Tips & Resources 
The Fabric.com Rustic Wedding series is all about an amazing blend of unique and stunning fabric substrates. However, working with these specialty fabrics does require a little special handling; they aren't always as user-friendly as good ol' cotton. We picked the most common categories and provided some tips and techniques to make preparing, cutting and sewing with them easier, faster and and frustration-free.
We're proud to be an all-Janome studio here at Sew4Home. They have been sponsors since day one, and we literally wouldn't be able to do much of what we do without their generous support. We're always happy to shout from the mountaintops (if piles of fabric count as mountaintops) about the power and precision packed into every Janome we've ever used. But today... we've climbed even higher to raise our voices in amazement at their latest model. It's "As Unique As You" and it debuts today: the Memory Craft 9900: Sewing, Embroidery & Beyond.
You saw the appropriate tools and other stuff needed for basic quilting in Part 1. You leaned how to properly (and safely) rotary cut your fabric for patchwork piecing in Part 2. Now, you get to discover how to use those pieces you cut (squares, rectangles and triangles) to create some of the most popular basic quilt block patterns. We'll also teach you how to design a custom block of your very own.
One of the best reasons to sew – some people would say the best reason, is to take a break from life for an hour or two. For many of us, our sewing room is like a little retreat in our home. A few hours of creating with fabric and thread, and we can face the world again. It's wonderful. And if you've ever had the chance to go on an actual sewing retreat with a few friends, it's even better. Then.... there are the sewing retreats put on by our friends at The Makerie! More than just getting away and chatting while you sew, this is a chance to get the kind of encouragement and instruction that lead to amazing growth in your creativity and skills in just a few days. And it all happens in an absolutely beautiful environment.
Four on the floor! At least we had to pick them all up off the floor when each realized she was the lucky winner of one of our recent Great Giveaways. We congratulate the two winners of our Sew4Home Gift 2 You drawings, the winner of the new It's Sew Emma Simply Fat Quarters book and the big winner of the Moda Winter Series pre-cuts. Our thanks to all of you who entered, and thanks plus a smooch on the cheek to all our friends and sponsors for making it possible!
Quilts start out as lots o' little pieces. So it makes sense the first thing you should learn about in quilting is how to cut your fabric! If you ask any quilter what she/he feels is the best cutting tool for the job, the answer will be: a rotary cutter. Many compare it to a pizza cutter, and if you've sliced up your share of pizza pies, a rotary cutter may not feel foreign to you at all. If not, pay close attention to all we have to tell you. In Part 1 of this series, we discussed the rotary cutter along with the other basic tools you’ll need to start quilting. If you haven’t done so already, we recommend checking out this article before proceeding with today's installment.
THIS GREAT GIVEAWAY CLOSED 03/01/13. THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO ENTERED.
Think precuts are only for quilting? Think again! In her new book for Creative Publishing International, creative dynamo, Elaine Schmidt shows how you can make home décor projects, wearables, accessories, gifts and more... all using precuts. Precut Patchwork Party
THIS GREAT GIVEAWAY CLOSED 2/22/13. THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO ENTERED.
Now you can have your cake and sew with it too! Today, in honor of all of our very sweet visitors to S4H, we have a Happy Valentine's Day Great Giveaway of six wonderful Layer Cakes from six mouth-watering Moda Fabric collections.
THIS GREAT GIVEAWAY CLOSED 02/28/13. THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO ENTERED.
Ten collections. Ten designers. And now... ten winners! Each time we do a Great Giveaway with our friends at Westminster Fibers, the makers of FreeSpirit and Rowan Fabrics, the prize packages seem to get bigger and better. For today's Great Giveaway, they provided two-yard cuts of every fabric we used over the past four weeks to create our one-dozen projects. Plus, we also got TWO 18-spool thread gift boxes courtesy of Coats & Clark. We cut each fabric in half to yield 98 one yard cuts. We then dug into our own stash for two additional yards to make it an even 100 one-yard cuts. So now... that's 10 collections, 10 designers, and 10 winners of 10 yards of fabric.
The word "quilt" or "quilting" has many different meanings. It's a special word because it can be both a noun and a verb. Quilting can describe the overall craft itself. What type of sewing do you like? I like to quilt, or I like quilting. It can also mean the act of quilting, which is the process of sewing the layers (quilt top, batting and backing) together in a predetermined pattern or method (we'll talk more about this in Part 5). Some quilters (there it is again as a noun) refer to the patchwork piecing (or sewing) of the quilt top itself as quilting. And, in the end, the actual finished item is indeed a quilt. However you refer to it, quilting is a wonderful and exciting craft to incorporate into your sewing skills. This new series is designed to help beginning quilters get rollin'. We'll explain the basics of quilting, including the various tools you’ll need (and may already have), cutting techniques, how to create quilt blocks from basic shapes, piecing tips and techniques, and actual quilt stitching.
