Blankets for Newborns By Diane Harris, HQ Stitch Brand Ambassador When my first grandchild was born, I decided to make receiving blankets instead of a quilt. A quilt for a tiny baby just seemed big and bulky and not immediately useful. The blankets turned out to be great for swaddling. The photo above shows him [...]
By Diane Harris, HQ Stitch Brand Ambassador I noticed something the other day about the way I was staging my patchwork. Do you know what I mean by staging? Staging is what you do to get ready. When there's a parade, for instance, there's a staging area. All the bands and floats and animals line [...]
By Diane Harris, HQ Stitch Brand Ambassador I haven't had numerous opportunities to travel abroad but my daughter and her family live in Hong Kong, so I come here once or twice a year because, well, grandchildren. Hong Kong is a beautiful place with a great deal of variety in every way. There are so [...]
By Diane Harris, HQ Stitch Brand Ambassador My machine quilting skills are okay. They're not stellar and they're not horrible. They pass, most of the time. They are best when I'm nicely warmed up. Getting warmed up can take anywhere from an hour to a day. I've discovered a trick that will help you put [...]
By Diane Harris, HQ Stitch Brand Ambassador I finished the New Wave Quilt by Elizabeth Hartman recently. If you missed it, here is Part 1. Because I live in the middle of nowhere and because I have a stash that's been growing for 35 years, I am pretty committed to sewing with what I have. [...]
By Diane Harris, HQ Stitch Brand Ambassador I have just finished a quilt that's a gift for a very special family member. I'm taking it with me to the other side of the world on Wednesday. This is the New Wave Quilt designed by Elizabeth Hartman and offered as a free quilt pattern on her [...]
I spent time with two of my great-nieces recently and they made their first quilts. The HQ Stitch 210 turned out to be perfect for a first-time sewing experience. Based on their excitement, I think it's safe to say I converted them! My nieces are 9 and 12 and they're delightful little people. They are [...]
By Diane Harris, HQ Stitch Brand Ambassador I quilted two projects on a deadline last week, to be published in autumn magazine issues. A looming due date creates some pressure and I don't really enjoy that, but it does force me to finish, and that's a good thing. I used both the HQ Stitch 510 [...]
By Diane Harris, HQ Stitch Brand Ambassador I'm still savoring the images of the amazing show and tell we had at quilt retreat in Colorado a week ago. These were some talented women and I enjoyed seeing their projects. Meredy's miniature butterflies Meredy from Hastings, Nebraska shared this miniature butterfly quilt. The black body patches [...]
By Diane Harris, HQ Stitch Brand Ambassador I hosted a quilt retreat in Colorado last week. Today I'm sharing a few highlights of our time together. A colorful ombré jelly roll became this colorful quilt top. I had never seen an ombré jelly roll made into something so lovely as this quilt top. Now I [...]
