Tag: quilt

All Southeast Shop Hop – only two shops left

August 10, 2026

Completing the two regions that include the greater metro Atlanta area is enough for me. I still need to make the trek down I-75 to Macon & Byron (with a stop @ Buc-cee’s) to complete the Central Region shops. The North Central Region shops were completed with my 7 hour road trip on Saturday.

One of the benefits of shop hopping is to get a feel for different quilt shops in a region. Each shop has a unique vibe. You’ll quickly learn which ones best meet your needs. And realize that your short list of shops will likely need adjusting every year. Life changes can mean an owner choosing to close, sell or bring in a new manager to run the business. Trends and the need to increase sales may have your fave quilt shop now carrying bag making supplies, cross-stitch/embroidery supplies and even yarn. As you stop to collect your passport sticker and fabric square, take 5-10 minutes to really look around the shop. Take a shopping list with you and try to buy a little something at each shop – a FQ or two, pack of hand sewing needles, travel size ironing spray in your favorite scent, pack of EPP papers or even a replacement cover for your favorite pair of turquoise handled scissors. Bonus: some shops offered additional swag for those who made purchases. I really appreciated the 2-1/2″ x 6-1/2″ Creative Grids ruler and chocolate from Mountain Quilts in Hiawassee.

Things I’ll definitely keep in mind:

Needle Down quilt shop in Ringgold carries a lot of Lori Holt merchandise. There’s also a really cool antique mall in the same shopping center. I’ll make time to stop in the next time I visit Chattanooga. (Important to me because the two shops that carried a wide selection of Lori Holt fabric either closed or have new owners and now carry different fabric lines.)

Sew Senoia recently purchased a circa 1905 home in Turin, GA. The shop will be moving about 25 minutes south of its current location. It’s dog friendly and the new location is in a really pretty part of west-central Georgia. They also host weekend retreats a few times a year. With the current westside perimeter road projects, it would be totally worth spending money on 2 nights of hotel to attend a retreat once the new location opens.

Photo by Tahir Xu0259lfu0259quliyev on Pexels.com

Quilt Camp Preparations

July 21, 2026

Next week, Sadie & I will be hosting three teens (can’t call them ‘tweens anymore!) for quilt camp. So far, it’s been a collective effort with friends adding things to make it extra special for the girls. One friend contributed a collectible box for each girl to hold her fabric kit and camp swag. I was able to borrow two folding tables to help meet workspace needs. Others donated random batik leftovers so I could cut extra 10″ squares to offer more variety for their selected projects.

A sewing machine I’d loaned out several months ago for a teen sewing program at a nearby library (and thought was permanently gone) was returned in time for camp. It’s original shipping box had deteriorated to the point where we actually threw it away at the library last week. A hard plastic sewing machine case was suggested as its replacement. FB marketplace showed one available 6 miles away from me – clearly in good condition, but rather dirty. Twenty minutes of scrubbing with hot, soapy water yielded a perfectly usable sewing machine case at a fraction of the current crazy retail prices – plus Sadie got a ride.

I’m also trying to complete two current projects and get the quilt sandwiches basted before my sewing space is converted back into classroom mode for a solid week. This way, I can FMQ and work on other projects while their creative chaos is basically confined to the rest of the room.

I’m thankful to be on day six of prednisone. The allergic rash is mostly gone. My doctor mentioned it would probably be another week before the flare-up subsided completely and my feet/ankles would be the last to recover. This definitely seems to be the case! Anyhow, I can wear short sleeves in public again without grimacing. That’s a good sign.

Practice makes you better

May 25, 2026
Not perfect, but better.

After several practice quilt sandwiches, it was time to do FMQ swirls on a *real* project. I unearthed a Moda placemat panel that had been part of the swag bag at last year’s JK Quilts spring retreat. I prepped the quilt sandwiches at sew day on Wednesday. Quilted them on Friday. Four placemats are now ready to bind.

Learning to FMQ with on my Elna 782 with the ASR requires a different set of skills – not good, not bad – just different. The payoff has been a more consistent stitch length when doing FMQ. I still get occasional long stitches (usually from moving my hands too fast when changing directions), but that’s okay. It’s part of the learning process. I actually prefer to FMQ using the start/stop button rather than the foot pedal. Still haven’t decided which particular foot I prefer to use for everyday FMQ. My next FMQ will be on a project made using the fusible grid interfacing. I’m going to try the “bowl” or clear view attachment to see if this works any better with all of the seamlines.

Back to Front Binding Tips:

Start with 2-1/2″ wide strips, adding 20% extra to the total length needed (just in case).
Do a mock binding layout to preview where any binding seams may fall – preferably no seams at the corners. Adjust as needed.
Sew using a 3/16″ seam allowance, joining ends using your favorite method.
Press sewn binding away from the back side.
Roll binding to the front side and glue baste in place, leaving corners for last.
Set corners and clip in place.
Let sit for 1/2 hour or overnight so glue can dry.
Stitch using a straight stitch with tie-off option and Janome Bi-level Left presser foot. (Note: the foot is advertised for 5-7mm machines, but I think it offers more flexibility with the 7mm widith machines. That said, my Elna 450 is a 5mm width machine. I set SW = 0 and SL= 3.0. Sew slowly with the needle down function engaged. )