One of the most common mistakes that people make when learning how to embroider is that they don’t use an embroidery hoop. And there are others who admit that they have tried to use a hoop but they found it awkward. So I thought I would shed some light on the matter.

Using an embroidery hoop for hand embroidery is very important because it helps to keep your stitch tension correct. As a teacher of hand embroidery, I have come across many women who have wanted to improve their hand embroidery skills but expressed that they were not able to use an embroidery hoop. With a little persuasion I had them use one of my hoops only to find that they loved it and did not want to give it up.

Was it that I had a magical hoop?

No, not at all. The secret is to use a hoop that is small. One of my favorite embroidery hoops is only 5″ across. Many beginners learning hand embroidery for the first time fall into the trap of buying a large hoop. Many then go on to find it both awkward and cumbersome to work with.

I understand that buying an embroidery hoop can be daunting. They come in many different sizes. I would recommend a timber one, although there are also metal and plastic on the market.

A small hoop this size is ideal:

You will notice that the hoop is made up of two circles. One is placed underneath your fabric and the second pulls the fabric taut over the top. The screw is used to secure the fabric in place. Although remember to loosen the screw and remove your embroidery when you are not working on it. If you leave the hoop in place for a long period of item it can cause your fabric to stretch.

The good news is that embroidery hoops are inexpensive to buy. If you are thinking about learning how to embroider I highly recommend using one.

Warmly,
Lenna
www.stitchingcow.com

Hello! In my day job, I am a machine quilter / teacher / cartoonist / beading designer, so I thought I would share a bit about quilting from a machine quilter perspective. Before I begin, let me say that 99.999% of quilting clients are wonderful people and a delight to work with. Really.

I thought I would share a few of my stories and cartoons:

Pet Free Studios are a good thing. A few years ago I was building a house, so I moved my quilting machine into my dining room temporarily during construction. One of my cats got into the house and after eyeballing the customer quilt, went instead for a huge box of quilting thread – treating it as cat litter, thus ruining a few hundred dollars worth of my beautiful new thread. Not all was lost, as it did inspire this cartoon:

Not all quilts with "Issues" can be quilted out. I still remember my very first wonky quilt that I received from a customer. Wavy borders, bias that stretched when you glanced at it, and of course, the dreaded "C" cup in the middle of several intersecting seams. I somehow survived that quilt, learned how to tame most quilts with "issues," and even got a cartoon out of the deal:

Continue reading »

By: Tammy Gilley

Quilts were meant for sharing.

I’ve been noodling about quilts. Women who make them. Women who need them. Quilts, especially those that are handcrafted, are really just a giant hug for anyone who wraps one around herself.

Perhaps by stitching quilts, we’re comforting ourselves, too, because the whole concept of what has happened in Haiti is overwhelming. And sending a check helped me for a day or so. Then I grew antsy. So, I stitched. And I thought.

I’d like to do a "quilt drive", for lack of a better term, and get quilts to the women, children, men (we don’t discriminate here) in Haiti. I realize the needs in Haiti are huge, and "sending blankets" may not seem like the answer. But consider this. Quilts offer comfort, solace, warmth. These beautiful people lost everything. Perhaps by sending our quilts, we are also sending our love.

I’ve been talking to my friend, Rebecca Sower. I know many of you follow her blog. Rebecca returned home from Haiti only days before the earthquake hit. I checked her blog everyday to see if there was word about the people she met, what was happening, how I could help.

When I presented the idea of sending handcrafted quilts to Haiti, she said, "I absolutely love the quilt idea! Truly, one thing they need right now is warmth and comfort."

So. Without further ado…let’s Quilt Haiti.

Rebecca is planning a trip back to Haiti later this year. She has generously offered to get our quilts to Haiti. So, let’s send her a whole big bunch of them! If you’re a quilter and like me, you have oodles of quilts in your home. Send me one of those. Or create a new one to send. Send a handmade bunny or bear. Send a baby quilt. Send a king size quilt. It’s up to you. Whatever you send will be absolutely perfect.

If you’d like to be involved, simply leave a comment on my blog. Please be sure to include your email address, so I can contact you with the details.

I am so excited about this! And I hope you are, too. There are blog buttons available on my blog (thanks to my pal Monica Solorio-Snow for giving of her creative and technical talents). Don’t be shy, spread the word. What the world needs now, is quilts, love, and more quilts. And more love.

Send quilts. Send love. Pass it on.

Congratulations to Ingrid from the Netherlands for winning last week’s weekly themed quilt contest, Snow, Ice, Cold, with her very gorgeous Journey into the light quilt.

Thanks to Geta Grama for donating a set of her Pockets with Love patterns.

Love is in the air, with this week’s theme of Valentine’s Day. To enter, read the rules and guidelines, then submit your quilt photo. Voting will start on Friday and last until Sunday night.

This week’s contest is sponsored by Tracey’s Country Cards. The winner of this week’s prize can have their own choice of 15 cards from the wonderful selection offered by Tracey, with smaller gift cards included as well.

The idea for Tracey’s country cards originated from her Australian blog, Oz Country Quilting Mum.

From Tracey: I live on a farm with a lot of animals and love to make quilts and take photos, so it only seemed natural that the quilts ended up displayed over the pets!! The photos proved very popular and a business was born.

The card range has gone on to include over 150 different designs, not all quilt related. The full range can be viewed at Tracey’s Country Cards. They are a premium quality, glossy card with an envelope included and sell for $2 each, with discounts for more than 5 cards purchased. (Plus relevant postage to anywhere in the world.)

As an added bonus to blog readers, if you leave a comment on Tracey’s blog, you can be eligible to win a 15-pack card set too. Please comment on her blog directly to be entered.

If you want to be a sponsor, contact me.

Blog It

You may use the code below to add the logo to your own blog. Thanks for helping to spread the word. The more contestants, the more exciting the contests.

I’m so excited to announce the new Quilter’s Forum here at the Quilting Gallery. This was, by far, the most requested addition to the site in last year’s suggestions blog post.

Of course, there’s quilter’s help, quilter’s chat, and a place to post your finished quilts too. I’ve also created forums specifically for promoting quilter’s give-aways, free quilting projects and tutorials and quilting shows and events.

I hope you’ll join in the conversation, make new friends, help each other and be inspired. Register as a member to join in the discussions.