Archive for the ‘Design’ Category

No matter how many ideas I had throughout the year, I get to the Christmas season and can’t think of a single thing to get for the people I love! I just never know what to get when it comes down to it. So, I always end up endlessly searching for the best lists out there to give me any ideas or inspiration for gifts. So, whether you’re looking for a great gift for your quilting wife, friend, or family member or you need to give your special somebody a nudge in the right direction, you’ve come to the right place! I’ve compiled the best list of Christmas and birthday gifts for the quilter, sewist, or creative in your life. The best part: it’s all on Amazon, so you can add it to your cart, have it shipped, and you’ll be ready for Christmas day! (Continue reading…)

Late one night, searching the ends of the world wide web, looking for a daybed, I came across this lovely little pillow on Birch Lane’s website—I just had to have it!

$39.99

Yeah right!

I got the itch to make this little lovely, so I whipped out my Cricut Explore Air and got to work. I have a ten-month-old and it only took me one nap to whip this sweet little pillow up! You got this! If you don’t have a Cricut, you should seriously consider getting it for your craft arsenal—I use mine all the time and it’ll save you a lot of cutting. But if it’s not in the plan for now, never fear! I’ve got instructions for you too. (Continue reading…)

I was getting set for the Erie quilt show this fall and while designing the layout for my booth, decided that it needed some character. I dug out my old steamer trunk that’s been sitting around, begging to be updated for at least 10 years now and got to work!

I pained for hours (not exaggerating) over what to recover this awesome old antique in. I wanted to preserve the beauty of this piece and had a hard time not overwhelming it with something too bright or too modern. After sifting through pages and pages of wallpapers, I finally came to the decision to cover it in cork (I told you I was obsessed—if you don’t believe me, make sure to check out my sewing with cork post or my cork wallet review!). I priced out options for covering the trunk in cork fabric…let’s just say it was a little incredibly pricey, so I did a little research and found metallic cork shelf liner for a much better price. I figured since this trunk was mostly for display, I’d give it a try! I’m tickled with the results and so glad I did. I’d love to show you my process! (Continue reading…)

I love budgeting…I have no idea why, but numbers and budgets really get me going. Unfortunately, when Christmas season comes around, no matter how much we set aside throughout the year, we quickly realize that we didn’t budget nearly as much as we would have liked for Christmas gifts. So, this year, I’ve compiled a fantastic list for people like you and me! I’ve gathered 18 of the best FREE sewing patterns I could find. Many of these can be created using the endless piles of scrap fabric that you have tucked away. Between the free pattern and little-to-no investment needed for fabric and supplies, our Christmas budget is looking quite a bit healthier this year! I hope that this list will inspire you to create one of these patterns for your loved ones this year, or maybe it gave you the push you needed to make something totally original! (Continue reading…)

The longer I quilt, the more I’m convinced that I’m not just sewing for fun and making pretty things. I truly believe that I am creating an heirloom that will more-than-likely outlive me. Today I want to share my latest creation with you and the story behind it. This commissioned quilt is near and dear to my heart because one of my sweet friends from high school requested it for her wedding. I can’t think  of a better day to commemorate the start of a new life together! (Continue reading…)

Oh squaring up quilt blocks…I’ve put off this post almost as long as I put off squaring up blocks when I make quilts. I have no idea why, but squaring up blocks is my least favorite part of quilting. Once it’s done I’m completely tickled, but thinking about doing it just makes me want to quit.

But that ends today! Today I bite the bullet and square up my quilt blocks and show you how to do the same. I’ll show you the traditional way of squaring quilt blocks, helpful tools, and a technique for when you think you’ve completely ruined your quilt (so don’t despair!).

Oh the dilemma…you want the look of long, lush curtains in your shiny new nursery, but know that long curtains are not suggested around children.

Been there. Justified that.

I went ahead and added long curtains in my daughter’s nursery (you can see the adorable details in my nursery reveal!) because I had a plan: I’d like to share this plan with you because so far, it’s worked out well for me. It’s even helped me with my cabin fever and freshened up the nursery as we’ve entered into different stages of my daughter’s development. (Continue reading…)

I recently got a question in the comments section of my post about getting straight cuts on large pieces of fabric. Amanda asked, “When I fold a larger piece of fabric in order to cut it, even though I’ve lined it up and squared it off, when I open the fabric up, sometimes I find the cut is curved. I used a rotary cutter and mat and ruler, but I can not figure out why this happens quite often. What do you think the problem is?”

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The buzz around the studio today is that we are dropping a GIANT pattern release! If you were at the Quilting on the Bayfront show in Erie this month, you got a sneak peek and a copy of my pre-release pattern. But alas, it’s time for the whole world to get another Grow With Me Quilt!

If you haven’t heard about the Grow With Me line of quilts yet, make sure to check out my Grow With Me blog post—it will explain everything to you from start to finish. You’ll learn about what a fitted quilt is, why I chose to invent it, and how to use it. For those of you that already know the spiel, read on! (Continue reading…)

Can you believe that Vacuum was my first quilt entered into a show?! Me neither—I don’t know what’s taken me so long! If you attended the Manusco Quilt Show in Philadelphia PA this month, you might have seen it.

Being my first quilt show, I learned a few things along the way and would love to share them with you! The first thing I learned is that I had no idea how to make a proper quilt sleeve. After a bit of Youtube, I had it all figured out and thought I’d try my hand. Today, I’m going to show you the full tutorial on how to make  a quilt sleeve and give you some tips and tricks to make it easier along the way. (Continue reading…)

As I sat at this year’s Lancaster Quilt Show, I had the pleasure of getting to know Tara, owner of Amelia’s Garden. She recently released her first pattern; the Perfect Wallet and I had the pleasure of trying it out. It’s such a pleasure, every time I whip it out of my purse! I love when someone comments on it & I get to tell them that I made it! (Continue reading…)

If you’ve been watching me on Instagram, you’ve been warned that a BIG GIVEAWAY was coming up! As promised, here it is—just make sure you don’t forget to enter before you get yourself in a tizzy!

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