When I first wrote this post years ago, I was trying to explain quilting the way I understood it at the time. I’d already been quilting for decades, but I focused on it as a “fabric sandwich” and a great excuse to do something fun and productive… and good gifts for my friends and relatives.
But thirty-plus years, hundreds of patterns (yes… over 700), a few thousand yards of fabric, and a whole lot of experimentation later, quilting has become so much more than that for me.
And if you’re here — whether you’re brand new or looking for something a little different — welcome. I’m glad you wandered over.
This blog exists to help you:
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find inspiration,
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discover (or rediscover) your quilting voice,
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provide answers when you need a little help, and
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give you a little challenge when you want to try something new.
We grow as quilters by playing, practicing, exploring, and occasionally muttering with our seam rippers. I’ve been doing all of that right alongside you.
📚 1. Quilt Patterns & Tutorials
When I write patterns, I try to put myself in your seat — finding the easiest method to help you recreate the image. And I appreciate when you use the pattern as a springboard to create your own vision. When you share those images, I can’t help but smile…
I also know that everyone learns differently.
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Sometimes a written step is enough.
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Sometimes a video really is the picture worth a thousand words.
That’s why I have a YouTube channel to bring some of my designs to life. And yes… I do reserve a few of my tips and tricks for classes and workshops. Otherwise, I wouldn’t get to meet all of you in class!
The blog is another way I share tips. Maybe they’ll help you through a tricky spot. And there’s a glossary of quilting terms because, let’s face it, quilters have their own language — and I truly appreciate when folks help me add to it!
We all have that familiar way to do things, and sometimes mine is a little different.
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If you have an alternate way to do a step…
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or different tools you swear by…
…I would love to learn about them. As with any teacher, I know I don’t know everything. I learn as much from you as you do from me — and that exchange is one of my favorite parts of quilting together.
Just remember:
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Patterns are the roadmap.
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Tutorials are the guardrails.
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Together, they keep quilting fun instead of building our UFO piles.
🎨 2. Color Theory – my confidence booster
Through the years, the most common pain point I’ve heard from quilters is fabric selection. But that’s one of the places I feel most at home.
For me, choosing colors is like pulling crayons from the big box. It’s also why I love playing with fabric collections in EQ8. It feels like grown-up coloring, but with yardage.
Color sets the tone for a quilt and gives it movement. It tells your eye where to travel and how the quilt should “feel.”
I love sharing what I’ve learned along the way and offering a little coaching when you need it. We all need a little reassurance on occasion.
Color isn’t just decoration.
It’s the mood and the magic.
🌼 3. Appliqué
As much as I love framing a beautiful panel with blocks, using foundation piecing for those hard-to-make shapes, or piecing a traditional quilt, appliqué is my happy place.
Appliqué is where quilting and creativity collide. Whether you’re fusing, stitching by hand, or layering fabric to build a dimensional flower petal by petal, appliqué lets you create images — not just shapes.
It’s playful, forgiving, and full of possibilities. There are fewer rules here and lots of room to explore.
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Needle-turn appliqué is beautiful, but it required too much patience for me — and I totally respect those who have that level of discipline.
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Machine appliqué is faster and just as lovely, but still a little fussy for my taste.
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Fusible appliqué is much more my speed. I even skip a step by securing and quilting at the same time. I call it Fuse and Quilt.
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Dimensional appliqué (my personal obsession) lets me break every “rule.” I’ve turned quilting upside-down by quilting first and appliquéing after. It lets me play with texture and embellishment to my heart’s content.
If you love texture, layers, and want to get away from simply stitching in the ditch… you may want to give it a try.
✂️ 4. Blocks, Quilt Alongs & Community
Quilters are collectors… we pride ourselves on the size of our stashes. We shop by hopping between local quilt shops. And yes, we absolutely pounce on free blocks and patterns. We love demos to try new techniques and little projects to test them out. It feeds our curiosity.
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Some quilters are solitary stitchers who will happily sew late into the night to finish a project. On-demand classes are perfect for them.
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Others thrive in a group — retreats and workshops are their happy place.
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And some of us need a little accountability (I resemble this remark). Quilt alongs are an awesome way to keep us motivated and moving.
I don’t know about you, but I am trying really hard to minimize my UFO pile and I can’t wait to start the next project. Small projects and quilt alongs with you tick both of those boxes for me.
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They’re bite-sized.
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You hold me accountable.
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And I actually finish things — which is the perfect little happiness hit.
That’s why I’m planning more opportunities for us to play together…
Community is the heart of quilting.
We support each other, cheer each other on, and share a few laughs along the way.
📖 Quilt Stories – Why we really quilt
When I started my quilting business, my goal was for my patterns to tell stories. That story could come from the blocks, the symbolism, the pictures they form, the colors included, and the quilting that holds it all together. Recently, I’ve even added actual words to my quilts.
But the stories run deeper than that.
They can be:
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the memories quilts bring back,
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our hopes and dreams for the future,
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therapy for the things we’re working through,
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the mistakes we make,
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the lessons we learn, and
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the growth that happens in the process.
My dimensional appliqué journey is one of those stories — it started with disappointment, turned into exploration, then discovery, and eventually excitement.
My quilts carry pieces of me.
Yours will too.
This isn’t just the “why” of quilting — it’s the soul of it.
The part that reminds us we’re stitching something bigger than fabric.
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Happy Quilting!
