In an unprecedented act of blogging fanciness I decided to make a video documenting how I create the woodgrain texture (so thoroughly p...
I hate to pick favs but this one is my Favorite of the Trio. Thread - Iris Mint Batting - Hobbs 80/20 Tools - A ton of templates w...
Welcome to Week 3 of the QAL! We made it to the best part - ASSEMBLY! This week, we'll review each step of assembly with lots of photos to visualize.
Learn to make a whole quilt cloth with 4 layer gauze. This is one of the EASIEST and softest quilts you can make.
Interested in quilting feathers on your quilt but not sure how to include them? Check out these 15 ways to quilt feathers in different shapes.
If you have seen barn quilts and wondered the barn quilt meaning, we have the stories behind them and how to make your very own barn quilt.
We have a huge stash of free patterns in our Free Quilt Inspiration archive and we are excited to share them with you. To go to the orig...
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.
Using a walking foot is the easiest and quickest way to quilt borders. Continue reading for 7 easy border quilting ideas using a walking foot.
Straight line quilting is fast and fantastic. Come to Bonjour Quilts for a ton of straight line quilting designs and tips you can use today.
Check out these quick and versatile walking foot quilting designs that even beginner quilters can master! The walking foot is a powerful attachment for your domestic sewing machine that make it possible for you to beautifully quilt your own modern quilts!
It has been a weird week. I am running up against the deadline for finishing the "Elements" pieces and I essentially lost two days this week. Monday morning I woke up with a stiff neck and by bedtime I was in a serious amount of pain. Did not sleep and by morning I was in such pain and fear of what might be causing it that I went straight to the Urgent Care Clinic near us. It was a strained trapezius muscle in my neck, making my neck impossible to move without screaming, hot pain and sending tentacles of pain winding up around my skull. The recommendation was rest and drugs and sleep and a soft cervical collar to support the weight of my head. So I lounged around all day on Tuesday reading and sleeping, felt a little better on Wednesday and much better today. So I was back in the studio this afternoon. "Water" should have been easy (that's why I left it for last), but I had a hard time settling on an idea. Close to my heart is the wetland area where we walk, so that began to take shape in my head. I started with an assortment of blue, gray and tan fabrics and fused some strips to form a base. At the end of today I had this: I think I am nearly there. A few additions, then I will trim it to size and bind it. Speaking of the wetland area, we had a surprise when we walked last week. Sofia was with us, and as we came around the corner near the Fanno Farmhouse, Beth and I were talking away and Sofia piped in "look at the turtle!" There, studiously digging in the dirt at the side of the trail, was a large turtle. I took its picture with my phone. That evening on the local news was a story of another turtle that was captured in a backyard several miles away. They are snapping turtles that have invaded the wetlands and creek. They are not native to the area and are thought to have been pets, originally, that were released into the creek and have bred there for years. This is the season when they come onto land to dig holes and lay eggs. They are quite destructive, eating the native fish, frogs, even baby ducks and can take a finger off if you are dumb enough to offer it to one. We found this one pretty interesting and were happy to have encountered it until we learned later what pests they are. If we see another we are advised to call the Parks department or Fish and Wildlife, who will come and take it away. Wish I had known. Now I am on the lookout when we walk.
Hi friends! Today might be the shortest blog post for you as far as text goes. I'm going to visually share a few of my go-to quilting designs as of lately. The next time your trying to decide on a quilting design for your modern quilt - try one of these! I promise you can easily do them all on your machine at home. 1. Horizontal with 60 Degree Start with 1 ½
Day Two of our Free Motion Quilting Series shows how to practice Waves.
Earlier this summer, the Happy Zombie posted a quilt-along called the Ron Swanson Along. I don’t watch much TV and haven’t seen Parks & Recreation, but I still thought her quilt was…
Storm at Sea is a pattern that uses small changes in straight angles to create an optical illusion of rounded shapes. Here are some gorgeou...
Check out these quick and versatile walking foot quilting designs that even beginner quilters can master! The walking foot is a powerful attachment for your domestic sewing machine that make it possible for you to beautifully quilt your own modern quilts!
Using a walking foot is the easiest and quickest way to quilt borders. Continue reading for 7 easy border quilting ideas using a walking foot.
The Simple Quilting eBook will help you finish your quilts quickly and beautifully on your domestic sewing machine with easy designs.
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
I love the look of Flying Geese Quilts and here are 15 inspiration projects to get you making a flying geese quilt of your own!
The Maypole design is the fastest baby quilt pattern you can make! It's beginner friendly and made using large strips of fabric.
Download 9 printable barn quilt patterns to create the perfect barn quilt for your home or barn.
Two Christmases ago hubby bought me Quilt Design Wizard from the same people who give you EQ. Now, I love this software. It's cool that you can put in prints as well as solids, and choose from blocks to set up quilts. There are many quilt blocks in the program to play with and I actually used it to come up with my plan for my Diamond Chains Quilt Along. I have even recently played around with it for setups for my Carpenter Wheels (when I finally finish them!). Well, I just found out that hubby's aunt, who already has me making two quilts for her grandbabies, wants me to make a quilt for her other daughter as well. Keri is a large animal vet in Saskatchewan so when I asked what she might want on her quilt she said, "Australian Shepherds and horses". Um, okay. I did a little researching but I'm having trouble finding fabric with Australian Shepherds on it. So I wondered about paper piecing a dog. That set me to searching for instructions because I have no idea where to even begin creating a paper piecing pattern. I found something better. A program! Have any of you heard of Quilting Assistant? I had not but came across it while looking online. It is free so I downloaded the program and started playing around with it. I will say this; read the manual! It is not difficult but I needed a little walk through to help me understand how it worked. I started with a picture of one of Keri's own dogs. I was able to change it from this... To this! I actually could have muted the colors all the way down to just basic colors instead of "picture" colors more as well. Now, I will say, it prints out all the pieces and you have to put them back together. I'm still trying to figure out if you can print it out as is. Not sure about that yet. After reading the directions I figured out that I could finally put my own block designs in this program. Remember X Marks the Spot? I was so excited because one of the reasons I never did a quilt along for this block was because I couldn't figure out how to draw it out except on graph paper. Now I can even play with the layout and design. This was my original quilt design. But after playing with the program, how cool would this one be? Or this one? Or this one? I changed the colors just to play a bit. I'm very excited about having another option for quilt planning. Just thought I'd share. Check it out!
It's finally here! The video showing you how I do big stitch quilting - a super easy and fun hand quilting technique! Big stitch quilting is my new favorite way to hand quilt - I'm not sure I'll ever go back to traditional hand quilting. It's just so much fun! I love the chunkiness of the
Easy quilts to make in a day. A lot of beautiful patterns, designs, and quilt ideas for you to make in one day only and the tips to finish it
A quilt back does not have to be boring. Sharing my 18 ideas for a pieced backing for quilts to make the design process a little easier.
Petit Design Co has done a 31 day series on quilting with a walking foot.........think it is just straight lines? NOPE - she includes curves. There are some great ideas applicable to quilting on a lon
13+Free Quilt Patterns to tickle your quilting fantasies! You can snag these 13 FREE modern Quilting Patterns TODAY and be sewing before you know it!
