Sharon Schamber is AWESOME!

Wow, I got to meet Sharon Schamber this week and she is an awesome quilter! She was the guest speaker for our local quilt guild and by the end of the presentation and her trunk show of quilts, I was with out words!

For those of you you who are not familiar with the talent of this lady I highly recommend you visit her sites, and watch some of her videos. She has plenty of them available on her site, and on YouTube as well. So lots to see for free!

Here are here websites:

Sharonschamber.com
Saronschambernetwork

And here is a link to her youtube channel

SharonSchamberNet's Channel

Curved piecing

Curved piecing can scare most of us away. I know it scares me! But this video from Penny will have you wanting to try this technique and maybe even enjoy doing curved piecing.

The one tip I have for you is regarding the sewing over the pins. I know that some of you do this and Penny even tells you in the video that she does, I would strongly advise against this. Sewing over pins can break needles that we all know, but it can also throw off the timing in your sewing machine which can lead to expensive repair bills!

So do what you will with her advice, me personally I like the way she pins this block, but once under the presser foot I would remove pins as I go along.

Curved piecing shouldn't scare you anymore after you learn the secrets to pinning!

Cutting bias binding

When you need to get a little extra stretch in your binding you have to cut it on the bias right? Yes most of us know this is true.

And for those of you who are new to quilting and who are not sure what we are referring to when we talk about the bias:
The bias is the stretchy part of the fabric Fabric has a straight grain (length of the fabric, cut end to cut end), and a cross grain (width of fabric selvage to selvage) which are at a 45 degree angle from each other. The bias runs diagonally across the fabric. And will have the most give making it perfect for curved binding edges.

The straight grain is the most stable part of the fabric. When you need some give in your fabric cut it on the diagonal, or bias and you will be able to ease it around curved or scalloped edges much easier.

But how many bias strips of fabric can I cut from one square?

Here is a great article that answers the very question. Take a look at "Sew What's New" this is just one of the many useful articles I have found there. If it has to do with sewing you are sure to find answers on this website. You may even find some new groups or friends there as well. Sew What's New is a free social network, of members who are passionate about sewing. Take a look and see for your self. (At least read the article on bias binding)

Happy Quilting my friends.
Chris

p.s. did you know that Quilting Weekly runs live quilting chats on the 2nd and 4th weeks of the month in 5 different time zones? Check out the details in their forum.

Measure your quilt top the right way!

When measuring your quilt top for adding borders or binding it there is a right and a wrong way to do it.

Watch this short video and see the correct way to measure. (The video is for binding, but this also applies to borders).

Finding time to quilt

Finding time to quilt everyday can be a challenge for me. I love my hobby which has turned into a business. But my everyday live seems to get in the way of doing what I love. Do find this to be the same for you?

I know we all have commitments in life, but one of those commitments should be to do things you enjoy. And to do them daily. Life is too short to do only what is expected and not to do what you want to do.

We all have work and families which consume most of our time. I don't want to get into how many hats you wear or to tell you where your priorities lie. What I do wan to tell you is that if you don't focus on something that makes you happy, then the rest isn't worth doing either. Hold on, I am not telling you to quit your job, or refuse to clean and cook for your family! as those things are important and need to be done as well. What I am saying is reward yourself daily with something you enjoy.

For me that would be to work on some kind of craft project, quilting, sewing, knitting or crochet. And of course I do enjoy reading and recently joined a book club! Something I thought I would never do. But you know what? I have found I enjoy that time more than I can explain here. I am reading more books and books that I would not have considered reading. This has opened a whole new world to me, and the fact that I get to meet once a month with girlfriends to discuss the book and other girl topics is just a bonus. So go ahead find out what you love to do, and just make time to do it! And do it daily. This will make you a much more relaxed person, and much more enjoyable person to be around.

Life is about balance. A balanced diet, and a balanced lifestyle.........so go get balanced! Did you know that sewing, quilting and crafting can lower your blood presure?

For more ideas on how others fit quilting into their lives, check out this lively discussion topic at Quilting Weekly.

Quilting Weekly Chat

Please join my tonight for a live chat at Quiltng Weekly. We will be discussion Hand quilting vs Machine quilting. Where to fit in? Whether you are new to quilting or have been quilting for years this is sure to be a lively chat.

Quilting Weekly is an online classroom website that offers free and resonably priced lessons. This quilting chat is the first of many chats that will be offered, and the best part is you don't even have to be a member to join the quilting chats. You can participate as a guest. The quilt chats will be run every 2nd and 4th week of the month, Monday through Friday at 8pm in the respective time zones as follows.

1. Monday - Central US time
2. Tuesday - London UK
3. Wednesday - Western US time
4. Thursday - Hobart Australia
5. Friday - Eastern US time

Pick the zone that is closest to you, and join us. Each week we will have a new topic. You can join, one or come to them all as there will be different moderators, and different people in each one. You could learn something different in each time zone!

If you not a member you may need a little help finding the chat room. Just go to Quilting Weekly and click the "goodies tab" then look for the chat room, and click it to enter. You will need to type your name into the "anonymous" box before you can join in as a guest.

Quiltng on a budget - Contest!

What a great website! No really check out Quilting On A Budget if you want to find a deal on quilting related products or services or ways to quilt inexpensively, you are sure to find it here. In addition to finding you ways to keep quilting and stay on a budget, she also finds sponsors willing to keep her supplied in plenty of goodies for giveaways.

Like this one which (Which I happen to be the sponsor for) The prize being a Free online Quilting Class from Quilting Weekly! and that is not all, each person who enters has a chance to win a prize! (Only one will get the free class of choice, but everyone has a chance to win the bonus if you do what she tells you to do) I will tell you that it involve twitter.

That's all I am going to say about the contest, you need to visit Quilting On A Budget to get the rest of the details!

Free quilt blocks

Take a look at these free quilt blocks brought to you by docstoc.com

Watch this blog for more of these helpful free patterns and tips.


Free Quilt Block Patterns -