Pieced Brain

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Three easy modern quilts

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Add color to your home with these three easy modern quilts that will bust your fabric stash. I bet you will make all three! Are you ready to hit the reset button on some traditional quilt blocks? Let me show you what you can do with two of my favorite blocks. As you read on, think about how you can adapt my ideas to your preferred color scheme by using prints (a smaller scale will work best in a couple of them) instead of solids, a low-volume background instead of white, or even a dark … [Read more...] about Three easy modern quilts

How do I know how much fabric to buy?

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I found these beauties at Serendipity in Dagsboro, DE: Home of Christmas, by Stof. Rich shades of cream, grey, rusty brown, with golden outlines and dots... I am seriously considering another trip to the store to purchase more fabric! I am often reminded of the question which plagues most quilters, particularly beginners: How much should I buy of each fabric when I don't have a project in mind for them yet? During the early years of my fabric addiction, I used to buy a minimum of 2 yards … [Read more...] about How do I know how much fabric to buy?

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

Storage for Projects

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My projects-in-progress are usually stored in zippered plastic bags. However, the other day I found these awesome plastic boxes at Walmart for under $4.00 a piece. A bargain! At 15" x 11 1/2" x 3 1/4", they are the right size for storing fabrics, patterns, and everything else for your project, as well as for temporary storage of sewing items you will be using during a retreat. I bought three of them, but am going back for more, as they stack well. Oh... my studio is getting so … [Read more...] about Storage for Projects