Learning how to piece and quilt can seem a monumental task, but it doesn’t have to be.
Quilting with Aurifil Lana Wool Thread, a Tutorial
When Bari J. sent me this quilt top to do up for Fall Market, she said I could do whatever I wanted, and since it was so simple, maybe do something fun. “OK, but, can I use wool thread,” I asked? “Whatever you want,” she replied. Delightful words! As I was looking at the top, It […]
Back to School: Guaranteed accurate 1/4″ seams between machines!
I’ve had quite a few opportunities to sew on a variety of machines this summer, whether teaching or traveling, and I got to thinking about quilting accuracy. The usual rule of thumb* is that once you start sewing a project on one machine–especially a project you really *really* care about–then you need to stick with that […]
Learning through play
I talk about this with other parents all the time, how important it is for kids to learn through play. A couple of night sago, I realized I hadn’t learned that valuable lesson for myself! I have a bunch of deadlines right now, and was feeling overwhelmed and stuck, and then it occurred to me that […]
Crayola Washable Markers and Quilt Marking, Technique of the Week
It’s been a hot topic on the professional longarm forums lately: what do we use to mark quilts? Blue pens that are water soluble? Purple pens that disappear in air? Washable pencils? On a whim, I decided to try the new “ultra clean” Crayola Washable markers, and to run a little experiment. My hypothesis: Crayola […]
“Homecoming” Embroidery project, the sketch phase
Before I commit to the final version, I wanted to test out my embroidery skills, first. To say I don’t usually embroider is an understatement, but faint heart ne’er won much of anything. Right? Right. Here’s the light table, with a rotary cutter for scale. It’s get LED backlights, and pretty much looks like a […]
My free quilt patterns for Craftsy
Part of the gig for my free Craftsy class was providing two free patterns as part of the course materials (to get it, sign up for the class–it’s free–and they’re in the course materials available to download). The one I was so excited to make is behind me in the class ad (you can see […]
Going about it–thoughts on practicing. Again.
I’ve been away from my longarm for a few weeks, which happens as I have been traveling quite a bit, and since I am working on developing new patterns right now. As I get back into quilting, I always have a bit of a “wind up” period, where it literally feels like my brain switches […]
