One of my readers, Jayne in Australia is looking for “feedback on the top 3 questions people have about quilting.”I thought this would be an intersting survey for you all to participate in.  Do you have questions you’d like answered?  Are you curious about certain quilting topics?  Have you searched for answers to a question but can’t find it?
How about letting us know, in the comments, what your questions are.  If you only have one question, that’s okay?
For instance, I wonder how many people do traditional quilting and how many have branched off into mixed media.
What is your favorite quilting …read more

Paper piecing is a great way to easily make detailed quilt squares, without having to fussy cut or rotary cut every single little piece.
Instead of having to meticulously plan every seam, paper piecing gives you a little more freedom and it’s a lot less intimidating to begin.
One of my favorite books on the subject is “Paper Piece a Flower Garden” by Jodie Davis.

The book is filled with patterns for leaves, flowers, bugs, birds and animals – in short, anything that you could find living in a flower garden!  It doesn’t give you a set pattern for putting the blocks together, …read more

My daughter keeps freezer paper handy for many of her quilting/fabric art tasks. 
(This is that handy household item that’s plain on one side and slightly waxy on the other.  We called it waxed paper when I was a youngster and used it for wrapping sandwiches, covering bowls in the refrigerator and a heavier version for wrapping items for freezing.  There were no plastic baggies nor plastic wrap available.)
Penny Halgren has a great article, Using Freezer Paper to Make Quilts, at her How to Quilt site that gives information on using freezer or waxed paper for quilting…for tasks such as applique and making …read more

I discovered an old quilt piece years ago at a quilt show.  At one of the sales booths, a quilter was selling quilt pieces, cut from old quilts.  She salvaged what was good and provided them for quilters to finish or use in new quilts.
I was fascinated by the four stylish ladies with umbrellas and brought them home from Texas with me.  Each is signed by the name of the quilter.  However, I’ve not discovered just what I should do with them.  I hesitate to cut them apart.  So I pin them to the wall and ponder.
Perhaps I should write a story …read more

When you’re quilting your quilts or fabric art, do you prefer a hoop or quilting frame?
 I started out thinking I MUST use a quilting frame and purchased one that took up our entire very small living room (the only room in our apartment in which it would fit).  I put a quilt on it, but had to roll it out and then up whenever I worked.
I got a large hoop for quilting a small project and found this worked well in my sewing room or the living room.  Then I wondered, “Why not use it for a large quilt?”
I tried …read more

We generally think of quilts and patchwork pieces made by grandmothers and other elders in our families as heirloom pieces. 
They are passed down through the years.  So we try to discover their stories and learn more about the quilters and their place in our lives.
However, what about the quilts we make?  Won’t they be heirlooms for our children and grandchildren?  These could be:

Quilts and fabric art you give as gifts
Those that you show and win prizes for
Fabric art you simply use around your home
Quilts you make from fabrics with special meanings
Those that use fabric from our children’s lives.
Quilts we make …read more

I’m always looking for handy dandy quilting and sewing gadgets that make life easier.  I don’t necessarily invest in them all, but share ideas with others and like to hear what they’ve found, too.
Here are 13 that seem interesting:

Yo-yo maker
Mini quilt display stands (shaped like room dividers)
Needle sharpener
Compact travel sewing machine
Seam ripper and thread cutter combined
Pre-wound bobbins
Buttonhole spacers
Bendable sewing machine mini light
Sharpener for rotary cutter blades
Lazy Susan spinning carousel for holding thread
Wax pastels for enhancing landscape quilts
Rotary cutters to prepare fabric for hand stitching
Easel caddy for sewing/quilting tools

What are some of your favorite tools and gadgets?

I browse through books and magazines and gaze longingly at the lovely and efficient studios or workspaces other artists have. At one point in my life, I did have one room in our house devoted to my sewing and quiltmaking, along with part of it for a small shop. However, generally I’ve shared quarters with other family members or took up a corner of a living or dining room.
My daughter has experienced the same situation in recent years in our multi-generational home. Now she’s looking forward to gaining the loft area for her sewing and quilting space as we juggle …read more

Soon after the disasters associated with 9-11, many quilters turned to their needlework for solace for themselves and to bring comfort to others.  They also have used quilting, fabric art and mixed media to commemorate family members,  friends, and other heroes of that fateful day.
Here are a couple of sites you may want to check out to learn more about some of this art.
9-11 Memorial Quilts
World Trade Center Quilt 

There’s going to be an amazing exhibit at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, England beginning next March!
They’re hosting a retrospective of 300 years of British quilts, from 1700 right up to the present day.

The exhibit will begin in March 20th,  2010, and continue through until July 4th, 2010.  They’re going to be showing quilts from their archives that have never been shown before.  You’ll have a chance to see heavily embroidered silk & velvet bed quilts from the 1700s, as well as some of the best in contemporary British art quilting.
There are 65 quilts in the show, divided …read more