Archive for the ‘Tutorials’ Category

Last week I showed you how to make Half Square Triangles (HST) fast, using the Magic 8 Method. Today, we’ll add to that with a full tutorial on how to get pinwheel quilt blocks that are nice and flat.

It’s important to get your pinwheel seams as flat as possible so that when quilting you don’t run into bulky seams that could distort the quilting, break the thread, or even damage the needle. Longarmers are probably jumping for joy upon reading this post! So, go ahead, impress your longarmer with your fancy pinwheel seams…

Let’s get started!

How to Make Eight Half Square Triangles at Once!

The Magic 8 method is certainly not original with me, but I thought it was worth sharing since I’ve been using it religiously on one of my newest designs (It’s called Breezy, and you’re going to love it! It will be releasing sometime in April.) Anyway, there are lots of ways to make Half Square Triangles, but this method is the fastest and most precise that I’ve found.

I’ve received lots of questions about today’s topic because I mention it in almost all of my patterns & my binding tutorial. So, I’m going to share one of my favorite products with you:

Can you guess what it is?

The Fons & Porter Binding Tool!

Maybe that’s your favorite thing too, or maybe you’ve never heard of it. If you haven’t heard of it, then let me tell you all about it! (Continue reading…)

Coffee, Cake, and Quilting—the perfect night at the quilt guild to take a project that needs ripped out. Yep—I was in a rush to finish a project, got sloppy, and decided to rip half of it out. If I had to rip seams, I might as well do it among people who know my pain and can chat with me while I endlessly rip. I found a seat, hunkered down over my quilt, and dug into my project. I looked up and saw Diane making her way over to me and she quietly asked, “Do you want me to show you a better way to rip seams?”

“Heavens yes!” I replied—I felt a little sheepish, knowing that I probably just should have googled this long ago, but I gladly took her up on her offer. (Continue reading…)

You might remember a post from a while back talking about The Great Pre-wash Debate: whether or not to pre-wash your fabrics. But, did you know that there is a fabric that you should always prewash!?

That’s right — batiks, with their vibrant dyes, will often times bleed onto lighter cottons when washed. Which spells T-R-O-U-B-L-E for your light background! So, what’s a ready-to-roll quilter to do when those lovely, natural, delicious batiks arrive to the sewing room? (Continue reading…)

At the beginning of the month I attended my first quilt guild. I know—it sounds crazy…a designer that’s never been to a guild meeting, but hear me out—it didn’t seem like my cup of tea. I now stand corrected; guild meetings are fun for all! I’m super excited to join as a member at the next meeting of the Lancaster Modern Guild! I learned so much at my first demo night, one technique was of particular importance to me: the invisible appliqué machine stitch. This is a technique that isn’t all that new, but I was unaware (and in need) of it until now. I was so inspired that I went home and ripped out a freshly finished appliqué quilt that was just begging for this technique! I’ll require a bit more practice until it’s perfected, but I love the clean edges that it allows (Continue reading…)