How I Machine Quilted Tracy Mooney's Heart Pop! Quilt on my Home Sewing Machine

It all started with a pile of purple fabric in my stash.  My sister loves anything purple so in my mind, that fabric was meant to be made into a quilt for her.  When I saw Tracy Mooney's Heart Pop! quilt pattern, it was all over but the cutting, piecing, and stitching.  (Tracy filmed a tutorial on how to piece this quilt.)  I love when everything falls into place!

Most of the machine quilting happened during the New York Blizzard of 2026, when snow was piling up outside my sewing room window and I knew I had nothing to do but quilt until the roads were clear. My soundtrack was the hum of my sewing machine and the roar of my husband's snow blower.  Snowstorms are much more fun when someone else is dealing with the mountain of snow!

To lean into the heart theme, I decided to machine quilt columns of hearts down the quilt using my  home sewing machine, my ABC Circle Heart Stencil, a pounce pad, and some yummy Omni-V and DecoBob threads.  Watching those heart shapes emerge row by row was pure joy.

Honestly, is there anything better than snow-day sewing? While I didn't get to skip school and chose to not go outside to play, I gave myself permission to spend hours doing I what I loved.  

I filmed while I was quilting, so head on over to YouTube to watch how I quilted this beautiful quilt!

Color Blocks Catch Up -- Grandma's Album (vol. 2)

I just finished machine quilting Grandma's Album, an adorable little quilt from Color Blocks: Volume 2.  

Rather than using scraps, I made this quilt with a collection of fabric:  Stag & Thistle from Natural Born Quilter (Brett Lewis) for Northcott Fabrics.  The fabric is out of print now so I treasure the dress, tablecloth, cloth napkins, and other items I've made with this gorgeous fabric.

I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent at my home sewing machine finishing this quilt with continuous curve and ribbon candy:

free-motion feathers:

and free-motion background stitching around the monogram:

Color Blocks: Volume 2 is free until I finish all of the content.  If you enroll now, Grandma's Album and all other patterns and tutorials will be yours forever; only new enrollments will have a cost attached.  

Links for this tutorial:

Lavender Tutti 50-weight cotton thread
Dove Grey DecoBob 80-weight polyester thread
Navy Konfetti 50-weight cotton thread
Navy DecoBob 80-weight polyester thread
Super Threads "Thread Estimate Chart"
Batt scooters
Blue Clover Marker

Thread Bundle: Debby's Favorite Quilting Threads -- spool Thread Bundle: Debby's Favorite Quilting Threads -- cones

Machine Quilted Feathers online class First Steps to Machine Quilting

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*While I'm not running a new Color Blocks scrap quilting class for 2026, I am taking this year to finish the content that is sporadically missing from Color Blocks: volumes 1-5.

How I Machine Quilted Honeybloom Quilt: Feathered Border Secrets EXPOSED!

When I saw the quilt Lisa Bongean designed using Honeybloom fabrics by 3 Sisters for Moda, I had to buy the quilt IMMEDIATELY! I finally got to quilt it and decided to share my Feathered Border Secrets with EVERYONE on YouTube!

First, let's take a moment to adore the gorgeous quilt:

My daughter-in-law claimed this quilt to give to her niece for graduation.  Congratulations Maddie!

I wanted to pet this quilt A LOT, so I decided to custom quilt it.  I quilted continuous curve in the blocks and cornerstones with ribbon candy in the sashing (naturally).

I decided  to quilt yummy feathers in the border:

I filmed a long YouTube video showing all of this, including how to make those feathers fit in any size border!  

January Project Round Up

 Lemon Bars Cutie Quilt

An I Spy Quilt

Floor Tile Placemats:

A newborn Baby Bear Bonnet

MAKE MORE ART: 1. Turning a floor into a quilt?

I committed to myself to make more art in 2026. I started with a photo I snapped of my nephew's tile floor:

selected fabrics:

English paper pieced 176 one-inch hexagons:

chose thread on a piece of stained glass fabric,

machine quilted flowers, swirls, and leaves

Now they are ready to gift:

Listen to me tell the whole story on YouTube.

I have a lot of photographs that are waiting to be reimagined and reinterpreted and created into a quilt. I look forward to sharing this journey with you. To follow along, subscribe to my newsletter.

Are you ready to use your imagination and create art this year?

Baby Bear Bonnet for my soon-to-be-born Grandson

I am waiting for my grandson to arrive.  Since he's overdue, I'm sure his mother is anxious for him to be born as well!

While I was at the Road to Rhinebeck event at Pick Up Every Stitch in Mount Kisco, NY in October, I bought some brown Gli Occhi del Lupo Corilla fingering yarn from Italy to make the Baby Bear Bonnet for his 7 month old cousin and for him.

This bonnet had German short row shaping, I-cord, I-cord cast off, and Kitchener stitch joining for the ears.  For those not in the know, THESE ARE NOT EASY!  I ripped his cousin's tiny bonnet out in various amounts at various stages but nearly sailed through this one!  I love proof that I'm becoming a better knitter.

Reminder that this was SEW CUTE on grandbaby #4.

Note:  I still have yarn left and would love to hear news of (yet) another baby.  Aren't babies the best!?!?!

New for Subscribers: Quilting an I Spy Quilt

My newest As the Bobbin Turns Subscriber-Only Video shows how I quilted my great nephew's I Spy quilt with a thread that matched so well it was hard to quilt!

In the video I give tips on thread selection, how to see while quilting when the thread blends in, and how to form meandering.

Subscribe to As the Bobbin Turns to see how I quilted this adorable quilt!  This is where my subscribers access the videos I film JUST FOR THEM!

Here Be Dragons Mystery Quilt REVEALED!

 Last weekend was five hours of fun with fellow quilters as we together made Here Be Dragons, a 60" x 60" quilt.  Hundreds of quilters trusted me and chose fabrics not knowing what their quilts would look like and I'm honored by their trust in me.

Several students shared their quilt tops with me and I have their permission to share them with you!

Heather was a trooper waking up at 4am to start quilting in Australia!  Her quilt was a little fishy, though:

Holly's quilt was a vision of loveliness in blues:

Patty's quilt using batiks was quite elegant!

Savannah's quilt shines with a pop of PINK!

Pamela's quilt is another blue beauty:

Ann's quilt is peachy keen!

It's not too late to make your own Here Be Dragons!  The revealed pattern is available for purchse.

How I Machine Quilted Lemon Bars Cutie Quilt on a Home Sewing Machine using a Stencil

 If you follow me regularly, you know I adore everything Primitive Gatherings.  I treated myself to their Pumpkin Spice Gatherings fat quarter tower and am using it one fat eighth (9"x22") at a time to make Cutie Quilts.

I just finished this Lemon Bars Cutie Quilt using all the orange fabrics from the collection.  Cutting each fat quarter in half, I used 16 fat eighths in the body of the quilt and pieced the other 16 fat eighths to make the border.  Then I quilted it to show on YouTube.

 Watch the YouTube video to see how I quilted the rectangles using my ABC Circle Heart Stencil from Full Line Stencils, how I stitched ribbon candy in the sashing (of COURSE I did!), and how I stitched leaves in the border. 

I texted a photo of this finished quilt to my sister and she instantly texted back "DIB!"  I guess it's hers now?

December Project Roundup

 A La Mode Cutie Quilt

Squared Away Cutie Quilt

Baby Bear Bonnet

A fabric book 

Ahoy Matey Color Block Quilt

Sweet Tooth Cutie Quilt

Sweet Tooth Cutie Quilt: Ribbon Candy Recovery Ritual

On the day after Christmas, I had my last infusion for 2025.  I feel "off" for a few days and decided to set myself up to ribbon candy quilt until I felt better again.

I pieced a Sweet Tooth Cutie Quilt in some bright colors to prepare for my recovery.  This is one of my favorite quilts to quilt because it's all ribbon candy stitching!

Doesn't this quilt make you feel 10% happier just by looking at it?

I gave this quilt to Taylor, one of the infusion nurses who takes care of me.  I visit a lot of doctors, often, and most of the doctors and staff have quilts.  It was Taylor's turn to get one.

She is adorable and she received this quilt in a suitably adorable fashion.  "Oh my word!  I have compression socks that look just like this fabric (Veggie Tales)!"  "I love it!"  "Can I give you a hug?"  

I tell all quilt recipients that they can throw this in the washer and dryer and that it's suitable for pets.  "Oh my cat is going to steal this, I can just tell!"

Other nurses who already had quilts shared stories of their quilts, and the office staff admired it greatly.  That means I have to make more to bring to the office staff.

These are some of the bright and happy 1 1/2" strips I have in my drawer.  I think there are enough for at least three more of these quilts that will spread some love through the medical group.

That means more ribbon candy happiness for me!

A Christmas Finish: A Fabric Book for Baby

My youngest grandson loves books and by "loves books" I mean "shoves them into his mouth."  

It's a good thing I'm a quilter and there are panels for cloth baby books!

I bought The Land of Opposites at Adirondack Quilts when I taught there in the fall and stitched it together while watching a few episodes of Stitch with Lisa Bongean on YouTube.  I love everything Primitive Gatherings!

My construction techniques for these books are accurate enough to not fall apart.  I claim no additional skill at making fabric books.

With grandbaby #5 on the way, I'm sure I'll be making a few more books.

What's your favorite quilt shop to buy fabric book panels?