I’m thrilled to be featured as a guest blogger! Quilting has always been such a relaxing past time for me. In 1976 I was working on a needle point picture of Mickey Mouse commemorating the 500 year anniversary of the bicentennial. I was flipping through Family Circle magazine and came across a picture of a [...]

I’ve been playing around in EQ6 this afternoon, planning some ideas for the “New from Old” Quilt Contest for the Alliance of American Quilts. I picked up some lovely super bright fabrics in Lancaster last week, with the plan to use them in some way. First up, is my totally insane log cabin. These blocks [...]

Congratulations to Mary Winegar of Illinois for winning last week’s weekly themed quilt contest, African Inspiration, with her very colourful African Ladies quilt. She won a copy of the Quilter’s Cookbook, Quick and easy recipes, so we can get back to quilting!. This week’s theme is Easter and is sponsored by the lovely gang over [...]

The theme for this week’s virtual quilt contest is African Inspiration. Thanks to everyone that entered their fabulous quilts for this week’s Weekly Themed Quilt Contest. Now it’s time for you to vote for your favourite!! The lucky winner with the most votes will win a copy of the Quilter’s Cookbook. Voting is open Friday [...]

Looking for some tips on how to work a perfect French knot? A few years ago when I was teaching hand embroidery in workshops, ladies would often groan when I mentioned French knots. Seems that this stitch can cause some frustration. The good news is that I am going to share with you some of [...]

For every quilter, there’s a story to tell about how they began quilting, here’s mine… My name is Mary Stori. I didn’t come from a family of quilters, as a matter of fact, the only sewing experience I had growing up was making that ‘token’ gathered skirt in Junior High. I recall thinking that the [...]

Back stitch is one of the quickest and easiest of embroidery stitches to master. It is predominately used as an outline stitch and is ideal for Redwork embroidery designs. There are two things to keep in mind when learning to back stitch. One is to aim for an even stitch length. Don’t fuss too much [...]

Congratulations to Krista of Ontario, Canada for winning last week’s weekly themed quilt contest, St. Patrick’s Day, with her gorgeous Green Daze quilt. Thanks to Jojo’s Quilt and Gift Shoppe for her sponsoring the contest. This week’s theme is African Inspiration. To enter, read the rules and guidelines, then submit your quilt photo. Voting will [...]

Earlier this year, I told you about the “New from Old” quilt contest in support of the Alliance for American Quilts. Quiltmakers are encouraged to think broadly and creatively about this opportunity to celebrate the past in the frame of the present. The rich array of prizes this year includes a Handi Quilter HQ Sixteen [...]

The theme for this week’s virtual quilt contest is St. Patrick’s Day. Thanks to everyone that entered their fabulous quilts for this week’s Weekly Themed Quilt Contest. Now it’s time for you to vote for your favourite!! The lucky winner with the most votes will receive Park Avenue jelly roll from Jojo’s Quilt and Gift [...]

National Quilting Day is this Saturday. Every year, the National Quilting Association puts out a free pattern to celebrate this day. This year’s pattern is Tie One On for the Troops. I plan to do some quilting this Saturday, along with laundry and packing for Lancaster next week. Here’s a sneak peak at my current [...]

Books have been written, songs have sung, stories have been told about the city of New Orleans. How to describe one of the oldest American cities: Do you start by telling of its rich cultural heritage? Founded by the French, given in treaty to Spain, sold to the United States, plantations worked by people of [...]

My name is Cheryl Lynch and I am thrilled to be a guest blogger. I started quilting when my family moved to the Philadelphia area in 1992. My kids were in school and I started taking classes at the local quilt shop (which is no longer in business.) I was hooked almost immediately. The possibilities [...]

You’ve found the perfect pattern, you have a crewel needle, some stranded embroidery thread, a piece of fabric and an embroidery hoop. Your pattern has been transferred onto your fabric and you are ready to start…so now what? Your next decision comes down to the end use for your piece of embroidery. If your design [...]

Congratulations to Kristi for winning last week’s quilts for teens contest with her very colourful Fast & Fusible Daisy Quilt for her niece. Kristi wins a Bubblegum Pieces quilt kit from Mad About Patchwork. Thanks to everyone that entered, it was such fun to see all of your quilts. This week’s theme is St. Patrick’s [...]

The theme for this week’s virtual quilt contest is Quilts for Teens. Thanks to everyone that entered their fabulous quilts for this week’s Weekly Themed Quilt Contest. Now it’s time for you to vote for your favourite!! The lucky winner with the most votes will receive Bubblegum Pieces quilt kit from Mad About Patchwork. Check [...]

With less than two weeks until the Lancaster AQS quilt show, I’m getting really excited. Lancaster is about an 8 hour drive from Ottawa, with a few quick rest stops. Definitely doable in one day, however, I’m planning to leave a day early, take my time and explore a few areas along the way, such [...]

The Parkinson’s Quilt Project is the first global quilt project to focus the world’s attention on the nearly one million people in the US and more than 4.1 million people worldwide living with Parkinson’s disease (PD). The project aims to raise awareness of the impact that the disease has on people living with Parkinson’s along [...]

Lots of voting this past weekend for the Little Girl quilts. They were all so beautiful. I’ve got many new ideas for my little girls. Congratulations to Conny for winning with her very colourful Sweet 16 quilt. Conny wins a $30 gift certificate donated by Around the Block Quilters Shop. Thanks to everyone that entered, [...]

This week’s Little Girls quilt contest has been very popular. You’re going to want to grab a cup of coffee and sit a spell to check out all of these fabulous girlie quilts. Remember, you can click the smaller thumbnail to view a larger version of the quilt. Thanks to everyone that entered their fabulous [...]

Since I can’t enter this week’s quilts for little girls contest, I wanted to share with you some of the quilts I’ve made for my nieces. I have two nieces, Lucy just turned 4 last Saturday, and Alice is 1.5, she’ll be two on Halloween. While I don’t live close to them, my sister does [...]

By: Grace Thorne I’m sure we’ve all seen photos of beautiful quilts and wallhangings that earn oft-coveted blue ribbons. I raise my needle to the innovative and industrious makers for their discipline, vision and expertise and for the serious eye candy and inspiration they provide for the “rest” of us, meaning the everyday, ordinary quilter. [...]

Bradie’s posted a really great beginner tutorial on Quarter Inch Accuracy. See how the guide on the foot is off. For years I’ve struggled with this problem on my Janome Q6125 foot. Last week, I decided to get rid of that silly guide once and for all. First I made sure I could buy a [...]

One of the challenges of learning how to embroider is knowing  where to find hand embroidery designs. If you are new to hand embroidery it is best to choose a design that is simple with only a few different stitches. Sometimes hand embroidery designs can be discovered in the most unlikely places. The key is [...]

The weekend voting was very close for the Little Boy quilts. Congratulations to Sara P. Busby of Kansas for winning with her very colourful Sew me a Rainbow quilt. Sara wins a $30 gift certificate donated by Jojo’s Quilt and Gift Shoppe. Thanks to everyone that entered, it was such fun to see all of [...]