In this tutorial I'll show you a new size upgrade option for my Dragon Dreams pattern: add a flower banner to make a beautiful throw quilt!
Top US quilting blogger, Kate Colleran Designs, shares their Tutorial to make the Disappearing 4 Patch Block. Click here now!!
Set the scene in your home with this stunning landscape quilt. The Free Wilderness Quilt features a striking mountain setting perfect for a mountain lodge or just dreaming of your next vacation. The Wilderness Quilt is perfect for a woodland theme kid’s room or nursery. The finished quilt size measures 60″ x 64″. The variety […]
My quilt is done and here’s the post about it! Click here for part 1. Since the first post, I decided to add another 15 blocks because I wanted all four corners to have a 9 patch block. With …
Two layers of Embrace Double Gauze from Shannon Fabrics with Pellon Wool Batting in the middle makes for a super soft and cuddly quilt. The wool is lighter and fluffier than cotton batting — the only difference in care is that it can't go in the dryer. It's just returned...
Initial pencil sketch of a new design I'm working on, I want a caravan like this!
I was lucky enough to take a class from the famous artist/quilter, Freddy Moran, Saturday in Sacramento. I invited my friend Natalie to go with me, and that made the day even better :) This is the house that Freddy built :) She doesn't measure, at least hardly ever, and she doesn't consider herself a sewer either. Here's my freehand house on the left, along with one of my trees on the right. Freddy says that if something doesn't fit, add some more fabric to make it fit, and the extra fabric also adds some interest. Freddy and me:) Freddy has a degree in Fine Arts, raised a family of 5 boys (6 if you count her husband), and she says she was very successful at that because they are all grown up and all have jobs, lol! Freddy started her career with textile arts when she was 60, she's 80 something now. Here's my little house and a wonky star and a tree that I made in class Saturday. This is one of my favorite quilts of Freddy's. The buildings come off the sides, and it isn't bound. Freddy creates a background, often from flannel, because fabric sticks really well to it. She then creates her masterpiece by laying fabric on top and gluing them on with a purple glue stick that dries clear. She takes the finished quilt to the quilter (that hasn't been sewn or appliqued) and she tells Carol, "if any piece falls off, just stick it back on where you think it looks good!" This is a close up of one of her small quilts. The background is sewn together, and she cuts fabric or images on fabric (flowers) and glues them onto the background. Freddy loves the living dead too, hence the skulls. Freddy said that she has never bought a piece of muslin and never will. She takes great care in producing pretty backs for her quilts. Alexander Henry fabrics are very beautiful and interesting, and Berkeley, California, has a Crate and Barrel outlet where they sell Marimekko fabric for $5.95 / yard. Freddy buys a lot of her backs there. Another favorite of mine is this cow quilt! Freddy has lots of "parts". That's fabric that she she has cut into shapes, she has them in containers separated by color. She grabs those "parts" and places them until she likes the arrangement, then glues them down and lets her Carol, her quilter, machine quilt them in place. Did you notice that the cow's tail is three dimensional? This is the bag of the cow quilt. This is a close up of the machine quilting, where you can imagine the pieces being attached to the flannel background, by machine quilting. During the day, we had our sewing class, and in the evening, we had a talk and trunk show by Freddy. It was great! Notice the stack of quilts? I didn't count, but there were 30 or more. Freddy said that she collaborates with her friend Gwen Marston. Together, they make about 30 quilts a year, not including the machine quilting. Freddy and Gwen can make a quilt a day, with their combined creative genius!!! Freddy's "parts department" also includes little blocks that have been put together, otherwise known as orphan blocks. She uses the parts for her quilts. Another favorite quilt of mine that she made is called "Parts Department". It's a kaleidoscope quilt with lots of little girls holding hands, pinwheels and much much more. It's really cute! (I couldn't find a photo of it) Freddy told us that she takes all her fabric out and refolds it every 3 months, so that she knows what she has. What a great idea!!! Here are my little blocks that I sped through! The wonkier the better, it adds a lot of interest. You don't trim until you figure out if you want your quilt to have horizontal or vertical rows, or if you are going to make a kaleidoscope quilt. Freddy loved this background fabric! I think this block is too matchy matchy, but if I put it with crazy, wonky blocks, it will add interest. Isn't this the cutest photo? I took it off the internet, it looks like a self portrait. Freddy's vests that she often wears are made by an artist in Berkeley, and are made from quilts. The biggest thing I learned from Freddy, is don't be hard on yourself, or critical about your work. Never show anyone your quilting mistakes, they will never notice them anyway. Be crazy and try new things in quilting. You don't have to follow everyone else's rules, make your own. I am still talking about quilting, lol! This quilt is called "Little House in the Big Woods". Do you see the little house in there? This is the quilt that Freddy built, and I am going to make my own version of it.....someday..... Freddy signed my book, and do you know what she wrote? "Red is a neutral."
Our newest pattern Orchard Stars is here! If you haven't seen, the Cover Orchard Stars is up on the blog too! Today, I am sharing our Satsuma Orchard Stars! This quilt showcases our Two Color Design option. I have always enjoyed a two color quilt and this design felt like it needed a two color option. It makes the cou
Tutorial: Upgrade your Dragon Dreams quilt from a crib size to a twin size by building a little kingdom around your dragon!
Journeys in quilting, yoga, books; pondering life after work and after 50.
A modern take on a classic American heirloom, the Stillwater Floral Quilt’s bold color-blocking and symmetry pay homage to traditional applique, while its mirrored floral motif makes it easy to style in either direction. The perfect layering piece throughout the seasons, this jacquard woven textile’s cozy weight and lived-in texture are sure to be forever cherished. Made in Portugal from 100% cotton. A Schoolhouse Original. • A Schoolhouse Original • Handcrafted from 100% cotton • Cozy, jacquard woven textile
Busy Hands Quilts quilt patterns for modern and traditional quilters in all sizes, precuts, fat quarters FQs, layer cakes, jelly rolls, & charm packs.
Learning how to tie a quilt is a simple process once you know the steps. A super easy beginning sewing project that anyone can do!
Quilt basting is essential to prepare your project for quilting. Learn how to make a quilt sandwich and discover 4 ways how to baste a quilt.
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Learn how to make a rag quilt, the easiest quilt there is! This simple tutorial shows you how to make 2 different sized rag quilts.
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It’s January, and time to begin Project Quilting! As you’ll remember from last year, this challenge is put on by Kim Lacapik of Persimon Dreams blog. Just like “Project Runway”, Project…
In January 2011, a blog named Fussy Cut, was doing a quilt along based on the book, The Farmer's Wife. The goal was to complete two blocks every week. In 1922, The Farmer's Wife magazine posed this question to their readers: "If you had a daughter of marriageable age, would you, in light of your own experience, have her marry a farmer?" The magazine at that time had 750,000 subscribers, and received over 7,000 letters. The best answers to this question are included in this book, along with the traditional quilt blocks they inspired. Here is one of the stories: City Life Holds No Glamour Having spent the first two years of my married life, as well as much of my childhood in Chicago, city life holds no glamour, no lure for me. I know its lacks too well. I would not exchange the homely joy of riding in a "tin Lizzie" in the country for the excitement of "keeping up with Lizzie" in the city or town. I have had more genuine enjoyment in caring for and breeding up my flock of beautiful White Rock chickens; more real pleasure in tending my flowers and vegetables, more honest satisfaction in working with the lambs and bees, than I ever experienced in the varied round of activities that made up my life in the city. Such wholesome, outdoor work serves not merely as an absorbing occupation for the moment, a time killer, so to speak but is also an investment which later pays well. There is not space here to tell of my love for ;the panorama of ever changing beauty that unrolls from my cabin on the hilltop. It must be admitted that country life has neither what is of more value to earnest men and women: wholesome living conditions, an excellent moral environment, opportunity for mental growth and spiritual development, and the possibilities of real and lasting happiness. It is my conviction that when America wearies of jazz and reverts, as a nation, to the ideals of her pioneer forefathers, a=many will find in the simple joys of the country an antidote to over sophistication. We who are already on the land and love it, despite all its lacks, know the blessed peace and security and happiness that nature offers those who have discernment enough to "hold communion with her visible forms." There is a possibility of 111 6" blocks in the book. Originally, I was planning on making a queen size quilt which would take 110 blocks. As I was sewing the blocks, I realized that 110 blocks was too ambitious! I decided to make 50 blocks, which is a lap quilt. There is a CD that comes with the book and you can print off paper piecing templates. It is so much easier to just cut out the pieces with your rotary cutter. Bee in my Bonnet had some great tutorials and ideas. I made six design boards, foam board with quilt batting, trimmed in cute fabric. The quilt batting lets the little pieces stick, and you can audition which fabric combinations look best together before you sew them together. Then I bought a little binder with 5" X 7" page protectors to hold my sketched blocks. I decided to make my blocks in 30's prints, otherwise known as "Aunt Gracie". Here are most of the photos of the 6 l/2" blocks. Most I absolutely love, but some I'm not that crazy about. I used every color, so the quilt will have a "scrappy" look. The blocks were lying on the floor for a long time. I have never worked on a quilt where the blocks were set on a point. It took a little while to get used to. I bought slate colored fabric for the sashing, pale pink for the posts and pastel yellow for the setting triangles. I thought the slate would show off the colors of the blocks. I sewed some of the sashing, posts and triangles and marked each row with a slip of paper. Row 1, row 2, etc. Then I folded them up very carefully so they wouldn't wrinkle, to work on when I have more time. I have two projects I am working on right now that I need to have completed in two weeks. That is the story of my "Farmer's Wife" quilt so far..... I have a "Farmer's Wife" board on pinterest if you want to take a peek.
As a designer / artist who is always trying to improve, there are times when my brain is on full-throttle creative mode and I seem to tap into a source of inspiration beyond my own capacity. I know that sounds weird. But, what I mean is that when I push myself to innovate, I'm rewarded with with that "stroke of geniu
The design wall has by far been the most valuable addition to my studio. I don't have a wall large enough to dedicate to permanently attached panels, so I wanted to make a sturdy, two-piece design wall that could be moved around the house as need be. It was important...
This post will answer questions about the free Cottage Twirl Quilt Pattern and show you why it's perfect for beginners AND seasoned quilters.
Learn to make quilt binding in six simples steps by Simple Simon and Company.
On this blogpost, we share a tutorial with 5 methods for hand tying your quilt with Amy Mogren of Ritual Quilt Company.
In this post, we have collected some 3-yard quilt patterns you can for your next wonderful, timeless, classic quilt piece.
I want to make a quilt. In the past, I made My Handsome Man a T-shirt quilt , but this time I want to make a quilt for me. I have thought a lot about quilts. The time and effort that goes in to making one makes them a labour of love. You can find baby quilts made out of baby clothes, quilts made by
Turn the Trimmings Into HSTs! Do you end up with a lot of miscellaneous triangles in your scrap bag from make stitch-n-flip corners? While it’s great to have triangles on hand, it can be challenging to actually use them. And, many quilters avoid the stitch-n-flip technique entirely, not wanting to waste the triangles that are …
I don't know if I've told you before, but I learned how to quilt while I lived in Japan in 2002. Japanese housewife culture, including their approach to quilting, has always fascenated me. I should have been an anthropologist and studied that more intensely, I know, but I got caught up in trying to communicate and became an ESL teacher instead. Anyway.. I discovered flickr in 2006 and the quilts I saw there lead me to start blogging about quilting. Tonight I want to share a handful of my favorite quilt photos from the Tokyo International Quilt festivals held each year in January. One year I'll make it there myself, but until then, I will live vicariously through Jennifer and Jan. Be*mused Tokyo Quilt Fest 2011 Set Be*mused Tokyo Quilt Fest 2010 Set Be*mused Tokyo Quilt Fest 2009 Set Movinghands Tokyo Quilt Fest 2008 Set Movinghands Tokyo Quilt Fest 2007 Set Movinghands Tokyo Quilt Fest 2006 Set (one of my all-time favorites is the 9th quilt in the set-- the blue one) All photos in this post were taken by Jan of Be*mused, used with permission. (*I hate to post quilt photos without information about the makers, but sadly most of these pics don't include any. Apparently the quilter info is only printed in Japanese at the show. If you have any information for any of these quilts, please comment and I will give them proper credit.)
6 quilt photography tips from an expert to help your quilts shine! These tips are easily applies to your every day photos taken with just an iPhone!
So you want to make a fabric collage quilt. Great! After choosing an image to work from, the next step in creating a fabric collage quilt is making a simple pattern. This is a critical step, one th…
