Learn how to free-motion stitch with your sewing machine, instead of having to buy an embroidery machine! Eric Drexler provides classes that start by teaching you different leaf and butterfly patterns, then goes from there. Be able to stitch patterns onto scarves, napkins, quilts, or towels. The limit is your imagination!

Key Takeaways:

• Some of you know that I really, really like to do free-motion quilting on my personal machine and Eric is a magician when it comes to free-motion quilting. So I’ve been watching for his latest classes.
• The first section of Eric’s new class is 3-Dimensional Leaves. I recently saw a beautiful pin/brooch made with multiple leaves machine-embroidered on different colors of silk and organdy. With Eric’s instructions, we can make something similar without an embroidery machine.

"With Eric’s instructions, we can make something similar without an embroidery machine"

Check out McCalls' article for more information!

We find ourselves at the end of National Sewing Month and for anyone who enjoys this craft, you've been treated to a plethora of sewing fun. As the month went on we found some great looking projects for quilters to enjoy. Check out these 30 awesome and free sewing projects over at SeamAndScissors.com.

"No matter what sort of projects interest you, you are bound to find a sewing project you love from this National Sewing Month collection."

One way to save memories is to make a quilt out of t-shirts. One mother discovered some of her grown sons' old t-shirts.  They were adults now with families of their own. She decided to do something with the shirts. She made a keepsake quilt by sewing the shirts together. It would be an amazing thing to do when your kids go to college; something to remember their mom by.

• I’ve only had one foray into T-shirt quilt making, and it was not what I would call a great success. This time, I decided to start with getting advice from the experts. I tuned in to watch DIY T-Shirt Quilts!
• I thought I’d start one quilt, just to make sure I could do it. I picked up a package of June Tailor T-Shirt Project Fusible Interfacing, a woven fabric that gave weight to the T-shirts, making them more manageable to sew together.
• In many ways I wish I had made T-shirt quilts when my boys left for college. I guess time has its place. What a great idea to send them off to school with pieces from the past and a symbol of comfort from home.

"I’ve only had one foray into T-shirt quilt making, and it was not what I would call a great success. This time, I decided to start with getting advice from the experts. I tuned in to watch DIY T-Shirt Quilts!"

Enjoy the entire article here.

When it comes to quilting notions, what makes one a necessity?

McCalls' Quilting had some great thoughts on what makes a notion indispensable.

From needles for your sewing machine to quilting rulers and mats - there's a lot of tools & notions to choose from. Find the perfect craft supplies for your next quilting project and beyond.

• Out of 6 necessary items, 3 are used for fabric prep and 3 are used for sewing (and 2 of those need continuous replacement). You can make a million quilts with just those items (assuming access to fabric and batting, of course, but those are not notions).
• While there are a few items that every quilter needs to make quilts, many of the absolute necessities have to do with fabric preparation. Have you noticed that? For example, most quilters would not be able to work without a rotary cutter, ruler, and cutting mat (I know I couldn’t)
• As for me, I like the Clover Wonder Clips. When I first encountered them, I was a little skeptical, thinking they wouldn’t be much better than pins to hold binding in place. I was totally wrong!

"You don’t need much to make quilts, but anything that makes the process easier is worth trying."

http://www.mccallsquilting.com/blogs/blog/2017/07/19/workshop-wednesday-ideal-notions/

Got stacks of fat-quarter singles that you couldn’t resist at the store — and now you’re not sure what to do with them? If you have fat quarters that aren’t in pre-bundled form, it can be challenging to figure out how to choose the right combination of colors, values, and prints and sew them into a quilt you’ll be proud to display. But in Me and My Sister Designs’ book 12-Pack Quilts, you’ll find smart tips for combining fat quarters, all from a bona fide professional fat-quarter bundler.

• Strive for variation in color between your fat-quarters fabric and your background fabric color. If your background is light gray don't use light gray tones in your fat-quarters.
• A rookie mistake in choosing fat quarters is not getting enough contrast between your quarters and your background fabric color. Lay your fat-quarter fabric on top of your background fabric before you get started and make sure they separate.
• When choosing fabric colors try to stick to color palettes you like. If you're having a hard time with this just look at what you're currently wearing - there's usually a color palette you like there.

"If you include high-contrast lights and darks in your 12-pack, think about choosing a strong medium tone for the background."

A picture of 10 assorted flower prints

This is the best month to look at fabric with new eyes. Flowers give everyone a happy feeling. Stitchin' Post chose ten supplemental fabrics for this month and they were selected with more traditional piecing rather than a modern collage in mind. All of them are meant to let the florals pop.

Key Takeaways:

• April is the perfect month to look at fabric with “new eyes."
• Fabrics with flowers help ease us into the new season, infusing our world with color, delight, and sweet moments.
• Read on to learn about some of this season's best new fabrics.

"At the Stitchin' Post were are committed to creativity and inspiration and we are now embarking on a journey opening to new options together as the "Alchemy of Fabric" unfolds each month."

Read more at: http://stitchinpostinsisters.typepad.com/stitchin_post_in_sisters/2017/04/alchemy-of-fabric.html

If you have towers of fabric teetering as you dig for the precise color and print, it may be time to roll your sleeves up and get to work. When Spring cleaning, there are 3 simple tips to help you categorize your fabric. You can organize a fabric stash without having it get out of control. Categorize by the sizes and shapes in your inventory.

Key Takeaways:

• Fat quarters and larger pieces
• Strips of various widths
• Everything else that's too small

"So, what’s the best way to organize a fabric stash that’s starting to spiral out of control?"

Click here for the full article @ http://blog.shopmartingale.com/quilting-sewing/best-way-to-organize-fabric-stash/