I absolutely love this little bag.  It is made with jelly roll strips, you get to do some basic or advanced free motion quilting on it, and I can think of so many uses for it.  It would hold craft projects on the go, be a wonderful gift for a friend, and even make a nice bag for kids to hold their toys.  Enjoy!
​Ann
PS - Here is a link to download her instructions from her website.  Click here

A big thank you to Mary Ann for sharing this video from Shabby Fabrics with us.  It really is a clever way to make a panel into an Attics Window quilt.  It really doesn't get any easier than this!  -Ann

I know Easter is only a week away, but this fun project is quick and there is enough time to get it made to decorate. In this case, it is an adorable pillow with easter eggs made from your scraps.  Trapunto stuffing gives it some extra dimension. 
Anyway, here is a photo of the finished Easter pillow project, and use this link to see the complete instructions from Krista Moser: Click Here

This video caught my eye...such nice colors and it uses 1 jelly roll to make it.  So, I jumped in and made one big block.  There is a pattern available (link below), but it seemed pretty clear from the video so I used those instructions and it worked out great. It truly is a weekend quilt!  Give it a try, I think it would be a nice quilt for any Jelly Roll you may have.

To purchase the pattern as a download,   Click Here

I love finding creative uses for my precious fabric scraps from other quilting projects, and I love tools that make my quilts and creative projects easier.  I recently ordered a Creative Grids template set that makes 6 inch blocks.  It can be made scrappy, or with the fabric of your choice.
The first video below shows how Laurie from SewVeryEasy uses the templates for a scrappy quilt and stores the fabric while collecting enough scraps for the quilt.  The other video is the from Creative Grids, and the designer of this 4-part template set. The video shows completed quilts with a variety of designs, all made with the template set.
    -Ann

Direct links to these two videos on You Tube:
SewVeryEasy  Click Here     
Creative Grids   Click Here

I loved this clear tutorial on how to quilt your quilt!  She shows each step, with lots of tips to be a success.  Even though I love to free motion quilt myself,  plan to use this technique for community quilts or possible a gift quilt that needs to get done quickly.  A nice tool to have in your back pocket!
If you would like to see this or some of her other videos on You Tube Click here

The conversation in our Quilting Group is always interesting and varied, and this morning's group brought up the van Gogh exhibit coming to San Francisco later this month.  A little like small children at play, we decided to share the Zoom screen and watch a video of the exhibit when it was in Paris last year.  We thought everyone would enjoy it, so here you go...

Article from the blog of Krista Moser.  To see her original post, Click Here
Have you ever wanted to try facing a quilt instead of binding it? This works well for artsy style quilts that are going to be on display. There are a few good methods for doing facing instead of binding, and I thought I would show you my favorite method... the mitered way!
CLICK ANY PHOTO TO SEE A LARGER IMAGE​

This block looks more complicated than it is.  Thanks to clever assembly and cutting, you can make these beautiful blocks quickly and easily. Please click on any photo to see a larger image.

This article is from a blog post at ConnieKresin.com. She has many other helpful tutorials.  If you would like to see her post for this technique on her blog,   Click Here

I thought I would share this fun and quick quilt pattern.  I can already think of other sizes and color choices to make this.  Small changes would make it jelly roll friendly, and scrappy would be fun too.  What would you make with this technique?
To see the original post and other cute projects they offer, see Cluck Cluck Sew   Click here

This virtual quilt tour was on You Tube during the 2020 Pandemic.  The exhibit was at the Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas and it features contemporary quilts from International Competitions, including our cherished Houston Quilt Show.

There are four videos to the series, but I clipped just the quilt slide portion to share here.  I bet you will watch it, and then watch it again!   You can also watch the full 4 part video series on You Tube.  Click Here

I have been researching to figure out the best way to store my fabric scraps.  They are piling up quickly, and I want to use them if I can. My first big find was that many quilters pre-cut their scraps into usable strips or squares.  Sounds great, but I am still trying lots of new things and wasn't sure what sizes to cut them.  Then I found a helpful blog post on "The Voice of Quilting" by Pat Sloan. 

She had gone through similar research to mine, and took it one step further and researched what would be used most often in quilt patterns. She came up with the following list for herself:

• 2" squares
• 2.5" squares
• 3.5" squares
• 5" squares 
• 2.5" wide strips (like jelly rolls)

What qualifies as scraps?  That varies from quilter to quilter, but may also vary depending on how much you still love the fabric.  I have found it interesting how even "ugly" fabrics often look good if cut into small enough squares!
The size you choose depends on the size of the scrap you have to work with.  Of course, if you have the time you can also take smaller scraps and sew them together to make a scrappy square in the sizes listed above.  The uniform sizes store easily in shoe box size containers, and take surprising less room to store than the raw scraps.  Win-win.   

I hope my research project helps you too.  If you have found any other pearls of wisdom on this topic, please comment and share your ideas!
Ann

TSW (Technique Sharing Workshop)
Years ago I took a series of classes on wearable art, which used many quilting techniques to create clothing.  One of my favorite techniques was randomly piecing fabric until it was big enough to make something out of the "created" fabric.  I recently found this post and it reminded me of how I loved doing this, and gave me a good way to use scraps to create a quilt.
​Ann Nolen

The options are endless, of course.  Look at these photos to see how this quilter sewed strips and used a square template to create a block.

I invite our members to come to our usual Casual Quilting Group this Monday (January 4th) to work on it together.
I already loved the whimsical applique pattern from Colourwerx.  In fact, I was planning to buy the pattern online and have since done that.  This video shows another technique "Stitch and Flip" to have some fun with this pattern, or actually any silhouette design that interests you. I love this this YouTube video by "On-Point TV and Quilting by Nancy." Watch here or go direct to You Tube at   Click Here.
Check it out, give it a try!  

Some of our members tried the technique during our Zoom Quilting Group.

I have fostered bottle-fed kittens for the Humane Society for the last 6-7 years.  I wanted to share this video I made for my quilting friends as a "Christmas Card."  All the photos are former foster kittens of mine, and what a cute bunch they are!
Merry Kittens Everyone!  
​Ann

ASG (American Sewing Guild) of Santa Rosa recently had John Furtado, owner of Village Sewing, as a guest speaker.  Using Zoom, he was able to show his collection of old machines, and tell us what he loved about each one! 
PS - Thank you to ASG for sharing this video with us! You can find more info about them at www.asgsantarosa.org

• One of our members, Janice Johnson, posted this quilt block in our Facebook Group.  We loved it and wanted to know more about the quilt block and what the story was behind it. Good news, the pattern is a free download, and it can easily be made from fabric or jelly rolls in your fabric stash!

A few tips from Janice:

• To download the free pattern for "Mirrored Reflections" offered by Dynamic Quilting Click Here.  You will need to sign up for their mailing list to get it. 
• It uses 6 fabrics that should look good together.  Janice suggests using the two wider strips in row 1 and 4 for the best look. Remember that Row 1 and Row 6 should also look good next to each other due to the repeat.
• Our group is invited to come to our Zoom Quilting Group on Monday, Dec 14th with questions or to sew on the block together.  The Group meets from 10:00 - 12:00.  Janice will be there to answer questions, or you can ask her in our Private Facebook Group.

Thanks Janice!

Here are some of the blocks that were made by Janice and other members. Click image to see a larger version.

Half-Square Triangles quick & easy? This video has it all. A very clever technique shows you how.
​Thank you to our member Carole Hamann for telling us about this useful video.