News from The Quilt Asylum

Thursday Tidbit - Math For Quilters, Part 1

2012-03-01T04:00:00.003-08:00

Okay. It seems like there are lot of you who want to see the Thursday Tidbits. I'll begin with a multi-part series on what I call Math for Quilters. This is based on a class I developed back in 2006, and I'm currently covering the material with my staff. We'll start with basic block grids and sizes, and then progress to the math formulas to calculate and cut out a complete quilt. This may seem a bit intense for my first Tidbits, but it's a topic that very near and dear to my heart! PLEASE don't be scared.....I'll hold your hand and walk you through all of it!

I know for many of you, math is a four-letter word. In order for your projects to come out the right size and nice and flat, as well as being able to determine how much fabric to buy, you're gonna have to do a little bit of math. But relax - it's 3rd grade math, not calculus!! Having these formulas in your "toolbox" will allow you the freedom to plan and create any quilt in any size!

Let's start today with quilt blocks.

FACT: Most patchwork blocks are based on an evenly divisible grid. Can you visually see the even divisions in these quilt blocks?

When you hear the term "9-patch", this is a clue to the grid base used within the block. A 9-Patch block has nine patches - 3 across by 3 down, hence a 3x3 grid. If you are having trouble "seeing" the even divisions within a block, sketch it out and draw grid lines across it to determine the underlying base grid. In some blocks, the patches may span 2 or more grid spaces or a grid space may be made up of smaller patches, like the 4x4 "Double 4-Patch" block shown above. I don't want to complicate things at this point, but keep in mind that a 9-Patch block (on a 3x3 grid) does not always mean that there are 9 equal squares in the block. The UNITS of the block must equal 9 and be the same size. If you have any questions about this, just ask me!

Can you determine the GRID base for the following blocks?


(1.) 6x6, (2.) 5x5, (3.) 4x4, (4.) 5x5, (5.) 4x4, (6.) 6x6, (7.) 5x5, (8.) 4x4

Once you establish the grid base for your block, you can calculate a finished block size by deciding on a unit size for the grid.

For example, if the black square in the first block is 2" finished, the entire block will finish at 6" (2" x 3 across = 6"). Change that black square to 3", and the finished block size is now 9" (3" x 3 across). Decrease it to 1-1/2" and now it's 4-1/2" finished (1.5" x 3 across).

Can you calculate the block sizes for the rest of the blocks shown above if the grid unit size is 2"? What about 3"? Here's a hint: Determine the underlying grid and multiply by the grid unit size.

Resizing Quilt Blocks
Once you have determined the grid base of a quilt block, you can resize the block by multiplying the grid by a new unit size, or by choosing a new finished size and dividing by the grid to create a new unit.

Huh? For example, look at the following block. The grid = 4x4, the small square = 2", and the finished size = 8".

To resize by the block by changing the Unit Size:
   Grid x Unit Size = Block Size

What size will the block finish if the small squares are now 3"?
   (Answer: 12" )

To resize by changing the Block Size:
   Block Size / Grid = Unit Size

What size is the small square if the block now finished at 6"?
   (Answer: 1-1/2")

Is your head spinning yet? Just keep thinking in the grid, and you'll be fine. But blocks are the basis of most quilts, and having the power to create blocks in any size (instead of what your pattern or book tells you) gives you the freedom to create whatever size quilt you want! Isn't that liberating?

If any of this isn't clear, just drop me a comment and I'll try to respond. Next week - calculating quilt sizes!

I Have an Idea......

2012-02-27T11:06:00.000-08:00

After teaching a class a couple of weeks ago, I had (what I thought was) a bright idea.

I've been quilting for 20 years now. (Just writing that makes me feel very old....since I didn't start until well into adulthood....). Anyway, there is lots of quilting lore, tips and magic that I take for granted. In talking to new(ish) quilters, I have realized that many of us old-timers take so much for granted that we forget to share the tidbits. I LOOOOOOVE sharing the tidbits and seeing the light bulb go off in another quilter's eyes, but let's face it - my job keeps me away from more of the face-to-face contact with my quilting peeps than I'd like on a daily basis.

So, how would you like for me to do a weekly posting regarding some of the small things that I just assume everybody already knows but may not? Or would that be boring? It might be basic quilting knowledge, or a helpful hint, or a product review, or something else entirely. I certainly don't want to sound condescending; I truly want to share what I know with all of you. And I admit that I don't know it all, but I have tried a lot of different things and I have learned much "the hard way", if you know what I mean!

So, what do you think? Would you find "Tidbit Thursday" a helpful thing? What do you want to know about? Should I do this?

One Week, One Thing - February 27

2012-02-27T10:24:00.000-08:00

Okay. So we're approaching the end of the second month of doing this One Week, One Thing journey. Is ANYBODY (besides Lori) still in this with me?

It's okay if you're not. I won't tell. But I kinda like it. Since I am trying to be more DELIBERATE with my time this year, this pledge along with my Photo365 app has kept me focused and on track. And being focused and on track is never a bad thing, especially for me.

This week was a rough one. It was really crazy at work (Fat Tuesday, anybody?) and I was flat-out tired. There were 3 days this past week where I didn't even pick up a needle or touch a piece of fabric. That's the first time this year that I haven't done SOMETHING each day. I feel kinda guilty about it, but it is what it is. I need to get over it. A giant nap yesterday just could not be avoided.

I did get the binding made for Amish With a Twist. So as soon as I get it back from the quilter, I'm ready to roll.

I also made a sample quilt top using our new Papillon fabrics from Moda. This will be a kit in the store as soon as we can cut up the fabrics.

The colors are much better in person; this photo was taken with my phone!

My goal for this week is to bind the Amish With A Twist if I get it back, and to quilt and bind the Papillon sample.

One Week, One Thing - February 21

2012-02-21T07:38:00.000-08:00

I'm a day late on this post because yesterday was CRAZY!!! Trying to get everything done this am before we open the doors for Fat Tuesday!

I finished piecing the Amish With a Twist quilt top!!!! Here it is all folded up and ready to hand off to my machine quilting friend.

So, I had a little bit of time on my hands. I piddled around with projects already started.


I made 5 more Lego blocks out of scraps


4 Farmer's Wife blocks

Mug Rug bonus project from Amish With a Twist BOM

I also started 2 and finished 1 Marti Michell House template pillows to feature fabric lines in the store.

Urban Cowgirl by Urban Chicks

Domestic Bliss by Liz Scott

Garden Wall by Laura Gunn

It's another crazy week, but I need to get the binding made for Amish With a Twist so that I'm ready to go once the top is quilted.

What's your One Thing this week?

Pin Cushion and Mug Rug Swaps

2012-02-17T14:47:00.000-08:00

We held our first hand-made item swap last Monday - we swapped Pincushions!

We had a wide variety of styles and fibers - it was great and everybody was thrilled with the cushion they received!

Our next swap will be Mug Rugs! What's a mug rug, you ask? It's larger than a fabric coaster - the thought is that it you can place a mug of your favorite beverage on it and have room for a snack, too! I went looking for inspiration to show you, and found tons of examples on Flickr as well as Pinterest.

1. 85.365, 2. My Mug Rug, 3. Pretty Rug/Happy Mug, 4. A little mug rug ..., 5. dreamy mug rug, 6. a scrappy mug rug, 7. Mug Rug, 8. star mug rug, 9. mug rug swap 2

If you'd like to join us for the Mug Rug swap, you can call us and we'll put you on the list. You can use any sewing method or style of your choosing; the only parameter is that it must be larger than 4"x4" and smaller than 10"x10". Square, rectangle or round - your choice!

Our Swap Party will be held on Monday, April 9 at 6pm. Even if you can't make it to the actual swap party, we'd be glad to swap on your behalf. We'd love for you to add your creativity to our group!

One Week, One Thing - February 13

2012-02-13T14:24:00.000-08:00

I bet you thought I wasn't going to post today! Are you still plugging along on your One Week, One Thing Challenge?

I'm still pecking away on the Amish With a Twist BOM sample. I did get the applique finished on all 4 borders, and I even got one border attached to the quilt center.

Tonight is our first swap of 2012 at the shop, and it's a pincushion swap. I made two cushions from a pattern I found on Pinterest (you are on Pinterest, aren't you??) - one to swap and one to keep. They were fairly easy to construct.

I'm also making progress on my Double Diamonds English Paper Piecing project. I'd say it's about 3/4 done. I'm running out of room to photograph it in my bedroom!

My goal is to sew a bunch this week - the hubs is out of town all week and I don't have a slew of evening engagements. I intend to finish the Amish With a Twist top and get it loaded on the longarm for quilting! Wish me luck!

What's YOUR plan this week?

One Week, One Thing - February 6

2012-02-06T05:26:00.000-08:00

I'm still at it!

This past week, I continued to work on the Amish With a Twist sample. I did get the center complete and the piano key border attached.

Now to work on the applique bordrers. The lesson in the pattern uses a freezer paper and starch method for applique; I have chosen to machine applique using Wash-Away Applique sheets. I glued down the seam allowances during the Super Bowl.

I've also continued to peck away at my Double Diamonds EPP project. I've now got one half put together. It still needs half and quarter blocks to complete the bottom edge, but it's getting there!

I have several meetings during the evenings this week, so my sewing time will be limited. My goal for the upcoming week is to make serious headway on the applique borders on the Amish With a Twist top.

What did you do this past week?

One Week, One Thing - January 30

2012-01-30T10:26:00.000-08:00

It's been 3 weeks and I'm still on my One Week, One Thing pledge. Do you want to join me? The pledge is to decide to do one thing each week (which revolves around sewing for me) - It doesn't have to be a finish; just a step along the way on a project or two.

My One Thing last week was to complete blocks 10-12 on my Amish With a Twist sample and begin making the block corners. I exceeded that goal - the blocks are all made, the corners are on all the blocks, and I began setting the interior of the quilt top last night! Here's half of the center of the quilt.

I also taught a Liberated Piecing (aka "Crumbs") class last Friday at the shop, and made quite a few blocks myself. Some are 6" finished; others are 3" finished joined in 4-patches to make a 6" block. I'll tuck these away for a later date...I don't have an immediate plan for them yet. But, I've seen some really cute miniature quilts in the blogosphere lately just using 1-4 of these type blocks. I just have to tell myself that it's not in my plan right now....LOL!

On the EPP front, I'm pecking away at setting my Double Diamond blocks. I'm working in units, and here are two of the units joined together. One more "tumbling block" type unit to go, and then I'll attach it to the center star.

I know you're jealous of the icky tan carpet in my bedroom.....

This week's goal is to finish the second half of the Amish With a Twist interior and attach the piano key borders. The piano keys are already made in blocks of 4 strips (those were done along with piecing the blocks), but I may have to size them down because my center blocks came out a little bit smaller than the pattern. It will just take some fiddling. After that comes the applique on the outer border. We'll see how far I get!

One Week, One Thing - January 24

2012-01-24T09:21:00.000-08:00

Well, how are you doing on your One Week, One Thing? Since this is Tuesday, perhaps I should make this blog post my One Thing this week! Just kidding...

I was fortunate last week that I had free time to sew. My weekly goal was to cut out and make 5 Farmer's Wife blocks. I am happy to report that I made 6!

Have you heard about our Marti & Me Club that is just getting started? We are introducing Marti Michell Perfect Patchwork templates and tools in the shop, and I just want to say how much fun they are. I don't think that they will completely replace the way I do all my patchwork, but they sure do work well with many different kinds of blocks. This week, I played with the Large and Small House templates.

This is the Large House block made from Urban Cowgirl by Moda. I just love this fabric, and this large house will become a pillow sample in the store. The entire block and borders was cut out and sewn in about an hour and a half.

I also played with the small house templates using Habitat by Jay McCarroll. This is challenge fabric handed out by the Modern Quilt Guild of Dallas. The blocks are kind of mushy.... I planned to make two more blocks and then set them together, but I'm not sure if I will take this any further. However, the blocks themselves went together like a dream using the templates.

I also have added onto my Double Diamonds English paper piecing project. This past weekend's Winter Guard competition gave me plenty of time to baste spacer hexagons!

The kit for our next Block of the Month, Amish With a Twist, arrived late last week, so I spent my weekend making the first 9 blocks along with some border components. It begins in March, so I need to hustle to get this baby finished and hung in the store! It's so pretty, and the solids are sewing up very smoothly.

My One Thing for this week is complete blocks 10, 11, & 12 and begin making the setting corners for the blocks. I don't have as much time to sew this week, so we'll see how that goes.

What did you do this past week?

One Week, One Thing - January 16

2012-01-16T15:15:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had one of those "but, first" kind of days? You know what I mean. You intend to get something done, but first, you have to do something else. And then something else. And so on. This has been one of those days - I fully intended to get this post up earlier today, but I had a lot of "but firsts" get in my way.

Anyway, it's a brand new week. If you are playing along with me, last week I decided to do our own "One Week, One Thing" challenge here at TQA. I am trying to become more deliberate in how I spend my time (as in, quit wasting so much of it on Pinterest...LOL!) and to focus setting a goal of ONE THING to get accomplished in my sewing and crafting life each week. Remember, it's not FINISH one thing, it's accomplish one thing - and there is a difference. My available time varies from week to week, so some may be small goals while others may be bigger. We'll just have to go with the flow.

My initial goal last week was to get all my Crayon Box blocks put together into a top and add the borders. I got that done and I also quilted it! So, this week just happened to include a finish, but that wasn't the initial goal.

This quilt will go in the Patchwork Express Bus Tour pile and will be given away to one lucky passenger. And yes, we will be giving away more than just this one quilt.

I also had time to work on a few other projects.

I have been working on this Amish Beehive from the book All Dolled Up. The center is English Paper Pieced and has been finished. I appliqued it to the center black and added the borders. Still haven't decided how I'm going to quilt it.

I also am beginning to set my English Paper Pieced double diamond blocks together. We've been making these blocks at the store over the past year.

Please excuse the cat rear end. Willie didn't want to move!

I've been waiting for our Amish With a Twist shop sample yardage to arrive, and I had planned on working on that this week. But, I just learned that it wasn't shipped when they said it would, and I probably won't see it until next week. So, this week, my ONE THING is to cut out and make (5) Farmer's Wife blocks. I'll probably also work on the double diamond hexagons, but I tend to paper piece just a bit every night as I'm watching TV.

So, how did you do? I haven't quite figured out how to do a link manager yet so that you can link to your blog or Flickr or whatnot, so leave a comment with what you DID last week and what you PLAN for this week. Do you feel accomplished? I know I do.

A New Year, A New Plan

2012-01-11T12:20:00.000-08:00

It's a new year. Everybody in the blogosphere is starting new quiltalongs, new projects, new, new new....

As I sit and reflect on 2011, I accomplished many things in my quilting and crafting life this past year. But, there were days (and sometimes weeks) when I didn't have the opportunity to sew at all! I know I have the greatest job in the world where I get to touch and fondle fabric on a daily basis, but you have to remember that I'm a working wife and mother too. I have all the same things tapping me on the shoulder and vying for my attention that you all do, and there are times when my sewing suffers.

My biggest "AHA" moment came when I realized in early December that I could no longer function in my sewing room because I had worked like a mad scientist all year long! My cutting table surface had been reduced to about 8 square inches; I had piles of stuff on every available flat surface; I couldn't find ANYTHING when I wanted it; and the dust bunnies were bigger than the cats! It had been an ENTIRE year since I'd cleaned anything up! Enough already. I spent the better part of my spare moments in December cleaning up my studio. And it was no fun..... No fun at all. I'd much rather have been sewing.

So, that got me to thinking. How am I going to make 2012 different?

I decided to try to stick to two basic principles:
1. Put it up when I'm done. (and/or)
2. Cut it down.

I know many of you are OCD neatniks and the "put it up" thing is in your DNA. I guess my internal wiring is broken because I'm not very good at it. You should see my house.. but that's another story. I am going to try to be very deliberate about keeping things tidy in the studio. Since I always have way more ideas in my head than time to do them all, I think I'm being more efficient with my time by plowing through one project and on to the next. But it's really not that efficient when I have to spend the better part of one month a year cleaning up after myself. We'll see how that goes.

The "cut it down" thing comes from Bonnie Hunter of quiltville.com fame. If you're not using her Scrap User's system, you should be! She calls buckets of wadded up scraps in all shapes and sizes "dirty dinner dishes", because they're yucky and no fun when you go back and try to use them. If you start with her system, all scraps can be cut down into readily usable widths and lengths.

Since I am trying to be more disciplined in my tidiness, perhaps I should post a picture each month on my sewing room and let you all hold me accountable!

This week I ran across a blog post from Amy of Amy's Creative Side where she talks about her One Week, One Thing challenge. The premise of the challenge is to decide on ONE THING you'd like to accomplish in a week's time. This does not mean FINISH in one week. The intent is to be deliberate about a creative project or a task during one week. It may mean selecting the perfect fabrics for your next project; it may be making your BOM block; it may be tacking down the binding on a quilt - whatever you think you can do without stressing yourself out. I figure if I'm going to be deliberate about cleaning up after myself, shouldn't I also be deliberate about what I want to get done? Some weeks I may be able to do big things, and some weeks I may only be able to baste a few hexagons, but I'd like to try to make time to do SOMETHING each week. What do you think? Want to join me?

I posted Amy's link on The Quilt Asylum's Facebook page and declared that I would get a quilt top finished (with borders) that I cut out almost 4 years ago. I got that done last night.

What do you think about a post each week where I declare what I'd like to get done that week, and you can add your task in the comments? Then each following week I could post a photo of what I did, and you can post a link to your blog or Flickr or whatever with what you got done? If you fall off the wagon one week, that'd be okay because we do it all again the next week!

And, if you have an iPhone or iPad, there is a great app called Photo365 that costs .99 cents where you can snap a photo (or two or 3) each day and that day's photos are placed on the appropriate calendar page! at least now I'll know when I started or finished something! You can even add notes to the photo. I'm logging what I work on, or where I am if I can't sew on something that day. You can see I didn't start until January 8.

So, who's with me?

The 12 Days of Christmas - Day 12

2011-12-14T02:00:00.000-08:00

It’s our last day of the 12 Days of Christmas at The Quilt Asylum!

Today’s Deal is: Schnibbles Times Two by Carrie Nelson

Regular price: $27.00 Today’s Price: $20.00

Order Online

Do you know what a Schnibble is? According to the Dictionary of American Regional English, it’s a small bite or a nibble. Carrie began designing small quilt patterns using 5” charm squares and called them Schnibbles. This book is a compilation of 12 of those small quilt patterns, but she has also upsized each project into a larger quilt using Layer Cakes, or 10” squares. These patterns are great for using up that stash of pre-cuts you may be hoarding, or use them to cut up and reduce your stash!

This Daily Deal is only good for today, December 14, 2011.

If you would like for us to put one of these items in your gift bag, you can send us an e-mail, call us at 972.562.2686, or order it online and we will hold it for you. You must provide a credit card number with the first item you select – we will hold all your information and bill you on the 15^th. Daily Deals will also be available for immediate purchase in the store.
You do not have to purchase the deal each day; you choose only those items you’d like to have, but each deal will ONLY be offered for one day. Available quantities may be limited, and if you snooze, you may lose!
On December 15, you can come in and pick up all your goodies packaged in a holiday gift bag, ready to put under your tree! Or better yet, send your husband to pick it up and he’ll feel like a hero with none of the hassle of holiday shopping! All online orders will be shipped on the 15^th as well.

We hope you have enjoyed our 12 Days of Christmas event. We’d like to wish you a joyous holiday season and a prosperous New Year!

Susan

The 12 Days of Christmas - Day 11

2011-12-13T02:00:00.000-08:00

It’s Day 11 of the 12 Days of Christmas at The Quilt Asylum!

Today’s Deal is: Fiskars Titanium Scissor Set

Regular price: $16.00 Today’s Price: $12.00

Order Online

Does your family run off with your good scissors? Do you need a set of scissors that your family can actually find and use instead of your good scissors? Whether you keep this set for your crafts, or you dedicate them to everyday use, you can’t beat the price of this deal. This set contains 3 pair of scissors: 8”, 7” and 5”. Each of the scissors have precision ground stainless steel blades with titanium coating so they are 3 times harder than steel alone.

This Daily Deal is only good for today, December 13, 2011.

If you would like for us to put one of these items in your gift bag, you can send us an e-mail, call us at 972.562.2686, or order it online and we will hold it for you. You must provide a credit card number with the first item you select – we will hold all your information and bill you on the 15^th. Daily Deals will also be available for immediate purchase in the store.
You do not have to purchase the deal each day; you choose only those items you’d like to have, but each deal will ONLY be offered for one day. Available quantities may be limited, and if you snooze, you may lose!
On December 15, you can come in and pick up all your goodies packaged in a holiday gift bag, ready to put under your tree! Or better yet, send your husband to pick it up and he’ll feel like a hero with none of the hassle of holiday shopping! All online orders will be shipped on the 15^th as well.

Until tomorrow’s deal-

Susan

The 12 Days of Christmas - Day 10

2011-12-12T02:00:00.000-08:00

It’s Day 10 of the 12 Days of Christmas at The Quilt Asylum!

Today’s Deal is: Applique Delights by Piece O’ Cake Designs

Regular price: $24.95 Today’s Price: $17.50

Order Online

This out-of-print book by Becky Goldsmith and Linda Jenkins features 100 irresistible appliqué blocks in Piece O’ Cake’s famous style. We used 12 of these blocks for embroidery in our recent Meadow Circles block of the month. We happen to have a few left over, and want to share them with you. Whether you appliqué or embroider, you’ll want to have this great reference book in your quilting library. The book even includes information on re-scaling the blocks from 5” up to 20”.

And if you’re still not sure if you want this book or not, take a look at the prices on Amazon!

This Daily Deal is only good for today, December 12, 2011.

If you would like for us to put one of these items in your gift bag, you can send us an e-mail, call us at 972.562.2686, or order it online and we will hold it for you. You must provide a credit card number with the first item you select – we will hold all your information and bill you on the 15^th. Daily Deals will also be available for immediate purchase in the store.
You do not have to purchase the deal each day; you choose only those items you’d like to have, but each deal will ONLY be offered for one day. Available quantities may be limited, and if you snooze, you may lose!
On December 15, you can come in and pick up all your goodies packaged in a holiday gift bag, ready to put under your tree! Or better yet, send your husband to pick it up and he’ll feel like a hero with none of the hassle of holiday shopping! All online orders will be shipped on the 15^th as well.

Until tomorrow’s deal-

Susan

The 12 Days of Christmas - Day 9

2011-12-10T02:00:00.000-08:00

It’s Day 9 of the 12 Days of Christmas at The Quilt Asylum!

Today’s Deal is: Clover Stack ‘n Stitch Thread Tower

Regular price: $37.50 Today’s Price: $26.00

Order Online

Designed by Nancy Zieman for Clover, this handy gadget allows you to organize up to 30 spools of thread (of varying varieties) and guide them directly to your sewing machine. You can load up the threads you purchased yesterday!! (LOL…)

This thread tower is especially useful if you have an embroidery machine. Nancy’s hint is to sequentially number the space below the spool pegs with a permanent marker, then arrange the spools in stitching order. No more confusion on which thread goes where!

This Daily Deal is only good for today, December 10, 2011.

If you would like for us to put one of these items in your gift bag, you can send us an e-mail, call us at 972.562.2686, or order it online and we will hold it for you. You must provide a credit card number with the first item you select – we will hold all your information and bill you on the 15^th. Daily Deals will also be available for immediate purchase in the store.
You do not have to purchase the deal each day; you choose only those items you’d like to have, but each deal will ONLY be offered for one day. Available quantities may be limited, and if you snooze, you may lose!
On December 15, you can come in and pick up all your goodies packaged in a holiday gift bag, ready to put under your tree! Or better yet, send your husband to pick it up and he’ll feel like a hero with none of the hassle of holiday shopping! All online orders will be shipped on the 15^th as well.

Until Monday’s deal-

Susan

The 12 Days of Christmas - MUST READ

2011-12-09T09:09:00.000-08:00

It has come to our attention that there may be some confusion over ordering our 12 Days of Christmas deals online.

We DO NOT have visibility to “wish lists” in our online store. If you have been placing daily deals in a “wish list” basket to submit to us at a later date, we HAVE NOT received your requests. You must complete your daily deal request through the complete checkout process in order for us to know that you wish to receive these items.

If you have a “wish list” stored online, please process it TODAY. We will do our best to honor your daily deal requests, but some of our items are of limited quantity. If you wish to participate in future 12 Days of Christmas daily deals, you must complete each order online daily or simply respond back to info@thequiltasylum.com to get the deal. If you have submitted at least one order with a credit card number, you can use the “Call Me” payment method on future 12 Days of Christmas orders so that you don’t have to dig out your credit card each day.

We are not processing credit cards until late Wednesday, December 14^th or early Thursday, December 15. We will only process payment ONCE for all the items in your bag. If you are picking your bag up in the store, disregard the shipping charges on your online order. You, of course, will not be billed for those. If we are shipping your bag to you, we will only charge you for the necessary postage to send your bag to you – it will not be an accumulated total of shipping charges on all your orders.

We want this to be fun for you, and we want to make sure all of you who want to participate have the ability to do so. Again, we sincerely apologize if there has been any confusion.

Until tomorrow’s deal-

Susan

The 12 Days of Christmas - Day 8

2011-12-09T02:00:00.000-08:00

It’s Day 8 of the 12 Days of Christmas at The Quilt Asylum!

Today’s Deal is: Aurifil 50wt 1300mm Thread – 4 Basic Colors

Regular price: $46.00 Today’s Price: $35.00

Order Online

Did you know that we are now carrying Aurifil thread? I know, you’re asking “So what’s the big deal about that?” Well, let me tell you! It’s made in Italy. It has the tensile strength of 50 weight piecing thread, but it is thinner (making the spool size look deceptively small). It doesn’t lint as bad as Star or Mettler thread. And it’s the thread of choice for big-time quilters like Edyta Sitar (of Laundry Basket Quilts), Jinny Beyer, Kaye England, Marti Michell, Pat Sloan, and Sharon Pederson. It’s a great thread for not only piecing, but appliqué, embroidery and quilting.

To introduce you to this fabulous thread, we are offering a package deal consisting of large spools in 4 basic colors: ecru, black, white & gray.

This Daily Deal is only good for today, December 9, 2011.

If you would like for us to put one of these items in your gift bag, you can send us an e-mail, call us at 972.562.2686, or order it online and we will hold it for you. You must provide a credit card number with the first item you select – we will hold all your information and bill you on the 15^th. Daily Deals will also be available for immediate purchase in the store.
You do not have to purchase the deal each day; you choose only those items you’d like to have, but each deal will ONLY be offered for one day. Available quantities may be limited, and if you snooze, you may lose!
On December 15, you can come in and pick up all your goodies packaged in a holiday gift bag, ready to put under your tree! Or better yet, send your husband to pick it up and he’ll feel like a hero with none of the hassle of holiday shopping! All online orders will be shipped on the 15^th as well.

Until tomorrow’s deal-

Susan

The 12 Days of Christmas - Day 7

2011-12-08T02:00:00.000-08:00

It’s Day 7 of the 12 Days of Christmas at The Quilt Asylum!

Today’s Deal is: White-on-White ½ Yard Pack

Regular price: $42.50 Today’s Price: $27.50

Order Online

When I buy fabric, I tend to gravitate towards all the bright and colorful prints. I’ve noticed that my stash is woefully shy of basic background fabrics! We’ve put together a special pack of basics: (10) half-yard cuts of white-on-white fabrics for you. It’s a quilter’s “White” sale!

This Daily Deal is only good for today, December 8, 2011.

If you would like for us to put one of these items in your gift bag, you can send us an e-mail, call us at 972.562.2686, or order it online and we will hold it for you. You must provide a credit card number with the first item you select – we will hold all your information and bill you on the 15^th. Daily Deals will also be available for immediate purchase in the store.
You do not have to purchase the deal each day; you choose only those items you’d like to have, but each deal will ONLY be offered for one day. Available quantities may be limited, and if you snooze, you may lose!
On December 15, you can come in and pick up all your goodies packaged in a holiday gift bag, ready to put under your tree! Or better yet, send your husband to pick it up and he’ll feel like a hero with none of the hassle of holiday shopping! All online orders will be shipped on the 15^th as well.

Until tomorrow’s deal-

Susan

The 12 Days of Christmas - Day 6

2011-12-07T02:00:00.000-08:00

It’s Day 6 of the 12 Days of Christmas at The Quilt Asylum!

Today’s Deal is: Tapestry of Texture by Wanda Hayes Eichler

Regular price: $17.00 Today’s Price: $11.00

Order Online

The 7 table runners and toppers in this book are made from 6 basic quilting blocks and utilize multiple, coordinated 22” strips cut from fat quarters to create a “tapestry” of color, instead of an uncoordinated “scrappy” look. Create “texture” in your projects through color choice, fabric contrast, and the quilting lines themselves.

This Daily Deal is only good for today, December 7, 2011.

If you would like for us to put one of these items in your gift bag, you can send us an e-mail, call us at 972.562.2686, or order it online and we will hold it for you. You must provide a credit card number with the first item you select – we will hold all your information and bill you on the 15^th. Daily Deals will also be available for immediate purchase in the store.
You do not have to purchase the deal each day; you choose only those items you’d like to have, but each deal will ONLY be offered for one day. Available quantities may be limited, and if you snooze, you may lose!
On December 15, you can come in and pick up all your goodies packaged in a holiday gift bag, ready to put under your tree! Or better yet, send your husband to pick it up and he’ll feel like a hero with none of the hassle of holiday shopping! All online orders will be shipped on the 15^th as well.

Until tomorrow’s deal-

Susan

The 12 Days of Christmas - Day 5

2011-12-06T02:00:00.000-08:00

It’s Day 5 of the 12 Days of Christmas at The Quilt Asylum!

Today’s Deal is: Clover Wonder Clips – 10 pack

Regular price: $7.50 Today’s Price: $5.75

Order Online

Clover Wonder Clips were introduced in the Spring of this year, and we just love them! They are great for holding down binding for hand or machine tacking, or for holding together textures that you don’t want (or can’t) put a pin through. You should give them a try!

This Daily Deal is only good for today, December 6, 2011.

If you would like for us to put one of these items in your gift bag, you can send us an e-mail, call us at 972.562.2686, or order it online and we will hold it for you. You must provide a credit card number with the first item you select – we will hold all your information and bill you on the 15^th. Daily Deals will also be available for immediate purchase in the store.
You do not have to purchase the deal each day; you choose only those items you’d like to have, but each deal will ONLY be offered for one day. Available quantities may be limited, and if you snooze, you may lose!
On December 15, you can come in and pick up all your goodies packaged in a holiday gift bag, ready to put under your tree! Or better yet, send your husband to pick it up and he’ll feel like a hero with none of the hassle of holiday shopping! All online orders will be shipped on the 15^th as well.

Until tomorrow’s deal-

Susan

The 12 Days of Christmas - Day 4

2011-12-05T02:00:00.000-08:00

It’s Day 4 of the 12 Days of Christmas at The Quilt Asylum!

Today’s Deal is: Villa Rosa Pattern Cards – 5-pack

Regular price: $15.00 Today’s Price: $10.00

Order Online

We just love the Villa Rosa pattern cards! Each card is the size of a postcard, and has a photo of the quilt on the front and complete piecing directions on the back. The finished quilts are usually on the smaller side; but they’re quick and easy and make great gifts. Today we are offering a package of our Top 5 best sellers: Limelight, Cathedral, Iced Tea, Saratoga, and Wild Thing.

This Daily Deal is only good for today, December 5, 2011.

If you would like for us to put one of these items in your gift bag, you can send us an e-mail, call us at 972.562.2686, or order it online and we will hold it for you. You must provide a credit card number with the first item you select – we will hold all your information and bill you on the 15^th. Daily Deals will also be available for immediate purchase in the store.
You do not have to purchase the deal each day; you choose only those items you’d like to have, but each deal will ONLY be offered for one day. Available quantities may be limited, and if you snooze, you may lose!
On December 15, you can come in and pick up all your goodies packaged in a holiday gift bag, ready to put under your tree! Or better yet, send your husband to pick it up and he’ll feel like a hero with none of the hassle of holiday shopping! All online orders will be shipped on the 15^th as well.

Until tomorrow’s deal-

Susan

The 12 Days of Christmas - Day 3

2011-12-03T02:00:00.000-08:00

It’s Day 3 of the 12 Days of Christmas at The Quilt Asylum!

Today’s Deal is: Grandma’s Spot Remover (2-pack)

Regular price: $9.00 Today’s Price: $6.50

Order Online

Have you tried Grandma’s Spot Remover yet? Whether it’s a new stain or an old one, Grandma gets it out! We’re offering a 2-pack on this fabulous product; keep one and share one, or do like I do – I have one next to the washing machine and keep one near my dirty clothes hamper.

This Daily Deal is only good for today, December 3, 2011.

If you would like for us to put one of these items in your gift bag, you can send us an e-mail, call us at 972.562.2686, or order it online and we will hold it for you. You must provide a credit card number with the first item you select – we will hold all your information and bill you on the 15^th. Daily Deals will also be available for immediate purchase in the store.
You do not have to purchase the deal each day; you choose only those items you’d like to have, but each deal will ONLY be offered for one day. Available quantities may be limited, and if you snooze, you may lose!
On December 15, you can come in and pick up all your goodies packaged in a holiday gift bag, ready to put under your tree! Or better yet, send your husband to pick it up and he’ll feel like a hero with none of the hassle of holiday shopping! All online orders will be shipped on the 15^th as well.

Until Monday’s deal-

Susan

The 12 Days of Christmas - Day 2

2011-12-02T02:00:00.000-08:00

It’s Day 2 of the 12 Days of Christmas at The Quilt Asylum!

Today’s Deal is: Olfa 45mm Rotary Blades (5-pack)

Regular price: $35.00 Today’s Price: $29.00

Order Online

Are you like me? Do you use your rotary blade until it won’t even cut butter? Why do we do that? And isn’t it Heaven when we do get around to changing it out? Most rotary cutting accidents occur due to dull blades (due to the added pressure we use on the cutter) …. I know that sounds weird but it’s true. Make sure you have spare blades on hand by treating yourself this season with a 5-pack of Olfa 45mm rotary blades.

And go ahead and change that blade. I know it’s been a long time… ;)

This Daily Deal is only good for today, December 2, 2011.

If you would like for us to put one of these items in your gift bag, you can send us an e-mail, call us at 972.562.2686, or order it online and we will hold it for you. You must provide a credit card number with the first item you select – we will hold all your information and bill you on the 15^th. Daily Deals will also be available for immediate purchase in the store.
You do not have to purchase the deal each day; you choose only those items you’d like to have, but each deal will ONLY be offered for one day. Available quantities may be limited, and if you snooze, you may lose!
On December 15, you can come in and pick up all your goodies packaged in a holiday gift bag, ready to put under your tree! Or better yet, send your husband to pick it up and he’ll feel like a hero with none of the hassle of holiday shopping! All online orders will be shipped on the 15^th as well.

Until tomorrow’s deal-

Susan

The 12 Days of Christmas - Day 1

2011-12-01T02:00:00.000-08:00

It’s Day 1 of the 12 Days of Christmas at The Quilt Asylum!

Today’s Deal is: Modern Blocks, Compiled by Susanne Woods

Regular price: $26.00 Today’s Price: $18.00

Order Online

Have you joined the Modern Quilt Movement? Would you like to try something different than standard quilt blocks? This new book features 99 fresh and different blocks by many of today’s modern quilt designers. This is a great reference book to add to your library!

This Daily Deal is only good for today, December 1, 2011.

If you would like for us to put one of these items in your gift bag, you can send us an e-mail, call us at 972.562.2686, or order it online and we will hold it for you. You must provide a credit card number with the first item you select – we will hold all your information and bill you on the 15^th. Daily Deals will also be available for immediate purchase in the store.
You do not have to purchase the deal each day; you choose only those items you’d like to have, but each deal will ONLY be offered for one day. Available quantities may be limited, and if you snooze, you may lose!
On December 15, you can come in and pick up all your goodies packaged in a holiday gift bag, ready to put under your tree! Or better yet, send your husband to pick it up and he’ll feel like a hero with none of the hassle of holiday shopping! All online orders will be shipped on the 15^th as well.

Until tomorrow’s deal-

Susan

The 12 Days of Christmas

2011-11-28T08:51:00.000-08:00

Treat yourself well this holiday season!! On December 1, we are starting a new tradition here at TQA – The 12 Days of Christmas! Here’s how it will work:

Each day from December 1 to December 14, we will send out an e-mail featuring the discounted item of the day. This may be a basic supply item, or a great pattern, or just something that would make a fabulous stocking stuffer. We will also be posting the Deal here on our blog.
Each Daily Deal is available from 6am to midnight on the day it is offered. No backtracking is allowed.
Since we are not open on Sundays, no deals will be offered on December 4^th or 11^th.
If you would like for us to put a Daily Deal in your gift bag, you can reply to the e-mail, or call us, or order it online and we will hold it for you. You must provide a credit card number with the first item you select – we will hold all your information and bill you on the 15^th. Daily Deals will also be available for immediate purchase in the store.
You do not have to purchase the deal each day; you choose only those items you’d like to have, but each deal will ONLY be offered for one day. Available quantities may be limited, and if you snooze, you may lose!
On December 15, you can come in and pick up all your goodies packaged in a holiday gift bag, ready to put under your tree! Or better yet, send your husband to pick it up and he’ll feel like a hero with none of the hassle of holiday shopping! All online orders will be shipped on the 15^th as well.

We think this will be so much fun, and hope you do too!

2011-11-19T10:26:00.000-08:00

We picked up some great new Blocks of the Month at Quilt Market! They all begin in 2012 (after the busy holidays), and it’s never too early to sign up.

The Swirly Girls have created their second quilt project for the Michael Miller Clubhouse. This generous 92”x108” quilt is being offered in two colorways: Cabana (Blue) and Cottage (Red). You will also receive a bonus project pattern with each monthly installment. This program begins in January, 2012. Read more about it on our website: Cabana or Cottage.


Cabana Colorway

Cottage Colorway

Almost Amish with a Twist is designed by Nancy Rink and uses Centennial Solids by Marcus Fabrics. Each installment includes 3 “lessons” centered around related techniques and progress in skill level. Also included in each installment are additional design ideas and a bonus project pattern. This program begins in March, 2012. Read more about it here.

Vintage Rouge is designed by Vicki Bellino of Bloom Creek and features fabrics of the same name by Faye Burgos for Marcus Fabrics. The beautiful red and green quilt features English Paper Piecing, a little bit of embroidery, appliqué, and basic block piecing. This program begins in June, 2012. Read more about it here.

You can reserve your spot in the programs TODAY!

Love Your Job - Work for Us!

2011-10-03T13:46:00.001-07:00

New! Shannon Cuddle Fabric and Kits

2011-08-31T10:59:00.000-07:00

We have finally jumped on the Shannon Cuddle bandwagon here at the store. I've always loved how soft it is, but there's so much selection that I couldn't decide which colors or styles to begin with. Shannon Fabrics made that decision easy for me by packaging pre-cut kits!

The first type of kits are the strip kits. There are two sizes; the Throw quilt size finishes at approximately 48"x58" and includes (11) 5"x58" pre-cut strips. The Lap quilt size finishes at approximately 58"x72" and includes (17) 5"x58" pre-cut strips. You will need to purchase batting, backing and binding separately. With the "throw" size, the strips are placed vertically on the quilt. On the "quilt" size, the strips run horizontally on the quilt.

We have several varieties of the Throw-sized quilt kits available: Mocha Blue, Mocha Pink, Owls (Orange & Brown), and Tiffany (Red & Aqua). You will also need to purchcase 1-3/4 yards of Cuddle for the backing and binding.

We also have a variety of Lap-sized quilt kits available: Black & Red, Animal Print, Olive & Brown, and Raspberry Chocolate. You will need to purchase 2-1/2 yards of Cuddle for the backing and binding.

Many of you have told me that you are a little bit leery of sewing on Cuddle or Minky because it's stretchy. Here's a great how-to video that makes sewing these kits a breeze.

After you sew your row-by-row quilt, then you have to bind it. Here's another great video on using the Cuddle Cloth for binding.

That wasn't so scary, was it?

We also have the Cuddle Critter kits in stock - these are adorable stuffed animals paired with 2 squares of coordinating Cuddle Cloth. You can make a blankie for the animal out of the 2 squares, or you can do some "surgery" on the animal and create a one-of-a-kind blankie with the head of the critter on one end and the feet on the other. What an adorable luvvie for a young one to carry around! There's even a video on how to do this if the written instructions in the kit aren't clear to you.

We currently have all the critters in stock: Penelope the Pig, Poochie the Puppy, Enzo the Elephant, Maddy the Monkey, Fergie the Frog, Bailey the Bear and Darla the Duck. As you can see in the video, you can create a Critter Blanket from any stuffed animal including Ty Beanie Babies.

Are you ready to cuddle up with a Cuddle Kit?

Fresh Picked Posies

2011-08-10T08:51:00.000-07:00

Fresh Picked Posies is the newest pattern by Piece O' Cake Designs. I just love everything that Becky and Linda do - I've been a fan for a long time.

This pattern features their new fabric line with Robert Kaufman - Treasures and Tidbits. This line is retro and modern all at the same time. I predict that this line will be one of those lines of fabrics that people are hoarding and desperately searching for a few years from now. It's that good.

We are offering this quilt as a Block of the Month here at The Quilt Asylum beginning in September. Our sample has been hanging on the wall since June, and it gets many nice remarks. But...I've been hearing that the turquoise cheerio background fabric is just a little too busy for some tastes. I've listened and we are now offering this fabulous quilt two ways: with background or without. If you'd like to do this quilt using the exact same fabrics as Becky and Linda did, but with a quieter background, we can do that! You will have to purchase 6 yards of your desired background on your own. We'll send you all the rest!

BOM participation is limited, but we still have slots available. Sign up today!

Doll Quilt Swap Party + New Tote Bag Swap

2011-08-09T10:12:00.000-07:00

We held our Doll Quilt Swap Party last night and 9 great ladies swapped 10 wonderful little quilts (yes, someone made 2 quilts). The theme was "circles" - interpreted through fabric selection or design. Aren't you jealous?

Our next swap is TOTE BAGS! The only guideline is the bag can be no smaller than 12" x 15" - we want everyone to receive a bag that is really useful and intended as Tote Bag. Fabric selections and construction methods are totally up to you! If you'd like to play along, come by the shop or give us a call at (972) 562-2686 to participate.

The dates for the swaps are:
Deadline to sign up: September 26
Tote Bag Swap Party: October 10, 6pm at The Quilt Asylum

If you'd like to participate, but can't make the swap party, no worries! Drop your bag off ahead of time and we'll do the swapping on your behalf.

It's alway fun to receive a handmade gift that was made by someone else!

We Have a 1001 Peeps Winner!

2011-07-26T09:22:00.000-07:00

Abby from Denver said:
I have never been to summer camp before, but I really enjoyed the challenge of caving one summer with our church youth group.

I really love the colors of 1001 Peeps.

So, Abby! Send your snail mail address to Susan@thequiltasylum.com and we'll get your fat quarter pack care package on its way to you!

Thank you for playing, and thanks to all who took the time to comment!

July 16, 2011 5:21 PM

1001 Peeps PDQ* Summer Throw

2011-07-15T01:00:00.000-07:00

It's Friday! So that must mean a new 1001 Peeps Summer Camp project! This week I'd like to share with you our 1001 Peeps PDQ (*Pretty Darn Quick) Summer Throw! This 40"x60" lightweight throw is fast and easy with fringed seams and is great for those cool camp nights or for chasing the chill of too much air-conditioning! Summer Camp isn't any fun without a Mail Call - so I'll tell you about that after the tutorial. Let's get started.

Materials Needed:
Back: 2 yards, cut crosswise into (12) 6"xWOF strips
Front: 1/3 yard cuts of 6 fabrics, cut into (12) 6"xWOF strips
Thread to match your fabric - it WILL show
Sharp scissors

Before cutting

After cutting

This throw has no batting; the front and back are pieced together in a "quilt as you go" fashion with the seams on the OUTSIDE of the front using a 1/2" seam allowance.

1. Lay out your front strips in the order you want them be in the finished throw. You might want to label them 1-12, or just stack them in order.

2. Pair each backing strip with a front strip WRONG sides together. You should have 12 pairs. If you are using a directional backing fabric, make sure your strips are all going in the same direction.

3. Lay out Strip #1 and Strip #2 as shown. Notice that Strip #1 is wrong sides together with a backing strip, as is Strip #2. Make sure the left side selveges are even.

4. Pick up the pair of strips, placing them together with the backing fabrics face to face. You should have 4 layers of fabric in this order - Strip #1, backing strip, backing strip, Strip #2.

5. Sew all 4 layers together from left to right using a 1/2" seam. Remember - the seam goes on the FRONT!

6. Open out the sewn strip set and lay out Strip #3.

7. Grab it the same way, and sew Strip #3 to Strip #2 just like you did before.

8. Continue adding each strip set unti all 12 strip sets are sewn together.

9. See how the right side of the throw is all uneven? That's okay. You didn't do it wrong. All fabric widths are different. We're going to take care of that right now.

Lay your throw on your cutting mat. Trim off both sides of selvedges to make nice, clean, selvege-free edges. No need to measure - just trim as straight as you can.

10. Stitch a 1/2" all the way around the perimeter of the throw to secure all the layers. You could use a decorative stitch here if you want.

11. With your sharp scissors, snip all the seam allowances and the outer edge 3/8"-1/2" apart to make the fringe. Be sure you don't snip the seam line stitching!

12. Wash, dry, and watch your fringe "bloom"! I washed mine with a load of towels to help it fringe even more.

Wasn't that easy? Here's a few helpful hints?

Pressing each strip set (front to back, wrong sides together) before sewing will help the fabrics stick together so that there's less shifting as you sew.
ALWAYS make sure that you are looking at the newest FRONT SIDE STRIP as you sew. If the backing fabric is on top, it's a boo-boo and your seam will be on the back instead of the front.

Don't have a 1/2" seam allowance marked on the throatplate of your sewing machine? My not-inexpensive German machine didn't either, so I made a temporary seam guide using two business cards. Mark a line 1/2" from the edge on one card. Slip this card under your presser foot and drop the needle down on the line. Place the second business card next to the one under your needle and tape that card onto the bed of yor machine. Remove the card under the needle and voila! Instant (and temporary) seam guide!

We hope you have enjoyed this tutorial. You can find all of Peeps (Castle Peeps as well as 1001 Peeps) on our website.

I promised you a Mail Call, so here's the details. Leave a comment with your favorite Summer Camp memory (or anything else you'd like to share), and we'll pick one winner at random to receive a special care package directly from Lizzy House containing a Fat Quarter set of the 1001 Peeps in the Basra Blue colorway! Comments will be open until midnight, Thursday, July 21. I'll return from my own Summer Camp on Monday, July 25th and select and announce a winner.

I'd love to see your project - feel free to post it on our Facebook page! We love seeing everybody's projects!

Happy Sewing,
Susan

Doll Quilt Swap

2011-07-09T13:33:00.000-07:00

Our next finished goods swap will be a Doll Quilt Swap. What’s that, you ask? Back in the day, we called them “mini” quilts – today we’re calling them “Doll Quilts”!! The theme is DOTS or CIRCLES. You can interpret the theme through fabric selection, design or embellishment. Each quilt must be no smaller than 12”x12” and no larger than 18”x24”. The signup deadline in Monday, July 25 and the swap party is scheduled for Monday, August 8. Be creative and join us! You can sign up by phone (972.562.2686), by e-mail or in person at the shop.

2011-07-09T11:35:00.000-07:00

Our Groovy Girls Sewing Club gears back up again on Monday, July 25 at 6pm. This six-month club features patterns and techniques by Terri Atkinson of Atkinson Designs. Each monthly meeting features a free pattern, demos of a tool or technique, show and tell, games, refreshments and new friends! Our last session was such a big hit that many of the ladies have stayed in contact with each other and sew together! Cost for each monthly session is $10, or you can pay for the entire program in advance and only pay $50. You get the last session for FREE! Call 972.562.2686 to reserve your spot today!

Golden Ticket Bus Tour - September 23-25

2011-06-29T08:44:00.000-07:00

Do you have your Golden Ticket yet?

We are so excited to have been invited to participate in the Golden Ticket Bus Tour this September! This tour will visit at least a dozen wonderful quilt shops in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri over 3 days. The dates are September 23-25, 2011 and the cost is $229. Your all-inclusive ticket includes:

Deluxe motorcoach travel for 3 days
2 nights lodging (double occupancy)
All meals and snacks.

All you have to pay for once you board is your shopping spree!

Seating is limited, but we are running a special offer until the end of July. Purchase your ticket by July 31, 2011, and you only pay $199!!!! You probably couldn't pay for the gas for this type of trip for only $199! We are the only shop participating in Texas, so if you want to go on the tour, you have to ride with us.

We've been asked a lot of questions, so perhaps I can answer some of them here:

Yes, there are restroom facilities on the bus.
Each day will begin about 7:30ish and end around 8pm. An exact itinerary will be distributed once we get closer to departure.
Your reservation is non-refundable. However, if for some reason you cannot go, we can refund your ticket if your seat can be sold to someone on our waiting list or if you find someone to take your place.
You don't have to have a buddy to sign up. We will match you with a roommate. If you are signing up with a friend, you can name them as your roommate.
Some of the cities you will visit include: Ponca City, Hennessey, Oklahoma City, and Broken Arrow in Oklahoma; Derby in Kansas; Stewartsville, Jefferson City, St. Louis, Butler, and Kearney in Missouri. Exact routing and destinations are still being firmed up, but there will be at least 12 shops on the tour.
Yes, Bettepat has agreed to be "bus mom" again. That means fun, games and prizes each day.
You can sign up online, by phone (972.562.2686) or in person at the shop.

Don't delay! Seats are selling quickly!

Edited July 9: As of today, we have 25 seats remaining. Only 23 days left to purchase at the special price of $199!

Spring Market Review - The Recap

2011-06-27T14:39:00.000-07:00

We held our Spring Market Review party yesterday and had a great time! Almost 100 people joined us and waited patiently in the heat for the doors to open.

Sarah baked lots of treats (as usual) and they were enjoyed by everyone.

Everyone found a place to sit and visited with one another before the show began.

Pam and Kelly were waiting to assist customers with all the new product once the show was over.

Susan stood on a ladder so that everyone could hear and see about all the new products shown. Doesn't she look like she's conducting an orchestra?

We showed almost 40 samples using new patterns, books, and notions! I'd like to give a great big shout-out to the entire Quilt Asylum team who worked together to make this happen! Thanks also to all our great customers who keep attending these programs. We do it all for you!

If you missed the party yesterday, here's a heads-up...... The Fall Market Review is already scheduled for Sunday, December 4th at 2pm. You won't want to miss it!

1001 Peeps Summer Camp

2011-06-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the new 1001 Peeps fabrics by Lizzy House for Andover yet? Do you think it's the coolest stuff ever, yet you're not quite sure what to make with it? We've got the answer for you - 1001 Peeps Summer Camp!

Every Friday for the next 11 weeks, a new Camp Couselor will be sharing a great summer project with you using this fabulous fabric. I'm so excited to have been asked to participate! I have a feeling our project is going to be a little bit quilty....a little bit fringey.....and a whole lot of easy. Just the kind of project you need in the summertime.

Here's the full lineup of Camp Counselors:
June 17: Sew! Mama! Sew!
June 24: Alexia Abegg, Craftopia
July 1: Beth, Lemon Cadet
July 8: The Fat Quarterly!
July 15: Moi, The Quilt Asylum
July 22: Amanda, MrsMcPorckchop
July 29: Anne Weil, Flax and Twine
August 5: Heather Bostic, {House} of alamode
August 12: Karyn Valino, Make Something
August 19: Deborah Moebes, Whipstitch
August 26: Monica Solorio-Snow, The Happy Zombie

Be sure to check the designated blog for each week. And, if you decide to attend Summer Camp with us, here's a button you can download or drag for your very own!

Oh, and did I mention that there will be giveaways at the camp meetings each week?

P.S. Today is Lizzy's birthday! Go say hi!

Operation: Re-Guild Joplin

2011-06-16T14:46:00.000-07:00

I've been out of the office for the last few days attending some continuing education courses. I met up with my friend, Kathy Runyan, from The Quilt Shoppe in Stewartsville, Missouri. On her way to Texas for class, Kathy passed through Joplin, Missouri which was hit by an F-5 tornado on May 22. The devastation she encountered made her pull over and weep!

All photos courtesy of Kat Runyan

The last photo is the church where the Joplin Quilter's Guild used to meet. Take a deep breath. What if that was your guild's home?

Many great and necessary relief efforts have begun for the people of Joplin. But during our class, we wondered, "What about the quilters?". What would we do if we lost everything that had to do with the craft that gives us joy, peace, and a sense of comfort? Where would we begin?

We began brainstorming ideas. Operation: Re-Guild Joplin was born.

The Quilt Asylum is proud to be partnering with The Quilt Shoppe and Stitchin' Heaven in Quitman, TX to collect supplies from quilters like you and me for quilters in Joplin. We are contacting our vendors for large quantities of things like rotary cutters, rulers, and mats. But that's just a start. We are asking you to help us gather fabrics, notions, patterns, books and any other items you think a quilter would need to make a new start. We will be collecting items until July 31, when we plan to ship or deliver them to The Quilt Shoppe in Stewartsville for a trailer delivery to Joplin.

If you'd like to mail something directly to The Quilt Shoppe in Missouri, here's their address:

Operation Re-Guild Joplin

c/o The Quilt Shoppe

188 Hill St.

Stewartsville, MO 64490

This is a perfect opportunity to go through your sewing room and gather up items you no longer want or have duplicates of. We appreciate any and all assistance you are willing to provide!

Fresh Fabric Treats Book Signing!

2011-05-28T12:46:00.000-07:00

I'd like to invite you to attend a book signing for Fresh Fabric Treats on Saturday, June 4 from 10am-12pm. This new book (which arrived this week) features 16 new projects by some of best Moda Bake Shop chefs which utilize our favorite jelly roll, layer cake and charm pack pre-cuts. Three of the “chefs” are local to the DFW area, and will be in the shop to sign your book!

Just take a look at some of the yummy projects….

See you next Saturday morning!

Do You Know What Time It Is?

2011-05-10T14:28:00.000-07:00

It’s Quilt Market Time!

Tilly, Sarah and I are off to Salt Lake City to find all the wonderful new things for our industry! We can’t promise that we’ll bring home Ty Pennington, but we will do our best to buy really cool stuff! We’re even taking Audrey with us as a 16^th birthday present – she promises to be my Twitter & Facebook scribe as we shop! If you don’t already follow us, sign up! We’ll be posting our adventures in real-time. You just never know what we’ll see or who we’ll meet….

Of course, if we’re going to Market, then there must be a Market Review Party planned, right? Join us on Sunday, June 26 at 2pm to get your first look at all the new stuff. We’ll have more information as the date draws nearer.

Win a Quilt!

2011-04-30T10:21:00.000-07:00

Would you like to win one of these 10 quilts?

Bettepat, our favorite Party Hostess and Cruise Director, will be giving these quilts away to 10 of our lucky passengers on the North Texas Patchwork Express bus tour May 21-22.

The North Texas Patchwork Express spans two days and will visit eight wonderful quilt shops! Buses will take off (one from each shop) on Saturday, May 21st at 8:00am, and return in the early evening on Sunday, May 22nd. You'll enjoy two days packed full of fun, friends, and shopping. Bettepat has all kinds of games and contests planned so that there will never be a dull moment!

Participating shops:
Stitchin' Heaven - Quitman
Suzy's Quilt Shop - Garland
The Quilt Asylum - McKinney
Pass Time Fabrics - Gainesville
Blue Ribbon Quilt Shoppe - Wylie
Cabbage Rose Quilting - Ft. Worth
Quilt Among Friends - Arlington
Common Threads - Waxahachie

Price of $129.95 includes all transportation costs, all meals, one night's lodging (double occupancy), and a goodie bag valued at over $25.

We have a limited number of seats still remaining! What a great Mother’s Day gift! You can register in person, by phone at 972-562-2686 or online.

Just One Star Blocks

2011-04-26T09:17:00.000-07:00

Today I turned this:

Into this:

Can you read the label? It says "247 Blocks from The Quilt Asylum!".

That's right. Ya'll rock. And rock HARD.

Kid's Camps!

2011-04-23T11:46:00.000-07:00

We're offering something new this summer - Kid's Camps! LeeAnn Turinsky (who has many years of experience teaching children to quilt in the Alaskan school system) has moved back home to Texas and has joined our teaching staff.

Each camp is a week-long experience and each participant will leave on Friday with a completed/tied quilt and a matching pillowcase. Cost is $225 per week and includes all materials and fabrics. No sewing experience is necessary, and each camper will need to bring a sack lunch and a snack. Class size is limited. A limited number of sewing machines are available for rental for an additional $10 fee.

June 20 - 24, 9am-3pm 8-10 years old

This camp was designed for our younger friends. Fabrics should be selected by the camper one week prior to camp start, so that LeeAnn can completely cut out all materials. No rotary cutting will be taught, but students will learn the basics of machine operation and safety while sewing their quilt.

July 18-22, 9am-3pm 10 years old and up
This camp is intended for students 10 years or older, or any child who has previously taken our Learn to Sew #1 class. Rotary cutting and basics of machine operation and safety will be taught in this class.

We are so excited to be able to bring these offerings to your children this summer! Early registration will guarantee your place in camp!

10th Annual No Foolin' Sale!

2011-03-30T10:58:00.000-07:00

Moda Bake Shop - Flowers In the Park

2011-03-27T06:02:00.000-07:00

We've been published on Moda Bake Shop! Click here to see our new Flowers In the Park tutorial using the Easy Dresden ruler!

Product Review - No Sew Pie To Go Pattern

2011-03-26T10:21:00.000-07:00

We recently received a pattern called No Sew Pie to Go by Pie Plate Patterns. I was intrigued by the "No Sew" part of the title.

Upon reading the basic instructions, I realized that the squares and rectangles were raw-edge appliqued onto a base background fabric. The only actual seam required is piecing two lengths of background together to create a base cloth of around 72" x 80".

I decided to give this pattern a try. I will give you an overview of the basic technique, but this review is not intended to replace the actual instructions inside the booklet. The printed instructions are very good, by the way.

1. There are 3 patterns included in the booklet. Each pattern uses 4 to 4-1/2 yards of background fabric and a layer cake.
2. Seam the background fabric to create one large rectangle.
3. Cut the layer cake (or FQs or scraps) according to the direction for the pattern selected.

3. Mark the background fabric in a grid as directed. I did this on my dining room table while watching TV one evening. I used a Sewline Pencil and absolutely loved the ease in which it marked.

4. Lay out your quilt pieces according to the diagram using the marked grid on the background. I used my design wall and pinned each piece until I had the look I wanted.

5. Once all the pieces are pinned, take the top to a flat surface and use washable Elmer's glue to secure the pieces prior to quilting.

6. Glue each square/rectangle to the background, making sure to orient each piece the same way on the grid. i.e., upper left corner of piece is flush with upper left corner of grid. The grid is larger than the pieces, creating the negatvie space between the pieces.

7. Once all your pieces are glued, trim the background fabric, layer, and quilt. All the quilting is done in straight lines, securing each piece to the background as you go. Larger pieces will have multiple grid lines securing the piece.

8. After quilting, trim, bind, and wash! The glue and marking lines will be removed, and the raw edges of the pieces will fluff up, giving you a soft and squishy quilt!

Pros:

Minimal quiltmaking skill required.
Minimal quilting skills required - all quilting is straight-line using the piece edges as a guide.
Makes a fairly large quilt using just a layer cake.
Resulting quilt is really soft and cuddly; this is the quilt your kids will fight over.
The 3 quilt layouts in the booklet are distinctly different enough from each other, making the booklet a good value.
There's even a recipe for no-bake cookies included!

Cons:

You really need a large surface to mark and lay out the pieces.
You have to trim off the "fuzzies" after washing.

Overall, I think this is a clever pattern. I can see adapting the size to use one width of fabric for a quick and easy baby/kids quilt or even pillows. You can click here to order your own pattern and try it yourself!

Just One Star

2011-03-04T10:48:00.000-08:00

If you will recall, I told you all about the Quilts of Valor fabrics and programs that would be debuting this spring. The two lines of fabric we have purchased to support this endeavor have arrived in the shop and will be on the showroom floor in a couple of days.

If you'd like to support the Quilts of Valor project, but are hesitant to commit to making an entire quilt, please consider making JUST ONE STAR.

Just One Star is a challenge issued by Moda. You can read all the details here. Moda is asking for 1800 star blocks to be made between now and May 1. Their intent is to make 100 quilts in 100 days so that they can meet their delivery date of Flag Day - June 14. These quilts will be donated to deserving soldiers through the Semper Fi Fund.

The star block pattern can be found here. It's very easy! Each star uses a 10" square of red or blue and a fat 1/8th of background. You can make 2 stars from just 2 fat quarters! You may use any fabric of your choice - it does not have to be Moda.

I made these 4 star blocks yesterday. The beauty of this block is that it is over-sized and Moda will trim all the blocks down to the size that they need.

The Quilt Asylum will be collecting blocks to send to Moda. Our goal is to send a packet of 50 blocks to them. To be included in our packet, your block must be turned into us by the end of the day, Saturday, April 23. Will you help us?

PIllow Swap!

2011-02-21T14:10:00.000-08:00

The Pincushion swap was a huge success! We had almost 40 pincushions to swap, and everybody had a fabulous time! There were cushions in every shape, size and style imaginable.

Our next swap will be pillows! Here's the first one I have made in preparation.....

The guidelines are very simple.

You agree to make a basic 16” envelope-back pillow cover to be swapped with someone else at The Quilt Asylum. The pillow must have piecing, applique OR embellishment added to it (in other words, more than just a solid piece of fabric). Use traditional or modern techniques with the fabrics of your choice. Be creative and innovative!
The deadline to sign up is 7pm, Monday, March 28. Pillows will be exchanged at our Swap Party at 6pm on Monday, April 11.
If you cannot attend the Swap Party, you agree to turn in your pillow by 5pm, April 11. TQA will swap on your behalf. If you will attend the Swap Party, then bring your pillow with you.
You can make any style of 16” pillow cover you wish, but you agree to do your best work and create something that you would be proud to own. You can find a great pillow tutorial written by Julie Herman of Jaybird Quilts for the Sew, Mama, Sew blog.

Photo by Julie Herman of Jaybird Quilts

You will need to turn in an info card with your pillow.
You can make and swap more than one pillow, but you will need to attach an info card to each one.

We've ordered 16" pillow forms for easy one-stop shopping.

If the first swap was any indication, I can't wait to see what ya'll will cook up. I'm so excited! Call or come by to add your name to the list of players!

Binding!

2011-02-16T14:22:00.000-08:00

Aah, binding your quilt. Either you have no issue with binding or it is the bane of your existence. This last step to completing a quilt can be frustrating to some. Perhaps this step-by-step tutorial can help.

I'd like to make a few things clear up front:

This is how I do my double fold binding. It is by no means the only way to do it. If you have another method that works for you, that's great!
I stitch my binding down by machine. I will be showing you how to do it that way. If you wish to finish your binding by hand, I'll tell you the differences in this tutorial.
I cut my binding strips cross-grain (i.e., width of fabric). Unless I am binding a curved edge, I don't make bias binding.
There are a lot of pictures in this tutorial. I may get a little bit wordy, but I can't help it!

Here we go! First, you must calculate how many binding strips you will need.

Measure the 4 sides of your quilt. Add them all up and divide by 40 (the usable width of fabric).
Round up the number you get to a whole number. This is the number of strips you will need to cut.

The quilt I am binding is 45" square. The sum of the sides is 180. Dividing 180 by 40 I get 4.5. I need to cut 5 strips.

**Sidebar: How wide to cut the strips? I've known quilters to cut their binding strips as small as 2" to as big as 3". Personally, I use a very thin batting and trim my quilt right up to the edge. Therefore, I cut 2-1/8" strips. The general ballpark is usually 2-1/4" to 2-1/2". Try different widths to see which one you like best.

Cut your strips and trim off the selveges.

Open up one strip and mark a 45 degree line as shown.

Can you see the drawn line?

I could draw a 45 degree line just like this one on the rest of the strips (for the mitered joins), but I'm lazy. I take the remaining strips to my ironing board, and press the 45 degree line. Make sure your fold goes from upper right to lower left.

See the crease?

All four strips creased and ready to sew....

For purposes of this tutorial, I am going to call the end of the strip with either the marked line or the creased line the "head" of the strip and the other end the "tail" of the strip. Stick with me on this......

Begin with the strip that has the marked line (Strip #1). Pin a creased "head" strip (Strip #2) to the "tail" of the marked strip (Strip #1) at a 90 degree angle right sides together. Make sure the angle lines up just like this.

Sew the strips together using the diagonal crease as your guide.

When you have finished sewing the two strips together, don't cut the thread. Grab the "tail" end of the strip on top (strip #2), and pin the next creased "head" to it (strip #3), right sides together, just like before. You are essentially chain piecing your binding strips. Continue until all strips are sewn together. ** Be careful when sewing solid or batik fabrics!! Make sure you are sewing them RIGHT SIDES together, or you will have seams on both sides of your fininshed binding! I actually run the strip through my hand so that I am sure that I am sewing the correct sides together.

Here are all my strips sewn end-to-end. See how they are chained together?

Now, cut the chain apart, trimming each miter seam leaving an approximate 1/4" seam allowance. I use scissors for this. Remember, I'm lazy! I see no reason to get up from my chair and use a rotary cutter and ruler. Just "free eye" that 1/4"!

After all the seams are trimmed, go to the ironing board. Beginning with the marked "head", press the strips in half lengthwise.

When you get to a join, press the seam open and continue pressing the strip in half lengthwise.

When you finish pressing the entire binding strip, you should be at the "tail" end of the strip. Flip it over so that the raw edges are on the left, and accordian fold it. You should end with the marked "head" on top.

Time to go back to the machine. I am fortunate that my cutting table sits right behind my sewing chair. I place the accordian-folded binding on the table behind me and feed my binding over my right shoulder. If I am sewing in a different environment, I will actually place the folded binding on my right shoulder. This allows the binding to feed through the machine without getting tangled up in the wad of quilt in my lap. Sorry, no photos of this step. My cats don't have opposable thumbs.

As stated previously, I finish my binding by machine. Therefore, I attach my binding to back side of the quilt (and topstitch on the front). THIS IS HOW MY PHOTOS WILL PROCEED! If you opt to hand-stitch your binding down, reverse this process. Stitch your binding to the FRONT of your quilt and hand-stitch to the back side.

Place two pins in the edge of your quilt, approximately 12" - 18" apart. This is the gap you will need to join the final "head" and "tail" once you sew all the way around your quilt.

Place the marked "head" of your binding in the center of this gap. See that pin head on the far right? Go ahead and pin the binding strip to the quilt to hold it in place. This is where you are going to start sewing.

Place the quilt under the presser foot at the pin holding the binding strip. Remove the pin and begin sewing with a 1/4" seam.

Stop sewing 1/4" before you get to the corner of the quilt. I am fortunate that my 1/4" foot has a 1/4" mark in front of the needle hole (the little red mark). I can feel the edge of the quilt when it lines up with those marks. If your foot is not marked like mine, you can place a pin perpendicular to the presser foot at the 1/4" mark. When you stop sewing, make sure your needle is in the "down" position.

Raise your presser foot, and pivot the quilt 45 degrees.

Put your presser foot back down and sew off the quilt. Do not cut the thread. This photo shows the 45 degree sewn line.

With the thread still attached, turn the quilt so that you are ready to sew down the next side. Fold the binding strip straight up, making a 45 degree fold. I apologize for the goofy photo - I needed 3 hands!

Now fold the binding straight down, aligning the upper fold with the upper edge of the quilt. This is what creates the mitered corners of your binding.

Place the quilt back under the presser foot and begin sewing from the edge with 1/4" seam.

Continue sewing until you reach 1/4" from the next corner. Repeat the sewn pivot and the binding fold for the remaining 3 corners.

When you have completed the 4th corner, sew until you reach the left hand pin you placed at your "gap". Stop sewing and cut the thread.

With the quilt in your lap or on your sewing table, pin the "tail" end of the binding to the edge of the quilt. Lay the "head" end with the marking on top. Open up the marked "head" end and cut the "tail" end about an inch to the right of the marking. This removes the excess tail and gets it out of the way so that we can join these two ends together. I use my scissors for this cut; it does not have to be precise.

See where I cut the tail off?

Make sure the "tail" end is pinned smoothly to the quilt. Lay the "head" piece on top, making sure it is straight and flat, and make a mark on the "tail" piece at the edge of the "head" piece.

Unpin everything. Place the "head" piece with the marked line on top of the "tail" piece, right sides together, at a 90 degree angle. Make sure the bottom edge of the "head" piece lines up with the mark on the "tail" piece. I placed a pin on the "tail" mark in the lower left corner for demonstration purposes.

Fold the unsewn portion of the quilt so that you can place the pinned binding join under your presser foot. Sew the join on the marked line.

Cut the threads, and trim the 1/4" seam allowance with scissors. Finger press the seam open.

Refold the binding in half along the pressed crease and pin to the edge of the quilt. If everything was smooth and flat when you marked where to join your binding, everything should be flat and smooth now.

Finish sewing the binding to the quilt, beginning where you stopped and ending where you started.

Now it's time finish sewing the binding to cover the raw edge of the quilt. If you are sewing by hand, you're done at the machine. If you're like me, it's time to sew some more!

Turn your quilt over so that the front of the quilt is right side up. Pick a spot on any side and fold the binding from the back to the front, covering the stitching. Place a pin to hold the binding initially in place.

Begin sewing about an inch in front of the pin. Leaving the pin in place behind your foot ensures that your binding is straight and neat when you begin sewing. ** I have attached my open toe applique foot so that I can show you more detail. This is not necessary; I normally use my regular 1/4" foot for this step.

Begin sewing as if you are top stitching. In theory, the stitching on the back side of your quilt should be right up against the binding on the back. Mine gets pretty close; but is rarely perfect. I don't sweat the small stuff. If you find that your stitching is really far away from the binding on the back, your strips may be too big. If you find that you can't cover the previous stitching on the front without sewing into the binding on the back, your strips may be cut too small. It's a process..... Keep trying different strip widths to find what works for you.

When you get about an inch or so from the corner, stop sewing with your needle down. Place a pin to hold the vertical line of your binding in place.

Fold up the horizontal edge of your binding, creating a mitered corner. You may have to fiddle with the fold to get the miter folded nicely.

Continue sewing until you have taken one stitch into the bottom fold.

With your needle in the down position, raise your presser foot and pivot the quilt to continue sewing.

Here's a photo of a finished corner.

Repeat with the next 3 corners and continue sewing to the place where you started, sewing about a 1/2" past where you started. You can backstitch if you wish.

And you're done! That wasn't too hard, was it?

Happy Binding!!!

English Paper Piecing Tutorial

2011-01-02T19:26:00.000-08:00

As I promised last week, here is my English Paper Piecing tutorial. Before we begin, there are a few caveats I'd like to make:

There are many ways and methods to English Paper Piece. This is how I do it. I've been piecing in earnest now for about two years and it works for me. There is no "right" or "wrong" way to do it - do whatever works for you.
I'll be assembling a Double Diamond using 1" hexagon papers.
I am right-handed. If you are left-handed, sew in the reverse of the photos.
I should have trimmed my nails and used hand lotion before I started. Forgive my winter dryness!

I've assembled the complete array of supplies that I use.

Hexagon Papers, a glue stick, a Clover Desk Needle Threader, junk thread for basting, Mettler Embroidery Thread (60 wt.), a small pair of embroidery scissors, Clover Black Gold #10 applique needles, Piecemakers #8 embroidery needles, Thimblepads, large shears, pre-cut 2-1/2" squares

Let's begin. Use a small dab of glue to temporarily hold the paper to the fabric squares. I use a cheap, discount store glue stick - if it dries out or begins to get gummy, I throw it away and use a new one.

Use your large shears to trim away the excess, leaving a 1/4" seam allowance. Just eyeball it - it's better to err on the side of bigger than smaller!

Once all your squares are glued and trimmed, you'll use your junk thread and the embroidery needles to baste the fabric to the papers. I discovered a cache of old Coats and Clark thread and use that. You can also use up threads on old bobbins to clear them off. This is thread you will discard later, so don't use the good stuff.

I thread-baste through the paper. Many baste only the corners from the back, but I have trouble keeping longer sides taut for whip stitching later using that method. It doesn't take that long to baste through the papers, and it does not prevent your papers from being reusable later.

Cut a length of thread about 20" or so, thread your needle and make a large knot. Pick up your paper piece and fold the seam allowance to the back. Beginning in the middle of a side, insert your needle from the top to the back, making sure that you catch the seam allowance in the back.

Fold the fabric in the corner (I call it a "hospital corner") and insert your needle back to the front. Be sure that you sew through both layers of the corner.

Continue basting around the piece, going to the back on the sides and coming back up through the corners. When you get back to the side where you started, take a small stitch to bring youir thread to the top and cut cut it, leaving a 3/4" tail. Do not make a knot!

Here's what it should look like from the back.

Once you have basted all your papers, you can lay them out.

It's time to begin sewing the pieces together. I use the Clover Black Gold #10 Applique needles and Mettler Embroidery Thread (60 wt.) for this step. The Black Gold needles are thin and really sharp, and the smaller thread makes a finer stitch. I find that using the Clover Desk Needle Threader invaluable. My eyes are not what they used to be! I also use leather Thimblepads instead of a thimble. They have an adhesive backing that sticks to the pad of of your finger. At the end of a sewing session, I take it off my finger and place it back on the slick paper it came from. I can use a single pad many times - until the adhesive wears off. Then I use a new one.

Pick up your center piece and the first petal and place them right sides together, matching corners. Thread your needle with about 18" of thread and make a knot. Insert your needle between the paper and the seam allowance to hide the knot.

Begin whip stitching to join the pieces. Start at the corner and slide your needle through the threads of the fabric at the edges of the papers. You don't want to pierce the paper; you just want to graze the edges of the paper with your needle.

Continue taking stitches down the length of the side, grabbing edges of the fabric and just grazing the edges of the papers.

When you reach the second corner, take a second stitch in the corner and knot the thread off.

Now to add the next piece.

Place the 3rd piece right sides together. You're going to be sewing a Y-seam, but just concentrate on one side at a time. Slide your needle under the seam allowance and whip-stitch toward the "Y" corner.

Once you reach the "Y" corner, take a second stitch.

Flip the piece up, and then fold it back down, matching edges with the yellow center. The first pink piece will bend inward - the paper is flexible enough to allow that.

Continue stitching to the left corner. Take a double stitch and knot off.

You have 3 pieces sewn together!

Continue adding pieces until your first ring of the diamond is complete.

Notice that the yellow center is now surrounded by other pieces. Once a piece is completely surrounded, you can remove the basting stitches and the underlying paper. I use the tip of my embriodery scissors to unthread the basting and pull out the thread by the knot on top.

Remove the paper and save it for later reuse. If you have pierced the paper with your stitching, just give it a yank. Once you have the knack for whip-stitching, you'll pierce the paper less often.

Add the outer ring of pieces. Remove the basting threads and papers from the inner ring.

Here's a look at the back. All of the papers that you have removed can be used again. I have personally used papers 5 or 6 times. If the corners of the paper get worn and you have trouble making a sharp fabric corner, discard the paper.

That's all there is to it! The basting and whip-stitching is the same for any shape or block that you'd like to Paper Piece.

Now, a little hint about the paper pieces. The size of the piece is determined by the LENGTH of the side. 1" hexagon papers measure 1" along the sides, not across the width. All pieces labelled 1" will work together (or whatever size you choose to work with).

I cut all my fabrics into squares or rectangles before I begin. I measure the width and heighth of the paper I am using and add at least 1/2" in each direction. Beginning with squares and rectangles is much quicker than trying to fussy cut the correct shape.

Click here to get free paper piecing patterns and design sheet downloads from Paper Pieces.

I hope you enjoy English Paper Piecing as much as I do! It's a quick, easy, and portable project to take on the go!

Looking Ahead to 2011 - Part 4

2010-12-28T09:49:00.000-08:00

How many things that you make do you actually keep? We all love making things as gifts, but isn't nice to RECEIVE a handmade gift? Since that rarely happens with us crafters and sewists, we've decided to do something about that. We will be holding several SWAPS in the coming year.

Our first swap will be Pincushions!

Here's how it will work:

You agree to make a pincushion to be swapped with someone else at The Quilt Asylum.
The deadline to sign up is 7pm, Monday, January 24.
Pincushions will be exchanged at our Swap Party at 6pm on Monday, February 7.
If you cannot attend the Swap Party, you agree to turn in your pincushion no later than 5pm, February 7. TQA will swap on your behalf.
You can make any size, style, or type of pincushion, but you agree to do your best work and create something that you would be proud to own.
You will need to turn in an info card with each pincushion (you will receive a blank info card when you sign up).
You can make and swap more than one pincushion, but you will need to attach an info card to each one.
If you default on your commitment to participate, you will not be allowed to participate in the next swap.

We encourage you to have fun with this swap! It's a great opportunity to try something new, make new friends, and receive something handmade all in the same process! If you have any questions, or wish to sign up to play with us, give us a call at (972) 562-2686.

Looking Ahead to 2011 - Part 3

2010-12-24T09:36:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our 3rd installment of Looking Ahead to 2011!

How many of you have heard of Quilts of Valor? This is a national program whose mission is to cover all our service men and women touched by war with donated quilts. You can read all about this fabulous organization here.

Marianne Fons (of Fons and Porter fame) became interested in working with the Quilts of Valor foundation and has succeeded on two fronts: 1) She convinced 9 different fabric companies to create American Valor fabric collections specifically benefitting QOV, and 2) She created the "Under Our Wings" program to pair an experienced quilter with a "rookie" quilter to make and donate a quilt to Quilts of Valor.

The American Valor fabrics will begin shipping in March, 2011. We have purchased two of the collections: one by Timeless Treasures and the other by Pat Sloan for P&B Fabrics.

The "Under Our Wings" program is really pretty cool. We haven't worked out ALL the details just yet, but the basic premise is for an experienced quilter ("Coach") to be paired with someone who has not made a quilt before ("Rookie"). The Coach brings her sewing machine and tools. The Rookie buys a quilt kit. The Coach teaches the Rookie how to sew a 1/4" seam. The Coach does all the cutting, pinning, and pressing - while demonstrating each step to the Rookie. The Rookie pieces simple patchwork blocks. Rookies have a great first-time quiltmaking experience under the protective wing of an avid quilter. The best part is that our military personnel benefit from this partnership! The QOV Foundation even has a list of longarm quilters who will dontate their time to complete the quilt. Isn't that great???

We will begin having QOV/Under Our Wings workshops beginning in April once the fabric arrives. Until then, think about becoming a Coach. Talk it up among your friends. Surely you know someone who would like to serve their country by sewing a quilt?

Looking Ahead to 2011 - Part 2

2010-12-22T14:08:00.000-08:00

Here's another fun thing we're going to be doing beginning in January. If you are a frequent shopper in our store, you've probably seen the small block kits we have next to the register. For the past several years, we have had kits that used Thangles half-square triangle papers. This year, we are going to do something different. We're English Paper Piecing!

If you know me, you know that I am crazy for EPP. It's easy handwork that I can take anywhere; it's quick and doesn't take much concentration. ~~If you've never tried EPP before, I plan to have a tutorial here on the blog in the next few days~~. A step-by-step tutorial can be found HERE.

I made this quilt with the hexagon diamonds last year. Most of it was pieced while I was at school events or private lessons or in the car... you get the idea. On evenings when I am too tired to concentrate at the sewing machine, I sit in front of the TV and paper piece.

Anyhoo, we will have kits available on January 3. Each kit will have the pre-cut fabrics and the 1" hexagon papers to complete one double diamond block. If you prefer to make the traditional Grandmother's Flower Garden flower, you'll simply omit some pieces. We plan to stay within the "Fresh and Modern" color palette, and we'll put out 2 blocks per month for $4 each. This is a no muss, no fuss program - just pick them up when you feel like it and make as many as you desire. I really encourage you to try at least one - and maybe you'll become as addicted as I am!

Looking Ahead to 2011 - Part 1

2010-12-21T10:19:00.000-08:00

I know it's been a long time since I blogged. This fall has been moving along at a whirlwind pace, and I can't believe there's only 10 more days left in 2010!!! Much of the past couple of months has been spent on planning fun ideas and events for the new year, and I hope to spend the next few days sharing what's coming up. We are so excited - and hope you will be too!

Ya'll know we are just a tad bit crazy, right? We do work at the Asylum, right? Well, here's a way you can jump on the crazy train right along with us....we're starting a Fundamentals Block of the Week on January 3rd! Yes, you read that right - a BLOCK OF THE WEEK! Below are samples of the first 4 weeks....

Here's how it will work. Each Monday morning, we will release a new block kit. Each block kit will contain your pattern and fabrics to make one 7-1/2" finished block for $3. We are featuring the Kaffe Fassett Collective (Kaffe, Brandon, and Phillip) in our fabric selections along with a lovely Moda Bella Solid to tie them all together. The program is written so that over time you will continue to learn new piecing skills, hence the name "Fundamentals". If you are a new quilter, this program is perfect for you! If you don't pick up your block by Saturday at 5pm, the price for the block goes up to $3.75. You can also sign up to have the blocks regularly mailed to you - every 4 weeks for $15 plus shipping. We'll even give you a pocket card so that you can keep track of your blocks!

There will be 52 blocks issued during 2011. We will show the setting for this quilt in early December, and you can place orders for a setting kit then, if you wish.

So, do you want to play along with us? Give us a call if you have any additional questions or to sign up!

To Market, To Market.....

2010-10-28T04:14:00.000-07:00

And we're off! Yep, we're headed to Houston for Internation Quilt Market. We'll do a bit of "market research" today, we have a business breakfast and a Schoolhouse presentation tomorrow, and the shopping begins on Saturday and continues through Monday.

We're taking all our technology toys with us, so if you aren't fans on Facebook or following us on Twitter, sign up now! We'll be broadcasting real-time news and photos through those two media.

Now, get out your calendar. Turn to Sunday, December 12. Write down "Must attend Market Review Party at TQA at 2pm".!

You're all set!

Pillowcase Sew-a-Thons Scheduled

2010-10-11T09:56:00.000-07:00

In order to help us reach our new target of 800-1000 pillowcases for the Samaritan Inn by the end of the year, we have reserved several dates in our classroom area so that you and your friends can come in and help us sew! These dates are:

Tuesday, October 19
Tuesday, November 16
Tuesday, December 14

Bettepat has graciously cut up some of her stash and made kits for us to sew up! All you need to do is bring your sewing machine and put the pedal to the metal!

We had a couple of friends join us last Saturday, and they made 15 pillowcases.

We'd love to have you help us with this project! If you have a group of friends who'd like to sew here on a different date than what we have scheduled, just give us a call. We'll see what we can work out!

Shoofly Shuffle Table Runner Challenge

2010-10-02T11:54:00.000-07:00

Entertaining season is upon us, so we are issuing a challenge to get you motivated! Our Shoofly Shuffle table runner pattern by Pieced Tree is so simple, yet very versatile. This runner can be made in a couple of hours using just two coordinating fabrics. The squares are large enough to highlight your favorite focus fabric.

**Edited October 11
We had our first participant in the challenge! Diane Vasil brought in her Halloween Shoofly Shuffle and received a free Pieced Tree pattern of her choice. Will you be next?

Birthday Party and Quilt Giveaway!

2010-09-25T14:47:00.000-07:00

We just held our drawing for our 10 quilt giveaway! Our classroom was turned into party central! Sarah made us a fabulous cake pop birthday cake - she's so talented.

Some of our winners were in the shop to receive their quilts!

Michele Gluckman

Wendy Hackward

Michelle Gowen

Tana Campbell

Melissa Henderson

Joanne Migon

P.A. Hansen

Other winners include:

Lee Ann Turninsky

Nancy Smith

Carol Cornett

Congratulations to all the lucky ladies!

Groovy Girls Club Meeting #2

2010-09-25T12:35:00.000-07:00

Our 2nd Groovy Girls Sewing Club meeting is this Monday evening (September 27) from 6-7:30pm!

The theme this month is "travel" - we have a new bag pattern to share with you and several new techniques to show you!

Meeting fee is $10 - there's still plenty of room for you if you'd like to attend. Give us a call at (972) 562-2686 to reserve your seat.

See you on Monday!

Birthday Bash Specials - Final Day!

2010-09-25T01:00:00.000-07:00

Today is officially our 10th birthday, and it is the last day of our weeklong Birthday Bash. The party starts at 3pm with our Ten Quilt Giveaway! Sarah will be baking, so you know it's gonna be good.

Today's specials are:

** 10% off all Fat Quarters **

With over 14,000 fat quarters in stock, there's a style and a flavor for everyone.

Today's free pattern is Serpentine:

This modern quilt uses 2 charm packs, a background and a border. Free-style cutting makes this quilt a snap to piece.

We've had a great birthday week, and I want to thank every one of you for being part of our family. Ten years is a long time and we're just getting started! The best is yet to come, and we're tickled pink that you will be with us!

Birthday Bash Specials - Day 5

2010-09-24T01:00:00.000-07:00

The week is almost over - and we have had a great time seeing both old and new friends! There's still time to get your name in the bucket for our big quilt giveaway tomorrow! TEN QUILTS will be given away! Wouldn't you like to win one?

Friday's Specials are:

** 10% off all Kits **

Today's free quilt pattern is Almost Insane:

This is one of those "slow burner" quilts: it uses every last little scrap you have and you build it over time. But it's certainly a stunner when it's finished!

Birthday Bash Specials - Day 4

2010-09-23T01:00:00.000-07:00

The week is halfway over! It's been great so far, but we still have a lot more fun to come.

Here are Thursday's Specials:

** 10% off all Patterns **

The free pattern giveaway for the day is Trip to McKinney.

This child-sized quilt is quick and easy. Plus, if you've never set a quilt on point, this is a great quilt to practice on because there's no variation in block size and it's small enough to finish quickly.

See you at the shop! And, don't forget, our online friends get the discount too!

Good Morning Texas

2010-09-22T20:10:00.000-07:00

Well, we survived our television debut this morning! We were invited to appear on Good Morning Texas, which is a local lifestyle show that follows Good Morning America. Here's the backstage dope.

We arrived at 8am; the show airs live at 9am. The studio is located in Victory Park in downtown Dallas, just outside the American Airlines arena where the Stars and the Mavericks play. The unmanned lobby (which is really not much more than a vestibule with a couple of chairs) was beginning to fill up with all the day's guests. Within minutes, one of the cameramen/producers came out and called for us to set up our prop table in the studio. While we were setting up, the local weatherman (Greg Fields) was in front of a green screen doing the weather after the local anchor finished doing news cut-ins. All of this was taking place in roughly a 20' x 30' room.

Susan and Sarah at the prop table

After setting up, we went into the break room right outside the studio. Greg Fields was sitting on the sofa taking a catnap! I guess in between cut-ins, he doesn't have much to do, and there's no telling what time he has to report to the studio in the mornings for the local news. I'd take a catnap too!

We were supposed to present pillowcases to Lynne Sipiora of The Samaritan Inn, but we received word that she was involved in an auto accident on her way down. So now, we had to rearrange the shot. We spoke with Paige, our host, and reviewed our materials. She was just the sweetest - so down to earth and friendly!! We found out that we were scheduled during the first segment of the show; no time to get any more nervous than we already were!

Lynne arrived at the studio, but it was too late to squeeze her in.

Susan, Lynne, and Bridgette from LuckyU PR

Before we knew it, it was time to go into the studio. We were set up 8 feet away from the first guest. Kinda weird to be standing that close to live TV. The next guest was filmed outside while they turned the camera around and prepared for us. Paige was right there with us being calm and reassuring, and then BAM! we were on! Probably the fastest 3 minutes of my life! While we were filming, Nanci was outside taking photos of us on the Jumbotron on the AA Center. How cool is that?

We then packed up all our props, visited with Paige a little longer, and headed to our car. We were back on the highway by 9:30. The funny thing is, I started shaking once we got to the car. PTSD??

It was a great experience. It was interesting to see how they utilize such a relatively small space for a variety of guests and setups. I still feel like a dork, but apparently we did a decent job. Who knows? Perhaps they'll invite us back!

If you didn't see the show, you can watch our story here.

Birthday Bash Specials - Day 3

2010-09-22T02:00:00.000-07:00

The fun continues! If you haven't been in yet this week, we still have something for you! We have a fabulous trunk show by Kathy Brown of The Teacher's Pet - TEN quilts from her Take 5 book! Wednesday's special is:

** 10% all Yardage **

Today's Free Pattern: In-Spur-Ation

This quilt features a surprise on the back - a pieced backing using 2 leftover blocks!

Also, don't forget to tune into Good Morning, Texas [WFAA] this morning at 9am to see us present pillowcases to The Samaritan Inn!

TQA is Going to Be on Tee-Vee!!!

2010-09-21T08:27:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it? Susan and Sarah will be guests of Good Morning Texas (WFAA -Channel 8) tomorrow morning at 9am! We'll be talking about the current trends in quilting and sewing and we'll feature our participation in the One Million Pillowcase Challenge. We'll even present pillowcases to a representative of The Samaritan Inn on air!

So, Dallas-area peeps, don't forget to set your DVRs. I just hope we don't look too terribly dorky....... Wish us luck!

Birthday Bash Specials - Day 2

2010-09-21T03:00:00.000-07:00

The Birthday Bash continues! Here are the specials for Tuesday:

** 10% all Threads **

Free Pattern: PDQ (Pretty Darn Quick) Quilt

This little quilt is our take on a "rag" quilt - just straight seams and no quilting required! Great for the new seamstress, a lightweight cover-up, or a toddler's drag-along blankie!

Birthday Bash Specials - Day 1

2010-09-20T04:01:00.000-07:00

It's finally time for our week-long celebration of our 10th birthday! Here are Monday's specials:

** 10% off ALL Books! **

Free Pattern: Just A Jelly Roll - Checkerboard

Remember, we're giving away 10 quilts on Saturday! For every $10 in merchandise that you spend, you will receive an entry into our drawing!

"Hot Dog" Pillowcase Tutorial

2010-09-17T12:57:00.000-07:00

The Quilt Asylum is proudly participating in the One Million Pillowcase Challenge sponsored by American Patchwork and Quilting. We are collecting pillowcases through the end of the year benefitting The Samaritan Inn - Collin County's only homeless shelter.

Pillowcases are a great way to clean out your stash, teach a novice seamstress how to sew, or coordinate your bedroom linens with your quilts. Our "Hot Dog" pillowcase method will have you making professional looking pillowcases with no raw edges in only 3 seams!

Materials Required:

3/4 yd focus fabric for body of pillowcase

1/8 yd (cut to 2" x WOF) for optional accent trim

1/4 yd fabric for cuff

If you are adding the optional accent trim, cut a 2" x WOF strip and press in half with wrong sides together.

On your table, layer your cuff fabric face up [this is the "bun"], the optional trim strip with the raw edges toward the top, and your pillowcase fabric face down. If you are using a directional print, make sure you pin the BOTTOM of the fabric. The left side of this photo shows the layers in the proper order. The right side shows all the layers even and pinned along the top edge. Don't worry about the selvedges. We'll take care of that later. Just line up everything even on the left side and let the right side be uneven.

Roll or fold up the pillowcase body fabric [this is the hot dog], stopping just below the pin points along the top edge, leaving the cuff fabric flat on the table.

Bring the lower edge of the cuff fabric up to the pinned edge and pin all 4 layers together (cuff, trim, body, cuff), making sure that your "hot dog" is out of the way of the pinned seam.

This is what your rolled up and pinned "hot dog" should look like. Take your "hot dog" to your machine and sew the raw edge with a 1/4" seam.

Once you have sewn your cuff/trim/body seam, you'll need to turn it right side out. Pull the cuff fabric with your left hand while pulling out the body fabric with your right hand. Once everything is right side out, you will have a completely enclosed cuff seam.

Press the cuff flat with your iron, keeping the trim pointed towards the body of the pillowcase.

If you chose to include the optional trim piece, and you want to topstitch it down - now is the time.

Now you need to clean up the selvedge edges. On your cutting mat, fold your pillowcase in half matching the raw edge of the pillowcase body to the folded edge of the cuff. Cut the selvedges off both sides.

It's time to sew the first part of a French seam. This will encase the raw edges of your pillowcase. Fold your pillowcase in half lenthwise [wrong sides together}, and sew the edge and the bottom with a 1/4" seam, pivoting in the corner.

Trim the corners and turn your pillowcase wrong side out. Press the folds of the seams.

Sew a 3/8"or 1/2" seam over the original 1/4" seam, again pivoting in the corner, making sure that you are completely enclosing the original 1/4" seam allowance.

Voila! You're finished! Turn your pillowcase right side out and press!

Wasn't that easy???

Birthday Bash!

2010-09-16T04:50:00.000-07:00

It's gonna be fun.......

More Pillowcases

2010-09-14T14:43:00.000-07:00

Wow! Beverly Jensen brought in 32 pillowcases for our part in the One Million Pillowcase Challenge benefitting the Samaritan Inn here in Collin County.

Beverly says that she's not done yet - I can't wait to see what's next!

Give Beverly a big round of applause!!!

What's The Name?

2010-09-09T09:24:00.000-07:00

Does anybody know the name for this block? Or would like to suggest a name for this block? I've written a pattern using it, and I don't know what to call it! Help me, please!!! If I use your idea, I'll give you a prize!

** Edited 9/13/10: The winning name is In-Spur-Ation. If you commented/suggested an idea, send me an e-mail and I'll send you a free copy of the pattern!

Groovy Girls Club Meeting #1

2010-08-31T11:42:00.000-07:00

We held our first Groovy Girls Sewing Club meeting last night - and we had an absolute blast!

The theme of the evening was Bag Ladies, and we demonstrated Terry Atkinson's "Zippers are No Big Deal" technique for inserting zippers into her Cash and Carry and Zippy Strippy bags.

I think everyone made a new friend!

Sarah walked everybody through the demo book on how to make a Cash and Carry bag with the easy zipper. We have this demo board available in our shop for anyone who'd like to see it.

Of course, what would a Quilt Asylum event be if Sarah didn't bake goodies?

Sarah then debuted the Stand and Stow bag pattern by Atkinson Designs. By inserting Peltex into the sides and bottom, this bag stands open on its own, plus it folds up like a grocery sack when not in use.

This pattern is only available at Groovy Girl shops - you won't find it anywhere else! Stop by and see the samples in all 3 sizes.

Sarah then explained how to sew an "X" into the handle when attaching it to the bag to make it more secure.

We then played a game and everybody won an Atkinson zipper of their very own! We even challenged everyone to make a bag using their zipper and to bring it back for Show and Tell next month.

All in all, we had a fabulous, groovy-good time! The next club meeting is scheduled for Monday, September 27 at 6pm. If you'd like to join in on the fun, give us a call to sign up. We'll save a seat for ya.....

Impromptu Show and Tell

2010-08-28T14:26:00.000-07:00

Connie stopped by the store today and showed us these two wonderful batik quilt tops she has put together. We just love seeing what our customers are making!

A Sneak Peak

2010-08-20T13:33:00.000-07:00

Did you know that in September we will observe our 10th anniversary? We are planning a spectacular week-long party in order to celebrate this milestone! We will be giving away a free (and different) pattern each day as one of our gifts to you during this week.

Susan has been hard at work designing a couple of these patterns. Here's a sneak peek of the latest quilt, called "Serpentine", that has just been finished and the pattern will be released (for FREE) during the week of September 20-25.

Tax Free Weekend!

2010-08-20T07:03:00.000-07:00

Technically, we can't offer you a tax-free purchase, but we CAN offer you tax-relief on any purchase this weekend! Make a purchase in the store this Friday or Saturday, or purchase online this Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, and we'll give you an 8.25% discount. If ordering online, you must use the coupon code TAXFREE to receive your discount.

See you this weekend!

News from The Quilt Asylum

Thursday Tidbit - Math For Quilters, Part 1

I Have an Idea......

One Week, One Thing - February 27

One Week, One Thing - February 21

Pin Cushion and Mug Rug Swaps

One Week, One Thing - February 13

One Week, One Thing - February 6

One Week, One Thing - January 30

One Week, One Thing - January 24

One Week, One Thing - January 16

A New Year, A New Plan

The 12 Days of Christmas - Day 12

The 12 Days of Christmas - Day 11

The 12 Days of Christmas - Day 10

The 12 Days of Christmas - Day 9

The 12 Days of Christmas - **MUST READ**

The 12 Days of Christmas - Day 8

The 12 Days of Christmas - Day 7

The 12 Days of Christmas - Day 6

The 12 Days of Christmas - Day 5

The 12 Days of Christmas - Day 4

The 12 Days of Christmas - Day 3

The 12 Days of Christmas - Day 2

The 12 Days of Christmas - Day 1

The 12 Days of Christmas

Love Your Job - Work for Us!

New! Shannon Cuddle Fabric and Kits

Fresh Picked Posies

Doll Quilt Swap Party + New Tote Bag Swap

We Have a 1001 Peeps Winner!

1001 Peeps PDQ* Summer Throw

Doll Quilt Swap

Golden Ticket Bus Tour - September 23-25

Spring Market Review - The Recap

1001 Peeps Summer Camp

Operation: Re-Guild Joplin

Fresh Fabric Treats Book Signing!

Do You Know What Time It Is?

Win a Quilt!

Just One Star Blocks

Kid's Camps!

10th Annual No Foolin' Sale!

Moda Bake Shop - Flowers In the Park

Product Review - No Sew Pie To Go Pattern

Just One Star

PIllow Swap!

Binding!

English Paper Piecing Tutorial

Looking Ahead to 2011 - Part 4

Looking Ahead to 2011 - Part 3

Looking Ahead to 2011 - Part 2

Looking Ahead to 2011 - Part 1

To Market, To Market.....

Pillowcase Sew-a-Thons Scheduled

Shoofly Shuffle Table Runner Challenge

Birthday Party and Quilt Giveaway!

Groovy Girls Club Meeting #2

Birthday Bash Specials - Final Day!

Birthday Bash Specials - Day 5

Birthday Bash Specials - Day 4

Good Morning Texas

Birthday Bash Specials - Day 3

TQA is Going to Be on Tee-Vee!!!

Birthday Bash Specials - Day 2

Birthday Bash Specials - Day 1

"Hot Dog" Pillowcase Tutorial

Birthday Bash!

More Pillowcases

What's The Name?

Groovy Girls Club Meeting #1

Impromptu Show and Tell

A Sneak Peak

Tax Free Weekend!

The 12 Days of Christmas - MUST READ