Quiltmaker January/February 2018
It’s that time of year again. At the first of every year, I make my New Years resolutions—get more organized, exercise more—the list goes on, and it doesn’t seem to change from year to year. Resolutions are easy to forget about as the months pass by. This year I’m going to try something different—something that I hope to actually accomplish. What I think might be more attainable for me is to create monthly challenges for myself.
I’ve been thinking of where my quilting journey has led me through the years, and where I want to go from here. The one area that I feel needs more time and practice is my machine quilting. This year I’m challenging myself each month to learn a new machine quilting stitch or technique. In the process, I’ll also make a nice dent in the pile of quilt tops waiting to be finished.
I feel pretty confident when quilting a simple meander or loops or other common machine quilting designs, but there is so much more that can be done on my domestic sewing machine.
A couple things I want to explore are quilting with my walking foot and quilting with rulers. As I explore different quilting options, I’m sure I can come up with 12 months of challenges for myself.
I plan to share some of what I learn through various blog posts throughout the year, so you can follow along on my quest to become a more confident machine quilter. I hope you’re inspired to do the same. We’ll also include more articles about machine quilting in Quiltmaker to help you on your journey to becoming a more confident quilter.
Carolyn Beam, Content Director
Table of Contents
Patterns
- Snowbirds (easy): Get cozy this winter with Tricia Patterson’s delightful house-themed quilt
- Reflecting Pools (easy): Simple pieced blocks create this striking scrap-friendly design
- Sodalite Cabins (intermediate): Stars combine perfectly with Log Cabin blocks in Scott Flanagan’s stellar quilt. Click here for a correction to this pattern.
- Plumberry (easy): Two classic blocks set on point take center stage in this traditional charmer
- Prism Blooms (intermediate): Foundation pieced blocks sparkle in Wendy Sheppard’s cheerful quilt
- Caribbean Sunset (easy): Nancy Mahoney’s classic two-block quilt will have you dreaming of warmer climates
- Color Me (intermediate): It’s coloring time for Project Linus!
- Fresh Air (intermediate): Bring the outdoors inside with Terrie Peterson’s nature-themed quilt
- Star-to-Star (intermediate): Sarah Maxwell’s fresh design features a rainbow of stars
- Grandma’s Spools (intermediate): Barb Eikmeier’s charming spool quilt is a lovely tribute to her grandmother
- Briar Rose (easy): This quilt’s wow factor is easy to achieve with strip piecing
- Equalize (easy): Whip up this quilt in no time with scraps or pre-cut strips!
Articles
- Machine Quilting for the First Time: First steps in free-motion quilting
- Longarm Quilting Demystified: Explore the world of longarm quilting
Departments
- From the Editor
- Sew to Speak
- Find Your Inspiration
- Schoolhouse Steps: Stitch & Flip
- Schoolhouse Steps: Making Bands
- Creative Spark
- Basic Lessons
- Addicted to Scraps
- Spotlight
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