July Color Blocks Quilt -- Either / Or FREE PATTERN

 Got Scraps?  Sign up for my FREE 2025 Color Blocks Scrap Quilt Along for a year of scrappy baby quilt patterns and machine quilting tutorials.

July's quilt is a two-block quilt called Either / Or.  It takes very little fabric from stash and uses a lot of scrap 2 1/2" squares.  If you've been quilting along for any part of the last five years (can it really be five years!?!?!?), you have processed your scrap fabrics into 2 1/2" squares and can easily stitch this quilt together!

While I love all of my Color Block Quilts equally, I really Really REALLY love this one!  

What two colors will you choose for your quilt?  Go to the Color Blocks class, download the pattern and planning page, and get stitching!

5 Simple Steps to Stitching with Pro-Stitcher Premium™

Most of my online quilting content is free-motion quilting on a home machine, with some stationary longarm and longarm content thrown in. But did you know that I also teach quilters how to use Pro-Stitcher Premium, a computerized quilting system that works with Handi Quilter and other brands of longarms? My husband laughs every time he thinks of me teaching anything related to computers. Me (calling hubby at work): "Jeff, the printer isn't working." Him: "Is it plugged in?" Me: "Shut up." Click.

Let's just say I'm not a natural with computers. I've tried and cried and dug in and got confused and cried some more and finally figured out what is essential to know to use this program.

My in-person students leave class with confidence and have been asking for videos they can refer to from home, so I filmed one. 'Cuz I'm nice like that. Head on over to YouTube to watch the video

Download this Infographic HERE.

I plan to film more of these.  I take suggestions!

Squared Away Cutie Quilt featuring Pat Sloan's Bird Song fabric

Do you have a quilt pattern or machine quilting pattern that is just like a hug?  Squared Away is my comfort quilt pattern and ribbon candy is my comfort machine quilting pattern.

Squared Away is the very first Cutie Pattern I designed, and I've made over 20 of these.  Since it uses 16 fat eighth cuts of fabric, I get to enjoy so many fabrics in each quilt!  I could make this quilt every day and not get bored.  

I could also machine quilt this quilt every day with ribbon candy and never get bored.

Pat Sloan's Bird Song fabric from Benartex was gorgeous to work with.  

As I was making this quilt, it told me who it would belong to and the quilt is winging its way to the new owner.

ABC Graphic Circle Stencil -- Tutorial in As the Bobbin Turns

 When I designed the ABC Stencils, I intended for them to be used lined up in borders in a "mix and match" fashion.  After using them for a while, I'm discovering they are super-flexible and can be used for much more than borders.

I used my ABC Graphic Circle Stencil on a quilt as an edge-to-edge design and I had to make it fit the natural markings of my quilt.  It was simple and the quilting turned out great!

I started this quilt but set it aside because I was angry with it.  I finished it, angrily, at a quilt retreat last September.  Fortunately, the machine quilting didn't make me angry and I now love this quilt!

I filmed a quilting tutorial for this quilt and it is now uploaded into As The Bobbin Turns, my collection of subscriber-only videos.  You can subscribe monthly or annually and get an over-the-shoulder look at my machine-quilting decisions.

Have you ever put a quilt in time out because it was misbehaving?  How did you change your feelings toward that quilt?

Watch the full video tutorial in As the Bobbin Turns, my collection of exclusive subscriber videos.

Handi Quilter Educator Challenge Quilt -- First Things First

I just finished quilting the panel that Handi Quilter sent to their educators as a challenge.

Since I was going to quilt it on my Handi Quilter Stationary Longarm, affectionally named Daniel Craig, I basted the layers using 505 spray, Quilter's Dream cotton batting, and Quilter's Dream wool batting.

I threaded my machine with white DecoBob 80-weight polyester thread in the needle and the bobbin and stitched it all in the ditch.  The Handi Quilter Mini Scallop Ruler is my favorite tool for stitch in the ditch.  Any time I use a ruler on a stationary longarm or home machine, I make sure to have a lot of Handi Grip on the ruler!

I used one of my Top Ten Favorite Threads, beige 50-weight cotton Konfetti in the needle and soft tan 80-weight polyester DecoBob in the bobbin to stitch ribbon candy in the strips of colors.  That one color matched all of the printed colors well.  My Handi Quilter Sweet Spots were on the job helping me to grip my quilt while quilting.

I chose to stitch asterisks/stars in the diamonds because continuous curve was the obvious choice and this was a challenge quilt.

I rethreaded my machine with the white DecoBob to stitch feathers.  Due to time constraints, I didn't measure out the spines but just "winged it."  I'm happy with my feathers, but if I were to stitch this again, I'd have more precise spines.  I'm very proud of my online class teaching Free-Motion Feathers and suggest that you enroll to learn how to make many types of feathers, including these Flexible Feathers.

The finished quilt is on its way to Handi Quilter Academy where it will be displayed with all of the other challenge quilts.  I wish I were there to see it, but I have no regrets for taking no work in June so I'd be available for my daughter and her new sweet baby.

June Color Blocks Quilt -- And Baby Makes Three

 This month's Color Block quilt was very personal for me during this year of baby quilts.  I machine quilted this while waiting for my newest grandson to be born!  Every stitch was crafted with love and anticipation.

It was a long labor, so there is a lot of quilting in this quilt.  A LOT.  

I stitched continuous curve in the Color Blocks, feathered hearts in the offset blocks and setting triangles, and ribbon candy in the sashing.

I'm totally in love with pumpkin seed borders right now, so expect to see a lot more of these in the future.

Join my FREE Color Blocks 2025 class to download the pattern and watch the machine quilting tutorial.
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Materials:

• Batt Scooters
• Heart Trio Stencil
• White 50-weight Konfetti cotton thread
• White 80-weight DecoBob polyester thread
• Concentric Circle stencil
• Ribbon Candy Stencil
• 1 Inch Grid Stencil