Skip to main content

Posts

2024 Sewing Goals

With a new year on the horizon (like less than 10 hours as I sit here at my computer), I wanted to share a few sewing goals - this will serve as a reminder and accountability for me when I ponder what to work on next. I suppose I already know that posting more often on my blog should be a goal since this is my first post of 2023. Life has been busy - in a really good way. That hasn’t been totally the case the last few years so I’ll take it and use it as momentum to build a healthy 2024.  My last project of 2023 - I made a couple new quilted bookmarks for my bookworm dragon-loving daughter. Start Fabric Usage Tracking I definitely feel like it’s time to have a more accurate picture of how much fabric I’m using vs. buying. I have more fabric than I can possibly sew, so starting a more mindful practice is important. I will purchase fabric when either: a) it’s truly something I know I’ll use sooner rather than never (I’m looking at you, Postmark by Alison Glass!) and b) I’m actively workin
1 comment
Read more
Recent posts

Quilted Bookmark Tutorial

I’ve got a new tutorial to share – Quilted Bookmarks !  I recently shared a story on Instagram about a last minute decision to make quilted bookmarks for my daughter’s class as I was the scheduled Mystery Reader for the next day. You can see the set I made for the class in the image above. I’ve been making quilted bookmarks for my daughter for years. She loves them because they’re flexible and don’t permanently crease or break like paper bookmarks and don’t fall out as easy as heavier metal bookmarks. And since they are two layers and batting, they’re squishy and fun to hold!  Quilted bookmarks make great gifts for kids or for adults who still read physical copies of books. If you’re looking for a creative stocking stuffer or gift to give any time of the year, a quilted bookmark is a fun and fast project! It's also a great scrap-busting project, as well as a good opportunity to practice quilting!  Everything about a quilted bookmark can be customized to your needs. This is the gene
Post a Comment
Read more

Fanny Pack Sew Along

 Welcome to the Fanny Pack Sew Along! Tina and Jessica look forward to sewing with you!   The Fanny Pack Along is scheduled for June 6 – July 1, 2022. Participants will be able to choose their own pattern for this sew along. We have provided a list of patterns below. Each week, Tina and Jessica will share a prompt to keep you sewing along. Note that participants are welcome to work at their own pace – including finishing early or finishing after the sew along ends. As always, we will end the sew along with a “fashion show” of sorts on Instagram, where participants are welcome to share their final fanny packs. Will you wear yours around your waist as party people of the 90s did or are you super on trend and will sling it over your shoulder?! We can’t wait to find out! SCHEDULE You are welcome to work at your own pace. We like to build in time for life to happen.  Week 1 - Gather materials (pattern, fabrics, and other supplies) Week 2 - Cut fabric and interface fabric Week 3 -
Post a Comment
Read more

MQG Mini Swap 2022

I participated in the Modern Quilt Guild’s annual #MQGSwap this year. I really enjoyed swapping with my partner, Valerie, at QuiltCon 2022 in Phoenix.  Participants are assigned a partner and it’s a one to one swap (you are swapping with the person making a quilt for you) where each person makes a mini quilt up to 24” square. Each participant fills out a form with likes and dislikes in terms of colors and technique. Valerie and I learned pretty quickly that we have opposite tastes in colors and technique. We both leaned into what the other likes, stretched our boundaries and stitched out some beautiful results!  Valerie provided several inspiration photos of quilts she likes. Many of the examples were improv and one particular type of quilt was shown twice. Valerie indicated she liked purples and greens and was recently into blues. I took this information and started pulling lots of fabrics from light to dark in the blue and purple range. I pulled from my scrap bins, FQs, and smaller y
Post a Comment
Read more

Quilt Project Tracker Document

Every quilt has a story - and if you're struggling to capture that story about each quilt you make, I've got you covered! I have a free printable Quilt Project Tracker Document!   This document is for each new project you start and includes fields for tracking project goals, fabric swatches, task completion, notes on the materials you used and what you learned from the project. Whether you're trying to store information in one easy place to make show submissions easier or you want to share this quilt's story with the recipient of the quilt, this document helps you track all the details! Click here to open and print the Quilt Project Tracker Document . ***When you click the link, please make sure to click on the arrow (in the upper right corner) to download a PDF. If you click "Open in Google Docs" you will not be able to access the document.
Post a Comment
Read more

Unfinished Object to Finished Quilt

Today I’m the next stop on the UFOvember blog hop! Bobbie Gentili of Geeky Bobbin is hosting the 2 nd annual UFOvember to help quilters and crafters resume, rework or rehome their UFOs – or UnFinished Objects. I was super excited and honored that Bobbie asked me to join the fun for #ufovember2021 because I love Bobbie’s mission and I definitely need to take stock of my UFOs. For my turn, I selected a UFO to rework. I have about an even split of UFOs where half are patterns, so I know what the next steps are, and half are just me playing with fabric and not knowing for sure what to do next. I designed a small burst-like FPP block in the summer of 2020. I wanted to use Libs Elliott’s new Phosphor fabric, which has a great denim-like texture, for this block. There are 12 colors in the original Phosphor, so I made 12 blocks. Originally, I envisioned placing four blocks at 45 degree angles so that I could create a diamond shape with the bursts facing out. I wanted to place three of these
1 comment
Read more

Colorful Quilting - In The Right Direction Baby Quilt

I recently sewed up this colorful baby-sized In The Right Direction quilt ! I love the high impact of this design plus how quickly it goes together. I used  Blossom fabric , a line from  Christopher Thompson  for  Riley Blake Designs ! Here's a breakdown of all the fabrics I used.  Background and Backing Fabric – Tone of Tone White Arrow Fabrics – Cranberry, Orange, Lemon Zest, Emerald City, Peacock, Denim, Fuchsia, Raspberry and Salmon Binding Fabric – Silver My favorite quilting motif is crosshatch, or angled grid, quilting. It adds great texture! I wanted to change things up just a little on this quilt, so I used four different thread colors for the quilting. They were four separate spools but the idea is similar to using variegated thread. I pre-marked all my quilting lines using my hera marker and ruler. A hera marker makes a crease in the fabric.  There are other ways to sew straight lines; for example, you could use the edge of the walking foot as a guide from one line to
Post a Comment
Read more