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12 Minis in 12 Months

Child’s Play Quilts

I am so excited to be able to participate in Stacey's book tour for her new book Child's Play Quilts. This book is absolutely darling, and jam-packed with a huge variety of quilt ideas.  There are traditionally-pieced quilts and  appliqué quilt patterns. There are also tips for fabric sorting, choosing fabric, and working with your own stash. I got the chance to make a portion of this darling Apple Blossom quilt from the book: I chose to use up some Tula Pink scraps from her Eden Fabric Collection. I love the traditional feel of this quilt and can't wait until I have time to make a full version of this great timeless design. Stacey's instructions are perfect for quick piecing methods, so you'll be able to put it together fast! I added this mini quilt to my mini gallery wall and am excited that I have my April #12minisin12months Mini quilt completed...

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12 Minis in 12 Months

Needles and Thread

As I prepare to begin any sewing project, I always make sure to start with a few important things: (1) Some good fabric, (2) good cutting tools (which I shared more about in my last post), and (3) some good thread, and a great needle. In this post, I want to focus on my favorite types of thread and needles. I have used many kinds of thread over the years, and many of them have been very good. However, there is one thread that I’ve come back to over and over again. I know that I might be biased, since this company is headquartered in my neck of the woods—Saint George, Utah. Nonetheless, I’ve been a big fan of Superior Threads for the past 10+ years. I’m particularly fond of the So Fine! #50 thread line. They have more thread lines to choose from than I care to try and count,...

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6 Tips to Improve Your Cutting Accuracy
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12 Minis in 12 Months

6 Tips to Improve Your Cutting Accuracy

One of the most common problems that happens with quilts is inaccurate measurements and cutting. This keeps the seams from lining up exactly and results in crooked lines and uneven angles, which take away from the integrity of the quilt’s design. It can also cause problems in the quilting process, leaving tucks and folds in the fabric. Here are 6 tips to improve your cutting accuracy, so that your quilts will come out looking prim and precise. Three of the tips are for selecting your notions, and the other three are for the process of actually cutting your fabric. Get a great rotary cutter. This will ensure that your cutter doesn’t “skip” as you make your cuts. I am particularly fond of the Splash rotary cutters. (I am guilty of owning three, with the fourth on its way. Have you seen the new pink ones?!) Anyway, I love the...

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12 Minis in 12 Months

4 Tips for Sewing with Vinyl

*This post was inspired by How to Sew. Vinyl can be a really useful material to use for a bunch of different types of projects, like my Hello Pouches pattern. Since it's see-through, the vinyl allows you to see inside the pouch without actually opening. This is only one of the many applications of vinyl in projects.  However, sewing with vinyl can be tricky because it sticks to your pressing foot. It's also much thicker than regular fabric, and it doesn't maneuver the same, either. Sometimes, this means broken needles if you don't take the right precautions. Here are 4 tips you can use to sew with vinyl: 1. Use a size 90 needle. Since vinyl is so much thicker and less pliable than normal fabric, it requires a special needle. Otherwise, you'll end up with a bunch of broken needles and an unfinished project. A thicker needle (specifically size 90) will do the...

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12 Minis in 12 Months, Blog Tour, Foundation Fabric, Hello Pouches, Knot and Thread Design, Mini Quilt, Sassafras Lane, Sew-A-Long

Foundation Fabric Blog Tour

I was more than thrilled when Shayla from Sassafras Lane asked if I would participate in her Foundations Fabric Blog Tour.  Foundation is a fabric line designed by Shayla for Windham Fabrics  with the perfect rainbow palette. Ever since I released my Hello Pouches pattern I have wanted to do a little improv piecing work on the base of the pouches.  These fabrics gave me the perfect opportunity. I especially loved quilting my pouches with these prints. Each hand drawn print created the most perfect quilting lines to follow. I accented the rainbow patchwork with mini pipping which highlighted the colors so nicely.   I am also hosting a Sew-A-Long through the year of 2018. #12minisin12months A mission to create more mini quilts for my sewing space while connecting to other creatives and improving and learning new skills.  I couldn't pass up the opportunity to create my February Mini from this Foundation fabric.  Here...

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12 Minis in 12 Months, Mini Quilt, Sew-A-Long, Tutorials

How To Choose Fabric For Your Mini Quilts

I'm so excited to have you all along for this mini creative journey this year. I have already been so inspired by your incredible mini quilts! Part of the reason why I wanted to plan this mini quilt sew along was to share simple tips to help improve your quilting and sewing skills. For this first "tips and techniques" post, I want to go over how to choose fabric for your mini quilt projects. Choosing your fabric is, in my opinion, one of the very best parts of any project! Whether you're at the quilt shop or digging through your fabric stash or scrap bin, you are working with a fresh canvas and taking the first step in bringing a new creation to life. Have fun picking your colors, prints, and textures for your creation!                           Here are my four tips: Choose high-quality fabric. This may sound obvious, but there is a difference...

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12 Minis in 12 Months, Mini Quilt, Sew-A-Long

12 Minis in 12 Months Schedule

Hello quilty friends, I've outlined below what tips I'm going to cover this year as part of my resolution to create more often with mini quilts. Each month, as I post new tips, I'll link to the post from this page, so you can always come back to this page if you need help finding a post. January: Introduction February: Choosing fabrics March: Cutting tips April: Needles and thread May: Piecing & pressing tips June:  Quilting tips July: Binding Tips August: Pattern favorites September:  Paper piecing tips October: English Paper piecing tips November: Display December: Final post I want to give special thanks to the generous sponsors of this sew-along—they are the reason I have so many great items to give away to you every month! You can look forward to fabulous giveaways from: Lella Boutique Sassafrass Lane Moda Fabrics Quilters Dream Batting Hobbs Batting Patterns By Annie Soak Wash Superior Threads Cluck Cluck Sew Creative Grids Clover Jaybird Quilts Thimble Blossoms Riley Blake Designs

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12 Minis in 12 Months, Sew-A-Long

12 Minis in 12 Months Sew-Along Pt. 2

It's that special time of year full of new beginnings and fresh starts. I've got some new plans of my own, and I'd like you to join with me on this new year's resolution: to connect more, and to create more. My friend Kelsey (Instagram @spoolsandspice) moved across the country this past year, and we wanted to do something that would help us keep in touch. Sewing quilts and sharing them with each other is the perfect reason to reconnect and remember our dear friendship. However, we are both busy working to support our husbands in school. Since, for most of us, finding spare time is like trying to find a dropped needle in a shag rug, we wanted to plan something that would be more digestible and less overwhelming than a full-size quilt. I also live in a tiny two-bedroom apartment that still lacks decorations in a few of the rooms....

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