How often do you give quilts as gifts and then ship them to the recipients with no instructions on how to care for their quilt? This is something I am guilty of! But I recently wanted to make a unique gift; I finally finished this baby quilt (made with LOVING HUGS II pattern)... ... started in 2015... ... quilted in 2018... ... bound and washed in 2023! I never gift a quilt … [Read more...]
Choosing foam for sewing bags
I LOVE using foam for sewing bags: it adds lots of structure to a bag, without adding weight. These brands are very popular and offer excellent quality: Pellon Flex Foam, Vilene Style-Vil, By Annie's Soft and Stable, Bosal In-R-Form. I adore them all, but I am aware that these brands are not available in every country and that not everyone can afford to purchase them. You may also … [Read more...]
Practice free motion quilting feathers
I enjoy quilting feathers on a variety of shapes, but especially on these 3D designs. If you want to practice free motion quilting feathers, you can start by drawing on paper with a pen, or even better- and easier, stitch without thread on paper. Start with a small designs- this is the key to not feeling overwhelmed. I made for you this design, if you want to use it, download it … [Read more...]
A few tricks
This post is all about pretty accents, created with bias tape! You can make your own bias tape, from the fabric you like and in any size you need, see the tutorials below: How to make continuous bias binding for quilts Continuous bias binding – cheat sheets, formulas and more A special binding ... but sometimes it is faster and easier to work with store-bought bias tape. You might … [Read more...]
How to quilt textured blocks
Have you seen my latest patterns? This is one of them - a simple folding technique that textures fabric beautifully. But how to quilt these textured blocks? First thing first: always think about the size of the block, how the piece will be used, who will use it, how often, in what way, and how often it will be washed. If you want to preserve the look above, then you should do a minimal … [Read more...]
A trick
Do you have this accessory for your sewing machine? Do you use it? It allows you to stitch at the desired distance from a previous seam. It’s great for echo quilting or for grid quilting. I have a Pfaff machine and this is called edge/quilting guide. I have a new sewing machine - an industrial machine! This is my second industrial machine, the first one I use only for free motion … [Read more...]
Origami hearts and a fusible web trick
This is my latest pattern - fun and easy origami fabric heart ornaments. The pattern includes instructions for three different styles. You need some quilt weight fabric and fusible web interfacing squares; some folding and pressing and in minutes your first heart ornament is ready to be used. Pretty ornaments, great for any celebration. BUY THE PATTERN HERE Do do save your fusible … [Read more...]
Useful trick- how to turn a rectangle/square quilt block into a triangle
This cute little block is one of the designs of my latest quilt patterns. This is such an easy and quick and fun sewing! The result? Rectangular blocks. You can join a few blocks into a table runner (I made one and I adore it!). But what else can you make? You can turn the block into an equilateral triangle. And six triangles will make a beautiful hexagonal design. Isn't this little … [Read more...]
Faux trapunto kitty pillows
Some of the kids in our family are blessed with lots of kitties while others are only dreaming about playing with furry friends. For these kids I bought some cute fabric panels years ago and now it was the time to use them. I wanted to sew pillows for them but not regular pillows. I wanted them to feel the kitties so I made them 3D. At first I wanted to add trapunto under the kitties, … [Read more...]
Kaleidoscope quilt patterns made easy
Have you seen my latest kaleidoscope quilt patterns? If this technique is new to you, check out the patterns then come back here for a few tips. When you say KALEIDOSCOPE, you say PATTERN REPEAT. A pattern repeat is the design that repeats on fabric, lengthwise and crosswise, so it has a certain length and width. Depending on how many repeats you have on your fabric, you can create different … [Read more...]