Tips for Making Rag Quilts
Rag quilts are fun and easy to make. They are very forgiving in many ways, and sewing them together is somewhat easier than piecing a patchwork quilt. Here are a few tips that might make the construction of your rag quilt even easier: Fabric 100% cotton homespun plaids or flannels work really ...
Applique Animals on a Quilt
Each year when my kids were in elementary school, their teachers were the recipients of a quilt. The design for the quilt generally came from an idea that they had, and we converted into a quilt. One year, quilting daughter Stephanie found this Thank You card and decided that it would be ...
Host a Charm Pack "Swap Meet"
A purchased package of Charm Squares Sure, you can go buy charm squares. There is a great selection of charm fabrics out there. You could also take a more fun approach to growing your charm collection by organizing a charm swap. The first step is to determine t ...
Sashiko Quilts and Stitching
Sashiko is a Japanese stitching technique that can be used for embroidery or otherwise reinforcing sewn projects like quilts. The technique is rather simple to master. It’s just a running stitch. As a matter of fact, “sashiko” means “little stabs” in Japanese. That’s exactly what a running ...
Scrap Quilt with Hearts
If you have ever made a scrap quilt, you might have noticed that, in some ways, it is more difficult to make than a quilt using all new fabric. Several years ago, I took a workshop and made the little heart wall hanging shown below. The project was to take quarter-square triangle patches m ...
Fleece-Backed Quilts
m. mouse here - i just love soft and cuddly fabrics - whether it is flannel (like i'm lying on here) or fleece. when i'm curled up on a fleece blanket, i remember seeing quilting daughter stephanie curled up with her fleece blanket (you can see it below). the thing is not only are they sof ...
English Paper Piecing and Grandmother's Flower Garden Quilt
Nothing says “springtime” quite like a beautiful flower garden. For quilters, that translates to “Grandmother’s Flower Garden.” This quilt is made up of hexagon pieces that are stitched together using the English paper piecing technique. English paper piecing is a ...
Crazy Quilts
Some quilters shy away from crazy quilting. It seems so ornate and must be very difficult – after all, how could fabrics so randomly placed give such an exquisite look? The truth is that crazy quilting provides an opportunity to use stitches, techniques and fabrics you might not otherwis ...
A 3-D Rainbow Quilt
When quilting daughter Stephanie was about 6, she drew a picture of a rainbow with a little rose in the corner. One day, I was looking for inspiration for a new quilt and came across the picture. It was a time in quilting when quilts with pleats were popular. Merging the two ideas, I created t ...
Fat Quarter Quilts
By Rose Smith, Ludlow Quilt and Sew Do you find yourself picking up fat quarters of fabric because you love the fabric? Do you then find that you're not sure how to use them? Yep, that's me. I have loads of fat quarters that I've picked up over the years, but somehow they are never quite ...
Broken Star or Star of Bethlehem Quilt
Broken Star or Star of Bethlehem quilt The sun was not kind to the quilt in this picture. The colors of the quilt are blues and peaches. That aside, this quilt design is called a Broken Star or Star of Bethlehem. The Star of Bethlehem is one of the oldest and most familiar of all th ...
Designing a Clamshell Quilt
I'll admit that for years, I looked at quilts that used a clamshell pattern and just stared wondering how to sew them together - let alone design one. I thought it would be much too difficult for me to stitch together, so I didn't even consider buying a pattern and following someone else's des ...
Amish Quilts
You know, not just anyone can make an Amish quilt. Amish quilts are made by Amish people. The Amish quilting tradition goes even deeper than that. Bettina Havig says in her book “Amish Quiltmaker,” that there is a difference between Amish quilts and Amish made quilts. Amish quilts ...
A Bluework Quilt Can Be a Great Quilt as You Go Project
As I was remembering that today is Bird Day, I thought about the lone quilt that was left by my grandmother. My mother's mom was a seamstress, focusing mostly on clothes. However, she did make at least one quilt. My other grandmother had no interest in sewing, she raised animals - horses, dog ...
Stack-n-Whack Quilts
What is stack and whack quilting? It’s a fabric cutting technique that is exactly what it’s name implies. Fabric is stacked and quilt pieces are cut (or, whacked). You might be surprised at the unusual look this technique can achieve in your quilting projects. In one style, sta ...
Fun and Easy Rag Quilting
The first time I heard the term “Rag Quilting,” I though it had something to do with using big, long rags of fabric and somehow weaving them together to make a quilt. Boy, was I wrong! It turns out that rag quilting got its name from the ragged edges on the quilt. No doubt in my ...
A Log Cabin Heart Quilt
Whether it’s Valentines’ Day, Mothers’ Day, or just another day to say “I love you,” this quilt or wall hanging is easy to make and will make your loved one smile all year long. The key to the design in a log cabin quilt or wall hanging is to determine how you ...
What is the difference between a Cathedral Window Quilt and a Stained Glass Quilt?
Sometimes there is a little confusion between Cathedral Window and Stained Glass quilts. Cathedral Window quilts are very unique. First of all, they are not really quilts. There is no batting or backing, so they don’t really fit the definition. But quilters are drawn to this quilt desi ...
What is a Stack and Whack Quilt?
Stack and whack quilts are so much fun to create. They are full of motion and imagery that traditional quilts just don’t have. You may have heard them referred to as kaleidoscope quilts because of the unique image the pieces create. They really do have a kaleidoscope effect. The key to cr ...
How do you make a crazy quilt?
Sew Your Crazy Quilt Together Using the Quilt as You Go Technique - That's How The Original Crazy Quilts were Done! Crazy quilts were possibly the origin of the quilt as you go technique. Each square of a crazy quilt is finished, and then the squares are sewn together to make the quilt. ...