Black Friday Week

November 26th, 2019

Missouri Star is having a Black Friday week from 11/26-12/1/19 and they are featuring their education academy.  That means that this week, my new Missouri Star ruler work class is 50% off!!!

This class was an incredible deal at its everyday price, but now it’s literally a STEAL!  You’ll be able to finish all kinds of projects in time for holiday gift-giving once you learn how to do ruler work!  If you’re ready to take the plunge, you can get the bargain price by clicking here!

In the meantime, have a great Thanksgiving!

Online Ruler Work Class

November 22nd, 2019

I know…this is the second time I am plugging my new ruler work class with Missouri Star, but it’s REALLY, REALLY good!  You will be surprised by how quickly you’ll be able to pick up the basics and then move on to complex design work using rulers.  The video is so clear, so well lit, and so well shot that I don’t think the instructions could be any clearer than they are.  This class is a bargain at $14.99 and it is money well spent.  I would take it myself if I didn’t already know how to do it!

Even basic straight line ruler work can be transformative to a quilt, and it’s an easy way to highlight a special portion of your quilt and draw the viewer’s eye to exactly where you want it to be!  Don’t even get me started about ruler work curves:

Need I say more?!!  What are you waiting for?!! You can sign up for the class by clicking here.

Latest Quilt I’m Working On

November 17th, 2019

I’m finishing up the quilting for my current hospice donation.  I am madly in love with the background fabric on this quilt.  It’s a shade between blue and purple so I am calling it “blurple.”  It is rich and contrasts really nicely with the vivid colors in the Kaffe Fasset fabrics in the center.  Here’s a shot of it on my machine bed as I’m working on that swirly plumette background:

 

I am a real sucker for having blues and reds/oranges next to one another.  That dramatic contrast just thrills me.  Here is a closer up shot of the background fill design I’m adding to the center section:

 

 

I try to be kind of “light-handed” in adding pebbles between the swirled plumettes.  I do that partly because I don’t like to see large expanses of pebbles and also because this is meant to be a snuggly quilt, not a wall quilt, and pebbles really flatten a quilt.  If you haven’t tried to stitch swirled plumettes yet and want to give it a shot, here’s a video Ern and I made awhile back to show how to do it:

 

 

…and here’s a shot of the wider borders on the outside.  I love quilting these feathers that are tightly curling around in circular formats:

 

 

I’ll post shots of the final quilt once the whole thing is done, but I won’t have a chance to work on this baby again until next weekend.  (Bummer!)

Exciting Announcement – New Online Ruler Class!

November 12th, 2019

 

If you’re a quilter, you know that ruler-guided free motion quilting is all the rage!  Creating beautiful curves and straight line designs is fast, easy, and EXACT when you’re able to trace along the edge of a ruler or template.

 

 

 

Ruler work breathed new life into my quilting when I learned how to do it, and now I love teaching others how to do it as well.  If you haven’t been able to travel to take a class with me, fear no more, as Missouri Star Quilt Company is now launching my beginner level ruler work class online!

 

 

 

This means you’ll be able to learn on your schedule, in the comfort and privacy of your own sewing room, and I’ll be right there with you!  You’ll be able to work at your own pace and pause the class so that you can practice in real time, when the information and instruction is fresh in your mind.  On top of that, there is no dress code…come in your jammies!

 

 

 

 

Learn basic ruler work skills and then learn how to transform those basic skills to build even more complex designs.  The sky’s the limit with ruler work!

 

 

 

 

If you’re on the fence and want an idea of what the class is all about, check out this trailer video and you’ll get an idea of what’s to come:

 

 

 

 

Ready to try it out your self?  Click here and you’ll be taken to the class page on the Missouri Star website where you can join in on the fun!

A Virtual Fall Craft Fair Hosted by QuiltShopGal!

November 11th, 2019

 

Quiltshopgal has done it again…she has organized a virtual fall craft fair this week, just in time for folks to pick up all kinds of beautiful handmade items for the holidays.  Everyday this week, she is featuring new online vendors who are featuring handmade items for sale.  Here is the line up:

 

 

 

 

Monday, Nov 11th

Monday’s Door Prizes are sponsored by:

  • Martingale

  •  By The Yard Calendar

  • Clover Needlecraft, Inc.

Tuesday, Nov 12th

Tuesday’s Door Prizes are sponsored by:

Wednesday, Nov 13th

Wednesday’s Door Prizes are sponsored by:

  • Martingale

  • By The Yard Calendar

  • Clover Needlecraft, Inc.

  • Quilts by Elsie

Thursday, Nov 14th

Thursday’s Door Prizes are sponsored by:

Friday, Nov 15th

Friday’s Door Prizes are sponsored by:

  •  Martingale

  • By The Yard Calendar

  • Clover Needlecraft, Inc.

BUT…she is also offering some fun and small “hunts” on her web site, and if you join in the fun, you are eligible to win some great daily door prizes!  Be sure to visit her blog to get in one the action, and it’s going on NOW!!!!!