Most of us would love to get through the cutting quickly, so we can move on to the sewing. I have some strategies for cutting because I don't enjoy it much. Twinkle uses many shades of green from my fabric stash. I make mostly scrap quilts—not necessarily quilts cut from a scrap basket, [...]
A few days ago, Carolyn in Florida left a comment about how much she disliked doing the cutting for a quilt project. I knew just what she meant. The cutting is never as much fun as the sewing. Over the years I have come up with some strategies that help me survive the cutting process. [...]
The first of December seems like a good time to share a few Christmas quilts with you. These are quilts I've designed and made over the years, and they're part of the Jingle Bells Trunk Show that I do for quilt groups. I hope you'll enjoy the eye candy. Very Merry This is [...]
When you've walked through a quilt show and admired the work of others, maybe you've had a variety of feelings, as I have. You're in awe. Thoroughly gobsmacked. You're inspired and can't wait to get back to your machine. You're discouraged (because your own skills don't come close). I had an interesting conversation with another [...]
A friend and I were sewing together the other day, and we both noticed a few things that we do differently from each other. My pal commented on the speediness of my method for cutting units from strip sets, so I wanted to share it with you. When you make a strip set, above, you can [...]
Happy Thanksgiving from Handi Quilter and HQ Stitch! There's so much to be thankful for, isn't there? Family and friends are foremost, but since creativity, sewing and quilting are such a big part of my life, I always include them in my Thanksgiving celebration. A few of my Thanksgiving highlights: Color: I'm grateful for color! [...]
Let me get right to the point: If you've thought about getting a straight-stitch only machine that sews like the wind, the HQ Stitch 510 is your baby, and now is the time to act. Over the past 9 months, the HQ Stitch 510 has become my go-to machine for piecing. It's fast! (Up to [...]
Every so often I run into a piecing task with tricky intersections. They're the places that cause problems if they're not sewn accurately. My quilt of spools, thimbles and buttons for Quiltmaker magazine is a good example. The piecing is not complex, but the intersections where the "thread" meets the wood in the spools is tricky. [...]
Every year I wait anxiously to hear who won the big awards at International Quilt Festival in Houston. Last night, the Handi Quilter Best of Show Award went to Sherry Reynolds of Laramie, Wyoming for Eternal Beauty. Eternal Beauty by Sherry Reynolds of Laramie, Wyoming won the Handi Quilter Best of Show Award in [...]
Several guilds here in Nebraska have been anticipating a visit from Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville fame for about 3-1/2 years. That's when they booked her recent visit to our state. It's a long time to look forward to something! The thing that always hits me is how much better the quilts look in person than [...]
