“Craft” is not a dirty word and using patterns and instructions from books is a great way to learn quilting techniques and hone our skills. But as long as there are quilt shows, quilting magazines, and online quilting communities, we will be discussing how to categorize the work that we make and show, and we
“Nomenclature is a system of names, or terms, and the rules for forming these terms in a particular field of arts, or sciences. The principles of naming vary from the relatively informal conventions of everyday speech to internationally-agreed upon principles, rules,, and recommendations that govern the formation, and use of the specialist terms used in
I am often asked about tips for beginning quilters. “How do I even get started?” is a more common question than you might think! Not only are there lots of new techniques and terminology to learn, but the laundry list of supplies needed for quilting is a bit long and sometimes confusing for those new
Do you want a “square quilt”? That is not to say that your quilt is literally a square shape (unless of course you want it to be a square shape); what this means is that your quilt will lie perfectly flat with no puckers, tucks, or unwanted pleating after it has been quilted. So how
This article has been re-posted with permission from Owen’s Olivia. The author has not been paid by any thread company and this article is not intended to influence you to one brand or another. It’s just for fun! After purchasing my first sewing machine, it sparked a desire to learn more about sewing thread quality
To stop quilting fabric from bleeding in your finished quilt, be sure to machine wash your fabric (sorted with like colors) and dry before cutting. Yes, that does mean you will have to iron or press your quilting fabrics as well! I tend to be that person who never washes their fabric before I begin
Every time I get a new quilt student I see their eyes glaze over in shock when we talk about how expensive quilts can be to make. I’ve developed a new shock therapy that snaps them right out of that dazed look: I teach them some money saving skills that encourage and challenge them to
They say happiness is contagious. So is creativity! Surround yourself with passionate quilters to let your ideas flow. I’m one of the lucky ones and if you’re reading this, you’re probably lucky too. In this case, our luck comes from having found our bliss; our creative bliss. Though all humans have the innate need and
When we had moved 8 years ago I thought it was a brilliant idea to separate all of my children’s possessions into individual containers. That way when they left home, they could just take them with. Wrong! Not only did they not take the totes then, they have no interest in taking them ever! I
I have more rulers and scissors than any one woman should own – and even worse – could possibly use at a given time. But as I always tell my husband, “Does a woodworker or auto mechanic only have one tool box?” So the magical question of the day is, what is the most efficient
