Month: September 2019

Goose Goose Duck Challenge

Several people have asked me how I create my designs. Many of them start with a sketch or a mental image. Some are created by just playing around with my favorite design program – Electric Quilt’s EQ8. This program is great for creating the quilt design itself, but I use a variety of other programs […]

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9/11 Tribute Quilt

Most of us over the age of 30 vividly remember the detail of their day on September 11, 2001. I was on a plane that safely landed at its destination. I flew to St. Louis, MO for a day to investigate a property and was supposed to fly back home the same day. Obviously, that […]

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Quilt as You Go

Quilt as you go is a quick and easy quilting technique for newbies and veterans. I discovered this technique about 15 years ago while my mom and I were on a Shop Hop. A cute spice scented shop in Western New York had several adorable table runners on display with quilt as you go kits […]

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Applique Confessions

I have been quilting for over 30 years and applique quilting made me nervous. I took several classes and actually did pretty well with needle turn applique, but it took so long to do. That certainly raised my level of respect for people who do Baltimore quilts or other heavily appliqued quilts. People shared that […]

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Project Preparation – Clean Iron

When was the last time you looked at the bottom or plate of your iron? Generally, the plate faces away from us for safety reasons or it is working on a piece of fabric. Either way, we aren’t paying much attention to it. We typically notice there is an issue when stains or goo is […]

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Project Preparation – Soak Mats and rulers

My cutting mats have been in use for years. Even though they are “self-healing,” they were beginning to show some wear and tear. So while I was at the Quilt Odyssey, I stopped by the Olfa booth to look for a new one. That is where the Olfa representative told me how I could not […]

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Project Preparation – Evaluate Rotary Cutters

Have you ever tried to cut through fabric with your rotary cutter and it doesn’t cut all the way through? So you try again, and your ruler slips, so you end up with jagged cut. If so, you are not alone! Many people will try to cut harder or cut through fewer layers to alleviate […]

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Project Preparation – Confirm Materials

Ever get to the middle of project and realize you don’t have something you need? For example, you are making dinner when you discover you are missing a key ingredient. Or you are helping your partner with a home improvement project only to find a key part or tool is not at hand. I know […]

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Project preparation – Service Machine

Every machine quilter’s worst nightmare is to be in the midst of a project and their machine malfunctions. That nightmare was a reality for me a few weeks ago. I was cruising along, strip piecing a quilt, when my machine just stopped. I pulled it apart, turned it off and on, begged, but to no […]

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Starting a New Project

A new pattern and lovely fabrics always excites me – so much that I am tempted to skip the essential preparation steps. Skipping preparation can definitely affect your project. These simple steps when done routinely, can improve your project quality and minimize your headaches. I will cover each of these in subsequent posts. They can […]

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