Want to try your skill at something new? (and FREE!) Take a look at these 5 FREE Weekend Quilt Patterns and get your sewing skills on this weekend!
I don't know if this ever happens to you, but sometimes I just need to get a quilt DONE. Not one of those long projects that I work on for days or even weeks but a little quilt to refresh my mind. An amuse bouche. Or maybe if I were British I might call a frolic. In this case the perfect project was delivered to my in box. A customer who had bought a couple of my placemats on Etsy now wanted something to hang in their baby daughter's room. They seemed like sweet people, would give me free reign and it seemed like it would be fun to do. (Besides the annual sale at The Textile Company starts next Tuesday and it would be fun to have a bit of extra cash around--yes I am a bit of a fabric-aholic). I had a couple of placemats around in the colors they wanted so I pinned them up loosely to my design board to give the couple a rough idea what I planned to make. frolic--quilt--Ann Brauer Perfect they said and I decided to start. This was not a project to spend a lot of time on. The budget was low. I knew that going in so I wanted to relax, have fun and finish it. Perhaps it could be a bit lighter. A hint of sunrise. I pulled out some fabrics and started sewing. frolic--quilt--Ann Brauer By putting the horizon line lower I knew I could create more interest. I figured I make the bottom be slightly more blue. Again a bit more interest. frolic--quilt--Ann Brauer The colors kept calling me. Yes, it was taking longer than I had anticipated. Partly because even though I was working with a familiar idea I did have to do more thinking than I do with placemats where I organize the fabrics all and sew. There were more colors involved. I had to hunt for just the right color which does take time. Then I had to look at what I was doing to make sure I was still on track. Still the quilt kept calling me. frolic--quilt--Ann Brauer Until finally I could trim it off. frolic--quilt--Ann Brauer Doesn't that yellow add such an interesting spark? Normally I like a black binding. It makes my work consistent and I think makes it look more finished. But this was for a young child. And the original placemats had a lavender background so I figured that was what was called for. frolic--quilt--Ann Brauer Not bad, is it? Should I make more. While I know I under-priced myself on this quilt, I could probably sell more if I made them. If I made them in a series it would be quicker. Three hung together would look great. I could spend weeks doing this. Still the finish work took longer than I had hoped and I think I would want to quilt on top of the piece these days. That could not be made faster. I have other orders to fill. Baltimore is very soon. And if I have any hope of having the dynamic and impressive booth I long for at that show, perhaps it is not the best use of my time. Sigh. Although a good concept to have in my back pocket when I need one. Or when a customer requests one. Thanks Etsy. And you, do you ever make something just because? A small fun piece. What do you think?
What do you do with all those pretty left over pieces of fabric from your projects that you just can't part with? I have made bags, runners, and all manner of other projects with my scrap stash, and finally, I decided to make a variation on the Jelly Roll Race quilt using my scraps. I'm delighted with how it turned out. Watch the video tutorial below or scroll down for the written instructions TOOLS USED IN THIS TUTORIAL You can check the latest prices at Amazon by clicking on the links below: Creative Grids Ruler 8½' x 24½' Olfa 24' x
Learn these important quilt cleaning tips and discover how to clean a quilt that won’t ruin or damage it.
I'm back with installment #6 of my 2022 Make it Modern Pillows series for Riley Blake Designs! I'll be posting a new modern 18" pillow design the second Wednesday of every month! In case you missed May's pillow design, you can see my post HERE! This month’s pillow features the Texture collection from RBD designed by S
Use freezer paper to easily mark areas you want to leave unquilted or transfer motifs onto your project. Quilting expert, Ashley Hough, shows you how.
Or you find an OOP fabric, or you need more of a certain color, or you just made a scrappy quilt and need to replenish... #quiltingismytherapy #quiltersofinstagram #modernquilt #quiltsofinstagram...
Read on to find out that prairie point binding is not as tricky as it looks, and it’s especially easy with our 10 step method for attaching prairie points!
Learn how to make a quilt design wall! Choose the best materials to use and learn how to hang a design wall for quilting in your space.
This quick and easy tutorial on how to finish a quilt is perfect for beginner quilters who aren't sure how to start the process!
Learn creative and simple techniques to transform quilt backing shortages into free fabric when you're just a few inches short.
Learn these important quilt cleaning tips and discover how to clean a quilt that won’t ruin or damage it.
Today we’ll be covering how to add a neckline band – the most common neckline finish you’ll see on tshirts. You can attach a neckline band to any tee using either ribbing, self fabric or contrast fabric. You’ll just need to make sure that your fabric has the appropriate amount of stretch. If you need help calculating stretch percentage don’t forget to check out this post all about stretch percentage, and download my free guide. This neckline works beautifully on the Briar sweater and tee, Mini Briar sweater and tee and Cara maternity tee sewing patterns. In the Briar and Cara i provide a pattern piece for a neck band made from self fabric. If you choose to use ribbing with the Briar or Cara you’ll need to remove about an inch (possibly more) from the neckline […]
Quilt batting, often just referred to as batting, is a layer of material placed between the quilt top and your backing fabric. It comes in...
If you are new to quilting or want a refresher on what sorts of quilting are available to you, then these must-know quilting techniques and styles are just the resource you need. When I first started quilting, I wasn't sure what the phrases I was hearing and reading about meant. This concerned quilting styles, different quilting techniques, and quilting types. That's why I decided to create a page that explains the basics of quilting. This will help you plan your next project or understand the meaning behind the terms. First, I'll explain the two main ways of quilting and some specifics within those two methods. Then, I'll provide an overview of techniques used, from applique to trapunto. Lastly, check out the types of quilts you can make, both traditional and modern. Be sure to check out our Glossary of Quilting Words and Terms for even more information about quilting. This page gives you an overview of every quilting term you need to know before you start. Keep scrolling down to learn all about Quilting 101 for styles and techniques. Get familiar with the quilting methods used by those in the industry!
Learn how to figure out how much yardage of backing fabric is needed when making a quilt.
Double fold binding is the best way to finish a quilt. In this beginner's guide learn the tools you need, whether to cut the binding on the bias or grain line, and tips for sewing strips together.
I've said it before and I will say it forever, star quilts are my ABSOLUTE favorite quilts to make. There are about 1 million sawtooth star quilt tutorials and patterns out there and so of course I made one more! haha Whenever I need a quick sew, a satisfying sew, an easy mindless sew or just a creative exercise sew, I
There are more steps to making a quilt than just making a quilt top. Continue reading for the ultimate guide on how to finish a quilt...
So, you have a quilt top all pieced together, and it just needs something more. This is where borders come in. So, what borders should you use? Like everything in quilting, there are no hard and fast rules, only what you like. Today, I’ll show you some ideas, and ways to figure border size and number.
Invisible Closing Seam. On all these cute little animals and friends that I'm making, I like to have a nice finish to them. It's much e...
Learn how to make a mini log cabin pattern from scrap fabric with my free printable template. This quilt block is perfect for quilt as you go.
How to dye a quilt using Rit dye and hot water! It only cost about $10 to refresh an old quilt into something that feels new! Do you guys have any quilts laying around your house that have seen better days? You know that one that is SO soft, and the perfect weight, that you just love using more than any other blanket, but it's kinda *too* well loved? I had one of those. My quilt was originally cream colored, there were stains on it, and it was just dingy from so many years of being used all the time.
A lot more than just sewing goes into making a quilt. There are a number of things that need to be considered, one of them being how to take care of a quilt. Luckily Suzy Quilts explains how to c…
I have figured out that quilters seem to have strong opinions about prewashing or not. It just made me wonder, if you always feel the need to prewash, does that mean you never use precuts?
You may think this is all about Garden of Quilts but WAIT!!! That's just the intro and a quick summary of my time spent there last week. Stay with me to see what the title of this post is really all about . . . Wonky Wonder Block-in-a-Block! I just got back from the Garden of Quilts in Lehi, Utah and boy oh boy it did NOT disappoint. If you have NOT been, you definitely need to grab a friend or two and head there next year. They've already announced the dates so you can plan and save for the best time ever! Next year's Garden of Quilts will take place from September 11 - 14, 2024 in Lehi, Utah at Thanksgiving Point where lots and lots of quilts will be displayed throughout the entire Ashton Gardens (below). I had the opportunity to share my latest designs, Twist and Turn, Galaxy of Stars, Galaxy of Stars II and several of my Heartfelt quilts with fellow quilters during my lecture segment. Before I started my lecture, I teased the group that I had a quilt that would blow their minds BUT they had to wait until the very end because I knew it would generate a lively discussion. Before I go any further, you'll need to familiarize yourself or RE-FAMILIARIZE yourself with my NO CUT - NO TRIM Block-in-a-Block that I shared here back in November, 2022. Don't take my word for it, please please please click on the link above and check it out because the rest of this post will make NO sense. OK, all up to speed and all on the same page now? As I had anticipated, the group went nuts when I showed them "how" to make a single NO CUT - NO TRIM block. Their creative juices started flowing and before you knew it, comments were being shared, questions asked and the conversation got very lively! I wish I would have gotten the quilter's name because she had the BEST question, that got my creative juices flowing, that generated this post. "Can you OFF CENTER the 5" square and still be a NO CUT - NO TRIM design?" Yes! Yes! Yes! and here's the proof . . . . . Can you see how I've randomly off centered the 5" center square? Check out some of those "skinny margins"! And they still line up perfectly with each other! And with the WONKY method you can skip creasing both your 5" and 10" squares completely! Yep, save yourself a step. I LOVE me some WONKY sewing! AND you want to know another "benefit" of the WONKY method? NO SEAMS TO MATCH UP! Just grab your blocks and sew them in rows then sew your rows together and ta-dah; done! Show of hands, who is LOVING this new twist on an already very popular design? There's no pattern. Just a quick glance back to THIS blog post for the step by step illustrations MINUS creasing of the 5" and 10" squares for your very own Wonky Wonder! Who's running to their sewing room now? Me too! I have a feeling we're going to be seeing a lot of Wonky Wonder quilts. In case you're wondering, I used a Floret 5" and 10" Stacker for the blocks above and I'm loving how it looks. If you want to capture that same look, you can purchase both stackers here. Happy Wonky Wonder Sewing! Gerri
There are more steps to making a quilt than just making a quilt top. Continue reading for the ultimate guide on how to finish a quilt...
It was an exciting day when we received the Purebred Horse Quilt Kits by Moda. All my horse quilt dreams were finally coming true and I knew there were other horse aficionados out there who might want to join me in making a horse quilt...the Fancy Horse Quilt-along was born. The rules were simple - make any horse quilt you wanted with any fabrics. The quilt just needed to be "horsey" in some way. The Purebred quilt kit contains a larger-than-life, paint-by-numbers inspired horse head that I used in my quilt top. I wanted to make a larger quilt than the quilt kit intended so I chose to use my own fabrics for a border on mine. I used a combination of Cotton and Steel solid lawns, Nani Iro double gauze, and fabrics from Carolyn Friedlander's Carkai collection. I finished my quilt top and back and it is currently at the quilters so I'll have to report back on the final quilt later, but you can get a glimpse of it here. I didn't want you all to wait any longer on me to find out who won the quilt-along challenge for Best Horse Quilt. And the winner of the #fancyhorseqal challenge is... Congratulations to Bob B. for this beauty! I love the paper pieced running horse. Beautiful colors and composition - nice work, Bob! I've got a handmade championship ribbon for you and a $50 Fancy Tiger Crafts gift certificate! It was a tough choice as there were some lovely horse quilts... I love this quilt by Sarah Mackie which also uses fabrics from the Purebred line. Beautiful piecing and color combos, Sarah! This quilt by Johanna Parker is amazing with its focal, fussy-cut horse heads! We need to get a hold of this horse fabric stat. This little quilt by Anita at Sew to Speak is made from the leftover pieces in the Purebred Kit - so cute! Thanks everyone for going along with my horse quilt whims. I loved this little challenge and seeing what you created. I'll update you all on my final horse quilt masterpiece once its done.
So, you have a quilt top all pieced together, and it just needs something more. This is where borders come in. So, what borders should you use? Like everything in quilting, there are no hard and fast rules, only what you like. Today, I’ll show you some ideas, and ways to figure border size and number.
What are Quilting Notions? If you are fairly new to quilting you may have only just come across the term ‘quilting notions’ and wondering exactly what that means. Fortunately, this is a simple one to answer. Quilting notions are all of those tools and accessories that are used when making a quilt. Some examples of quilting notions include: Scissors Thimble Seam ripper Fabric pens Rotary cutter Cutting mat Safety pins Quilting gloves Wonder clips Seam guide Quilting rulers Needles and pins Pressing mats It can also include accessories that are incorporated into the quilt itself like zippers, threads and quilt
What is a Serger Machine? Learn their uses and functions, and find the best options for professional sewing right here!
Pencil marks on fabric are unsightly and diminish the appearance of the fabric. If you find pencil marks on your clothing, upholstery, tablecloth or any other type of fabric, don’t worry. There is no need to throw out the fabric or just deal with a pencil mark.
Schools out and the sun is out. I’ve selected my seven favorite easy quilt patterns that you can sew up while enjoying the summer to its fullest too!
Love making quilt tops but need help with the quilting? Try Pebble Passion! This collection has you covered! The collection features 33 unique quilting designs. Choose from an assortment of blocks in multiple sizes. Add borders and sashing designs to finish your quilt. Just follow these three steps to success: Step 1. Piece your quilt top. Step 2. Make a quilt sandwich. Step 3. Embroidery the quilt designs. Bind the quilt using your preferred method. All designs are available in multiple sizes! Hoop requirements: 5" x 7" or 6" x 10" 33 Unique Designs 71 Total Designs Formats Available: ART, DST, EXP, HUS, JEF, PES, VIP, VP3 Due to copyright law, software may not be returned or refunded.
