You’ve probably discovered there are numerous ways to create a border on your quilt, and you may have wondered which is the best.  Then you discover it depends on the project and the effect you desire to achieve.
At the Quilted Paradise Newsletter, I found handy instructions, a primer of sorts, on making various types of borders.  You may want to take a look.
              There also are a number of books dealing with quilt borders that you may want to look at as well.  A border can be part of the art of your quilt.

Over at b5media’s Tangled Thread, Chloe Findlay takes us through a seven step process to fuse fabric for quilting, called Machine Fusion Fabric.  It almost seems like magic as she combines fabrics, paints, and embellishments, along with machine quilting to produce a work of art.
This shows how, in this mixed media world, quiltmaking has taken on a whole new direction for those who want to experiment and combine traditional with experimental.

Daughter Beth has experimented with another stitch this week for her Take a Stitch Tuesday lesson, the buttonhold stitch.  It’s interesting to see how she uses the stitches in different ways to produce varying effects.
Also, Beth utilizes different fabrics as well.  If you’re participating in Take a Stitch Tuesday, let me know where we can find your work.  I’d enjoy seeing it. 
Beth posts her stitches on her Meandering Threads blog.

If you’d like to express your preference and participate in my quilters’ poll, scroll down the page to the poll on the right.  There you can tell me whether you like to do hand quilting over hand quilting.  Do you prefer both depending on the project?  Or do you like to tie your quilts to finish them?
I’ve done some of each, but some quilters like to do only one type to finish their quilted projects.

After finding Penny Halgren’s pin and thread basting tips, I discovered a newsletter I’d received awhile ago from Konstantin’s Quilted Paradise.  There you’ll also find information about pin basting and thread basting and the types of materials to use for each.
These are such simple techniques that experienced quilters often don’t remember their early quandry or realize beginners might find it challenging until they know which to use when.
Check out Konstantin’s explanation here: www.quiltedparadise.com/n/065-qoz.jsp or at www.quiltedparadise.com/issues.jsp and click on issue number 65.

A quilter remarked to me, as she looked at before and after (quilting) photos of a quillt, “I think there’s too much quilting in this one.  It takes away from the design of the quilt blocks.”
I’d never thought of that, but realized I had to agree in this case.  The quilt consisted of an intriguing design of brightly colored solid patches.  The way they were interlocked made the design.  However, when we looked at the next photo with each patch practically covered with quilting…swirls and loops…your eye strayed from the patch design to the stitches.
This probably depends on the fabric and …read more

Do you want to learn more about Free Motion Machine Quilting?  This type of quilting has become very popular in recent years.  The Quilted Paradise Newsletter today gives information about this topic and tips on how to accomplish it.
You’ll find the tips given in installments at: www.quiltedparadise.com/n/058-jqz.jsp .

Frequently when we think of quilts and quiltmaking, a quilt that is held together with hand or machine quilting comes to mind.  However, some quilters tie their quilts.  This is the method my grandmother used when she made 4-patch quilts for her grandchildren.
What is meant by tying a quilt? 
Tying, or tufting as some quilters refer to it, is an effective way to hold the layers of a quilt together.  You thread a long needle with double strand of thread or crochet cotton.  Push the needle through the three layers (top, batting, and backing), leaving abut 2 inches of thread on …read more

Applique, the technique of stitching pieces of fabric to a background with intricate and decorative stitches, frequently is used in quilting and fabric art projects. 
The current newsletter from Quilted Paradise gives “A Few Tips for Applique” where you can find how to perfect this technique.  (http://www.quiltedparadise.com/b/047/owg/9436 )
You also can register to receive e-mail notices whenever new newsletters are published.  These contain quilting tips, book reviews, and questions and answers.

There’s an even easier way to make your quilts that the method I described in a previous blog, What’s an Easy Quilt for a Beginner?, for making a simple quilt of 7-inch squares or smaller.  Here I mentioned making a template and cutting your fabric from that. 
However, you can purchase pre-cut squares of various sizes for creating a quilt.  Browse through quilt supply catalogs, check out online stores or visit your favorite quilting shop.  There you’re likely to find these squares.  Some are arranged around a theme or specific colors.  Others are a mix or ones from which you can choose what …read more