During the Fall, quilting projects can take on a new flair. One fun project that you can do with your quilting is Thanksgiving placemats or even a Thanksgiving runner for the table. You can cover these with a clear plastic. Everyone can enjoy the projects without taking the chance of ruining the placemats or runners.

Gather up all your scrap pieces of fabric that are in Fall colors. You can make some very beautiful and eye catching fireplace mantle runners to display during the cooler months. Take down all the knick-knacks and place a small candle with a Fall wreath around it for your fireplace center piece and to draw attention to the quilted runner.

Another fun Fall project for quilting is an attractive mouse pad. You can quilt a medium sized mouse pad with virtually any theme. Place the finished project on your desktop. Cover with a piece of cut, clear plexi-glass. You now can enjoy your new mouse pad all through the Fall and Winter without getting the quilting piece dirty.

There are many fun uses for quilting projects that you can enjoy all around your home. Fall is a great time to use scrap pieces for smaller projects that can be done in one or two evenings. Some of these also make great gift items for the holidays for family and friends.

Fall festivals are a terrific way to show off your quilting treasures. Now is the time to check your local area for upcoming events if you haven’t already done so. Not only are there some terrific festivals, many communities are in high gear for local fairs.

Not only are Fall festivals and fairs fun they are a great way to harvest new ideas for your future quilting projects. Take a camera with you to events so that you can photograph other quilts. You will be amazed at how many new ideas you can get just from viewing the quilt work at the Fall festivals and events.

Another fun thing about Fall festivals is the chance to meet other quilters. This is a great chance to enjoy the great outdoors, try out some festival food and make new friends. Take the time to find out about festivals and fairs in your area to really enjoy some Fall family fun as the summer unwinds and comes to a close.

According to Gwinner, the first known quilt was used by an Egyptian Queen and was made from gazelle leather that had been dyed. This quilt dates back to 980 B.C. !

Then in 5 BC there is documentation that Central Asia had saddle blanket quilts that were used in graves. According to Gwinner these quilts were made from leathers and furs and the permafrost preserved them to later be found by archeologists.

I found this interesting because if I had to guess, I would have placed the first quilts to the Colonial or Pioneer days. Perhaps I would have placed it a little earlier than that time period but not as far back as the B.C. period. So if anyone is curious about quilt, you now have a fun piece of trivia that you can share with them.

Harriet Powers is the quilter of the Bible quilts. She sewed them with appliqué and piecework to create squares of pictures for story telling. Some say that the stories represent religious influences. Others say that because the slave was illiterate that she used the quilts as a teaching tool. Still others speculate the stories are about a secret fraternal organization of her time. No-one will really know for sure. (more…)

What Pressing is Not

Pressing the seams in your quilt is not the same as ironing. Although you will be using an iron and an ironing board, it is absolutely critical to remember that you are not ironing (that is, running the appliance over the seam with gentle pressure) but just coaxing the seam down in order to seal it and make it less visible. (more…)

Patterns such as the Star of Bethlehem, Wedding Ring, Grandmother’s Flower Garden and even Dresden Plate were actually the result of The Great Depression. Women magazines began offering similar quilting patterns for free with each issue to increase their readership. After all, most household budgets could not afford to purchase a magazine, yet alone several quilting patterns. (more…)

You can sit at your computer and order everything you’d ever need right there at www.StitchinHeaven.com! You can order things even I had never heard of!

So I wrote to Debby Luttrell, the owner and founder of Stitchin’ Heaven and arranged to make a drive to the little town of Quitman to meet her and see her quilt shop. I was so excited to meet her and learn how she had grown this shop in a town of only a couple thousand people. I knew it would be quite a story. (more…)

The collection is called, “Heirloom Gardens”.  According to an interview with Marie Osmond, the fabric line was inspired by her mother, who loved to quilt.  There are 8 designs with 24 colorways in the fabric line.  It was displayed but not available to the public for purchase until June of this year.  It is a very new line that has some exquisite designs in it.  The design will be sold to quilt shops worldwide.  If you’re interested in the line, you can ask your local fabric store if they have pictures or can order a specific pattern from the collection for you.

The focus of the patterns is a rich array of earth tones.  Combined with the earth tones floral, paisley, and other garden theme prints to compliment the collection.  There are also violets, lace, wine and aqua in the collection.  This beautiful collection of fabrics is sure to go great with virtually any quilting pattern.

The first step in making memory quilted bears is to make a small patchwork style quilt from different fabrics that were used by or belonged to the loved one.  You can use towels, sheets, clothing, ties, and other accessories.  If you have enough materials, you can even make several memory quilted bears.

The next step is to find a basic bear pattern.  Purchase stuffing and the other items that you will need according to the pattern directions.  Instead of using standard, store-bought fabric use the quilted fabric that you created in step one of this project. 

To finalize your memory quilted bears, use jewelry and other accessories that belonged to your loved one.  For example, you can use buttons from one their shirts for the eyes. If the bear is large enough you can even accessorize it with personal items such as a necklace by using an anklet or bracelet worn by the loved one.  Tie tacks and cuff links make great accessories as well.

You can put a zipper on the back of the memory quilted bear.  Inside the bear you can place a picture of the loved one or other important small items that you would like to keep. 

Quilted memory pillows can be created in the same way. Whether it’s, a pillow or a quilted memory bear, it will help with the grieving process and be a wonderful heirloom treasure to pass down for many generations in your family.  

Novice quilters will enjoy Edge-to-Edge quilting because only one or two designs are used to achieve the effect. Traditionally, only one color thread is used and this makes it easier for beginners. Quilts made with this pattern have a more symmetrical look and feel to them rather than trying to balance various motifs and designs throughout the quilt. (more…)