Welcome, welcome!
Does quilting fill your heart with joy? Or do you ever feel like you just don’t have the time, tools, dexterity, or aptitude to create beautiful machine pieced, appliquéd or machine quilted quilts? I can help – I’ve been there myself! I’ve also spent my 25+ year career developing techniques and strategies to make my […]
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Evaluating Relative Values
I’m getting ready to teach my Color Gets the Credit but Value does the Work class at the AQS show in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and I thought it might be helpful to post a quick overview of the methods I recommend for evaluating the relative value of the fabrics in your quilt or other project. […]
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My Favorite FREE Apps for Quilters
Do you have a favorite app on your phone or tablet? I confess that I love listening to recorded books when I’m sewing and playing word games when I’m feeling antsy, but there are two apps in particular that I thought you might enjoy, too. Even better – they’re both FREE! And they are both […]
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Fun with Fussy-Cutting
I’ve been working on a new bed quilt lately; and as I’ve been cutting my fabric, I’m starting to accumulate quite a pile of new scraps. I started setting some of the scraps to one side. I had an idea… Fussy-cutting is a fun way to feature a specific design or motif in a fabric […]
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My Top 5 Specialty Presser Feet for Quilters
Do you ever wonder if there is an easier way to keep a consistent quarter inch seam allowance, appliqué by machine, or machine quilt without worrying about ripples or tucks in your finished quilt? Do you ever find yourself wandering in and out of the ditch when stitching in the ditch? If you answered “yes” […]
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A Few of My Most-Used Tools & Notions for “Invisible” Machine Appliqué
(Updated July 25, 2023) With the new sessions of the Magic of Invisible Machine Appliqué and Celtic Blessings Invisible Machine Appliqué classes coming up this fall, I thought it might be a good time to share a few of my most-used (and most asked-about) tools and notions. These are all tools that I’ve used for […]
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The Heatwave Quilt & Bringing Back Continuous Curve Machine Quilting
I recently had the opportunity to test another fun pattern from Tied with a Ribbon – the Heatwave Quilt. I haven’t really played much with equilateral triangles in the past, so I was eager to try something new. And it did not disappoint! You can read about my adventures constructing this quilt with the aid […]
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A Few of My Favorite Things
I still have that catchy tune from the movie A Sound of Music stuck in my head, so I thought it might be fun to start a sewing & quilting themed list of A Few of My Favorite Things. These are in no particular order, and they are not paid endorsements from the companies involved […]
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The Corner Cut 60
I’m tickled to be pattern-testing another wonderful new pattern from Jemima of Tied with a Ribbon. I can’t show the full Heat Wave quilt until the official pattern release a little bit later this spring, but I can show you some in-progress pics and a GREAT tool I’ve discovered for working with 60 degree (equilateral) […]
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FREE PROJECT – Fast & Fun Folded Fabric Stars
These scrap-busting stars make great holiday ornaments or decorations, and are easy enough that kids can enjoy making them, too. 😊 What You’ll Need: 3 strips of fabric for each star I used 3” x 10” strips for the larger stars and 2” x 7” strips for the smaller star. You can use 3 strips […]
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Quilting Inspiration from Nature
What inspires you? What do you think about when you choose fabrics for a sewing or quilting project? Do you find yourself drawn to certain colors, shapes, or pattern styles? I get much of my creative inspiration from nature. Some of my earliest and most enduring memories are of specific landscapes and places and the […]
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