What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

You know how much I like using slightly different thread colors in my quilts, but for this FMQ design I absolutely recommend using a thread that blends with the fabric as much as possible. It is all about the texture!

The design Knitwear doesn’t really mimic any type of knitwear of knitting specifically, but it borrows the rhythmic sequence of arches. If you wanted the quilting to resemble knitting, the arches / ogee shapes would need to line up, instead of jumping up and down.

This design will look great on quilts with themes like winter, autumn, ‘sweater weather’, snow ...

Time for a Sunday Chat, so get a cuppa and settle in for a long and picture heavy post. I have so many things to share today as these past couple of weeks have been busy! The bird feeder has been very active lately with really cold nights. My Sweet Babboo has kept the birds happy with the premium sunflower hearts again, after they rejected the other seed he bought. The suet cake is being consumed at a rapid rate and we have to put out new ones regularly, so much so that I ran out of ingredients to make ...

This past week, I have been on a mission to find some small projects that our guild area group can make for our shop at the show next year. Knowing it will take some time to find the right ideas, I’ve been looking for quick projects with pizzazz. Thank you, dear readers, for your input on this subject some days ago. Your comments were immensely helpful, and combined with my research, I am looking for specific things in a project. I think that items with embroidery will do well, as many sewists do not embroider by machine. So something ...

I love me some dense pebbles, but they can become a bit repetitive. Often I use small pebbles to fill in between other bigger shapes, but pebble variations can be stunning by themselves.

This weeks’s design is a background filler design made out of circles in various sizes. The largest circle is about as big as the circle you can make with your fingers, when your index finger touches your thumb. Smaller circles are used to fill in the spaces in between.

This freemotion pattern will look great on quilts with themes like soap, soap bubbles, washing, cleaning, bathtub ...

Before we get on any further, I do want to share with you the news that I am now on Facebook. I know, I am really late to the party. At the moment, I am still just pressing buttons, and not quite knowing what I am doing. But if you are so inclined, give me a follow on https://www.facebook.com/wendysheppardquilts/

OH, and thank you for letting me know you weren’t able to follow. I have fixed it, I hope! I am still figuring things out!

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And today – we have our fourth check-in! Hopefully, you have gotten ...

After a hiatus of entering quilt shows the last couple years, I just got the exciting news that Colorful Chaos was juried into the international quilt show in Paducah, KY!! There’s no pattern for this quilt because it’s part of my renewed push to make new and exciting experimental work that pushes me out of my comfort zone. I’m thrilled with how it turn out. Read more about it below….

Colorful Chaos, Front and Back
It will be hanging at the American Quilter’s Society Show April 23-26, 2025.

In this post I thought I would share ...

 Thought I'd give a progress report on the Winter Village Quilt I'm currently working on.

It's Called Winter Village by Edyta Sitar

The Pattern can be found at Laundry Basket Quilts but it is also in Edyta's Book A Season In Blue

I started working on this Quilt in April 2024

I made a good start following Edyta's YouTube instructions. But then like the Blackbird Crafter I am got sidetracked by lots of Shiny Little Projects...

Before we get on any further, I do want to share with you the news that I am now on Facebook. I know, I am really late to the party. At the moment, I am still just pressing buttons, and not quite knowing what I am doing. But if you are so inclined, give me a follow on https://www.facebook.com/wendysheppardquilts/

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And today – we have our third check-in! Hopefully, you have gotten the fabrics and patterns, or the kit to make the quilt with me. This is a SUPER easy log cabin quilt. Click HERE if you have ...

First challenge for 2025 for Island Batik Ambassadors Program. This month we had to use the Studio 180 Design tool we received in our Ambassador box in order to make a table runner or bed runner!   

Πρώτη πρόκληση για το Πρόγραμμα των Πρεσβευτών των Island Batik. Αυτόν τον μήνα έπρεπε να χρησιμοποιήσουμε το εργαλείο από το Studio 180 Design που πήραμε με το κουτί που μας έστειλαν, προκειμένου να κάνουμε ένα ράνερ είτε για τραπέζι είτε για κρεβάτι!   

We had to use the Fall 2024 fabric bundle and as many collection SKUs as possible. While using the tool, we had ...

First challenge for 2025 for Island Batik Ambassadors Program. This month we had to use the Studio 180 Design tool we received in our Ambassador box in order to make a table runner or bed runner!   

Πρώτη πρόκληση για το Πρόγραμμα των Πρεσβευτών των Island Batik. Αυτόν τον μήνα έπρεπε να χρησιμοποιήσουμε το εργαλείο από το Studio 180 Design που πήραμε με το κουτί που μας έστειλαν, προκειμένου να κάνουμε ένα ράνερ είτε για τραπέζι είτε για κρεβάτι!   

We had to use the Fall 2024 fabric bundle and as many collection SKUs as possible. While using the tool, we had ...

Before we get on any further, I do want to share with you the news that I am now on Facebook. I know, I am really late to the party. At the moment, I am still just pressing buttons, and not quite knowing what I am doing. But if you are so inclined, give me a follow on https://www.facebook.com/wendysheppardquilts/

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And today – we have our second check-in! Hopefully, you have gotten the fabrics and patterns, or the kit to make the quilt with me. This is a SUPER easy log cabin quilt. Click HERE if you have ...

Learn how to sew hand warmers in the shape of hearts! Use felted wool and rice to sew up this quick project. Great for any season and sewing ability!

I have been using a few hand warmers lately to help with the chilly weather. The heater is on, but it’s still freezy! That’s how I feel!

I had a cute pair, but they were cooked too many times and no longer worked. It was time to make me some new ones.

For these hand warmers I used felted wool sweaters. I keep a little pile in the sewing ...

One of the things that took up a lot of my time last year, along with the fact that I’m in the process of building a second house at the ranch, was that I agreed to make three large t-shirt quilts for a grieving family. It felt like a monumental task, and I had to… Continue reading January Recap – Quilty Version

I had one day to sew this past week that was a nice quiet day. No phone calls with fires to put out for a change. Such a delight to just loose myself in a project. But what to sew? I needed something I could complete in a day or less as I have nothing out for Stashbusters so far this month! In moving some things around to create space on my table, I remembered the rayon fabrics that I wanted to sew into pajamas. I picked out the lovely Japanese style purple flower on a black background, and lay ...

Sometimes, the smallest projects bring the greatest joy. My latest finish is a small zipper pouch. A quick but meaningful make, infused with slow stitching, beautiful threads, and a gentle reminder of wellness.

You Are Magic Zipper Pouch

Aurifil Thread Collections

It all started with a special collection of threads I received from Aurifil—The Wellness Collection by Sarah Ashford. I received this from Aurifil as their 2024 Aurifil Artisan. As soon as I saw the soft yet vibrant colors, I knew I wanted to create something that embodied the idea of self-care, creativity, and mindfulness. After all, taking care ...

Yesterday was a snow day here in Central Texas, and the day was full. Tonight we record the next episode of Quilter Rule the World and after changing laundry over in a bit I’m going to go get one of my free-motion quilting feet so I can do some free-motion this afternoon. I’m teaching the… Continue reading Happy Wednesday

In a heartfelt journey of transformation, we embraced change, moving closer to our grandchildren, and creating a new dream studio. Through meticulous design and cherished memories, I built a space brimming with intention, comfort, and inspiration. Blessed with love, light, and creativity, it reflects a life dedicated to passion and purpose. Continue reading →

It seems like lately all my time is taken up with things that do not involve a needle and thread. Of course, it is my own fault. I still say yes to too much, and even come up with projects on my own that turn out to be bigger than I thought they’d be. I’ll have more on that later. But the thing that has been an irritant lately is the new table I have next to my chair in the den. It is a lovely antique, but it is different from the previous one that had a ...

Not all designs end as patterns. That’s not a bad thing; it’s part of the process of creativing. This design is from SpaceX’s Starship launch #5 when SpaceX first successfully caught the booster on chopsticks held by the Mechazilla tower. Not all launches are completed successfully, but that doesn’t mean the effort was for naught. Creativity blossoms, too, when the unexpected happens.

I’m trying here to capture that exact moment when the impossible idea of a huge rocket coming to rest without touching ...