Quilters worldwide make quilts for many reasons. Reasons may include income, for charity or community, for personal satisfaction, as school projects, for therapeutic help, and the list goes on. But the real question is are you a happy quilter? No matter why you quilt, does it bring you joy? Does it improve your life? Do you look forward to your quilting time each day? Like you, I live in the real world. I work full time, clean my home, shop,…
A reader emailed me asking how I am keeping track of my quilting pins. Well, the honest answer is that I am practical and frugal about it. After all, who wants to step on them? First choice for keeping track of pins: My first choice for keeping track of pins is a clear jar with a screw on lid. I use both “up-scaled” plastic peanut butter jars, and glass canning jars. I can see the quilting pins. Most important is…
It is a fantastic privilege to have a local quilt shop in any area. Sure, they are more expensive than a box store, but so worth it. Better service, better quality fabric and other supplies, help and mentoring, and real classes. Plus, the money you spend there helps a local business help local residents. There are so many reasons to support your local quilt shop. SHOP LOCALLY! I live in rural central Indiana. Within an hour drive there are three…
Hello and welcome to the New Year!!! The last blog post was about my goals for 2023. This post is a continuation about my goals completing old projects. It is also about a few quilting trends for 2023 I found. So, a mix of New Year & old projects. Hopefully this finds all of you happy and ready to start a fresh new year. Personally, 2022 was a very hard year and I am glad to see it go. A…
Tis the season to make quilting goals for 2023. I am not organized without a list. The weather here has been cold and windy – which means a great time to clean up the sewing room. I like to have a paper list that I can cross off items as they are completed. Here is a PDF of a simple list you are welcome to use – it is the one I made for myself. I keep the list hanging…
Quilters love to show off quilts to anyone who will stop long enough to look – we are just like that. Yep, we are show-offs, at least when it comes to our quilts. I thought that starting off this week by showing off quilts would be a great way to deal with Monday. All these photos were taken in June 1995 in Montana. A co-worker allowed me to “borrow” the old barn and wooden fence on her family farm for…
Over the years, I have met many quilters. Lots of them admit to being frugal to make their quilting budget stretch further. I watched, asked questions, and can agree that it is possible to be a frugal quilter. I always encourage quilters to stick to their budget. However, buy the best fabric, tools and sewing machine that the budget can handle. Choosing to be a frugal quilter means there is little or no waste – time, supplies, or fabric. However,…
Many years ago, I realized that I feel better when I quilt – emotionally, mentally, and physically. And it is way cheaper than seeing a therapist. Other quilters have told me the same, which is reassuring as it means I am not alone. I thought a post about the subject of how quilting (or hobbies in general) can boost your health would be an encouragement. Hobbies are good for us According to an article The Enduring Joy of Making Things…
Do you ever wonder what other quilters are doing? Curiosity wins out sometimes. Reading quilt blogs is one of those quilt related activities that can be entertaining, inspiring, and educational. I have a long list of other quilting blogs that I enjoy checking on periodically. This past week has been one of those “sometimes”. I am not much for social media, but I enjoy reading blogs. Or maybe curious is a better way to describe it. What other quilters are…
Once upon a time, there was a quilter who documented each quilt she made with a photo and a few notes… She wasn’t blogging yet. Nor was she called “Indiana Quilter 40”. My kids helped with the name. We were living in rural Indiana. And I was 40 years old. Hence, “Indiana Quilter 40” was born. Plus, my quilting buddy (S. B. in Caribou, ME) had started a blog to share the projects she was working on with other quilting…
