Every quilt has a story. It may be a story told through the blocks chosen by the quilter, the design stitched into it, the occasion or person the quilt is made for, or some thing that happened while the quilt was being made. Whether the quilt is pretty or ugly, warm or thin, crisp or […]
Recently, we reviewed the history of whole cloth quilts and appliqued quilts. What about pieced quilts? Pieced quilting has also been around for a very long time – possibly since the Middle Ages. The earliest verified forms of pieced quilting are English Paper Piecing from the early 1700s. Pieces of paper are cut into the […]
Dear Stella’s Sew On and Sew Forth fabric collection is due to ship in December. Bobbin Away was designed to highlight the beautiful fabrics in this collection. Moonscape fabrics were added as blenders. The simple repeating design is scaled for three sized spools – small, medium and large. The easy pattern is great for confident […]
Friday was so exciting because I received a HUGE shipment of fabrics. Well, for me it was a huge shipment of fabrics. We now have dozens of Hoffman fabrics available in the store. So I spent the weekend getting them into the shop. The fabrics are primarily Watercolors, but there are also some new […]
The Tree of Life quilt pattern is now in stock in the shop! This pattern frames the beautiful Dear Stella Tree of Life panel, using bright borders to match its cheery center. This quilt is ideal for beginners who want a lovely throw or large wall hanging to practice their quilting skills. The panel will […]
As many of you who follow me know, I have been working with Northcott and Timeless Treasures. I am always excited when their new Look Books for patterns are available to the public and this is no exception. First, I am happy to announce that Pinwheel Puzzles is featured in the new Patrick Lose Look […]
We know from earlier posts that quilting started millennia ago. Some of the earliest forms were whole cloth quilts decorated with stitched designs augmented with trapunto and corded quilting. The next question in my mind was “when were whole cloth quilts embellished with applique?” There are two schools of thought depending upon your social status. […]
When researching quilt history, I decided to delve a bit deeper quilting. Some of the oldest quilts still intact are whole cloth quilts. These may have been made from linen, silk, wool, or cotton. Beautiful designs were made on a single piece of fabric (or few similar pieces sewn together if the loom was small […]
This is my latest pattern release – Kitty in the Middle! The pattern is designed with Dear Stella’s Les Chat Noir fabrics. The fabric is scheduled to be released in November. Kitty in the Middle is a wonderful Block a Month or Quilt Along pattern. It has eight different blocks and the borders – one […]
Last night, my husband asked me how long quilting has been around. I knew that it arrived in America when the European settlers did. So it must be at least a few centuries old. Not knowing the exact answer, I started to research. (The internet makes it so easy to get started, but I prefer […]