There were some really great quilts at the World Quilt – FL show last week. My favorite kind of quilts are those that grab your attention from across the room and draw you closer, and then when you get up close you’re amazed by the details of the piece. For me, there were several in […]

Those of you who are following along with the construction of Twilight Gardens may have been wondering about the applique coming up in block 5. We are not quite there yet, but I thought I would give you a little primer on one way to do applique. It seems there are dozens of ways to applique one fabric to another, and ultimately, you need to try a few methods and find the one you like the best and gives you the best results. I tend to be a hand applique person, and many of you are not, and prefer to do everything by machine. The applique in the Twilight Gardens quilt can be done by hand or machine, and this method of prepping your applique pieces can be used for either method. If you have another method you would like to use on this quilt, please feel free to do that. The main thing is that you are enjoying the technique and it is achieving the results you like. Preparing your applique pieces Normally when I do applique, I like to do simple needle-turn. This eliminates the need to pre-turn the edges of your pieces. But I thought I would try a new method. I have seen this demonstrated, and it seemed like a pretty easy method and one that could be used for either hand or machine. Start by tracing your pattern pieces onto the paper (non slick) side of a piece of freezer paper. If you need it, use a light box or a well lit window to help you see the pattern clearly. Make sure you trace an outline for each piece you will be appliqueing, as the freezer paper templates can not be reused. Label them if there is any confusion about where they go in the block design. Cut out the templates right on the line, and separate them into piles based on the fabric that will be used for each applique piece. In this case I have flower petals in either medium or light blue, and leaves that will all be cut out of a single green fabric. I like to use a separate pair of scissors to cut paper from the good ones I use to cut fabric with. This keeps my fabric shears sharper longer. Now, using a water soluble glue stick, apply a little glue on the center of the paper (non slick) side of each template and glue them down to the wrong side of your fabric. Leave 1/2" space between all templates. Once you have your templates glued down, using your fabric shears, cut the fabric pieces out leaving a scant 1/4" seam allowance (about 3/16" is about right) on all sides. Now we will start turning the raw edges of the fabric. If there are any sharp points on your applique shapes, begin by folding over the point first. Using a mini iron and a stiletto that will not melt, gently iron the seam allowance over the template, with the crease right on the edge of the freezer paper. The seam allowance should lightly adhere to the slick side of the freezer paper which is now facing up. Follow around the edge of your template turning the edge with the stiletto and gently ironing with the mini iron to hold in place. The example shown in the photos has all convex sides, but if your piece has a tighter concave curve or an inside point, you will need to clip into the seam allowance almost all the way to the freezer paper to have it conform to the shape easily. Clip only once for an inside point, make a few clips for a curve. Once you make it all the way around your piece it should look like the photos below. The next piece you need to prep is the stems. These also can be made a variety of different ways. The method I will show you here is one of the oldest. It was the first method I learned and one I still prefer for doing small bias stems. Fold over the corner of your stem fabric forming a 45 degree angle. Cut how ever many strips you need off the corner so your strips are cut on the bias. Fold these strips in half down the length of the strip and mark a sew line using a contrasting marking tool at a width slightly wider than your finished stem should be. Here I am marking at a little over 1/8" for a 1/8" finished width. Use a set of press bars for making bias strips. They come in metal, and heat resistant plastic. They both work well, but the metal ones can get hot to the touch. Stitch on your marked line and trim the seam allowance down to less than the width of your finished stem. Here I am trimming seam allowance to less than 1/8". Insert the appropriate size press bar and roll the tube so the seam can be pressed the back side of the stem and not show. Once the seam allowance is pressed to the back, remove the bar and turn over your stem. Pin the stems in place first. Use a fine thread with matching color to applique them down. They can be either machine sewn using a close matching thread color and a blind hem stitch, or they can be hand appliqued. I like to use Kimono brand 100 wt. silk thread by Superior Threads. It is very fine and nearly invisible. It comes in 80 colors and is strong for it's weight. When appliqueing by hand take small stitches. Drop the needle into the background fabric right adjacent to the applique piece, then bring the needle back up slightly under the edge of the applique, and out right at the edge fold. Repeat this stitch along all edges. Once the pieces are stitched in place, turn over the piece and locate the individual pieces with freezer paper still attached inside. CAREFULLY with a pair of applique scissors that are sharp right to the point, cut a small slit in the background directly underneath your applique piece. Be very careful to stay far from the sew edges. You just need a small hole large enough to pull the freezer paper through. Using a stiletto or pair of tweezers, grab the paper and give a slight tug to release the glue. Remove the paper from the back. Here is trick to make your hand sewing much easier. If you use silk thread, you may have the problem of the needle coming un-threaded occasionally due to the fine thread. When you thread your needle, pull a loop of thread through the eye of the needle and loop over the point of the needle, then pull snug into a small knot at the eye. This will keep the thread put while you are sewing. When you reach the end of the thread, tie off and cut the knot off the needle by gently running the blade of your scissors along the eye of the needle. This method of preparing my applique pieces worked very well for this project. At first I was a little concerned about cutting the back of my project to remove paper templates, but I found this was really simple and left a very small hole that does not compromise the strength of the background. As always, I suggest trying this, as well as other methods, and choosing your favorite. Steven

YUMI KATSURA: A Tale of Tradition & Modern Luxury TWITTER: @FashionInsider1 / INSTAGRAM: TheFi_Mag January 26, 2017 By Marcellous L. Jones Photos by Kristy Sparow Paris, France ...

Dive into the world of sewing machine needles. Understand the various types available and their specific uses, from denim to stretch, twin to sharps.

Former actress and soon-to-be royal Meghan Markle is the queen of dramatic outerwear moments. We rounded up her best coats and how to buy them.

Need some Halloween inspiration? Here are the greatest takes on our favorite "Game of Thrones" character.

I've been asked a number of times how I do a french seam at the armhole of my blouses, so I put together a little tutorial to demonstrate the process. It might sound difficult, but if you can sew a regular french seam you can do an armhole french seam easily. The NUMBER ONE rule for sewing with french seams is to make sure you are using a somewhat thin fabric. I've attempted them before on fabrics like bottom weight denim and the outcome is bulky and happy-hands-at-home looking. ***Picture order is top left, top right, bottom left, bottom right.*** 1. Sew a line of gathering stitches onto the prepared sleeve. I actually like to sew 2 lines with a 4mm stitch length and leave the thread ends long enough to pull. 2. Pull one set of threads to gather the sleeve slightly. You can always gather it more when you get it situated in the sleeve but this gives you a little head start. 3. When I'm sewing french seams that will intersect, I always iron them in different directions. For example, here where the side seam meets the sleeve seam, I've ironed the side seam towards the back and the sleeve seam towards the front. Even in an especially thin fabric, french seams cause some bulk, and ironing them in different directions cuts down on this. 4. Pin the sleeve to the bodice WRONG SIDES TOGETHER. Line up your notches and adjust your gathers. I use long pins so I double insert them for a good grip. Don't cut your long gathering threads yet. The gathers on this sturdy cotton aren't going anywhere but they could slip out in something silky. 5. If possible, adjust your needle position to a little less then .25 inches. A standard seam line is 5/8" so I half that a reduce a little more for turn of cloth. You'll want to line up the right side of the machine foot with the fabric to give you an even line of stitches. 6. Stitch. When you get to the area with the gather, try to smooth out any bumps to avoid puckers. 7. When you get done with the first seam, inspect your work. Any big tucks need to be undone, readjusted and restitched. 8. Press. I pull the sleeve out so that I'm ironing on the front bodice and pressing the seam towards the sleeve. Pull on the sleeve a little to ensure a crisp edge for the second seam. 9. Here's what the first seam should look like when you're done pressing. 10. Trim away about half of this first seam allowance. I always put my hand under the edges being snipped to that I don't catch my bodice fabric on accident. 11. My sleeve is done being trimmed. 12. Turn the garment to the inside and pin for the second seam. Adjust gathering threads if needed. I like to sew this seam with the gathers up so that I can adjust any areas that might need it. 13. Stitch, keeping the needle in the same position as the first seam and aligning the fabric with the right edge. 14. The finished sleeve seam. Inspect for tucks and clip the gathering threads off. 15. Pull the sleeve through the armhole and iron from the inside, pressing the seam towards the sleeve. 16. Done!

Nope, not a typo (although, I sometimes do get bored while basting, not my favorite part of quilting). I'm constantly looking for new ways to baste a quilt, that doesn't not include getting down on the floor. My knees just can't take it. This technique also allowed me to do this on my dining room table. I have seen this method to baste a quilt on several blogs and I just had to try it. I think it originally was Sharon Schamber's technique, but she hand bastes her quilts. I quilt way to dense to hand baste. So I decided to try using the 1"x3" boards with pin basting. Start with your backing fabric wrong side up on the table. Wrap the fabric around the board. Make sure that you keep both ends even. Smooth out any wrinkles as you go, start in the middle and push the wrinkles to each end. back Top Do the same with the quilt top, but the fabric will be right side up. Now, both the top and the bottom of the quilt are wrapped around the two 1"x3" boards. The back shows the right side of the fabric, the top shows the wrong side. The batting floats between the top and the back. Smooth out any wrinkles and start pin basting. When your done pinning the section on the table, pull in forward and let it hang off of the table and unroll another section of top and back. make sure you smooth it out and feel for any wrinkles. Continue this process until you get to the end of the quilt. Voila'! Your quilt is basted, no kneeling, no finding room to set up 3 or 4 folding tables. So, now I have the third panel of my Elephant quilt basted. Just have to quilt it now. Color Me Quilty! Pat

I have a few exciting teaching announcements and a ton of planning, prepping, stitching, retreating, drawing, and scheming ahead of me. I...

Here is a very interesting sewing tutorial for your sewing projects. Learn how to sew with the bobbin thread in the needle. Find out why you may need to do it.

Explore *ambika*'s 3933 photos on Flickr!

You did it! You successfully pieced, sandwiched, and quilted a cool new project. It’s looking great, but before you finish it off with binding, there’s one more step you just can’t skip: squaring the quilt. This week I’m demonstrating how easy it is to achieve perfect straight sides and 90-degree corners. Click HERE to watch the tutorial and learn how to take your quilts from “good enough” to first-class!

King Felipe of Spain and Queen Letizia of Spain presided over the opening of 2018/2019 season of Teatro Real. 2018/2019 season of Royal The...

How to sew a curved hem? Well it depends! I've made a few videos explaining different techniques for sewing around curves.

Does batting have a right and wrong side? The answer is yes! Check out this photo guide to help you find the right batting for your next quilt.

To make the sushi roll costume I cut two large rounds from an old cardboard box and painted them white. Then I cut a length of foam long enough to wrap

I have a few exciting teaching announcements and a ton of planning, prepping, stitching, retreating, drawing, and scheming ahead of me. I will make this post picture heavy and hopefully brief. I have been invited to teach at some very exciting shows in 2016 and I couldn't be more excited! QUILTCON FEB 2016 To start the year I will be at Quiltcon in Pasadena teaching, all hands on classes. I had an amazing time in Austin and am really looking forward to February. MQX APRIL 2016 In April I will be teaching at MQX in New Hampshire. New England will be gorgeous in April and I am looking forward to returning as a teacher instead of a student. I am teaching two hands on classes as well as some lecture/demo classes. To sign up for my classes click here. MQS MAY 2016 In May I will be off to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to teach at MQS, registration is not open yet, but should be in the upcoming weeks! SMQG 2015 But hey! 2015 isn't over yet and I am thrilled to be hosted by the Seattle Modern Quilt Guild for a drawing/ modern whole cloth design workshop. Join me Sunday, November 15th, 2015 from 10:30-4:45 at Tukwila Sew and Vac Click here to register, there are 5 spots left and registration is open to the general public now. WORKSHOPS!! YAY! Shown below are a few examples of what my Compositional Drawing/Whole cloth design class will look like. I am teaching this class at Quiltcon, MQX and at Tukwila sew and vac with SMQG. The photos below are samples that I have been making for my Broken Wreath and Ghost Shapes lecture/demo classes at MQX and MQS. Here, I used contrasting blue thread, definitely out of my comfort zone but it's a great exercise and the designs can really pop out. Shown below is quilting on one of the samples that I marked out in my whole cloth design class, this technique quilts out pretty fast and has been a very liberating way for me to look at quilting. And Voila! I've said it before but making class samples always opens up new doors for me. This style of quilting has inspired me to start working on a whole cloth (type) design, that's really not a whole cloth at all. Here are a few photos of my latest project which I will go into more detail as I figure out what I'm actually doing. The design is inspired by the stitch and flip triangle which is sprinkled through a lot of Katie Pedersen's work. I took her magic numbers class and was amazed at the possibilities that exist within this format. I am approaching this project with the intentions of doing it entirely on the longarm so there will actually be no stitch and flip anything, all of the piecing will be raw edge appliqué but the design is certainly inspired by Katie's work, which you can find in her and Jacquie's fabulous book, Quilting Modern. Off to get my week going, thanks for taking the time to read and I look forward to meeting some of you in my classes in the months to follow!! xo

I tackled Ursula, tentacles and all, and I must say I’m rather pleased with the outcome! I documented the costume creating process in a 4 minute YouTube video so check it out, you POOR UNFORT…

Here is where I left off last week, with a few pretty good ideas about the direction I would go on this quilt. I did a few more s...

I used a plastic tub with handles and cut the bottom off, three pieces of hotpink poster board accordion folded that I hot glued to the side of the tub, a

I have a few exciting teaching announcements and a ton of planning, prepping, stitching, retreating, drawing, and scheming ahead of me. I will make this post picture heavy and hopefully brief. I have been invited to teach at some very exciting shows in 2016 and I couldn't be more excited! QUILTCON FEB 2016 To start the year I will be at Quiltcon in Pasadena teaching, all hands on classes. I had an amazing time in Austin and am really looking forward to February. MQX APRIL 2016 In April I will be teaching at MQX in New Hampshire. New England will be gorgeous in April and I am looking forward to returning as a teacher instead of a student. I am teaching two hands on classes as well as some lecture/demo classes. To sign up for my classes click here. MQS MAY 2016 In May I will be off to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to teach at MQS, registration is not open yet, but should be in the upcoming weeks! SMQG 2015 But hey! 2015 isn't over yet and I am thrilled to be hosted by the Seattle Modern Quilt Guild for a drawing/ modern whole cloth design workshop. Join me Sunday, November 15th, 2015 from 10:30-4:45 at Tukwila Sew and Vac Click here to register, there are 5 spots left and registration is open to the general public now. WORKSHOPS!! YAY! Shown below are a few examples of what my Compositional Drawing/Whole cloth design class will look like. I am teaching this class at Quiltcon, MQX and at Tukwila sew and vac with SMQG. The photos below are samples that I have been making for my Broken Wreath and Ghost Shapes lecture/demo classes at MQX and MQS. Here, I used contrasting blue thread, definitely out of my comfort zone but it's a great exercise and the designs can really pop out. Shown below is quilting on one of the samples that I marked out in my whole cloth design class, this technique quilts out pretty fast and has been a very liberating way for me to look at quilting. And Voila! I've said it before but making class samples always opens up new doors for me. This style of quilting has inspired me to start working on a whole cloth (type) design, that's really not a whole cloth at all. Here are a few photos of my latest project which I will go into more detail as I figure out what I'm actually doing. The design is inspired by the stitch and flip triangle which is sprinkled through a lot of Katie Pedersen's work. I took her magic numbers class and was amazed at the possibilities that exist within this format. I am approaching this project with the intentions of doing it entirely on the longarm so there will actually be no stitch and flip anything, all of the piecing will be raw edge appliqué but the design is certainly inspired by Katie's work, which you can find in her and Jacquie's fabulous book, Quilting Modern. Off to get my week going, thanks for taking the time to read and I look forward to meeting some of you in my classes in the months to follow!! xo

Introducing The Zinnia Jacket! This free jacket sewing pattern was made for slaying this fall. Wear it as a statement piece over denim for a cool downtown vibe or over a matching trouser for a chic formal look. This gorgeous style can be made up of a variety of fabrics, including jacquard, wool, or even a substantial knit like ponte!

Debra Bingham is blogging about quilting, quilting services, longarm quilting, quilt pattern design, and her family.

“Flowers Of The Cosmos” by Fumiko Nakayama Let me just say right up front that this quilt show exceeded expectations in every way. Something I really love about Japan is …

Hand Felted, Wool Jewelry felted SCARF Wrap Scarves size is long- 125CM/21CM ♥ I can reserved items until pay day!!! ask me.

Another Friday and another portion of Stitch Along instructions! This time it's the last one, aw. Have you been stitching this week? How is it going? I hope you managed to complete the petals from the previous part of instructions, but don't be discouraged if it is taking longer time! It is totally fine. Today we are going to add some finishing strokes which don't take much time, so if you want, you can distract yourselves with them and then go back to the petals. Does that sound good? I often skip to other elements when I get bored with my ongoing stages. That's normal. If you didn't read the previous part of instructions, follow the link below: Cecelia Rose Part 2 Last time we ended the stitching session on the petals, and today we are going to fill the currently empty center with stamens. Quick reminder: I will be mentioning colors by the numbers they are listed under in the pattern you received earlier. Also, please, pay attention to the number of strands of thread we use for each element. Sometimes it will be 2 strands, sometimes 1 strand. Now, we take the floss of color #7 for the left side and #6 for the right side and let's make some French knots here (if you're more comfortable with colonial knots, then you can work them, it won't affect the design). We are using 2 strands of thread for the knots so that they are more dimensional and add a bit of texture to our needlework. Recently I got a couple of questions concerning the DMC 422 color (#7 in the list), which is used for the stamens. Turns out it can't be found in some stores, and as I checked the official online store, indeed, DMC doesn't sell it neither in the US nor in France. I didn't expect that because I literally bought it last month at my local store, so I didn't think there would be any problem, but it was probably from the older stock then... Sorry for the trouble to everyone who couldn't find this color! After checking what is available in the official store at present, I suggest substituting it to one of the following colors: 729/728/676. Any of them will do. In the pattern you might have noticed that I divided the center into two parts. But to not make the division so obvious we can mix them up just a little bit. By the way, the picture above shows the long and short stitch in the petals well, maybe it can help if you are confused about direction and placement of stitches there. Now we add extra knots right on the petals. Use both colors and scatter them randomly – let's say, 3-4 knots for each petal, that will be enough. Moving on to the smaller flower shapes or buds, whatever you choose to call them. We are not going to use shading here, but long and short stitch still will be present. So, take 1 strand of floss #1 from the list in the pattern and make an outline of the flower shapes. Then let's fill it just like we did with the petals. You can slack off at the base of the flowers because there will be another color added. Namely, color #8 from the list in the pattern, 1 strand. Just make few straight stitches, they will play the role of a sepal. Repeat the same with the smaller bud shape, except that the green part reaches higher this time - almost to the middle of the shape. Close-up should give a better idea of how it looks. And... that's all! I told you, the last part is going to be quick. Here's your Cecelia Rose, ready to be framed or utilized as a decoration for some sewing project, or used in any way you like. Personally, I'm going to frame it into something barocco-looking, because it gives me some royal vibes, haha. Also, I wanted to share this beautiful rose by Gouri Joshi, that she sent me recently. I'm so in love with it! I really love how you interpreted the design and added a bit of your own vision to the flowers and decorated it with a lovely background of tiny knots. So pretty, ah! All the stitches are on point and I would never think it is your first try in long and short stitching! I'm always so happy seeing your embroideries! Hopefully, we can make a gallery of what we got during this Stitch Along, it will be fun seeing how one design can be stitched and interpreted differently depending on the artist. You can send me pictures via e-mail to [email protected] or post your results on Instagram and tag @stitch_floral there, or use #ceceliarose_sa hashtag. And now it's the Confessions time! How was the Stitch Along? Was it hard to follow? Was everything clear? If I did a new Stitch Along, what would be your wishes/suggestions to make it better? Tell me what you think in the comments below, I'm eager to hear what you have to say! UPD. See the results here The pattern is now in Resource Library. You will get a password after signing up to the Newsletter, save it for further use!

The blocks come out to 3.5″ x 5″. With 1/2″ seam allowances the finished letters are 2.5″ x 4″. Click on the thumbnails to download each pattern. VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: When you pri…

Explore Ruth Chandler's 57 photos on Flickr!

The past 3 months have been jam packed with life changes and new stuff...but it's all good. Two of the biggest changes have been buying a new home which we moved into about 2 weeks ago...woohoo! The other "move" has been creating a new website. My favorite oldest daughter, Jenny, created my first website many years ago. She absolutely insisted I needed one and I couldn't figure out why. Seriously???? It has served me well and she has worked hard to keep it updated but I've outgrown it...it's time to move to a new "home". My new website should be launched in the next 24-48 hours so please keep your eyes and ears open for an announcement of my move. It will still be cindyneedham.com. As always I love to receive feedback from all of you and look forward to hearing back on the pro's and con's. My old website, as well as my old blog will be disappearing once the new website is launched. Thank you and I look forward to seeing you all in my new "home". Hugs, Cindy

The feathered border is finished, now here's a bit of a tutorial on how I did the feathers. This method will work for borders from around 8i...

I have a few exciting teaching announcements and a ton of planning, prepping, stitching, retreating, drawing, and scheming ahead of me. I...

****PLEASE SEE RESERVATION SECTION OF MY SHOP TO PURCHASE YOUR DELIVERY DATE**** A beautiful contemporary quilt with a traditional color palette with a look for blue porcelain. The quilt blocks are made with vibrant contemporary fabrics with a classic theme: roses, birds. This will appeal to everyone that would love a beautiful handmade quilt with bold colors. This listing is for the quilt only. The matching pillow shams are available for an additional fee. Made from 100% quality cotton fabric, batting, backing and thread. All crafted in my home on my domestic sewing machine. Most of these specific fabrics are still available for one more quilt. The finished size was approximately 90x100". This is perfect queen size bed with a 15" drop, but can be used on a full with a longer drop. Please purchase a reservation listing for your required delivery date. These fabrics pictured are only a representation of possible fabrics. Fabric choices will be finalized before work is started. Other sizes are available as well as fabric choices. Message me directly for more information. A non-refundable deposit of 50% of the listed price is required. Message me for a custom listing. The balance is due before shipping. A custom invoice will be created once you have made your fabric choices. You can have your own quilt personalized for an additional fee. Please add this listing when checking out: https://www.etsy.com/listing/265002269/personalized-embroidery-or-applique If you would like to upgrade your backing, please add the following listing to your order or contact me for a custom listing: https://www.etsy.com/listing/267296960/upgrade-to-flannel-backing-custom ** Pillows are NOT included in this listing. You can add them by purchasing through this listing. https://www.etsy.com/listing/265595960/quilting-pillow-sham-matching-quilted You will be refunded 10% on the pillows after checkout **

In Lesson 03, you will begin lace knitting and learn embroidery techniques.