Sketch, doodle and draw your way through your free-motion quilting motifs or quilt block designs.This quilters sketchbook designed by; Natalia Bonner features 50 1/4" graph pages and 48 solid pages.8 1/2"x11" - 100 pages

I had my annual check-up on Tuesday of last week. I took my sketchbook with me to the appointment and drew this sketch in the waiting room. The waiting room has a whole wall of windows with a hot water base board radiator running underneath the windows. I just liked the lines, the juxtaposition of horizontal and vertical (opposites of a sort), so I just quickly drew the lines. Later that same day I was in another waiting room. This time the dentist office waiting while my son got his teeth cleaned. I drew this sketch and didn't even finish it. This sketch is derived from the first in that I took the little rounded rectangles from the radiator cover and scattered them over the page. I thought about this sketch for the rest of the week, frustrated because I had no free time to explore it further. Saturday dawned and I found myself with a few free hours. The husband did not go skiing and instead took the boy out to breakfast and then to Science Saturday. Ahhh! I didn't even shower, just took my coffee and went straight to my sewing room. My plan was to work on my challenge with Stephanie. We are doing the curved piecing exercise this month. So I pulled some solids and started. I got to here and thought to myself I wonder how this would look if I used the idea from my second radiator sketch. So I got out some freezer paper and drew some rounded rectangles on it. I cut out the rounded rectangles carefully using an Exacto knife and a ruler. Then I adhered it to my pieced fabric. This is okay, but I don't get the pieced lines going both vertical and horizontal with this. So I put the cut out rounded rectangles on the pieced fabric. Yes. Now I can get both horizontal and vertical lines in my rounded rectangles. Then I chose a background fabric - Kona medium gray. I adhered the freezer paper to it and using the starch method, cut out the rounded rectangles and starched back the seam allowances. I cut out the rounded rectangles from the pieced fabric, leaving a 1/4 inch seam allowance all around. I left the freezer paper on top so that I could line them up properly in the windows of the gray fabric. Using my machine and gray thread, I sewed the pieced parts to the gray fabric. Here is how it looked before removing the freezer paper. And then after removing the freezer paper. I should say that I removed the freezer paper from the gray fabric before sewing the pieced fabrics into the windows. I quilted pebbles on the gray. And now I am embellishing the pieced fabrics with hand stitching. I love how this all started with a very rough sketch in the waiting area of the doctor's office!

Issue 54 of Today's Quilter is on your newsstands tomorrow and it is full to bursting with amazing Christmas projects, so I feel very honoured to have my Winterlilies quilt in such wonderful company. This is such a fun quilt to make: simple enough in its construction for a beginner, but flexible enough in its layout to engage more experienced quilters. The block is based on a traditional log cabin design - with a twist - so I looked to antique log-cabin quilts to inspire some different layouts.

*This is a used book from my crafting books. Original quilt designs and other project ideas based on the idea of home. From townhouses to quaint cottages, seaside beach huts to shepherd’s cabins, there’s a quirky quilt for every taste. Janet Clare uses a whole range of sewing and quilting techniques in her projects, including freehand machine embroidery, applique, and hand-quilting to fantastic effect. As well as full-sized bed quilts, the book includes smaller projects such as lap quilts and wall hangings, as well as super quick projects like key rings. Filled with her own drawings and sketches, many of which double as templates, this delightful book offers inspiring ideas with a quilter’s sketchbook feel.

I have a delightfully happy quilt to share with you today as Count your Chickens flutters into the new issue of Today's Quilter. The French Hen block made her debut in my Twelve Days of Christmas sampler and was a joy to make, so here she is again, shaking a tail feather in the beautiful Dawn on the Prairie prints by Fancy That Design House for Moda Fabrics. I'm always inspired by vintage artwork and this poster, found on Pinterest, was not only a starting point for the colour scheme, but practi

Difficulty Level: BEGINNER Get your serving of veggies with this bite-sized project!  This single pepper is perfect for a quick wall hanging, pillow, or to use with the coordinating veggies.   Included in the download: - 8 pages of instruction and  parchment pressing template.  Print at home on letter size paper.  Template is 11" x 15"~  instructions for piecing it together are provided. Additional Supplies Required:  -Wide variety of fabric. -Lite Steam a Seam 2 (or adhesive of your choice) -Fabric Scissors -Parchment Paper *Downloadable patterns are non-refundable

Often when I make one project, it sews the seed for another. It might be a particular technique I enjoy, or a block that needs exploring further, which is how this quilt came about: I made a cushion project for Today’s Quilter a couple of years ago (issue 64) inspired by a vintage embroidery of a Carnation and loved making the tiny carnation flower blocks. So much so that I couldn’t resist making a quilt full. Having scaled up the block slightly, I dipped into my stash of spring-like pink and l

Big Stitch quilting has gotten to be a big deal in the past few years, so I was thrilled when Jo Glover, who published the original directions for BigStitch Quilting, spoke to our guild last year. …

…în afară de citit, bineînţeles. Ştiţi teoria lui Michelangelo, conform căreia opera de artă se află în stare latentă în materia primă iar artistul trebuie doar să înlăture surplusul, să elib…

Collages are things of joy and fun since they tend to be not just one piece of art but a mix of several. And the best part is that while like other art, it

Landscape Fiction Inspired by Chris Doyle Our assignment was to layer brights of some natural element over a deep toned wonky background and then outline an additional natural element over the top. This was a lot of fun that I made another of flowers (cone, cosmos & lavender) in my summer garden.

I was lucky enough to post another Moda Bakeshop recipe last month. A pretty Charm-Pack-friendly quilt I called 'Woodruff' (you can find it here). I made a similar quilt as a gift for my Mum, not long after I started quilting, which repeated the same block throughout the quilt to give a sort of plaid effect. I pieced that version with Charm Packs too, cutting all the little squares individually. So I was immediately drawn to this quilt, found on Pinterest... A very well-loved quilt uploaded by

EDIT: You can now buy the Sprig quilt & Posy cushion as PDFs here or as Paper Patterns here. The lovely people at Today’s Quilter have included my latest project in issue 38, which you can find on newsstands now or download digitally, here. The idea for this quilt has been sitting in my sketchbook for a while and is inspired by an old Laura Ashley wallpaper design called Cottage Sprig , which many of us - of a certain vintage - will recall from our teenage bedrooms. It had a lovely hand-drawn f

Designer Greg Lauren and Alabama quilters from Gee's Bend debut a collection at Bergdorf Goodman that takes aim at cultural appropriation.

This quilt is my new FAVORITE! The unexpected color scheme is so interesting and everything coordinates in a unique way. The origin of this quilt began with the crab in 2021. Exactly one year ago I was doing a 30-day creative challenge and I developed a series of critters. The crab was one of them! I made a BIG

Lorraine Roy's search for the perfect way to depict the connections and cycles of trees led to three years of trial and error experiments. In the end, she

I have been collecting fabrics of "unknown origin" to use in art quilt projects for quite some time. Many of them were purchased with "setting them on fire" in mind, so this month's technique is right up my alley! What I wanted to do today was get an idea how the fabric reacted to the heat so I could see if I might want to experiment further with it. I used a heat gun to see how each fabric was changed by the heat. All of the fabrics (except one my friend brought along) contained polyester. I have a book called "Raising the Surface with Machine Embroidery" by Maggie Grey that contained a lot of ideas about how to manipulate fabric with heat. Before I start, let me be clear that if you choose to heat fabric in any way, do it outside. The fumes are harmful to your health! I began the afternoon (outside in my garage) with a suggestion from the book--a chiffon sandwich. I made a sandwich consisting of two pieces of gray polyester chiffon, foil, and fusible web. (I used Heat and Bond Light since that is what I had on hand.) I covered my ironing board with parchment paper and put one of the chiffon pieces on top. I then pressed the fusible webbing onto that piece. I removed the paper backing from the fusible; and while it was still warm, I put some foil on it (shiny side up). I rubbed the foil with the edge of a blunt knife till I had as much color as I wanted, removed the clear top sheet of the foil, and ironed the other piece of chiffon on top of the fusible. (I covered the chiffon with parchment paper before ironing.) This is what that looked like. (The picture turned out darker than the actual fabric.) Then, as was suggested in the book, I put the sandwich over a piece of velvet, covered with parchment paper, and pressed down firmly. I zapped it with a heat gun after that. I didn't heat it a lot. (I may try that later.) The chiffon sandwich is attached to the velvet. Next, I spent time zapping different fabrics with my heat gun. Some turned out great; others were dismal failures. This first fabric is a gray polyester that used to be a bed skirt. I think it is my favorite of the day. This is the original fabric. I love the really bubbly effect. These two pictures are the same fabric--top picture is the front of the fabric; bottom picture is the back of the fabric. This fabric turned out very lacy and holey. In the picture above, I added ink to part of a dryer sheet before I heated it. I wasn't impressed (actually the picture looks BETTER than the original if you can believe that.) The original fabric is on the left. I thought this would be much cooler; but when I used the heat gun all that happened was that it burned. Again, the picture actually looks better than it does in person. The original fabric is on the left. The only thing that happened to this fabric when I heated it was that it crinkled a little and sort of shredded. This is my experiment with Tyvek. I really like the way it crinkled and bubbled. The picture below shows it after I rubbed some Pearl Ex powders onto it. I tried heating red acrylic felt. I'm thinking this might have gone better if I had stitched on the felt first (which the book suggested). This is a strip of poly satin. It crinkled nicely. Then we added some fusible web and foil color to it. The picture above shows what happens when you make a silk sandwich (rather than a polyester chiffon sandwich) and heat it. It doesn't shrink or bubble or get holey. We added foil cut outs to it. When this was held up to the light, it was semi-transparent. This white polyester fabric is the part of a bed skirt that goes under the mattress. I liked how it crinkled. I can really see how some of these fabrics could make an interesting addition to an art quilt. Stitching, beading, painting, etc. could also enhance the look. Now, to figure out how to use these...

EDIT: You can now buy this pattern - renamed Kindergarten - as a PDF here or as a Paper Pattern here.You may have noticed my *cough* slight obsession with house blocks, but one that always eluded me was the classic schoolhouse. Traditionally it’s made with lots of bias edged pieces and they’re not my favourite, but as I was playing with my CakeSlice Template* I realised I had a foolproof way of creating this beautiful block and I’m very excited to share it with you in issue 78 of Today’s Quilter

Diagonal Plaid - Pantograph / E2E © 2013 Patricia E. Ritter PAPER: A single row is 7.25 inches - printed with two rows - 144 inches long DIGITAL (computerized quilting systems): Zip file includes: BQM, CQP, DXF, HQF, IQP, PAT, QLI, SSD, TXT, WMF and 4QB or PLT. Most designs also include a DWG, GPF, PDF, PNG and SVG. SELF-PRINT: A single row is 7.25 inches - printed with one row. TEAR AWAY (Patent #10975506): A single row is 8 inches wide - printed with one row. Pack Includes FOUR 50" sheets NOTE: One package of "Diagonal Plaid" TEAR AWAY will quilt an area approx. 51 inches x 47 inches. EMBROIDERY (computerized embroidery systems): Zip file includes: ART, DST, EXP, HUS, JEF, PCM, PCS, PDF, PES, VIP, VP3 and XXX Sizes included: Size 1: 91.0 mm x 95.4 mm (3.58 Inches x 3.76 Inches) Size 2: 120.6 mm x 126.6 mm (4.75 Inches x 4.98 Inches) Size 3: 171.4 mm x 179.8 mm (6.75 Inches x 7.08 Inches) Size 4: 222.2 mm x 233.0 mm (8.75 Inches x 9.17 Inches) Size 5: 315.0 mm x 330.2 mm (12.40 Inches x 13.00 Inches)

Here are a few designs to fill in narrow areas like sashings or narrow borders: After you chalk out the wavy stem line on your fabric... Challenge yourself to find different designs to add to th

Since I have begun hand quilting my first WIP finish for 2015, I thought it would be appropriate to post some vintage quilting designs. These were published in late 1930s newspapers by Florence LaGanke, using the Nancy Page pseudonym. Unlike the Nancy Page series quilts which were free patterns appe

Flirty Feathers and Curls PAPER longarm quilting pantograph design by Jessica Schick More Details A single row is 6 inches wide - printed with one row - 144 inches long This is a paper pantograph Click here to go to our main Panto Directory Page. Click here to see more items of interest to machine quilters. Don't know what a "panto" is?  Click here to find out what the heck a "panto" is.

Sketchbook Scraps Sunlight Manufacturer: RUBY STAR SOCIETY Stock #: RS4074 12 Product Content: 100% Cotton Type: 43"-44" Wide Designer: Alexia Abegg Group Name: Sketchbook Origin: Made in Japan Color: Yellow Theme: Modern Fabric yardage is sold by the 1/2 yard. Your fabric will be cut in one continuous piece. -If you want a 1/2 yard, order "1." -If you want 1 yard, order "2." -If you want 1 1/2 yards, order "3”, etc

I'm teaching a Free Motion Quilting class starting in April at my LQS, Heartstrings and Heirlooms. I finished up the class sample over the weekend. In the class the students will do larger samples, but I needed a small book of designs to advertise the class. As you can see in the above end view, I used three different types of batting for my sample book - Quilter's Dream 100% Cotton, Hobbs 80/20 (80% cotton and 20% polyester), and a 100% wool. I used a tutorial from a recent Quilting Arts Magazine issue (the February/March 2014 issue) to make my little book. The instructions involved drawing some lines on a piece of fabric, then sewing on the lines with a walking foot to make a larger sheet and baste the layers together. Then you quilt your designs and cut the "pages" apart. The tutorial in the magazine was very good. If you are interested in making a book like mine, I suggest you get a copy of the magazine. Below is a collage of designs I plan to cover in the class. Along the top of each page I wrote the name of the design, the batting type and page number from the book I will be using for the class. In case you are interested, I'm using the book Free Motion Quilting with Angela Waters. It has become my go-to book for quilting ideas as of late.

Hello This week, it is only a peek at a small journal I am working in at the moment. Working in the journal as double page spreads, I w...

Welcome to the Constellations block of the month! Once again, I've designed this quilt as my main project for the rainbow scrap challenge for 2017. The goal is to make a stellar quilt using scrap fabrics and maybe clean out those bins a bit. This is going to be a great quilt, so come along and join in! There are no fees, no signups, and no pressure, just a fun way to make a great quilt from leftover fabrics. Very rough sketch! Finished quilt top! This quilt is designed as a "progressive" quilt. In this case, that means that it's made in sections, which include the block, sashing, and some of the border. As each section is finished, it's joined to the other sections so that at the end of 11 months the quilt top s finished and only needs the final border. No big long seams to join, no making a pile of blocks that won't get used, just assembling a quilt a little at a time. The quilt is designed to be lap sized, about 54 (ish) by 70 (ish), depending on how you want to do the border. It's made up of both 12 inch and 6 inch blocks, with either one 12 inch or 4 (very easy) 6-inch blocks to make each month. The key this year is that all of the blocks are stars! If you choose a dark background like I did, your quilt could look like a lovely galaxy by the end of the year. On the first Tuesday of each month, I'll post a tutorial with detailed instructions and lots of pictures. (For examples, check out the two previous BOMs on the tabs above.) I'll do my best to make the blocks as easy to make as possible and to give clear directions. The blocks are not really complicated, but a couple of them do have a lot of pieces. There are some options for this BOM, too. Want to play along, but not sure about making the whole quilt? Try a block or two. If you use scraps, the worst that can happen is you waste some fabric that you weren't using anyway. And the best that can happen is a gorgeous block, so why not try it? Don't like the quilt layout? Make some blocks and design your own! Twelve blocks set in 4 rows of 3 blocks each will make a very nice lap quilt. Want to make some blocks, but aren't into scrappy quilts or the RSC? Change the colors! Use fat quarters in any color to make the blocks. Really like a particular block? Go old school and make it over and over in any colors, then set them together into a spectacular quilt. (See HERE for an example.) Don't like a block, or think it's beyond your skills? Skip it or make a different one! Quilt too small? Make more blocks! Quilt too big? Make fewer! This idea is mine, but make the quilt your own. **An important note about copyright and sharing: I am giving away the directions and tutorials for this quilt for free. This BOM is open to anyone who wants to play along. There are no sign-ups and no fees. If you want to share the tutorials or pictures with anyone, please link back to my blog. (That's just good manners!) You do NOT have permission to cut and paste ANY of my work into your own blog or to substantially copy my directions and claim them as your own. You do NOT have permission to sell or charge any fee for anything using my work. It should go without saying, but anything that I've written remains my exclusive property and I get to decide what ultimately happens to it. The patterns are traditional blocks that are widely available, but the directions, photos, and quilt pattern remain my property. Let's all be respectful and keep this fun for everyone, okay?** Materials: I am using scraps of leftover fabrics, along with whatever pieces I need to cut up from some fat quarters. The block for each month should take no more than about a fat eighth (9 by 22) in the RSC color of the month. Many blocks will look better with a little bit of an accent color, which will also be scraps. For my background, I have 4 yards of a beautiful deep blue. You could use any color as a background, including black or white scraps. This quilt will look best with a single background color. Borders: One of the borders is already incorporated into the quilt, but a second and third border are added at the end. This is the border I plan to use: In order to have a good mix of colorful squares, you should plan to cut 28-30 2-inch squares each month. Put these aside until the end. Alternately, you could just use a single print or strips of another color, or cut a 24 inch strip of the color of the month. If you want to use a print for your border, I really encourage you to wait until the end to choose and purchase it Prep: For my quilt, I did the following prep work with my background fabric. You don't have to do this, but it makes life easier. First, I cut 18 inches off the background yardage and marked it for the binding. This way I'm sure I have it, but I can still change my mind later. Then I cut 3/4 of a yard off for the sashings. Again, this way I know I won't have to piece them. From the remaining yardage, I cut 4 3-1/2 inch strips from the length of the fabric. These are for the final borders at the end and will be too long, but will mean no piecing of the border. The remaining fabric will be used for the backgrounds in the blocks. Dates: New tutorials and directions will be posted the fist Tuesday of each month: February 7, March 7, April 4, May 2, June 6, July 5 (a Wednesday because of the holiday), August 1, September 5, October 3, and November 7. December 5 will be the wrap up. That's it for the general information! I hope you'll come along and have some fun this year. If you decide to make some blocks or any part of the quilt, I'd love to see your pictures! Questions? Email me at academicquilter AT gmail DOT com The prep part is over, so now let's go sew! January block--Wyoming Valley Block--Purple February block--Magic Cross--Sea Green March block--Best of All--Red April block-- Double Stars--Multicolor May block-- Nameless-- Green June block-- Georgetown Circle-- Yellow July block--Broken Star-- Blue August block--Rising Sun-- Light Neutrals September block--Robbing Peter to Pay Paul--Orange October block-- Clay's Choice variation-- Pink November block-- Rolling Star-- Black Finishing up

Looking for some quilting inspiration? Try these Nine Patch block ideas.