Pieced Brain

All about quilting, knitting, crochet, embroidery, free tutorials, quilting and crafting book reviews.

Days flying by

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Wow... this last week flew by! I have been busy house-hunting, spending time with the boys, preparing for an eventual move... Sapphire, the younger cat, has been spending more time in my quilt room than the quilter! My To Do list is growing by the minute: - Finish small art quilt (should be able to post a picture today) - Quilt green wall hanging - Search for more fabric for the Drunkard's Path quilt - Complete double wedding ring bed runner - Work on round robin quilt Speaking of round … [Read more...] about Days flying by

Blessed are the piecemakers

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  This tiny sewing machine sits on my cutting table. I love being a piecemaker... So many people have my sewing machine to thank for being alive, and they don't even know it!!! :-) I have a few other things on my table: a porcelain cat holding a mouse in his mouth, a family of frogs, cartoons I clipped from the newspaper, a frog hanging from the lamp... All "essential" nick nacks which enhance the ambiance. How about you? Is there something special in your studio that summarizes how you … [Read more...] about Blessed are the piecemakers

Fusible web applique

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This week I was working on a Christmas row quilt. For the gift boxes row I needed to fuse large squares to the background fabric, and then machine applique them. I chose to use only a few strips of fusible web (Heat'n Bond Lite) on the wrong side of each box (see picture) so I would not end up with too thick a surface to free-motion quilt on. Since I did not put the strips of fusible web very close to the edge of the boxes, I was concerned that the fabric would fray. To my delight, the fraying … [Read more...] about Fusible web applique

Black, White and Red Table Runner – V.2

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Just finished the second table runner using those black and white blocks I've been saving for the past few years. I made this one just as the first one (see the other table runner here), but using three other blocks with same accent red fabric by Moda for this year's Valentine's. This one I stitched in the ditch only.  I can't believe I had enough of the same scrap fabric for the corner yo-yos.  I'd much rather use sample blocks for smaller projects than put them in a quilt. I do, … [Read more...] about Black, White and Red Table Runner – V.2

Variegated Threads

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Getting ready to play with beautiful threads as I quilt my latest landscape quilt... Aren't they beautiful? I need TONS more of them, of every color combination! When I am ready to quilt tops, I like to have my thread palette by my fingertips, and switch threads as I move from one area of the quilt to another. The results often surprise me. My machine prefers cotton and polyester over rayon, but I don't let it indulge - it works with whatever I need. Don't know about you, but I'd rather color … [Read more...] about Variegated Threads