Welcome to another destination on the Canadian Christmas blog hop. This week, I present Spinning Star – a design that can be used any number of ways, including appliqued, quilted, and beaded – plus a recipe for our traditional Christmas Eve tourtiere. Thanks for stopping by!

My entry into the 2011 IQA Silent Auction is called Flourish Within. It is a reproduction of the center motif in the larger quilt Flourish on the Vine – a finalist in the 2011 IQA judged show Quilts: A World of Beauty.

Over the past two years, I have been sharing the progress of my latest quilt project in this blog. Here, finally, the quilt Flourish on the Vine is revealed.

My collection of wreath quilts is the subject of my blog this week.

Last week, I attached the borders to the center panel of my current quilt project. This milestone seemed the perfect opportunity for an update on this quilt.

Find out how EQ7 – the popular quilt design software from The Electric Quilt Company – can help you create beautiful pictorial quilts.

Designing the swags for the borders of my quilt “Flourish on the Vine” has been the single greatest challenge in my creative life to date.  Last week, I outlined the many questions and dilemmas that I faced.  This week, as promised, I will explain the somewhat unusual approaches that I used to address my design [...]

It has been quite a while since I last shared the progress of my quilt “Flourish on the Vine”.  This is partly because the next stage – the appliqué in the borders – is taking a fair bit of time to complete.  But it is also because I didn’t want to reveal any of the border designs [...]

Each year, the International Quilt Association hosts a Celebrity Mini Quilt Silent Auction at International Quilt Festival in Houston.  IQA award winners, IQA quiltmaking friends, and Festival teachers are invited to submit a small quilt for auction, with the proceeds going to support the activities of the International Quilt Association.  This year, the invitation list [...]

Here are the last two sections in the center panel of my current quilt project. Sections 7 and 8 run vertically and horizontally along the edges and finally connect all the other sections together.

Shadowing occurs in a quilt when a darker fabric shows through a lighter fabric. Here are some strategies to help avoid it.

What is a partial seam? Why is it needed? How, exactly, is it done?

Time for another update on my current quilt project. Here is section 6, which serves primarily as a connector between sections 5 and 8.

I finished the appliqué on the center panel last week. This has sent me back into design mode as I furiously try to decide what will come next. What better time, then, to share two more sections from my current quilt project.

In this article, we take a closer look at the tools required for marking fabric for appliqué. I have two favorite marking pens plus an accessory that makes the job a whole lot easier.

Needle-turn appliqué is my favorite method of hand appliqué. I find it to be very accurate as well as flexible. But a big reason is the ease with which the patches are prepared beforehand. Here is how I prepare the patches for needle-turn appliqué.

I’m still working on my goals for 2010, but it is certain that my current quilt project will be at the top of the list. The center panel is nearing completion, so I thought it was time to reveal a couple more sections.

When it comes to glue-basting seam allowances to freezer paper, I wouldn’t want to be without this handy little tool. It grips, turns, repositions, lifts, smooths and creases. But best of all, it keeps the glue from getting all over your fingers!

Over the next months, I’ll be sharing my progress as I work on my current quilt project. I started the quilt in June 2009 and have made a fair bit of progress so far. Inspired by the words of John 15, the quilt will be a hand appliqued representation of vines, branches and fruit. This article will introduce my quilt, its theme, color scheme, and layout, and show you the first section in the center panel.