Every quilter has that moment. You’re working on something you love… and suddenly—disaster hits. I’ve had it happen more than once. But here’s what I’ve learned: Sometimes your biggest mistake can turn into your most creative moment. Let me show you what I mean. THE CORNER I ACCIDENTALLY CUT OFF! I made a small wall hanging and decided to enter it into our quilt guild show. I was in the final stages—trimming it up and getting everything ready. And then it happened. My ruler

When most people start a quilt, they focus on fabric—the colors, the prints, the thrill of creating. But there’s something just as important that can completely change your results: thread. The right thread makes your seams flatter, your quilting smoother, and your finished quilt look professional. The wrong thread? Lint, tension problems, broken stitches, and bulky seams. Let’s dive into everything you need to know to choose thread like a pro. Understanding Thread Weight Her

“Batiks quilt differently than regular cotton. Learn the real-world tips I wish I knew sooner—prep, pressing, stitching, and batting choices that help.”

When quilters talk about color theory, a lot of people immediately think about the color wheel—reds, blues, yellows, complements, and all those fun combinations. And yes, color choice absolutely matters. But there’s another secret ingredient that often makes the biggest difference in a quilt… Value ! Value is what gives your quilt depth, contrast, and movement. It’s the difference between a quilt that looks a little flat and one that practically jumps off the wall . Let’s dig

If you’ve ever wandered through a yard sale, bid at an auction, or won a block lotto at your quilt guild, you know the thrill of bringing home a stack of surprise quilt blocks. They’re charming, full of history… and let’s be honest—often not the size they’re supposed to be They might be labeled as 12½" blocks, but when you measure them: One is 11½" One is 12¼" Another is completely wonky And none of them want to play nicely together You could trim everything down to the small

If you’ve never been to a quilting retreat before, let me just say this right up front: you are about to have SO much fun. A retreat is part sewing marathon, part sleepover, part show-and-tell, and part therapy session—with fabric. If you’re feeling excited and a little nervous, totally normal. Let’s walk through what to expect, what to pack, and how to make the most of your first retreat. What is a Quilting Retreat , Really? Think of a retreat as several uninterrupted da

Have you ever picked up a vintage quilt or an old hand-stitched linen and wondered… Who made this? Who chose these fabrics? Who stitched these seams? Who poured their time, money, and love into every inch? Family members find quilts tucked in attics or folded inside boxes all the time. They guess… “Maybe Grandma made it?” Or was it Mom? An aunt? And these days it might be Dad, Grandpa, or Uncle Joe! Quilts tell stories — but only if we give them a voice. A quilt label is your

If your quilt blocks are square and consistent as you sew them, your quilt will practically piece itself together later. Seriously. This is one of those behind-the-scenes steps that doesn’t feel exciting in the moment—but it makes everything smoother, flatter, and way less frustrating down the road. Let’s talk about a few simple habits that will keep your blocks looking crisp and professional from the very beginning. Square as You Go As you finish each block, take a minute to

Working with large cones of thread on a regular sewing machine can be tricky when you don’t have a cone holder. These cones are designed to sit on a vertical spool pin or a special holder that keeps the thread feeding smoothly. Without one, the thread can tangle, snag, or pull unevenly, which affects your stitching quality. But you don’t have to stop your project or rush to buy expensive accessories. Sometimes, a little creativity and resourcefulness can solve the problem. Wh

Some of you know I recently taught at the NE Ohio Quilt Show in Wooster, Ohio. I now have a new understanding of how much work goes into getting ready to teach. The first thing to do after getting contacted to teach is to sign a contract, give a class description, supply list for students to bring and a picture. The supply list started out easy, then while I was laying in bed I would think of something to add to the list. I tried to take a head shot of me for advertising the

Do you label your quilts and wall hangings? I try to label all but sometimes there are a few that slip by without a label. The information I usually include on the label is: name of quilt, who made it, who quilted it, and the date it was completed. The way I used to make my labels was to iron my piece of fabric onto freezer paper to stabilize it. Then I would draw straight lines on the paper side of the freezer paper. Then holding it up to a window or using a light, I would h

I bought my first longarm from Craigslist and was so excited! I loaded fabric and batting and began to stitch. The stitching looked horrible. The tension was really bad the thread was laying on the top like a straight line. That meant the upper thread is too tight or the bobbin thread is too loose. I wasn't afraid to adjust the tension because I thought it's nothing more than a big sewing machine. The first thing to do was get the bobbin tension fixed. I removed the bobbin,

I enjoyed a visit to a local guild's quilt show this week. As I walked around looking at the beautiful quilts, I overheard a lady saying "I think that's called meandering." That took me back to the first time I walked into a quilt guild meeting. It was like I was listening to a foreign language. There was talk about sashings, cornerstones, fat quarters, UFO’s, stash, and jellyrolls. I got it when they talked about the border of quilts but then someone said it's wonky. Umm, m

Thank you for joining me on my Longarm Love journey! I'm excited to share with you that I'm going to be teaching at the Pittsburgh Creative Arts Festival in August. I’ve been refining class ideas for quilt guilds and quilt shops. I really enjoy working with people and teaching them tips and techniques to help them continue on their quilting journey. The Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet Festival is now under new ownership and is inviting people like me to teach quilting and sewing

Drat. I just finished a quilt and discovered that the computer missed a small area because of the quilt pattern being cropped. I had already trimmed it so I needed to reload in order to finish quilting the missed area. I pinned tabs of fabric onto the top edge of the quilt to load it onto the take up bar. Next I used magnetic bars that I purchased at Home Depot to hold the bottom of the quilt. Longarmers call this “floating the quilt” when it's not rolled up onto the longar

Longarm maintenance is important to keep your machine running smoothly. We have paid a lot of money for this equipment and want it to last for a long time. I'm going to talk about Handi Quilter because that's what I have. Every time I put in a new bobbin I use a brush and really get in there and brush the lint out of the bobbin area. You need to really get the brush way back in all around the whole bobbin area. I'm always surprised at how much lint comes out of there. Just a

Is choosing fabric hard for you? Do you wonder how some people just love it and are good at choosing colors for their quilts? Why do some quilts seem to have perfect colors? I'm going to give you some tips to use when choosing colors. If you are color challenged then the easiest way to buy fabric for your quilt is to buy from a fabric collection. They did all the work for you! A designer has created a fabric line with colors that work together. The collection line will come i

The quilt guild I belong to has a free Saturday sew once a month from September through May. I used to go to it pretty often but life seems to get in the way. The guild also has a once a year retreat that you pay to go. My thought was always why would I pay to sew with friends when I can go on a Saturday and sew with friends for FREE. Not make this mistake, it's not the same. A new person joined our guild and we became friends quickly and she had been quilting for awhile. Th

The cost of quilt top quilting varies across the country. Longarm charges can be set by the size such as throw, queen or king size. Some quilters charge by the square inch or foot. There can be additional charges such as thread or bobbin fees. Other variables include computerized quilting, a pantograph that is followed with a laser light or freemotion which is all hand guided. Also, you could choose to quilt edge-to-edge or select custom quilting or even perhaps a variety of

Do you think much about what background fabric your going to use? I really think quite a bit about background fabric. Do you just want it to blend in? Do you want it to make the other pieces pop? Do you want it to add texture? Since I recently had a blog about my Hippy Dippy Flower Quilt let's talk about the background fabric. I originally was going to use a solid black to make the colorful flowers pop. Put the more I thought about it I want to add some subtle variation in co