What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

First design is very interesting!

The next three designs could all use more dark pieces, but I like them without the extra colour as the quilting can be seen all over the top.

In the design above there are eight more blocks with dark added.

More dark areas added, and I like it like that.

Saved my favourite to last in this week’s Log cabin retreat.

More Log Cabin quilt designs mid week, next week.

I like quilting to have feature shapes in a design, with boring fill in patterns to fill the background, similar to the way pieced and applique designs are usually separated by a contrast background fabric.

The background filler in the second deign I would do with a thread matching the background, while the more decorative shapes would be in a contrast colour.

The design above is the last in this project series which was started a long time ago, and one day I should make myself start a new, and better, project with the same theme.

I had to stop a minute before I typed September in the title. How did that happen? We’ve had a major heat wave this week, and it feels more like July. We’re ready for some fall weather.

No fabric in or out this week. I took the rest of the fabric I bought at my Guild’s fabric sale and threw it in the charity box. I bought so much the other day I figured I’d never get to that runner. I’ll use some of it in Traffic Jam.

I’ve been working on the quilting ...

I would be happy to see either of today’s designs on our bed, but the chances of that happening is very low … too many UFOs in storage!

Mmm! Might be happier to see the second design than the first, but only slightly.

Summer is here. Increased time outside keeps me out of the sewing room. Summers are short in the Midwest, and you have to enjoy them while you can.

I framed two stitch projects in May and did not start anything new.

I began The Short List many years ago to create short-term goals and a way to focus. I change things up as my priorities and interests change.

Project 1 (Stitching): Summer Flowers, a kit I bought at the thrift in March. I expect to finish the stitching and frame it this month.

Project 2 (UFO): Remember Me, a member ...

I love the quilting designs in both of today’s virtual quilts.

In addition to the lines in blank areas of the quilt design I would outline quilt all the applique pieces.

Love the centre of the second quilt … particularly the quilting lines.

Ooops! Pity I missed a bit of quilting in the top row!

Happy New Year … and what better time to start a new series of designs from a new project file, with a jumbled collection of blocks from my Electric Quilt Library.

The colours are pretty, and the block designs are turning into quilting motifs, or just being modified a little in other ways.

Mmm… all applique blocks so far … will I add some pieced blocks too, or stay with applique?

Here’s what’s on the go in the sewing room this week.

The top half of Remember Me is basted, and I am auditioning quilting designs.

I pressed fabric for the background of the challenge piece.

I’m pulling together the bits and bobs I think I want to add. I may need a larger background to fit everything. Time will tell.

I may also need to step away from Remember Me while I work on the challenge. I find it easier to figure out one project at a time. I can do two at once, but I lose ...

Do you have a group of quilty friends? Here are 5 suggestions of things you can do together, just for fun.

1. Join a guild

This is one you can do solo, if you want to make some new quilty friends! Quilt guilds offer many opportunities to learn new things and to share your quilting skills with others. It’s a place where you can say you just made 128  two-inch flying geese and they will know you are not talking about migrating birds. And they will appreciate just how much work you did! You’ll be inspired by the ...

Do you have a group of quilty friends? Here are 5 suggestions of things you can do together, just for fun.

1. Join a guild

This is one you can do solo, if you want to make some new quilty friends! Quilt guilds offer many opportunities to learn new things and to share your quilting skills with others. It’s a place where you can say you just made 128  two-inch flying geese and they will know you are not talking about migrating birds. And they will appreciate just how much work you did! You’ll be inspired by the ...

At the start of December 2022 our friend, Helen Godden, started her annual Christmas Countdown Quilt-a-long. Helen is our Handi Quilter Ambassador who lives in Australia. She’s an accomplished artist and a superb stationary machine quilter. I decided to join in the quilt-a-long and take you all along with me. So today I will share my journey, some things I learned along the way, and the finish.

In the last post about this topic I showed you how I prepared my fabric with Helen’s design by tracing her pattern. I made a few changes (thanks Helen for understanding ...

At the start of December 2022 our friend, Helen Godden, started her annual Christmas Countdown Quilt-a-long. Helen is our Handi Quilter Ambassador who lives in Australia. She’s an accomplished artist and a superb stationary machine quilter. I decided to join in the quilt-a-long and take you all along with me. So today I will share my journey, some things I learned along the way, and the finish.

In the last post about this topic I showed you how I prepared my fabric with Helen’s design by tracing her pattern. I made a few changes (thanks Helen for understanding ...

I have one more piece left to quilt, and it’s a doozy quilting-wise. I am enamored of circles and can get carried away when I put them on quilts, not remembering that I will have to quilt them. Of course, that’s not a problem if I take the easy path of straight line quilting.

For “Happy Accidents” I decided to feature circles in the quilting, so easy isn’t likely. It measures 29 by 45 inches,which sounds quite doable until you shove the quilt around 360 degrees a few times. And I plan to emphasize some curves ...

Last week we decided that ribbon candy and wishbone are pretty popular designs. And according to the votes, they are about equally popular!  So lets have some fun with ribbon candy this week and explore some ribbon candy variations.

Handi Quilter Ambassador, Jane Hauprich, has an excellent video on her YouTube channel with 10 ways to change up your ribbon candy. Jane shows the quilting path by drawing on a white board and then she actually stitches the designs.

I’ll show you some screen shots of the designs here, so you’ll know what’s in store when you ...

Last week we decided that ribbon candy and wishbone are pretty popular designs. And according to the votes, they are about equally popular!  So lets have some fun with ribbon candy this week and explore some ribbon candy variations.

Handi Quilter Ambassador, Jane Hauprich, has an excellent video on her YouTube channel with 10 ways to change up your ribbon candy. Jane shows the quilting path by drawing on a white board and then she actually stitches the designs.

I’ll show you some screen shots of the designs here, so you’ll know what’s in store when you ...

It’s a great debate. Which is a better quilting design? Ribbon Candy vs Wishbone? I personally think both designs have merit. They are both versatile and both are classic. But when it comes to fun of quilting, I think the wishbone wins.

I’ll describe how to quilt each one and then you can try them on for size and decide for yourself. Let us know in the comments which one you vote for.

Ribbon Candy

Ribbon Candy is the signature design for a certain Handi Quilter educator from New York, whose name rhymes with chocolate cake. (haha)

If ...

It’s a great debate. Which is a better quilting design? Ribbon Candy vs Wishbone? I personally think both designs have merit. They are both versatile and both are classic. But when it comes to fun of quilting, I think the wishbone wins.

I’ll describe how to quilt each one and then you can try them on for size and decide for yourself. Let us know in the comments which one you vote for.

Ribbon Candy

Ribbon Candy is the signature design for a certain Handi Quilter educator from New York, whose name rhymes with chocolate cake. (haha)

If ...

Last week I shared a bunch of photos of intricate quilts seen at the AQS Quiltweek in Des Moines, IA. If you missed it, you can see it here. As an educator, the question I get the most is: How do you decide how to quilt something? Checking out the fabulous quilting on these intricate quilts got me to thinking about some intricate quilts that I have done in the past. Quilting intricate quilts, just like any other quilt top, has to be decided on a case by case basis. There is no hard-and-fast rule on how to choose designs ...

Last week I shared a bunch of photos of intricate quilts seen at the AQS Quiltweek in Des Moines, IA. If you missed it, you can see it here. As an educator, the question I get the most is: How do you decide how to quilt something? Checking out the fabulous quilting on these intricate quilts got me to thinking about some intricate quilts that I have done in the past. Quilting intricate quilts, just like any other quilt top, has to be decided on a case by case basis. There is no hard-and-fast rule on how to choose designs ...