking at what will be the WRONG side of those scrap corners. 3) Begin UNDERLAPPING adjoining scraps into the corners. Fold approximately 1/4 inch on the side that will go UNDER the corner. Again, the scraps are placed upside down. Pin the piece in place along the edge. This will be machine sewn. 4) When you get to the next corner, fold the 1/4 inch on both sides of the scrap because it will go under 2 pieces of fabric. 5) Continue folding and underlapping scraps, pinning along the outer edge until you get the entire edge filled. Notice that it doesn't matter if you use short scraps, or long scraps. And again, its impossible to tell from this image because I'm using batiks, but you are looking at the right side of the background, and the WRONG side of the colorful scraps. 6) Sew 1/4 in seam all the way around the edge, removing pins as you come to them. 7) Clip the 4 corners close to the seam, being careful not to cut the thread. 8) Turn right side out by flipping each scrap over the seam. Use a tool to poke out or pull out the corners. There should be no raw edges of fabric along the edge of the piece because they are either in the seam OR they are folded under. 9) Carefully press the outer edge - taking care not to press the batting, as it might melt depending on fiber content. 10) The result is a piece with finished edges like this: 11) Top stitch close to the edge, This will secure all the folded under edges of each scrap. 12) When you are on the 4th side, approaching the beginning of your stitch line, turn the corner about 1/4" or 3/8" before you get there, to start the 'spiral' of stitching. The next steps are done just like Kawandi by hand, but you continue sewing on the machine. 13) To place the next piece, fold under 2 edges. Finger press or iron as necessary. Overlap the unfinished edges of previous scraps. 14) to place a color into a long strip, fold under 3 edges, staying aware of where you will place another scrap to overlap. 15) To keep a small scrap straight as you sew over the edge, it may be necessary to use long tweezers or stiletto. 16) Continue placing scraps and sewing in concentric rectangles, into the center. Note: this picture is from another project than the ones above. 17) Prepare the final scrap by folding under all 4 sides, and sewing the ever smaller rectangles/squares of stitching. 18) For the piece made of batiks, I decided the center "squares" looked better on the diagonal. Although not traditional at all, I've already broken so many 'rules', that I just decided to make this mine. Also, I'm aware that traditional Kawandi have 'folded flowers' in the 4 corners. Include them if you wish. Make it yours! Paula RESOURCES: How to make a Kawandi by hand by Kieren Dutcher https://youtu.be/yFd0xEfKeto How to make a Kawandi by machine (with binding) by Mel Beach https://pieceloveandhappiness.blogspot.com/2019/03/modern-kawandi-making.html Margaret Fabrizio travels to India to learn Kawandi from Siddi quilters: https://youtu.be/WqdIswL96q4 Margaret Fabrizio shows her own Kawandi quilts, and talks about making them in her own style. https://youtu.be/4NRxqOqp_UA

I've had the chance to review the book Free Motion Quilting for Beginners (and those who think they can't), by Molly Hanson. I love that title! I'm a big proponent of quilting your own quilts, as you know, and I've read a lot of books about free motion quilting. I like how everyone presents the information in their own personal way....there is always more to learn! This book presents all the practical information you need to get started. More importantly, it gives you the confidence to jump in and give free motion quilting a try. There are 15 projects in the book that encourage you to start small and increase your comfort level with free motion quilting before you tackle something larger, like a quilt. What I love most about this book is Molly's tone of encouragement throughout the text and the projects. She is great at guiding you though the entire process! I've done a lot of free motion quilting and I love how relaxing it can be. I also know how easy it can be to get in a rut. I challenged myself to get out of my box, so to speak and try some new-to-me, designs. I gave this squared off stippling pattern a try and it went pretty well! I had to slow down and think about where I was going from time to time, but it was fun! I could see doing this all over a whole quilt. I also quilted a few swatches of different designs and I turned them into a set of coasters. Binding them was a little fiddly, but totally worth it! (I can say that now that they are done. Ha!) These are great because I not only used scraps of fabric, but scraps of batting as well. Hurray! I'm happy to count these as scrap project #94/101. If you would like the chance to win an e-book copy of Free Motion Quilting for Beginners, please leave me a comment in this post. In your comment, I'd love to hear what your favorite go-to FMQ pattern is. Or, if you are new to FMQ, I'd like to hear what pattern you would like to master. I will pick winner in a few days!

My daughter has a friend that celebrated her birthday last week. I wanted to make her friend a pillow (I've had it in mind for months!) and even though I didn't feel like I had the time to make it, I whipped it up anyway. It's amazing how much one can get done with a little bit of focus and a deadline. A lot of these cute scraps came from my friend Mary. (Thanks Mary!!!) My daughter had picked them out and squirreled them away as her favorites. I couldn't think of a better project to use them for! I used a regular sized bed pillow for the form and added an envelope backing (similar to this) so the pillow cover is washable. An absolute must! With a name like Mandara, I knew that personalized items are hard to come by, so I wanted to be sure to include her name somewhere on the project. I used my rustic embroidery skills (heh) to add her name to one patch. I like that it's included in the mix, but that it's not necessarily the focal point. When I was stressing over the lack of perfection, my husband reminded me that the recipient is 9, and not to worry about it. It's always good to have a voice of reason! I'm happy to say that Mandara loved it! She and my daughter had fun looking at all the different fabrics and finding cute things to squeal over. It was delightful! It felt pretty good to be able to cross something off my list, too.

This tutorial is available for download as a PDF HERE (at www.ravelry.com) These blankets always remind me of the works of Gustav Klimt - without the nudes, that is. Many of these look like the Babette blanket, but this is a guide or a tutorial to creating a bigger and freer version with your own colours and in your own style. If you prefer to have a clear framework of reference for colour and a neat chart for your squares, the Babette is definitely the pattern for you - and you can find out more about this very thorough and well-written pattern here. But ... if you have a basket of scraps that look kind of nice together and you're willing to experiment a bit, then read on! First of all, the pattern. I like to use a solid square for this pattern. I use it a lot – most recently in the Equalizer Blanket. __________________________________________________________________ PATTERN: SOLID SQUARE Colour A Round 1: Chain 3 (counts as the first DC [TR]), do 2 DC [TR] into the ring. Chain 2, 3 DC [TR], chain 2, 3 DC [TR], chain 2, 3 DC [TR], chain 2 and join to the third chain of your first 'fake' DC [TR] - like this -> Round 2: Chain 1, do 1 DC [TR] in the same stitch below. Crochet 1 DC [TR] in next two stitches, *in corner space, crochet 2 DC [TR] + 2 ch + 2 DC [TR], then crochet 1 DC [TR] in the next three stitches.** Repeat from * to ** twice more. Join with slip stitch to the top of the first DC [TR]. Colour B Round 3: Chain 1, do 1 DC [TR] in the same stitch below. Crochet 1 DC [TR] in next four stitches, *in corner space crochet 2 DC [TR] + 2 ch + 2 DC [TR], then crochet 1 DC [TR] in the next seven stitches.** Repeat from * to ** twice more. Join with slip stitch to the top of the first DC [TR]. Round 4: Chain 1, do 1 DC [TR] in the same stitch below. Crochet 1 DC [TR] in next six stitches, *in corner space crochet 2 DC [TR] + 2 ch + 2 DC [TR], then crochet 1 DC [TR] in the next eleven stitches.** Repeat from * to ** twice more. Join with slip stitch to the top of the first DC [TR]. Colour C Round 5: Chain 1, do 1 DC [TR] in the same stitch below. Crochet 1 DC [TR] in next eight stitches, *in corner space crochet 2 DC [TR] + 2 ch + 2 DC [TR], then crochet 1 DC [TR] in the next fifteen stitches.** Repeat from * to ** twice more. Join with slip stitch to the top of the first DC [TR]. Round 6: Chain 1, do 1 DC [TR] in the same stitch below. Crochet 1 DC [TR] in next ten stitches, *in corner space crochet 2 DC [TR] + 2 ch + 2 DC [TR], then crochet 1 DC [TR] in the next nineteen stitches.** Repeat from * to ** twice more. Join with slip stitch to the top of the first DC [TR]. An 8, 10, or 12-round square can be made by following the instructions as per rounds 5 and 6, except that the number of stitches between each corner increases with every round. Essentially, you must do one DC [TR] in each stitch in the previous round, and 2 DC [TR] + 2 chain + 2 DC [TR] into each corner space. To finish: chain two, yank tightly. Leave a long tail for joining, and cut yarn. __________________________________________________________________ PLANNING Now, assemble your colours. Before I even start thinking about making a blanket, I look at my collection of little squares. Whenever I reach the end of a skein, I use the last smidgen of yarn to make a 1-round or 2-round square and string it on a piece of ribbon. This not only helps me to use up all the little tiny balls of yarn that manage to snarl themselves into a big, tangled mess as soon as I turn my back on them, but it also helps me visually plan my next project. At first I used to put them all on the same ribbon, but found it more interesting to sort them by colour – I simply put all the colours I think are nice together on one string (and sometimes re-arrange them according to whim). This helps me visualise the kind of blanket I want to make. For example, here I’ve got a string of autumnal colours (cream, brown, green), brights (red, orange, yellow, cerise pink) and a string of candy colours (pink, yellow, blue, peach, lilac), and a string of all the colours that haven’t found a family yet. Because we’re heading into autumn over here, I decided that I’d have enough browns and greens and assembled the yarn to make a candy-bright blanket instead. I find that twelve or thirteen colours are more than enough – I don’t like the blanket to look too “busy” and find that more than twelve or thirteen colours can make a less harmonious whole. One thing that has proved to be invaluable is a project sheet for the blanket. This sheet (check the link in the Free Stuff here) simply helps you keep a record of all the yarn you’ve used – you will never recreate the same blanket twice, but you might want to make another using the same colour scheme. __________________________________________________________________ ENOUGH PROCRASTINATING: GET DOWN TO WORK, MISSY! Then you start crocheting. Sit down with a mug of tea and a good film and toss out squares of varying sizes. Four things to remember: 1) The 2-round squares should have only one round of each colour. 2) The 4/6/8/10-round squares should have two rounds of every colour and you should only use each colour once per square. 3) The exception to 2) is the occasional square that follows the pattern of the blue square on the left: A-A-B-C-C-B. I don’t do many of these because the bigger bands made by the double rounds of one colour look less ‘busy’ and ‘bitty’, but the odd square in this pattern breaks up the monotony! 4) I do a maximum of three or four 10-round squares per blanket. __________________________________________________________________ ASSEMBLY When you’ve crocheted a little stack of squares, you can start putting them together. From this point on, I use an odd form of maths to calculate the width and depth. Each square is measured by its number of rounds – a 4-round square is 4, a 6-round square is 6. (Genius, eh? With these encryption skills, I ought to work for the CIA.) In order to make a blanket that roughly fits a standard double bed (140cm/55 inches in width), I find that my blanket should be 54 rounds across. What do I mean? Look at the illustration below. Each box represents a square (the number stands for the number of rounds) and the sum of the numbers in each of the blue boxes is 54. I crochet the blanket in strips – here you can see my first completed strip. It’s 54 rounds across and 12 rounds in length. No, I didn't use the plan above. I just put it together, willy-nilly, 'cause that's the way I roll, hookers. My blankets are usually made up of five strips - Strip 1 – 54 rounds across, 12 rounds long Strip 2 – 54 rounds across, 16 rounds long Strip 3 – 54 rounds across, 12 rounds long Strip 4 – 54 rounds across, 16 rounds long Strip 5 – 54 rounds across, 12 rounds long The finished blanket’s length (before the border) is 68 rounds, which is approximately 180 cm/72 inches. So get started! Lay the squares on a flat surface and, like a giant crochet jigsaw puzzle, put them together in a pleasing fashion :-) Once you have created your own layout, you have to sew it together. You can simply continue in this manner, just arranging and attaching the squares in a random way, or you can create your own pattern. __________________________________________________________________ CREATING A SIMPLE PATTERN The good news is that once you have worked out a nice 12-round and 16-round strip, you need to do very little to change it. Here is a 12-round strip (in blue) attached to a 16-round strip (in pink) - please note, not much care was taken to create this example, I just flung squares next to one another. (Obviously you will do this part with all due care and attention to create a more harmonious and balanced aesthetic.) The next time you start a 12-round strip, just leave off the first block of squares – below, I just moved the first three 4-round squares (in darker blue) to the end of the strip. When it came to the second 16-round strip, I just moved the first block of squares (in darker pink) to the end of the strip. In the last 12-round strip, the first 6-round squares have also just been moved across to the end. The overall effect is random to the untrained eye because you’ve used different colours in each strip – but there’s method in your madness! __________________________________________________________________ EDGING I simply edge the blanket with a row of DC [TR] followed by a row of SC [DC] in a contrasting colour. __________________________________________________________________ ODDS AND ENDS A note about assembly... Eibhlin asked if you could crochet the squares together. Theoretically, you certainly could. I personally think this method looks nicer when the squares are of uniform size, because the crochet seam forms a kind of ridge or frame around the squares. When the squares are of different sizes - especially with so many little ones, - I find that this method tugs the fabric a little bit, so I prefer to whipstitch them together. Below is a photo of two squares crocheted together (on the left) and sewn together (on the right.) I've used a different colour yarn to show you the 'ridge' effect. Ends and weaving: A few of you had questions about ends and weaving (hello, CJ and Fairyhedgehog!). Normally when I finish a square, I leave a tail that's three times the length of one side. I use this tail to sew the square to its neighbour(s). I then make - yes, eek, prepare to throw your hooks now - a small knot and yank the yarn tight. The knot is generally not visible and can only be found by squishing the squares to find it with your fingers. I weave the leftover yarn in and out and up and down, and leave a little tail to crochet or weave over. I wash the blanket once before I wrap it up in cellophane for its next owner, and I have yet to see any undone ends. Maybe they're too afraid of me to unravel. Can you join as you go? This method seems to work best with traditional granny squares or squares with a lacier texture where the point of joining is between a 3 DC[TR] cluster (see an example on this video here). Of course, here's nothing stopping you from making this blanket with traditional grannies - I just like the solid squares myself, but you can use any granny square pattern that can be completed in a variety of rounds. Curious to see the finished blanket? Click HERE!

Looking for the perfect beginner’s quilting project? Using a couple of “cheater” methods, Spoonflower Ambassador Meg Fleshman of MEGMADE Sewing will show you how to create a gorgeous quilted jacket […]

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I've been busy here at The Painted Quilt. I think everyone has some kind of "thing" for lighthouses, myself included. Since moving to Nova Scotia in 2010, I've become even more enamored with them. Nova Scotia is the farthest eastern mainland Canadian province that is almost completely surrounded by the sea. Countless, if not hundreds of lighthouses continue to dot the amazing landscape that is Nova Scotia. Last year I designed my first nautical-themed quilt called Safe Harbor which was a tribute to lighthouses. Both the actual quilt and instructional pattern are available for purchase in my Etsy shop. The design is complete for my second nautical quilt which I hope to start on "in the near future". Today, I am introducing a collection of four lighthouse patterns from my new Lighthouse Series. Pictured below are my two different interpretations of the Western Light on Brier Island, NS... followed by the Point Prim lighthouse in Digby, NS. This next one may reside somewhere in the world but was born from my imagination and I've called it Silent Sentinel. They are all wall hanging size and measure approximately 13" x 16". Time permitting, I am hoping to have the patterns available for purchase in my Etsy shop later this week. There are three others that I am currently working on in my Lighthouse Series. They are so much fun to design and make and the best thing is, the sky is the limit when it comes to using one's imagination! Happy Easter everyone! And... Happy stitching!

We learned to do crumb quilting some time ago. This time we’re going to use the crumb quilt pieces to make a tote bag. If not interested in making the bag with fabric scraps you can make it w…

Tilkkutöitä

Free machine binding quilt tutorial by quiltylove. This tutorial will teach you how to machine bind a quilt. Beginner friendly quilt binding tutorial.

Well, hello! Today I will share a simple (and fun) little tutorial on how to make a patchwork dish towel. The strip of patchwork is a perf...