Happy Halloween!

Free Holiday Quilt Patterns

Looking for some free holiday gifts? Want easy patterns at your fingertips? Then you need to check out Bella Online.

That's right if you go to this site you will find over 50 links to free Christmas patterns for everything from tree skirts to table runners and more. Click a link and see the project complete with instructions! And the best part is these are all free for the taking.

So stop trying so hard to figure out your own patterns, let your fingers do the walking. By the way Bella Online has lots of other useful links as well. Categories like Health and Fitness, Food and Wine, Computers, Family, Education, and careers to name a few. Go to Bella Online, The voice of Women seriously you won't be disappointed.

Comments? Questions? Just click comments it's that easy! By the way if you want more useful quilting tips, sign up for my newsletter by filling in the form at the top of this page.

Thank you for reading my blog, your opinions really do matter to me.

Are you a "Lazy Girl"? I know I am, and I found the perfect pattern for the "Lazy Girl" in us all. This lovely simple tote bag pattern is just perfect for the holidays.

You could make it in holiday fabrics and use it as a gift bag or make one in a fabric you like, and use it to carry your groceries. (Go Green this year!) The pattern claims you can make this in a hour, so you should be able to crank out several on a Saturday afternoon sewing session without any trouble at all!

Lazy Girl Designs have some really fun patterns and if you are not familiar with them check out their website.

While on the site be sure to check their blog for other great free patterns. There are plenty to choose from.

Budget friendly Quilt Class

Did I mention my new budget friendly quilt class is now open? You have heard me talk about a new "Go Green" series of classes and now the first one is finally up and ready for you.

Head on over to Quilting Weekly register for the site (that's free) then click on "online courses" and register for my Go Green with selvage quilts class.

You can read the description without registering for the site, so if you're just curious have a look. Go Green with Selvage Quilts

But why not register there is so much to do here, like join our weekly discussions in the forum or get free quilting tips and so much more. In fact you can get any question you have answered in our general forum. So if you are new to quilting and have questions, you are sure to find answers there. Just search the previous topics and you will be amazed at the wealth of help you will find. With thousands of posts, and more than 1300 members and growing the answer is just a click away.

No questions? How about meeting other quilters from around the world who share you same passions for fabric, and all things quilting! Our General Discussion Forum is the place to be!

Questions? Comments? leave leave them here and I will be happy to respond to them.

Easy Pot holder Tutorial

Making pot holders is a quick and easy way to use up leftover fabric. If you have an excess of fat quarters this is a good project to use them on.

I am making several as holiday gifts for a few friends in the neighborhood. I like to drop off a little holiday cheer on the doorsteps of my close friends and neighbors. This year it will be pot holders and a few treats!

I thought you might enjoy a quick tutorial on how to make these for your friends.

Cut a front and back fabric (9 inches square)









Next cut 1 (9 inch) square of cotton batting, and 1 (9 inch) square of Insul-Bright









Layer them in the following order:

1. top fabric, right side up


2. bottom fabric, wrong side up

Finally add the cotton batting as the top layer.














Pin it all together making sure to leave one side open to turn pot holder right side out.













Sew all the way around the outer edge. Make sure you back stitch at the beginning and at the end of the open side. This way your stitches won't be stressed when you turn it right side out.













To make the corners easier and cleaner I clip the corners before turning the pot holder right side out.













Once you turn the pot holder right side out, you should press the edges square. Fold the raw edges in to meet up with the seam line, pin and hand sew this closed. (like you would do for a pillow).

To keep all the layers nice and secure you should do some quilting on the pot holder. Here are the front and back views of my quilted pot holders.























That is all there is to making a pot holder. You can make these in festive holiday prints for gift giving. You could also make them in fun "food" prints or any kithen themed fabric to use year round.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. It is for personal use only and the photos and instructions may not be copied without my consent.

When things go wrong

I wish I knew more about the technical parts of my website. Frustrated today is an understatement. I know this site is dedicated to teaching, but it is also about my personal experiences too. Well this is one of those times when I need to just vent a little to move on. So I hope you will bare with me here for a brief venting moment.

I have a new class that I spent quite a bit of time on and was supposed to open it this past Saturday on Quilting Weekly. In fact I even posted on my twitter and other social networks comments about the new class opening. Karen Griska of the The Selvage blog posted a nice article advertising my opening for me too. (since this is a selvage project)! Now I have all this new traffic coming to the site, (which is great right?)but they can't register for the class due to some technical issues.

My technical person (also my partner)lives in Australia, which is a challenge most of the time anyway since I live in the USA. But now he is in bed for the past few days sick! Which means nothing can be done to fix this until he is well again. Now of course I am not angry at him for being ill. These things happen and he should be in bed getting rest. But if I knew more about the process of opening the class, then I could trouble shoot the problem better myself. Ans that is what is frustrating me. I did all I am supposed to do, but now my hands are tied until he is well enough to come back to work. This is what happens when you are a small business I guess.

I do have administrative rights on the site, and know how to put up my material, but when it comes to the things like setting up the registration pages, menu items and the forums I still need help. We are in the process of opening a new site soon, it is time to give Quilting Weekly a face lift! I hope that when that happens the software and technical parts of the site will be easier for me to learn so I can avoid problems like this in the future.

I just tried to register for the class, and it took me to another class! not just registration, but into the actual class material. (oh I probably shouldn't type that)now you know you can get free lessons. Yikes! Honor system here ladies, please to misuse that info.

I just feel bad about all those new customers who may get frustrated and never come back. I can only address those who contact me, which has been a very small percentage of what has come to the site.

Well now you know why I am frustrated and I thank you for listening. Now for what to do. Hmm I guess if you are reading this, and are having issues with my site, then I suggest you leave me a message or send me an e-mail so I can let you know when things are fixed.

By the way there is a form at the top of this page for adding your name to my mailing list, you can use it to leave me your info, comments or anything else you like. Those comments won't show on the site they come to my e-mail. If you want to leave comments for others to read, then just comment on any of my articles.

By the way, if you should visit my online classroom website, you can still register for the site, and take any of our other classes. Just not the new "Go Green with Selvages" class for now. I hope to have this resolved early next week so do check back. Thank you for your understanding.

Quick quilted gift ideas

Need some quick quilted gift ideas for the holidays? Well who says you have to make a whole quilt for everyone? I mean that would be nice, but if you are like me you wait till the last minute and then panic! So I thought I would take some of your panic away by giving you some quick quilted gift ideas that won't break your budget. Budget of time or materials!

Here are just 20 ideas to get you started. Oh and if you need more ideas, or some help with patterns. Check out The UFO-Orphanage Quilters gift page.

1. Pot holders – Made in holiday fabrics, or just use up your old orphan blocks


2. Table runners


3. Place mats


4. Aprons – Use up novelty prints, or holiday fabrics


5. Tote bags – There are many free patterns on the web for simple patterns. Just does a search “free tote bag patterns”


6. Grocery Bags – Similar to the tote bags, but may be similar to make as they don’t need pockets


7. Insulated lunch bags


8. Oven mitts


9. Napkins – In novelty prints or holiday prints. If you have a Serger it is even easier!


10. Pillow toppers – These are similar to a table runner but are meant to dress up the bed and fit over your pillows only.


11. Towels – If you have an embroidery machine, these are fun and simple. For those without embroidery you can do simple appliqué designs by fussy cutting designs from fabric and attach using your favorite appliqué method. Or simply buy decorative ribbons and attach them.


12. Basket liners


13. Casserole covers


14. Cell phone holders


15. Glass cases


16. Sewing kits


17. Thread catchers


18. Pin cushions


19. Pillows – Try out some photo transfer /printing techniques


20. Wine bottle holders - You know the ones that gift wrap a bottle of wine to take to a party.

If you need more help with patterns that were not found on the UFO-Orphanage Quilters gift page, just do a search for "free ____ patterns" (fill in the blank line with the pattern you're looking for) Example: "free pin cushion patterns" If you use the quotes around your search it will narrow your search and get more specific. Without the quotes, you will get searches for free, pin, cushion, & patterns. Does that make sense?

Oh by the way this was a tip I sent to my mailing list this week, if you want to get in on all my great tips don't forget to sign up for my mailing list at the top of this page.

Happy Sewing!
Chris

Hand Knitted X-Mas Stockings

Now here is a stocking you can hang proudly in any home! This is just one of the unique custom designs that are available at Quilting For Less.

Yes I know my site is about quilting, and so is hers, but these unique hand knitted stockings are just to cute to pass up!

Check out Quilting for less and see all the great designs she has to offer.

She let's you pick the design, colors, and she will personalize it with your name too!. Small stockings are only $15.99 and large ones are $19.99 not bad for hand made personalized stockings!

Win a free quilting Class!

Win a free quilting class! That's right another contest, but this time it is on another blog. The Quilting Gallery has so graciously allowed me to be a guest blogger on her page and as my way of saying thanks, I decided to give away a free class.

All you have to do is go to her site read my guest blog post (it's about how I found quilting and where it has taken me)and at the end of the post leave a comment by answering a simple question! That's it!

The contest ends on October 31, 2008. So don't be late and no this is not a halloween trick, I think my post is a real treat. (how corny I know!)Even if you don't like my post or want to win a free online quilting class, you will have found a great quilting resource site. If you want to receive quilting tips, or find out about up coming classes sign up for my newsletter by filling out the form at the top of this page.

Good luck and thanks for reading my story!

Going going gone!

Yep, I started a selvage project and well now I need more selvages. I am now on the hunt at the fabric shop to get a collection going. I will also be asking my friends at our guild meeting too. I have so many selvage projects I want to make, and now I need more selvages!

I have even gone to JoAnn Fabrics and dug through the remnants piles (they were 50% last week). But how sad, that I have to pay money to get my fix now! Ha that's funny. I never thought buying fabric was bad, or made me feel guilty, but somehow that did.

Here are some pictures of my selvage work. I can not show too many as I am working on a class project for my website. More on that later.

Here was one layout I was trying:









Here is another:








And another:








Now there was one more layout I really liked and that was the one I choose for the class. But I am not going to show it just yet. The class should be ready in a week or so. So look the details here, or better yet sign up for my newsletter by filling out the from at the top of this page, and I will notify you of all our class releases.

Marathon sale on Quilting classes!

Four days only! One day for each hour Michelle takes to finish her marathon. 50% off all our home study courses. Don't miss out on this marathon sale!

Ok, let me back up a second. "What home study program, and who is Michelle and why do I care?" All good questions.

First of all Quilting weekly, as many of you know is an online classroom website that many of you have heard me talk about here. That is my primary business. Teaching you how to quilt through the use of the internet. It allows me to reach more people and share my knowledge and love of quilting without ever having to travel. I don't have to travel and neither do my students. The classroom is always open, and you are never alone when you have questions. We call this semi-live classes and I started this site with my first class opening up in June of 2007, and today we have close to 1300 members and growing. I guess it is catching on pretty quickly!

Well in addition to the semi-live classes we have bundled up each class after it's first run with the semi-live session into a down loadable version. We took the same class material as you would get with the semi-live version, including any forum posts at the time and packaged it all up into our "home study" version. And are now selling them for a lower price. Many quilters do not need the hand holding of their instructors or the support of other students to get through the class and for them this works better.

Now for the who is Michelle? Michelle is my partner and helps me market Quilting Weekly. Her husband Simon maintains all the technical stuff with the site. He keeps the site running smoothly and with out him I would be lost at times. I know quilting, and I know computers pretty well, but do not want the challenges of designing a site or maintaining it. I would rather be quilting!

Anyway back to Michelle. She has had a dream to run a marathon in her life time and I guess this is that time. This Sunday October 12th is her marathon day in Australia. Which is where she and Simon live. So it is the perfect time to release our home study courses to the world. We are going to offer these special classes through our Marathon Sale at a 50% off their already low price! But you have to hurry as we are only offering this discount for four days! One day for each hour it will take her to complete the Marathon.

Remember starting today October 9,2008 through October 12, 2008 you can get our Brand New Home study courses at 50% off! Go to the Marathon Sale page now! How about sharing this link with you quilting friends or posting it on your blog. (I would surely appreciate it). Quilting classes make great gifts and with the economy the way it is why not take advantage of these great prices while they last.

If you have any questions about this sale, home study program or our semi-live classes please leave me a message with your e-mail address and I will be happy to answer your questions.

Name that quilt block contest

Name that quilt block contest at Quilting Weekly could win you a free class!

Name that quilt block is a contest being held in the general discussion forum for a chance to win a free pass to a class of your choice. The pass will be good for a year, so you can pick from a class now, or later as there are always new classes being added.

How does the name that quilt block contest work? It is simple, you first need to register for the site, which is free. Once registration is complete go to the site and log in. Then click on the forum button, look for the general discussion forum and click on "name these blocks".

Each day (Monday through Friday, no blocks posted over the weekends) there will be 2 new blocks added with possible answers for a total of 20 blocks. Choose your answer and post it by replying to the message where the block is posted. And for bonus points choose the grid method used to create the blocks. Examples 4-patch, 9-patch etc. That's it!

There will be a random winner chosen from all who enter. And another winner will be chosen based on the most correct answers. Enter daily to increase your chances of winning. The contest runs from October 6th, through October 17th, with the winners chosen on October 20th.

Now go to Quilting Weekly and get in on the fun!

If you have a blog, feel free to copy and paste this information into your blog.

What to consider before sending out your quilts

Have ever considered having your quilting done by someone else? If you go to a longarm quilter you may find the pricing to be a bit confusing. What does edge to edge mean? or What is heirloom quilting? And how do you decide what is best for your quilt? After all you spent hours making that quilt top, and it may even be for a gift. Now you are going to hand it over to a stranger and say "finish it for me"

So how do you decide what quilting is best? Well here is a no frills explanation of some of these terms found on Mcarmickles Weblog.

Some other things to consider before handing over the quilt.

1. See examples of the work.


2. Get references of satisfied customers, and call them to see what their experiences were like.


3. Find out how long this quilter has been in the business of quilting other peoples quilts. She may have years of quilting experience on her own quilts, but if she is knew to quilting for others, she may not yet be good with understanding what you want. And if she does not ask enough of the right questions, you could be disappointed in the results. Many quilters have a specific idea or look they are going for, but don't know how to convey that to the quilter. A good professional quilter will know how to ask the right questions to be sure you both understand how the finished product will look.


4. If you have to ship the quilt out for quilting be sure you know how to package it properly and get it insured! Although if it gets lost, or damaged insurance won't fix it, but at least it will give you money to buy fabric to make a new one. You may want to work with a local quilter where you can drop it off personally to avoid any problems with mailing your quilts.

What every you do, do your research on the quilter before giving up your top. After all you spent all that time and energy creating the top. Make sure it comes back just the way you want it to! Many of us enjoy making tops, why not let those who enjoy quilting the tops do it for you. So you can get on to your next top! If you find a good machine quilter you may have a partner for life that will make both of you happy quilters!

If you know of any good machine quilters (ones you have used personally) Share them with us, along with your experiences. Remember rule number 2, get references from satisfied customers? Share your experienced machine quilters with our readers, by leaving a comment with their contact information or links to their websites. If you are a experienced machine quilter and want to leave a comment with your contact info, we would love to have it.

Go Green & Santa's Workshops

Just spoke with Sluggo, one of my teachers and she is full of fun, fast and of course easy ideas for her upcoming Santa's workshops. I think this holiday season will be a breeze for all my quilting friends who take advantage of her classes.

Sluggo is a real treasure and I am so glad I found her and added her to my staff. I wish she lived in the same state as I do, we would have some great inspirational quilting sessions together!

By the way if you are a quilt lover and are interested in teaching for me, leave me a message in the comments. Be sure to leave an e-mail so I can contact you.

In the mean time check out our other classes on Quilting Weekly I am sure you'll find something you like. If not, just hang out in our forums there is loads to learn and we are adding teachers and classes all the time.

Take our free friendship star class and you will automatically be added to our mailing list so you won't miss a thing.

Go Green with "Selvage Quilts"

All right all you environmentalists out there I have the perfect solution to the age old problem of filling landfills with fabric waste. My "Go Green with Selvage Quilts" is the perfect solution.

Now if you quilt, there is no doubt in my mind that you have at some point made a scrap quilt. Making scrap quilts is a great way to use up scraps. Scraps are the little bits of fabric you have leftover from you quilt projects, right? Well selvage quilts takes this a step further by using the selvage edges of your fabric too. I know you have always been told cut that off and throw it away That was until now! Keep them and watch for more information on my New Go Green with Selvage Quilts workshops Which I will be releasing on my website Quilting Weekly in the next few weeks. I and another teacher are working on an entire series of quilt projects using the selvage edges. So start collecting yours today so you won't miss out on the fun.

Now I can't take all the credit for this idea. In fact Karen Griska is the genius behind this idea. Her website Selvage Quilts will give you a better picture of what I am talking about, and for more inspirational ideas you need to take a look at her Selvage Quilts Blog too.

If you are the least bit curious about my Go Green with Selvage Quilts workshops and want to know when they will be released you have two choices: Subscribe to my blog or join my mailing list for Quilting Weekly Members only. Want to know more about how to do that? Just leave me a comment here, by simply filling in the form. It's just that easy! (Oh by the way the subscribe button is located on the upper right side of the screen)