1) This morning, I spied a quilt on a YouTube stream that I liked. I used it as inspiration for my own quilt, which I designed in EQ8:
It finishes at 50″x60″ – which is my preferred size for a throw quilt. I’ll make one to use during our R.E.A.D. sessions with Sadie, plus one from scraps to donate to my guild’s community service. If you don’t have EQ8, then you can always draw by hand or research any number of quilt design apps (free & paid) available online.
2) You can also use the Google Lens feature with the Chrome browser. Simply download the app/extension and add it to Chrome. It helps when trying to identify the pattern you saw in a FB post. Non-quilting related – it helped me identify the silverplate patterns on some serving utensils my mother sent home with me recently. They were my great-grandmother’s dating back to around 1910. Mom said they hadn’t been polished in at least 50 years. I believe her. It took almost an hour to get them back to the original silver.
3) Special interest groups on FB are full of helpful information. Machine specific groups help one another troublehsoot sewing machine issues, designer enthusiast groups often sponsor QALs using previous books/patterns and still others offer a way to destash items directly to a target audience. I rarely post on FB anymore. Instead, I use it to follow therapy dog, quilting and vintage sewing machine groups. I learned this morning of an upcoming Lori Holt QAL sponsored by an enthusiast group I follow. I know I have the book and I think I have the templates. If not, I know someone who does!
4) Apps like Libby allow you read quilting books and magazines for FREE on your device with only a public library card. Quilting apps like the QuiltingCalc app from Robert Kauffman Fabrics helps you figure out how much fabric you need for a project. Chances are, your favorite online quilt shops also have an app available for download. If not, you can bet they are over on Instagram. Pinterest is also a great app for keeping track of projects and tutorials that inspire you.
Lately, I’ve been limiting my use of social media on purpose. It’s just easier this way. I’m still in the loop as to what’s going on in the world, yet I am more productive and sleep better.
Come Stitch With Me 