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Sometimes it is hard for me to look ahead and leave enough time to make my seasonal projects. So to keep moving in that directions, here is a cute and easy block that is perfect for fall. The free pattern is offered by Riley Blake fabrics, with a free tutorial video on YouTube. Repeat making the block for a nice quilt, or cut the work in half by making this block every other block with a focus fabric in between. It also can be made as a table runner or wall hanging. Happy sewing! - Ann You can download the free pattern on YouTube (link is below the video), or you can download it below: 
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What to do when you don't have a ruler large enough? Watch this video for a explanation that is very useful. These pouches are great gifts, and they are pretty handy for your sewing room too. A lot of us quilters are starting on the holiday gifts too this time of year, so this is timed perfectly. Easy to make and great instructions here from Beth Ann Williams Quilting. Here is another tip I hadn't heard of. This short video about this Dritz brand seam ripper might be a good thing for you to watch too. My seam ripper has gotten rather dull, so I am going to buy one and give it a try. The Terrazzo quilt is quick to make, and a free tutorial from Missouri Star Quilt Company is also provided. You can use a layer cake (10-inch square packet) or cut your own 10" squares from your fabric stash. Watch the video below, with details on materials needed below that. By the way, they recommend a 10-inch square ruler to make this even easier to make. If you don't have one, you can use a larger ruler and use painters tape to temporarily mark the 10-inch lines for cutting. 
I have used this many times when quilting. Painters tape comes in many widths and doesn't leave a residue on your fabric. It saves a lot of time and makes you look really good at your hobby. By the way, washi tape comes in half inch width and you can find it in the scrap booking section of craft stores or online. --Ann This video includes some simple tests you can do to see what type of Free Motion Quilting is your most natural way to start learning. Identify this and you can start more confidently. Take a few minutes to watch this and see if it can help you too. ---Ann Gundrun from GE Designs has this helpful YouTube video talking about quilt border widths. She admits there are rules out there, but recommends you listen to your instincts and break the rules when you want or need to. She gives lots of examples from her quilt patterns, and that suggested some ideas I hadn't thought of. The video is well worth watching. Gundrun also has a YouTube video discussing what colors to choose for your borders. These two videos work great together and will give you some very useful examples to try. See both videos below. ---Ann This video by Beth Ann Williams Quilts is really useful. She goes over her routine to sandwich her quilts using spray basting. She shares her preferred spray adhesive for quilts, but her techniques can be used for any brand or type, including the Elmer Schoolhouse Glue method. I learned some new tips that I am going to try. Take a few minutes and watch this video and make your quilting life easier. ---Ann I really enjoy the tutorial videos that Bob from Sewing Parts Online shares on YouTube. In this video, he shares this simple block that really can be both a quick and beautiful quilt. I have myself used this simple block to make a quilt using scraps, or precuts and was very delighted with the results. As Bob says in the video, you can choose what size of squares you want to use to make this block. --Ann I love making scrap quilts, but I probably wouldn't ever get them done if I didn't have a system to manage them. This video from Karen Brown of Just Get It Done Quilts has some useful tips that you might want to try. --Ann Diane Harris from Stash Bandit shows these easy and cute little 4 inch finished stars. Great to make from scraps, and use for many projects. I tried it and very quickly it became quick and easy to just make a bunch of them. Give it a try! --Ann The written instructions are just below the video. Here are the written instructions provided with the video:
Let’s make scrappy little 4” stars. You’ll need these patches:
Use stitch-and-flip to make 4 Flying Geese for the star points as shown, using your finger nail to press. Sew 2 of these to opposite sides of the center square. Press seam allowances IN. To the other 2 Flying Geese, sew a background square to each end as shown. Press seam allowances OUT. Sew the three sections together to complete the star. It should be 4.5” including seam allowances. It will be 4” when sewn into the quilt top. There are many variations: just two fabrics, star points scrappy, backgrounds scrappy, light background, dark background, whatever you can dream up. This is small patchwork so smallish prints work well. Give it a try! They’re addictive! This is a basic, but very helpful video. It shows how to trim a Half Square Triangle to size so ready to use in your quilting project. As she mentions, there are many specialty rulers out there for this, but she shows using a regular ruler and still getting the job done efficiently. Just this week I was saying a few bad things about my sewing machine foot pedal. We have switched from carpets to laminate floors, and my pressure foot keeps running away from me! Very quickly my leg is not long enough to reach it. This short video gives a solution for that for both carpets and a solid floor. Yay! As a bonus, she points out it works well for traveling too, especially since you may not know what flooring situation you will be dealing with. --Ann This is a really informative video, showing how using your sewing machine's decorative stitches can be a great way to finish your quilt binding. Take a few minutes to watch the video, and then have some fun with your quilt projects.
I often hear of quilters paying someone to do their quilting. When asked, most admit they jumped straight to Free Motion Quilting and it wasn't for them. A much easier and still impressing way to do quilting is to use Walking Foot quilting instead. The learning curve is much shorter, and you can have success almost right away. Here is a good video to get to started. She shows 3 methods with variations, and this will get you going. Trust me, your quilts will look great. I feel like I am addicted to Jennifer Sampou's Ombre fabrics. They just add so much to each project I have used them in. In this video, she tries a few new things and the results are not only pretty easy, but look fantastic. No pattern needed, just give it a try! PS- If you didn't catch it in the video, the center ombre section on these table runners are 6 inches. Of course, you can use whatever you want! --Ann |
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