Get everything you need to start free motion quilting in one box! The Grace Company has put together a new Free Motion Quilting Starter Kit to help you get started quilting on your home machine or longarm. This kit includes printed practice fabric, thread, practice worksheets and more. Click Here to find Leah's Unboxing video! Start Free Motion Quilting with Leah Day Leah has shared a Start Quilting Series of 10 videos featuring the free motion quilting starter panel. Click Here to follow along and get the most out of this beginner quilting kit!
Hello Quilting Friends! Have you ever heard of a Duckworth quilt? I didn't until recently. A Duckworth quilt is a quick and easy scrap busting quilt. Not just any quilt pattern but a wonky log cabin quilt. I started seeing these being made in a Facebook Group called Scrap Quilt Enthusiasts. Why are they called Duckworth quilts? Duckworth refers to a quilters name....Jo Anne Merrill-Duckworth. She is an amazing quilter in the group who makes almost exclusively scrappy wonky log cabin quilts. She can whip these things out super fast and donates them to friends, family or whoever. And she has become a quilting Rock Star to many of the members in this group. Duckworth has inspired quilters to dig into those scraps and just sew. To me this style looks vintage and modern all at the same time. It also has that Gee's Bend feel to it. With every quilt she made and shared in this group she was overwhelmed with comments and questions. So to help others create one of these beauties from their scraps, she was kind enough to make a PDF to explain her process. The PDF can only be found in the group files. So if you have a Facebook account you might want to join the Scrap Quilt Enthusiasts group and grab that free PDF. It's a fun group of quilters making more than Duckworth quilts. So much scrappy goodness! Yes, the Duckworth bug has bitten me as well! It's all I can do to not start one. Now I have another tool in my toolbox to use up those scraps...someday. A Duckworth quilt. It makes me wonder... in a hundred years when you see articles written about wonky log cabin quilts will it read something like this... The wonky log cabin quilt has more than one name. It is also known as an improv log cabin quilt and a Duckworth quilt. (Jo Anne gave permission to write this post and use her quilt images) Until next time... I hope you find time to stitch up something sweet! EDITED 12/26/23 A YouTube video has been made about how to make a Duckworth Quilt. The Channel is called Jelly Roll Club and is hosted by Ivonne Davila-Beegle. She saw this blogpost and decided she too needed to use up scraps and help others to do the same. Watch the video below! Pin It
These 15 Easy Quilts for Beginners are a great place to start if you've always wanted to try quilting but worried it would be too hard!
Christine Vlasic has another lovely new pattern featuring the octagon shape. She has made two quilts using the same pattern The connecting square in one is made of 5 different tones of red fabric randomly used as a feature amount the sets of octagons The second quilt is just using one colour as the square connector in a light colour cream fabric and the emphasis is on the prettier fabrics used for the octagons The quilt measures 88 x 88 inches (225 x 225 cms) The quilt was handpieced and hand quilted
A fresh and cheery modern twist on a traditional quilt design, the pdf pattern is easy to follow with helpful step by step photos and instructions. The design is charm pack friendly, or use your tonal scraps, and combine with crisp white squares to create a beautiful bespoke quilt. Size: 48" x 66" (122cm x 168cm) approximately.
Free Accessory Package ($1,000+ Value) During the month of July, August, and September, when you purchase a new Q'nique or Little Rebel, you will receive a free bonus bundle valued at over $1000. This accessory package includes a 360 Wonderfoot, Q’nique laser for Q’nique machines or Gracie laser for Little Rebel, horizontal spool holder, 2 packs of m-class bobbins, TrueCut cutting mat combo (24" x 36” cutting mat and 24" x 36” non-slip pad), TrueCut cutter combo (45mm my comfort cutter, 360 circle cutter, 2-pack 45mm blades, 2 circle cutter blade cartridges), 3-piece hopping foot set, free motion quilting starter kit, and a 16-pack of Finesse thread The Q'nique 16X from the Grace Company is their midline machine in the new 16 series. This machine is great for those who have some experience with longarm quilting but aren't quite ready to upgrade to the Elite. This computerized midarm has four modes of stitches and includes stitch regulation. It can stitch up to 1,700 stitches per minute, making any project a breeze. With its simple design, the 16X offers excellent stitch quality with regulated speed control; you can move at your own pace and create detailed and intricate stitching. Along the front of the machine is a 2.4" touch screen that provides access to many of the same tools and features that you find on high-end machines. As with all the machines in the series, the X also includes 16" of throat space, an automatic bobbin winder, LED lights, edge warning, a stitch counter, and an overspeed indicator. For a complete quilting experience, combine your Q'nique 16X with one of Grace's quilting frames (sold separately). 2.4" TOUCHSCREEN On the 16X, pre-installed, is a 2.4" touch screen that allows you to navigate easily through all the features your machine has to offer. You can adjust the brightness of your screen, mute certain alarms, and even find what version of firmware and when it was last updated. Extendable Ergonomic handles The soft, ergonomic handles are designed to follow the contours and curves of your hand, relieving stress in your hands and wrists so you can quilt comfortably. Both handles of the Q'nique 16X can be adjusted by rotating them or extending them. With this level of adjustability, you can quilt for longer without any aches and pains. 4 Quick-Access Buttons The 16X has simplified the handlebar controls by reducing them to just two buttons on each handle. You can increase the number, size, or speed of the stitching with the up arrow and decrease the number, size, or speed of the stitching with the down arrow. The "play" button will start/stop the machine, and the stitch button can create a single stitch or toggle the needle between the up and down position. REPOSITIONABLE HOPPING FOOT The hopping foot on the 16X was designed with optimum visibility in mind. Depending on preference and what you are quilting, you can easily switch the foot to the left, right, or back of the needle. You can also adjust the height of your foot. When quilting with thick fabric or batting layers, the hopping foot may press down on the quilt too tightly and begin to drag. Alternatively, having the hopping foot too high can result in skipped stitches. 16" Throat Space Stop struggling to quilt those queen and king-size quilts on a domestic machine and instead upgrade to a machine that tackles large projects with ease. With a full 16" of throat space, you can expect to complete large sections of your quilt quicker than before, and best of all, you won't have your fabric getting bunched up under the throat. Quilts with big blocks tend to make a more significant visual impact, which is now easier than ever with Grace's 16X! Maintenance Keep your 16X running like new by regularly cleaning and oiling your machine. Grace recommends that you oil and clean your machine at the start of a new project, after 20 hours of use, and after the machine has sat without use for more than 30 days. The hook assembly must also be cleaned and oiled approximately every other bobbin change. BUILT-IN AUTOMATIC BOBBIN WINDER Unlike other midarm and longarm machines, the 16X has a built-in bobbin winder to wind your large M-Style bobbins quickly. The machine's bobbin cam is set so the bobbin will wind completely before the winder shuts off. Since the bobbin winder works independently of the machine, you can wind your bobbin while you're quilting. For best results when winding a bobbin, Grace recommends 50-weight polyester thread on a cone. Easy Tension Adjustments Fully manual stitch settings allow you to have control of your stitches. The setting dial is easily adjusted to create a perfectly balanced stitch based on your fabric type and weight. Ranging from one to four on the knob, these lines allow quilters to dial in their tension settings incrementally. If the bobbin thread appears on the right side of your fabric, then the needle tension is too tight, and if your needle thread is too loose, it will appear on the wrong side of the material. 1700 STITCHES PER MINUTE The powerful motor in the 16X produces up to 1700 stitches per minute. This powerful motor, combined with the built-in stitch regulator, allows you to create beautiful, consistent stitches. You can also slow the machine down to sew at 90 stitches per minute. This broad range of speed is perfect for the four different stitch modes on the machine: cruise, precise, baste, and manual. Stitch Modes Precise - In the default precise mode, you select the stitch length you want, and the machine will adjust to help make more consistent stitches. It only stitches when you move the machine, which aids with patterns that have corners or crisp points. Cruise - Cruise mode is helpful for continuous, smooth, or curvy designs. It does the same as precise mode, except the machine will continue to stitch in place (at the minimum speed) if you stop moving the machine. Manual - Manual mode makes the machine produce stitches at a certain speed. It's up to the quilter to move the machine the distance needed to get the desired stitch length. This mode is helpful for small, continuous patterns. Baste - Use baste mode to create loose, temporary stitches around the edge of your quilt top to hold layers of fabric together while quilting. Edge Warning The edge warning alert system helps you stay within a “safe area” of your quilt by notifying you when you approach the edge of a set boundary. This will help prevent the machine from hitting the rails of the frame, but you can also set boundaries around a particular block or section of the quilt. Please note the Edge Warning is automatically deactivated in baste mode, so the alarm will not bother you while tacking down your quilt. Designed to Feel Familiar Making the leap to a longarm machine can be intimidating, but the Q'nique 16X makes it easy! This machine is lightweight and easily maneuverable compared to other longarms with its dual wheels. LED LIGHTING Super bright, color–balanced daylight LEDs light your workspace, reducing eye strain and fatigue. This machine is ready to give you more light where you need it most. The bobbin light illuminates the hook assembly area, while the LED throat lights create an even brighter, shadow-free workspace. EASY–ACCESS BOBBIN The bobbin case location on this machine has been designed for quick and easy accessibility. Changing your bobbin is now more user-friendly than ever. The Q'nique 16X uses larger M Class bobbins that hold more thread than standard bobbins. This allows you to quilt for longer periods of time before needing to change or refill your bobbin. PRINTED THREAD GUIDES Unlike many other quilting machines, the 16 features printed threading guides directly on the body of the machine. Simply follow the images to thread your quilting machine with ease. This machine uses cone-style thread, not thread from a spool. Do not use spool thread unless the spool accessory (not included in this kit) has been installed. BUILT-IN STITCH REGULATOR & Counter The Q'nique 16X comes standard with a built-in stitch regulator. The motion of the machine is monitored via high-resolution encoders. This intelligent feature tells the motor how fast or slow to stitch. Moving the machine too quickly while quilting can reduce the quality of the stitch regulation. If the machine is moved too quickly, an alarm will sound, a red LED light will shine on the needle area, and the "start stitching" button on the display will turn red. Slow the movement of the machine to turn off the alarm, light, and display alert. Both the alarm and the display alert can be deactivated in the settings menu. Dual Thread Mast Quilt and wind bobbins simultaneously on the 16X with its dual thread mast. This great feature saves you time and energy! You no longer have to stop quilting just to wind a bobbin. With the dual-thread mast, you have a dedicated space for your bobbin and quilting threads. Continuum II Quilting Frame The optional Continuum Quilting Frame was designed by the Grace Company to integrate seamlessly with the Q'nique 16X. With steel and cast-alloy components, the frame is one of the sturdiest and longest-lasting structures ever designed. The Continuum Quilting Frame features a SureTrack dual-wheel system, channel locks, leveling feet, and adjustable legs. It is a no–baste frame designed to make your quilting projects more convenient and more beautiful. The frame is available in standard 8', 10', or 12' packages with the machine. Height–adjustable legs let you work at the level that is most comfortable for you. Conveniently roll all the layers of your quilt with the take–up rail hand–wheel. This advances the fabric to the next section of your project for quilting. Adjust the depth of your work area to match your quilting frame. Get closer when working on short–arm quilting machine, or expand your space for larger patterns with a long–arm. Conveniently lock your machine motion into either back and forth or side-to-side motion. Perfect for strai
FREE QAYG ALONG PART 11We’re obsessed with string quilts! And they are super easy, super fun and beginner friendly, so we thought you might like to make one too. This week we were invited to make some short videos for Spotlight’s Quilting Expo, so we went totally over the top and made a 3 part series on how to make a quilt as you go string quilt from start to finish. This series is perfect for the very beginner or for those that want to try their hand at making a quilt as you go quilt. It’s full
Never make the mistake of forgetting these 4 important things to include when you gift a quilt! You'll be so glad that you did #4!!
Have you seen these alternatives to make these popular quilt blocks? Simple pineapple quilt pattern If you’d like to make a full quilt with this technique, checkout Sew Simple Pineapple: Patch…
In this guide, I will focus on the following topics: quilt batting types, the best batting for quilting, and how to choose the right batting for a project.
I have a class that I will teach at Houston called Free Motion Quilting with a Starter Scrap". It is a bit of a mouthful but it means what i...
How To Bind A Quilt by Machine is a step-by-step tutorial that teaches quilting beginners a simple way to bind a quilt by machine.
Lot of vintage fabric and materials weighing 10 lbs. Includes mostly vintage cotton fabrics with some cut bed sheets and towels and a tablecloth. Some fabric is cut from old projects while others are one continuous piece. Wonderful starter kit for a one of a kind quilt, patchwork dress, or rag rug.
Pressing quilt seams is a crucial step of any quilt-making process – not only will it make it easier to join blocks, it will also make a quilt lie flatter.
How to use scrap fabric in quilt patterns! Use these tricks to make Suzy Quilts patterns with recycled fabric and make a scrappy quilt.
For those of you who have not encountered the tip I’m about to reveal, you are in for a treat. This technique has the potential to transform your time at your sewing machine! (And if it does, may I suggest compensation in the form of fabric and/or chocolate?) When I started sewing, I was very pro-pins. At the time, I sewed home-dec projects—pillows, curtains, valences, etc.—so I was working with sizable swaths of fabric, and the need for pins was real. As I started to quilt, however, I began to understand the limitations of pinning two pieces of fabric together. The fabric can still shift, especially at those critical points. Whenever it works for the project at hand, I forgo pinning and use what I call “starter stitches.” Here’s a block in progress from my Park Bench BOM (for more pics, see posts here and here) ... I want the rest of the points in this block to be just as precise. Before I sew a seam in its entirety, I sew a few stitches—maybe 6 or 7—at the places where I want to align seams or preserve those precious points. These stitches go at the quarter-inch mark and are the standard stitch length I use for piecing. Then I check to see how those intersections line up. The point on the left is a little off. Since I sewed a few starter stitches instead of the entire seam, I have little to rip out and resew. Once I’m satisfied with the results, I sew the whole seam, going directly over the starter stitches, and press my seam. Look! Point perfection! Do you have a novel approach to ensuring your points are spot-on? Tell the rest of us about it in the comments! Linking up to Let’s Bee Social and Needle and Thread Thursday ...
Among the plethora of quilt designs, the Log Cabin quilt block stands as an enduring symbol of tradition, warmth, and innovation. With its
Last Saturday I was honored to be asked to be the guest speaker at the MMQG Super Saturday Sewing event. Why is it super? Well for starters, they gather from 9am to 9pm for 12 hours of non-stop stitching!!!! That's pretty super in my books. It was a lovely day with nice company, good food and great stitching. The event happens upstairs at GJs fabrics so there's always great shopping available too! :-) It's a great space for sewing with loads of natural light!! There were many wonderful quilts to see ... And I did a bit of show and tell myself ... I can't even imagine what I was thinking / saying in that last shot with Groucho. Maybe I should run a caption competition ;-) All in all, I had a great time and want to thank everyone at the Guild for being so lovely and welcoming!! Andi xx
This past Saturday I taught a workshop on the One Block Wonder Technique at the Eastern branch of the Irish Patchwork Society. It was a busy but satisfying day and I think the participants enjoyed it. I don't have a lot of photos from the day, but I thought I'd share those which have resulting blocks in them (pity I don't have everybody's), as well as the tips we were able to take away from the day. I'm really looking forward to seeing the finished quilts, though finalizing the layouts may take quite some time. This is a picture I wanted to print out, but didn't manage to get to the printers'. It sums up what we did on the day very well (both the picture and the phrase were found on the Web). I will not run through the whole process of making a One Block Wonder quilt (there are a lot of tutorials around on the Web), but I do want to share some tips which proved handy and/or were learned the hard way. 1. When choosing the fabric, pay attention to its color way - the pattern will change beyond all recognition, but the colors will stay the same. 2. For the first stage of the process - identifying your pattern repeat - it's handy to use a tailor's yardstick or any piece of board/plank that has a long straight edge. Alternatively, you can tape together two quilting rulers. 3. Some fabrics have their prints printed straighter than others. Don't be afraid to shift and wiggle your fabric to align the pattern. Once it's aligned, handle it with care to keep it that way. 4. Use flat pins to keep together your six layers while you're cutting. They don't have to be removed from the fabric when they get under the ruler, so your strips will remain aligned and won't shift. 5. Although most tutorials call for cutting 3 3/4 in strips, you don't really have to stick to this number. Measure the width of your repeat - in some fabrics it will not divide by 3 3/4, so to avoid wasting too much of your fabric you can choose a different strip width, say 3 1/2 in of maybe 4 in. Another thing to consider is the scale of your pattern. If it's on the smallish side, decrease the width of your strips. 6. Using a 60 degree triangle ruler with a "blunted" corner saves you a bit of fabric width when cutting the triangles. The blunted corner can also be handy to mark your central corner when piecing the triangles together. However, you don't really need a special ruler for this technique, any ruler with a a 60 degree line on it will do the job too. 7. Make sure your ruler has a horizontal line matching the edge of your strip. If it doesn't, create a line by sticking a piece of tape to the ruler - this will ensure all of the angles in your triangles are 60 degrees, and thus, all of the sides in your triangles are equal. 8. When piecing your triangles keep them in strict order, and always keep the center corners facing one way (for example, away from you) or mark the center corners with a pin, then your piecing process will be fast and smooth. 9. After you've assembled and pressed your half-hexies, keep them together with a piece of masking tape on the back while you're playing with the layout. 10. The layout is a very personal process, but I would still point out two important things - lay out all your blocks to see if there is any "focal" color that really jumps out at you; if there is, start the composition with the blocks that have most of this focal color and create some sort of shape of line with them, then arrange the other blocks around. This is a quilt I made before with the same lilac fabric. I chose to arrange the purple/pink blocks in a sort of wave with the greens supporting the shape. 11. When playing with the layout, snap photos of every variant, even if you don't really like it - the pictures make it easier to evaluate, compare and discuss your layout with other people, you might spot something you can't see up close and personal. On the whole this is a very fast and satisfying technique, definitely worth trying, at least to gain a new perspective on the use of pattern in fabric and the potential of fabrics you probably never considered suitable for quilting. UPD: If you're wondering what came out of that fabric, here's the finally finished quilt Linking up to Tips and Tutorials Tuesday at Quilting Jetgirl
A few years ago, I created a tutorial for how to sew an oversized hot pad and it’s one of my most popular videos to date — mostly because of my fuss free method of quilt binding! That tutorial teaches the quilt binding method that I’ve always used, so I really didn’t know how many people were str
Hello Friends, With a new year around the corner, I’m hoping to stay more up to date with the quilts I’ve quilted, let’s see how that goes. For starters, how fun is this?!?!!!!
Today we’re going to cover a basic quilt block: the Diamond in a Square. The traditional way would have you cut a diamond and four...
This is the first tutorial in our beginner quilt pattern series. This tutorial demonstrates cutting five-inch patchwork blocks for a beginner baby quilt.
Embroidered cloud, patchwork rainbow. Machine quilted clouds.
All QCR Mini patterns have a teal button indicating they are a "QCR Mini Pattern". The QCR Mini Starter Bundle includes: QCR Mini Ruler Mini Runner Pattern 14" x 35" Mini Runner fabric kit for quilt top and binding (does not include batting or backing fabric) Posh Love Pattern 38" x 42" Sew Kind of Wonderful woven brag tag Sew Square 4 acrylic square-up tool (4" x 4") Mini Runner Instructional Video Posh Love Block Instructional Video The QCR Mini is a smaller version of our original Quick Curve Ruler. We have created over 70 designs that use the QCR Mini Ruler. These 70 designs include include over 40 individual patterns, 2 sampler patterns, and the very popular book Mini Wonderful Curves. The QCR Mini piecing tool has a curved cut-out slot which makes cutting curved shapes safe, fast, easy and consistent. One Ruler ~ Multiple Patterns ~ Endless Possibilities
BRAND NEW Graffiti Pattern Set by Carl Hentsch Set Includes: - Pattern with full instructions by Carl Hentsch - 7 Acrylic Templates with 3/8" seam allowances - Paper pieces packs to complete quilt English Paper Piecing is unique because it is completely portable. Great project to take on a trip, while waiting for the kids, sitting by the pool, anywhere you are you can be quilting! Check out our English Paper Piecing Starter Pack for all the supplies you will need to get started. Thank you for shopping on our Etsy store!!! Strawberry Quiltcake Inc. www.strawberryquiltcake.com
Hello Friends, With a new year around the corner, I’m hoping to stay more up to date with the quilts I’ve quilted, let’s see how that goes. For starters, how fun is this?!?!!!!
