Quilting

So much Modern Quilting! Oh, I love it! Let’s talk about my favorite quilting tips, tricks, and how-tos! Learn something new or improve on an old skill.

Tour of My Sewing Room

I thought today we would take a quick detour from the typical quilting and how-to posts. Today, I am inviting you into my space and giving you the grand tour of my sewing room!

This is where all the fun fabric magic happens!

I am so blessed with the space I have. We have a very open floor plan in our home (which is great when you have little kids running around, but not so great if you want to maintain any facade of a clutter-free home! The mess just grows and is visible from everywhere in the house…)

My sewing space is actually just after you walk in the front door, where a “normal” family would have a formal dining space. From the moment we moved in, I knew we weren’t formal dining people… because when you have little kids, carpeted dining areas aren’t the wisest choice.

The formal dining room space became my office/craft space and eventually I gave up the Pinterest worthy interior designer decor and it became my full on quilting space. i.e. I brought in all my crafty junk and just made myself comfortable in here instead of trying to make it look like a magazine spread!

Yes, I’ve considered putting up french doors to hide a little more of the mess in the space but that would block a lot of the natural light in the other rooms which is one of my favorite aspects about our home…

If you are asking yourself… “I wonder if she really cleaned up for these pictures or if it always looks like this?”

Hahahahahaha, the answer is yes… I absolutely cleaned up and usually, my space has 10+ different projects strewn about in varying degrees of completion plus children reading books on the floor… oh and a dog too. She is normally right under my feet while I work.

But I also always promised to keep it real with you, my sweet sewing friends… so while I straightened the clutter, I didn’t take the time to fold all my fabric and make it soooo perfect. I’m honest with myself too and that just not how I function when I create.

Creativity is messy and a little messy is ok!

So without further delay… here it is… my *starry eyed* sewing space 🙂

Let’s start with the wider view of where I work 70% of the time. from left to right, you have my favorite fabrics (oh yes, there is more than just this shelf…), the project time out corner, my embroidery machine (Brother NS1150E), favorite tools, my Janome sewing machine (Janome 3160QDC) and scrap fabric bins. Yes, the back wall is a mirror

The large white table tops are from IKEA (you’ll see a lot of ikea in this room)

I love this corner. The bookshelf holds my favorite fabrics. I have access to all of my thread colors as well as hand quilting supplies.

The timeout corner is that shelf with the orange fabric on it… They need a little time to reflect on how nice it is to work with others and stop making me pull out the seam ripper so much! I’ll pull them out when they have learned their lesson….

I also like to keep my favorite quilting patterns and books/magazines within easy reach on my bookshelf. Though it is slowly growing tighter and tighter on this shelf. 🙂 I also keep loose patterns in a 3 ring binder with clear dividers so I don’t lose pieces or parts.

Hanging on the side of my bookshelf is my embroidery scissors organizer. (this isn’t all of them as some are with on-the-go projects right now) but it is a fun way to be able to see these pretty scissors and use them quickly too!

Another fun area of the bookshelf is my collection of fat quarter fabrics and jelly rolls… please tell me you have an addiction to these little fabric bundles too?

Keeping them all together ensures that if I need only a little bit of fabric or have a small project, I check here for fabric first before cutting into a larger piece of fabric. Also, these are all REALLY cute fabrics that I just couldn’t live without! It makes sense to use them!

Also in this zone of my sewing room is my chocolate stash. It is essential for motivation in the sewing room or when things aren’t going well and I need a little pick me up. If you don’t have a chocolate station, you need one!

PS: There are other treats for when days are REALLY rough… the children do not even know these exist in my house. They are a secret! I absolutely implore you to go and buy these treats because I swear they will make even the worst days just a little bit better 😉 They are soooo gooooood!

This pretty little box actually used to hold some french cookies that I purchased from Homegoods or TJMaxx (I can’t remember which). While the cookies didn’t last long, I found the perfect use for the tin in my sewing room. I love to re-purpose old containers… and as an added bonus, now my hand sewing supplies are easily portable for when I want to take it on the go!

Ugh… I know, this is not your “Pinterest worthy” Photography shot to be bragging about but you know what? I live here… and I rummage through these drawers quite a bit.

That being said. They are really amazing for storage. I have 2 drawer sets from IKEA and use them to prop up the table tops I purchased as my sewing workspace.

A big part of creating your sewing space is filling with with things that bring you joy and creating a room that you never want to leave 🙂

But don’t become over run with dust catchers! Only pick the very best of the best… the very pick of the crop items that you love and proudly display them!

Let’s look a little more into the hidden parts of my sewing room…

This is a peek into the drawer that is closest to me when I am at my sewing machine. As you can see, I have everything that I need close by and it has a home so I know exactly where it is.

Down below my tool drawer is my collection of rulers and acrylic templates for patterns and cutting.

If I buy a fabric bundle or purchase fabrics that coordinate together while I am shopping, I keep the fabrics together in a drawer.

This makes for a quick grab when you need to make a quilt for a gift or need a quick sew. Half the battle of creating a quilt is deciding what fabric to use and what pattern you’re going to sew… this knocks out the majority of that struggle!

I also keep my basting sprays (purchased in bulk with a coupon! woo!) and other prays handy.

Moving over to where more prep work for quilting takes place is my cutting table.

This is actually a drafting table that I got from my dad back in high school. It is adjustable in height and has been a staple in my craft room from day one! Yes, its kind of been around a little while… but we’re not going to discuss technical terms and numbers here!

I have a few different cutting mats on the cutting table to protect the table top and my rotary blade as well.

I like to use containers to coral and organize my tools on top of my cutting table. This also makes it a little safer for wandering little hands that just want to run away with anything they can reach!

Another fun area to dig through is my scrap fabric storage! It is just simple plastic drawers from Target, but it holds oh so much fabric! (I have 2 of these because… you know… I had to organize my fabric in rainbow order. 3 drawers does not fit the whole rainbow. Slightly obsessive and compulsive? yes, I realize that but I have no plans to change :)

If you want more ideas for scrap fabric storage check out this post: Scrap Fabric Storage

Just to the left of my sewing machine, I have all my quick grab tools. I purchased the clear organizer tray on Amazon. It has been 110% worth it to have everything in one place. I think these are mostly used to organize makeup brushes… but they work well for crafts too!

I also have an extra light source for when I’m working in the evenings and the daylight is fading. This is handy for when I’m working on tedious projects.

This is the lamp that I have, if you’re interested. It has different light settings so you don’t have to work by the light of 1,000 suns and you prefer a little soft reading light 🙂 Also, really happy with this investment I made!

The last little area on my table I have that is close to an arms reach away is my big pin cushion and my flatter ironing spray.

This stuff… THIS STUFF!…. it is a recent find of mine, but I can’t imagine why I never heard of it before. If I could stand on the street corner and shout its praises without looking silly, I totally would. It’s that good.

Just a little spritz when you iron and ahhhhh…. perfection beyond what you thought was possible. AND IT SMELLS LOVELY too. Win-win.

My favorite thing about my sewing room is how accessible it is and allows me to work however I please.

I used to have a big ironing board that was from before my husband and I was married and I hated that thing. It was always in the way and it was rather precarious if you ask me. We still have it for when I actually have to iron clothes, but in my sewing room, I use this super simple solution.

Most of what I iron is just 1-2 seams at a time… no need for the BIG OLD ironing board.

I have a cart that I have on wheels right next to my machine. I DIY’d myself an ironing board and now I don’t even have to get up from my chair to iron a quick seam.

Lazy? Perhaps haha… but I prefer to call it efficiency, my friend!

Work smarter, not harder!

The cart is from… *Ding ding ding* You guessed it! IKEA! 🙂 But I’ve also seen a really similar version for a few dollars cheaper at Walmart. We use the Walmart one in the kid’s playroom and I see no difference in quality.

The last section of my sewing room is where I am right now as I am writing this to you today. It is the “office” part and where all of the behind the scenes technical stuff happens…

Did you see that basket on the desk there? I love baskets to group like things together! This one holds my photography equipment. But you can round up anything and give it a home in a nice basket!

Everything HAS a place, everything IN it’s place!

Does that saying drive you crazy? It does my kids haha 🙂 but our home runs so much more smoothly if everything gets put back in the place it belongs… especially our shoes which tend to get separated (I mean seriously, how?)

And I work so much more efficiently in my sewing room if I know where things go and can grab them in a flash.

This computer work area also has one of my favorite and most used pieces of my sewing room… MY DESIGN WALL!

Someday I will do a full tutorial on this baby, but it is really simple to make on a budget that it almost doesn’t need a tutorial. It is so easy!

I used insulation board that you can find at a hardware store (the stuff they put behind drywall I think) and I made a sleeve out of quilt batting to go around it by sewing down each of the long sides. Boom. Done & Voila. Nothing to it, right?

It’s sturdy, light weight and move-able… AND by creating a large sleeve of quilt batting, it is double sided! Can I get a woohoo?!

Your fabric clings to the batting (or you can pin it for a more secure hold) and makes for a really great area to play with placement and fabric arrangements… where the dog (or the kids) won’t come and try to “help” you… not that I don’t adore the help of little hands. I’m just less keen on accepting their advice after I’ve already got it all laid out perfectly...

Do you want to know a secret?

Do you?

Do you?

Do you? 🙂

My design board is about the same width as three KALLAX
single bookshelves (its another IKEA product again!)

Remember how I told you in the beginning how open my house is and if one room is messy they all look messy…. I can “hide” some of our general family office mess and other storage areas behind my design board!

But shhh… Let’s not share that with everyone, ok? 🙂

Whew, I feel like we need a tall glass of sweet tea after all that!

Thank you for stopping by and taking the full tour of my sewing room! I’m, so happy that we got to share this together today and I hope you can take away some fun ideas to implement into your own sewing rooms!

I’m always on the lookout for new and fun ideas…What is your favorite things about your own sewing space?
The BEST Places To Buy Fabric Online!

I love to go shopping for fabric!… (and like a lot of quilters I know…) maybe a little too much? ….. ha… Just kidding… you can never have enough fabric, right? 😉 I have done my fair research of the best places to buy fabric online!

I love love love fabric. Don’t you just love collecting it and using it in beautiful quilts to show it off.

I also love a good bargain so I’ll tell you my secrets on shopping for bargain fabric too! You can also check out my tips on How I find fabric for $2 a yard!

The qualifications I look for in Online Fabric are:
- It MUST be high-quality quilting fabric – No cheaply made fabric that isn’t worth my time.
- I love a good selection of Modern prints – the more I can buy from 1 store, the better I can save on my shipping.
- It isn’t a deal breaker but it certainly helps if I can find a good coupon or FREE shipping, am I right?
My go-to Websites for buying fabric online:

My first go-to website is Fabric.com They have a HUUUUUGE selection of fabric in most every possible collection you can think of. I even wrote an entire blog post on Fabric.com and the evolution of online fabric shopping!

It is a color obsessive quilter’s dream paradise because you can shop by color, fabric type, theme etc.

However, I have found that they don’t carry a lot of the smaller more limited collection prints… so if you’re looking for the super specialized fabric you may have to dig a little deeper into the internet.

How to find the deals: Shop clearance and closeout fabrics first. Then fill in with what you need from the full priced fabric.

Side Note: You can also get an extra 1% discount if you sign up for an ebates account. I swear it used to be 3% so it may change again in the future. I know its not a lot, but if you do any amount of online shopping, it is totally worth signing up for. It’s FREE and you earn cash back for buying your regular purchases online. That’s it. No catch or secrets. ummm did someone say more fabric money? Yes, yes I did! I’ve been using it for about a year now and love love love it!

FatQuarterShop is a store with us quilter’s in mind! I’m talking all the bundles, jelly rolls, layer cakes, quilt patterns, notions and fabric in one beautiful store.

They offer FREE shipping if you spend over $80 – yes, thats kind of a high limit, but oh so easy to get to if you plan you shopping right and buy it all in one place.

There is also a flash sale every single day that I am so tempted by every time I shop. Its 1 product every single day that is deeply discounted for 24 hours and then a new one the next day. who doesn’t love that bargain grab?

There is also these incredibly essential band-aids that no quilter should be without! And at $4.48/box… well we can heal any needle prick, can’t we?

Hawthorne Supply Co has long been a favorite of mine! It is run by a husband and wife that are just adorable.

They have a good selection of sale fabrics and their site is absolutely beautiful and easy to navigate to find exactly what you are looking for quickly.

They also have great giveaways on their site frequently… I have never been fortunate enough to win one but… I must keep trying because you never know, right?

Keepsake Quilting is a wonderful site for quilting fabrics! Oh, they have a fine collection, yes they do!

They also have a great selection of notions, patterns and clearance fabrics too!

I couldn’t help it… their name drew me in bu their fabric selection brings me back again and again. Thousands of bolts is just what their name says – so much fabric!

… and it is organized by color too so its easy to pull together the look you have in your mind when you are planning a quilt but don’t know exactly what you need.

They also have specials on fabrics for just over $5 a yard!

Clair’s Fabrics is a lovely (Australian) shop. It is full of such wonderful modern and contemporary prints and fabrics. I feel like I get lost in a wonderland looking through the selections!

You can even shop by designer which is a nice touch if you have your favorites and want to shop quick to see whats new!

First of all… a Pink Castle logo! duh…. second of all, really great deals on pre-cuts and bundles! Pink Castle Fabrics is a hot spot for quick and easy shopping.

Bloomerie is a super well organized online shopping experience and I have never had one single issue with my order.

I usually find several fun finds in their sale section as well

This darling website is just that… everything is just adorable and I want it all. The people who work to curate the bundles at Cottoneer are absolutely gifted in what they do. I envy their talents with all my fabric loving heart.

Fabricworm has been in the business of fabric obsessing for over 10 years now. I love their selection of Japanese Imported fabrics.

One of my last (but certainly only scratching the surface of online fabric shopping) is Connecting Threads.

First of all – free shipping on your first order when you join their email list (yay!)

Once you’re in, you can shop by color, fabric use, type etc. This makes it easy to go straight to what you’re looking for.

*Whew!* Thats was a little long winded but I hope you have found a new store or two to browse through this evening 🙂 Go shopping and enjoy the best places to buy fabric online!

There are so many fabrics out there just waiting for you to scoop them up and turn them into something wonderful!

What about you? Where are you favorite places to shop for fabric?
Jelly Roll Quilt Size Guide

I just had to share this pretty queen sized jelly roll quilt with you that I recently finished. Its almost too pretty to be the on the back!

Here is the front of the quilt. It is a quilt for my daughter’s bed. She is 10 and *loves* unicorns… I mean, who doesn’t, right?

This is a pattern I designed myself. I’ve thought about jazzing it up with some instructions and releasing it on my site, what do you think? Are you interested?

I’ve been collecting Unicorn fabric for about a year now… not just any unicorn fabric though, neon like the sunset sky, neon pink! ~~Needless to say, I ended up with way more than I needed, but a healthy collection to choose from.~~ FYI: Most of the neon fabric came from different Cotton + Steel Fabrics.

So… I could keep going… Quilts are super fun to take pictures of! 🙂

But the real star of today’s post is totally this queen-sized jelly roll quilt that I made for the back of my unicorn fabric quilt!

Just look at how lovely all these colors look together!

I made my strips 2.5″ wide x 40″. It is a TON of strips!

I love the way it turned out! It’s a tough call to say if I would do them at 2.5″ again or not if I decide to jelly roll another quilt.

In hindsight, I SHOULD have made them a little larger, maybe 3.5″ or even 5″… There is a LOT of fabric wasted in the seams of this quilt.

Also, this long initial piecing strip of fabric went on for at least a few miles, I swear 😉

I was inspired to create something fun and different with this quilt… a little off the normal ‘jelly roll’ method! And look what I did!

Do you see the little smaller blocks? This is probably my most favorite detail to the quilt back. I cut some of my strip up into 2.5″ squares and randomly placed them in with my longer strips.

When I say randomly, I really mean randomly! Always in groups of 4 to give it a little more visual interest and tried not to let similar fabrics “touch” (when I say this I feel like a toddler who can’t have the peas on her plate touch her pasta or the ketchup touch the chicken without having a meltdown”) I just see no point in putting the same fabrics next to each other because it will look like one continuous piece of fabric!

The result is this beautiful mix of long strips in traditional jelly roll fashion with some confetti of smaller blocks to jazz it up and make it fun!

Here is a formula that I used to determine the sizing for my Jelly Roll Quilt…

I suggest you take a moment and do your math properly because what I did was just jump in and I ended up doing a little more figuring out in the middle than I probably should have. — Live and learn, right?

The Jelly Roll Formula (AKA Do this first!)

A formula to just figure out how many strips you need for your Jelly Roll Race Quilt is:

(inches wide x number of rows) / 40″ strip = number of strips needed

*Number of rows is your quilt height divided by the height of your jelly roll – ex: a 2.5″ jelly roll strip will be a 2″ height strip with the seam allowance taken out.*

*Also, while your fabric may be a little wider than 40″, remember that you’ll take out the selvage and you’ll also take out a bit for seam allowance.*

Remember, the length will be determined by the number of rows and that is a set number. Only the width is completely flexible.

To add to your length you will have to make two separate pieces and sew them together.

If you think you could run a little short, just add in a few extra strips to be safe!

Other Jelly Roll Size Guides

Maybe you don’t want to make a queen sized quilt? Here are other guidelines for Jelly roll quilts!

Baby sized Jelly Roll Quilt

(20) 40″ strips – Your finished top will be a little bigger than 32.5″ x 50″. You can also cut those strips in half ‐ from (20) 40” strips to (40) 20” strips so your small quilt will have a more mixed stripe look. Shorter strips = more busy colors and fabric variation.

Lap Sized Jelly Roll Quilt

(40) 40″ strips or (80) 20″ Strips – This will yield a lap quilt that is about 50″x 64.5″.

Twin Sized Jelly Roll Quilt

(70) 40″ strips, or (140) 20″ strip – Your finished size will be close to 64″ x 88″.

Note: Make this by creating two sets with 35 strips. This will make two quilt tops that are approximately 87.5″ x 32.5″, and then sew them together to make your 87.5”x 64.5″ top.

Queen Sized Jelly Roll

(105) 40″ strips, or (210) 20″ strips – Standard Queen size is 86 x 93.

See the method used in the twin sized quilt – Use 3 sets of 35 strips to make 3 segments measuring 87.5″ x 32.5″ and then sew together side by side. Your finished top size will be approx. 87.5″ x 96.5″. You can trim down or you can leave it a little larger for maximum snuggle quilt size!

King Size Jelly Roll

(120) 40″ strips, or (240) 20″ strips ‐ Standard King size is 104″ x 93″. We can create one that is 100″ x 96.5″ using the jelly roll method and then you can add borders or sashing to make it a little larger.

Make it in 3 segments – 40 strips in each. Stop when each segment is 100″ x 32.5″. Sew all three together and you’ll have your king sized top!

To make a custom sized jelly roll…..

This is the general formula you should use…

[(Length/2) x Width]/40 = number of strips you’ll need!

I hope that helps you create your very own custom sized jelly roll quilts!

Let me know if you use this formula and if you have any questions!

Happy Sewing!
What Quilting Rulers Should I buy?

Yay for you! The decision to buy the right quilting tools is a big step towards being a really great quilter! But “which quilting rulers should I buy?” is often the very first questions most people ask.

*If you are more advanced in quilting, I have suggestions for FMQ (free motion quilting) and longarm quilting rulers towards the bottom of this post!*

I mean honestly, when you’re staring at a hundred different shapes and sizes… circles and squares, normal looking rulers and ones that look like they’re straight out of some sci-fi fiction glowing universe… yeah, it can totally get overwhelming. I get you…

I’m going to go through the reasons you should own at least a few (hint: you don’t need ALL of them!), exactly which ones you absolutely should own and what to expect cost wise because…

Quilting tools can add up real fast if you’re easily swayed into buying everything that is pretty and promises to make you the greatest quilter alive. So let’s not forget that aspect! Unless you’re a billionaire chances are most likely that budgeting is something that you keep in check.
(if you are a billionaire can we be friends? I make really great cookies and I’m totally a hilarious wing woman.)

So let’s go through it, shall we?

Why do I need Quilting Rulers/Guides?

With the right tools, you’ll find that your work is easier and your skills and accuracy will soar skyward! – I am not even joking.

If you’ve quilted for even a little bit, you’ll know that accuracy is important… no, wait. It is the golden key to quilting, because if you’re off even a little bit… The puzzle pieces don’t line up. Things can get all askew…. Then you are spending time with the darn seam ripper again and… and…. aaaannnddd…. ARGH!

*Don’t even get me started….*
- Quilting Rulers are clear. You can see through them to get precision that is un-matchable to whatever straight edge you can find in your house that you’ve been telling yourself will ‘work for now‘.
- Fussy cutting is a breeze when you can see straight through your ruler… oh yes, it is magical! 😉
- The measurements and guides are marked clearly and are easy to follow. – My personal favorites are the neon tools, from The Gadget Girls (http://www.thegadgetgirls.com). Not only are they bright and fun colors, but the markings are actually etched into the tools so the guides actually glow nice and bright no matter what fabric you have behind it!
- I don’t have scientific reasoning for this but when you have the right tools… you just work better, smarter and more efficient. Your brain energy isn’t spent trying to figure out how you can DIY this or that or get by without… you have the focus to put into your quilting!
I held off for the longest time on purchasing quilting rulers. Being a young mom – (baby formula will eat your budget alive!) I felt guilty spending even more money on myself because I was already conservatively buying fabric when I could. I just couldn’t justify it… until… another quilter friend said:

How are you going to cook if you don’t have a stove? You could go build a fire in the backyard and get by, yes, but wouldn’t the investment on proper cookware be worth more than getting by and dealing with the current limits and frustration?

Of course, you don’t need a stove to quilt, (and we’re well equipped in our kitchen thanks to the foodnetwork making my husband and I feel like we could totally kill it on Iron Chef) but I heard her loud and clear.

I was wasting time using things around the house to cut my straight edges – and if you know me, then you know that Christen does NOT like to waste time. At all. I like to be a productive machine and live my life to the fullest volume possible! Any wasted time away from my family is unacceptable.

I was blinded by the thought of not wanting to spend a little money on myself and my passion: quilting.

Do you hear me on this?

**PS – I’m going to link these to the rulers on the Gadget girls website because I really feel like of all the rulers that I have owned, they are the best quality and my personal favorite 🙂

Ok, so… Bare Minimum – What do I need?

Let me make this next part clear…. you don’t have to go out and buy everything in the world or spend a fortune right this very second. And I’m not just saying that to make you feel good. I mean it. Don’t think you have to spend a ton of money to be good at quilting! You can do a whole lot with just a little!

If you want to start your collection of rulers and you are ready to make that jump, here is what I suggest. Pick and choose a la carte what fits your needs:

6″x12″ Ruler – This ruler is probably my best friend in the sewing room (but don’t tell the others that, ok?) It is an easy size to square up your littles and make those quick cuts. All the guidelines are invaluble!

6″x24″ Ruler – I know what you’re thinking… “Isn’t that almost like the 6″x12″?” and yes, you’re right EXCEPT that your fabric is 40″ wide and folded in half, I can use this big daddy ruler to make one single clean cut all the way across my fabric… I am like a genie. It is AMAZING. I have never once regretted purchasing this ruler. I also use it to help square up my quilt. – It gets used on every single quilt i make.

Even-ups or Square Rulers – These beauties are pretty much the crown jewels of my quilting blocks. They come in a variety of sizes and shapes. As you can see, they already have the seam allowance accounted for and they make squaring up 458 (yep…I did that…) 2″ blocks and HST a breeze.

I would suggest at minimum buying the even measurements – 2″, 4″, 6″, and 10″ or 12″ – You can buy every size in between and even larger for t-shirt quilts that you want to make as easy as possible.

Pssst: they also come in triangles and hexagons AND half-hexies! (you have to scroll through the diff pages on the website to see them all) – *Swoon* OMG! I know, girl. Perfect triangles with like no effort… surely we must be dreaming, but no. It is totally real and it is totally wonderful.

How much should I look to spend?

This is always a question people ask and this is always where I have a hard time answering.

Usually, rulers are anywhere from $12-$30ish each. Some are more, it just depends on the purpose and the size of the ruler.

Honestly, buy what you can out of the list I mentioned above. If you can’t buy them all, don’t sweat it. There are so many different ones out there but you will be doing great with just the essentials!

Start with the 6″x12″ and really work that ruler! If you use it for a little bit, you may get a better idea of what you should buy next based on what your most used size pieces are.

Is a holiday coming up? Your Birthday? Christmas? ~~…um… Arbor day, perhaps?~~ Ask someone you love for what you need (nicely)! I don’t want to hurt any feelings but none of us NEED another pretty candle, do we?

I really hope you found this guide to rulers useful. If you are hungry for more, I will be making a video on rulers really soon. I’ll be including the ways I use my rulers plus some tips to store them and keep them essential in your sewing room!

You can check out my YouTube channel here.

A Word to my FMQ and Longarm Quilters…

YOU! My lovely beautiful creative quilters, you…. You are amazing and I am truly inspired by the beauty that you create… are you looking to up your quiling ruler collection a little bit too?

FMQ does not have to be impulsive or make it up as you go – You can make it a little more structured with quilting rulers that you trace around either with your needle or a fabric marker.

You’ll get drool worthy perfect quilting patterns that you can then quilt on your machine! The classic baptist fan pattern? A cinch when you have this right here.

Check out the remarkables section on the Gadget Girl’s website for every shape you could possibly imagine!

With these tools, your quilting is going to be so lit… which means really really awesome.

Let me know what you think!
A letter to quilters: You can’t pour from an empty cup… and other things I should listen to

I absolutely adore quilting. I can’t picture what my life would be like without this outlet that I have (actually, yes, I can… but it is not very pretty)

I love to share all the tips and tricks with you that I learn through my experience (i.e. – when I learned how NOT to do something) and things that I just think everyone should know.

I love to hear back from people and read the comments on my posts.

I received an email this past week that said…

“I don’t know how you do it all… I can barely find time to breathe, much less make a whole quilt. I feel like I’m missing something that other quilters have in making this work.”

First off, I’m flattered that someone would think that I can do it all, even though you are so dead wrong! haha You should just drop by for tea sometime and look at my house… wait, no. I take that back. Don’t do that. It is such a mess here. It is more like a circus around here than not!

But here’s the thing: I also have it on my heart to tell you the honest truth in everything too.

You know I will be real with you. This is an open letter to you & to my people – my quilting friends.

This is a list of a few words of advice that I wish more of us would listen to. Read it, put it into practice and I promise you that your quilting and your well being will improve. *that is worth a pinky promise even!*

There is no rule that says you have to have it all together.

I have looked for the magic answers. I tried to solve all the tetris scheduling hacks and morning routines etc to make myself more productive. My stack of self-help and productivity books is a collection that I secretly love and am not ashamed of. 🙂

A lot of them will get you organized and help you get a handle on your to-do list so that (at least some of) it gets done.

You can get kind of close to having it all together. However, if you are looking for perfection you will always be looking for that missing piece.

Please take to heart that the only person demanding you to have everything ‘all together’ is… you. If you wouldn’t expect anyone else to be able to handle your schedule, job demands or parental requirements without falling apart… then that should clue you in that maybe, just maybe… you’ve got too much on your plate.

You can’t pour from an empty cup

Every single person is a caretaker.

The quilting community is full of the most generous and kindest people I have ever met.

You might be a wife, a friend, a teacher You may be a momma to little kiddos. You may be a momma to bigger kids or even grown adults now… I believe we are all called to be caretakers in one form or another.

However, you are completely useless if you run dry and empty.

You can’t pour from an empty cup. The other half of that statement is: Take care of yourself first.

Personally, one of the lowest “empty cup” moments in my life was when I had thrown myself into trying to work again after the birth of my second baby. I was a few months in and I cried… a lot. I couldn’t pin point what it was. Hormones? Was this the point in my life where I just lose it? Was I always going to be like this now?

I remember that I decided enough was enough and I looked at myself like I look at my toddler. Then I said (outloud to myself in the car) “Would you like a snack and then maybe a nap?” to which I answered with a sobbing ‘yeeessssssssss‘ and I did just that.

I was empty and I set out to pour some self-love back in my soul. (This was in the form of a snickers, some yogurt and a 30 minute nap. Don’t go thinking I ran off to the beach for the weekend!)

This point in my life was when I really got into quilting. 🙂 Quilting became my outlet. I make things for my family and for the people I love but the time spent at the machine is mine.

Quilting is whatever you want it to be

Don’t let anyone tell you how you should quilt. If you think the polka-dots look fabulous with that black and white stripe… it totally does. Call it bold modern art and embrace it!

Quilting is an art. And I love the art world because absolutely no one can tell you what to do. 🙂 Just ask Picasso, Dali, Seurat, Pollock (I love art history… I could go on)

So go be the boss of your quilts and be proud of them and be proud of yourself as a fabric artist!

If you regularly practice these few tips for self-care, you’ll notice a big difference

Self care looks a little different for each person, but for me the times when I focused on getting these into my weeks vs just trying to survive… it is night and day for my stress levels.
1. Eat like you would encourage your kids to eat – i.e. take in a few veggies every now and then. Make an effort to get a balanced diet.
2. Sleep – Pick a decent bedtime and try to shoot for within 30 minutes of that time every single night to stay consistent.
3. Schedule your fun like you schedule your work – We have a running Friday night movie/pizza night appointment in our house. And every other Saturday we do a big family fun day. We also schedule random game nights and I’ll throw in a Mom & Dad date night when we need it too.
4. Make a playlist of your jam songs for when you need it – put on some fun music and crank it up. This is a wonderful way to pump up your funky moody days
5. Make your space smell nice – Its just an easy boost to your mood when all your senses are engaged 🙂
6. Long hot showers are a gift to yourself – Not every day, of course (no one has THAT much extra time) but if you have an extra minute. Get it steamy and breathe deep. Force yourself to relax.
7. Take a cozy night in to dream – these are my favorite. I get out my spiral, a pen, and my planner. I look at my calendar and plan out my next projects according to any holidays, birthdays etc… or just make time for something I want to try. Allow yourself a little time to dream and then make a plan!
8. 10 minute declutter sessions – declutter something. anything. It doesn’t have to take all day or be the whole house at one time. Just start with one drawer or one pile.
9. Make double of a favorite dinner and swap one with a friend or freeze – Same amount of dirty dishes to make 2 meals as it is to make 1 and you get a night off later 🙂
10. Use the good stuff – Yes, those dishes that are for when company comes over, that wine that you’ve been saving, the pretty table linens. Use it. wear your pearls (mine are the plastic kind but I still feel chic). Be fancy and enjoy it!
I hope that gives you a few little things that you can put into practice to today to make sure that your cup doesn’t run dry…

…because you are worth every single drop of a full cup! 🙂

What do you do to fill yourself back up when you’re running low? Please share with me in the comments so I can draw from your experience too!
5 Steps You Can Take to Gain Confidence in Your Quilting!

Hi there! Do you know what it feels like to have it all together? Like really, all together… Your life is perfect. It is amazing! You have the time to quilt and you’ve already learned all the skills to perfection. YOU are a master quilter now!

Do you know how perfect that feeling is!?

………………….. yeah, me either.

I can guess that you maybe DO know the feeling that you’re struggling and the pattern you once felt joy for suddenly now might as well be in Greek…. and if you have to pull that seam ripper out ONE MORE TIME… ARGH! (Well… let’s not go there right now)

If you are looking to gain confidence in your quilting skills…

This is the real truth is this…

You’re not alone! We all feel less than confident from from time to time. I have seen it in every single quilter that I have ever met.

In fact, I was having a conversation with a quilter friend just today. She has been quilting A LOT longer than I have and I watched her struggle with matching some of the pieces in her pattern. the planets were all out of line and for whatever reason… it just wasn’t working right.

It just was one of those days.

I thought that as much quilting as she had under her belt and as many years experience in classes etc, SURELY she must be so confident in her skills that she never ever second guessed herself! No way!… I was apparently wrong.

This really brought about a new feeling of love and appreciation for quilting for me. We’re all the same and we all struggle with confidence, no matter how long you’ve been quilting!

5 Actionable Steps to Gain Confidence in Your Quilting Skills:

1. Give up on perfection.

(Hear me out, ok? I’m not telling you to give up everything and quit.)

When you take perfection off the table as an option, things always get a little easier.

Just strive for being better than you were yesterday. I promise you will be amazed at what you can accomplish if you work in small steps!

How do you eat an elephant? – One bite at a time.

As for your quilts – we all want them to be the absolute best they can be! Especially if your quilt recipient is a really cherished loved one.

Really be honest with yourself and know your limits. If you’ve only made 1 or 2 quilts so far, a king sized quilt maaaaay be a bit of a leap for you instead of the small step you should be looking for (hello, me in 2013 – I speak from experience on this one)

2. Step just slightly outside of your comfort zone

I wrote an entire blog post on this. You can read the whole thing here. I highly recommend you give it a read.

Cliff notes version is this: Stagnant water grows stinky and yucky. Its not flourishing with life and new amazing things!

If you feel like you even sort of have an idea what you’re doing, it is time move forward to kick it up a notch!

If you see a new pattern or idea that kind of scares you a little bit, but you love it… figure it out as you go. Challenge yourself and learn how to make it happen.

I’m not saying it is going to be easy, but imagine how amazing you’ll feel once you’ve finished it. It will be worth it!

3. Take a class

blow the dust off and g learn something new! Make your brain work a little bit.

This is a great way to build your confidence! The more comfortable you are with a variety of different skills, the less daunting some of the others will seem.

Me, when I figured out how to do the quilt binding and it actually looked good? – boom! I was ready to take on the world! hallelujah! note: I made a video to show step by step how I do my quilt bindings.

You can check out your local quilt shops and see if they can point you in the right direction for local classes or you can check out a few online classes. I personally really love Bluprint (formerly known as Craftsy). You can search absolutely everything there.

4. Teach

You don’t have to teach a whole lecture in front of 100 people!

Just find the kid down the street who seemed interested in your sewing machine or invite another friend over who is curious about quilting with some of the old fabric she has laying around.

Bonus points if they already know how to sew a little bit and you can learn from each other. Work on a project together!

5. Don’t let failure scare you

This is a hard one to learn sometimes, but goes along with what I said earlier on shooting for small steps forward instead of frustrating big leaps.

If you know if your heart that you are not quite ready for a quilting skill or pattern, but still really want to try it… go for it. You may surprise yourself. -or- you may fall flat on your face in a heap of ‘well that didn’t work out‘. ouch.

Either way, don’t let it deter you from setting it aside to come back to it later and move on to trying other things!

You never know if you don’t even try, right?

In conclusion, confidence isn’t something you just inherantly have. It is something you build over time.

If you want to gain confidence in your quilting skills, you’re going to have to work at it. Give yourself win after win and really allow yourself be proud of what you accomplish!

Quilting isn’t always easy and we all have our struggle days… but the more you can move forward with these 5 steps, the more you will really let that confidence flourish inside of you.

Hey! Let me know what you do on your worst quilting days and how you give yourself a pep-talk when things aren’t going your way. I would love to hear it! 🙂