12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

12 designers of Christmas

There are so many things I love about Victoria!  Of course she makes beautiful quilts but she is so much more!  She is very active with the Quilt Alliance, writes inspirational blogs and holds a Hats & Gloves drive for kids in NYC… that’s just to name a few things.  She also got me to do some soul searching every January to find the key word for my year and turn it into a quilt!

And she has so many gift ideas to choose from:  I would love the Star Storm Quilt AND her new Aurifil thread collection.

12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

12 Designers of Christmas

If you have many Jelly rolls laying on your shelves collecting dust: This is the absolute best present you can ask for!

Marti has been in the quilting industry for over 40 years and is always finding ways to keep right on track with what we need!  We all love to get the 2 1/2″ strips from our favorite fabric collection but sewing strips together can become a bit boring.  These 3 templates will help you create more intricate designs.

12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

Sharyn Cole
12 Designers of Christmas

I have to admit that this was on my list of projects to make since Spring but had to delay due to my health problems.  But I plan on making one next year! Sharyn is the original Tuffet lady!

You can order the pattern with the foundation pattern only or get a complete kit so that you don’t have to run around to find the foam, feet and all the other little things you need to make a fabulous tuffet.

 

 

12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

I spoke of the Free-Motion Quilting Workbook yesterday but I have to say that I used it with THIS BOOK!  I love how Christina explained free-motion quilting in this book and it has helped many of my students.

So if you plan on adding Learning free-motion quilting to your list of things to do in 2017: you need this book under the Christmas tree.

12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

This book is an absolute must have for anyone that really wants to free-motion quilt!  I have had several quilters confess that they have several quilting books at home but are still afraid to do it!  This book is the best as it actually gets you to try out on paper before going over to your sewing machine.  It’s that one small step that was missing in all the other books.  
So thank you Angela for this fantastic book!  I have had mine for some time now and truly enjoy it.

 

 

STEP 9: MAKING A SANDWICH

img_3593Congratulations!

The piecing part of your quilt is complete, now we must begin the quilting process.  As you have regularly used your design wall, you know that there are no excess fabric and the top will hang well on the batting.  All that’s left to do before quilting is adding the batting and backing.  And this is the 9th step in the 12 steps to successful quilt making. Continue reading “STEP 9: MAKING A SANDWICH”

12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

6-sew-kind-of-wonderful

I met these ladies over a year ago and was really impressed by their beautiful quilts and the fact that they are three sisters and a mom working together!  Their demos really convinced me that their rulers make curve piecing easy.  But the fact that they are working together in designing, quilting and creating patterns!  WOW! AWESOME!

I came back home and told my mom and sister how I was inspired by these ladies… they both looked at me and said: “You won’t get us quilting!”… Yap… my family really doesn’t get it!

But I digress, Sew Kind of Wonderful‘s rulers and patterns are absolute must haves for Christmas.  I have mine already picked out and will be my holiday treat!  I plan on making a table runner during my free time.

12 DESIGNERS OF CHRISTMAS

claire-noelThe holiday season is fast approaching and I am sure many husbands, kids and friends are wondering what to get their favorite quilter for Christmas!

Lindsey Rhodes truly inspired me last May when she launched May is for Makers.  I loved how people connected and started committing to purchasing a pattern a week and making the project.  It got me thinking that we should have a month dedicated to showcasing designers so we could find new projects.

Continue reading “12 DESIGNERS OF CHRISTMAS”

STEP 4: PRECISE CUTTING

Step 4: Precise cuttingI wrote an article on this subject  in the Autumn 2014 Quilter’s World issue.

When deciding on the 12 steps to successful quilt making, I knew precision cutting had to be one of them.  The only question was which ranking it would have.

Here are a few key elements to ensure that you have precision cutting: Continue reading “STEP 4: PRECISE CUTTING”

STEP 3: PRESSING YOUR FABRICS

To pStep 3: Pressing Fabricsress or not to press?  That is a common question.  And I believe it to be the third step in the 12 steps to successful quilt making as ironing fabrics is essential in quilting.

But beware!

Please do not iron fabrics like you would a men’s shirt. I prefer saying that we press our fabrics! Continue reading “STEP 3: PRESSING YOUR FABRICS”