I Earn My Productive Sewing Day the Day Before I’ve learned something about myself over the years. I am not good at constantly switching gears. I can’t happily bounce from laundry to bookkeeping to sewing to dishes to community association business and back to sewing again and expect to feel productive. By the time I’ve switched directions five or six times, my brain is somewhere between “What was I doing?” and “Why am I standing…
Take Your Time With Those Points With This Block of the Month It’s time for another month of our 2026 Challenge Wheel Block of the Month, and this month’s block brings together several familiar units we’ve already used throughout the year. The smaller units within this block should feel pretty comfortable by now. We’ve practiced many of these techniques in previous blocks, so you’ll have a chance to put those skills to work again. However,…
Quilt the Collection: Turning Your Favorite Fabrics Into Something Beautiful Do you have a collection of fabrics that you’ve been lovingly gathering for years? Sometimes it isn’t years, though; sometimes it can be days, weeks, or months. Collecting those favorite fabrics to create a wonderful quilt. Maybe you have fabrics from vacations you’ve taken, fabrics you’ve picked up at quilt shops along the way, or special prints that remind you of a favorite place. Perhaps…
Summer Quilting Ideas When It’s Too Hot to Quilt Summer is finally here! The flowers are blooming, gardens are growing, and many of us are spending more time outdoors. But if you’ve ever tried wrestling a queen-size quilt through your sewing machine when it’s 90 degrees outside, you know quilting and summer don’t always make the perfect pair! The good news? You don’t have to put your creativity on hold until cooler weather arrives. Summer…
July Challenge Wheel Block of the Month Welcome to July’s Challenge Wheel Block of the Month! You can see the grayscale of my fabrics for this block. There is definitely a better contrast this month. But, in saying that, it is ok to not have high contrast – that will evoke a different feeling. Take some time with these smaller block of the month series to test out high contrast versus low contrast fabrics. This…
Challenge Wheel Block of the Month June Challenge Wheel Block of the Month – Let Your Creativity Lead the Way! This month’s Challenge Wheel block is one of those wonderfully satisfying makes—it comes together quickly, but still gives you plenty of room to play and make it your own. I worked my sample block in greyscale again so you can clearly see the value structure without distraction, and it really highlights how powerful light and…
Challenge Wheel Block of the Month for June arrives early The June Challenge Wheel Block of the Month is arriving a little earlier than usual! As many of you know, I love sharing the monthly block challenge right on schedule, but this month will be a little different. I will not have internet access until after June 3rd or the 4th, and rather than make everyone wait, I decided to post everything early — including…
Calming the Chaos by Finishing UFOs There’s something quietly powerful about finishing a project, especially when it comes to finishing UFOs that have been sitting and waiting for far too long. Those unfinished pieces carry a kind of mental weight, lingering in the background of our creative space, and finally completing them brings a deep sense of relief and clarity. Each finished project, no matter how small, feels like reclaiming a bit of energy and…
Challenge Wheel Block of the Month Choice No April Fool’s tricks here… just a brand new block of the month for April! It’s time to head back to the Challenge Wheel, give it a spin, and see what creative twist awaits us this month. I always love this part — that little moment of anticipation before we find out what direction our fabrics (and creativity!) are going to take. Just like in the past few…
Finding Your Style in the Fabrics You Love One of the fun things about quilting is that there is no single “right” way to choose fabric. Some quilters love the lively, unpredictable look of a scrappy quilt, while others prefer the clean, intentional feel of coordinated fabrics. Most of us find ourselves somewhere in the middle. Buying Fabric For many quilters, the choice between scrappy and coordinated starts with how we buy fabric. If you’re…