Hello!
It’s my day on the blog tour for Utility Style Quilts for Everyday Living by Sharon Holland!
If you’re looking for a book full of beautiful photography, lots of projects you’ll immediately see working in your own home and clear, easy-to-follow instructions, you’ll want this book!
Sharon graciously shared some photos from the book and here’s one of my favorites! (Go here to learn more about Sharon and this blog tour).
This is Midsomar . . . it’s a great bed-size quilt perfect for showcasing those prints you just can’t bear to cut into.
So, I headed to my stash & started pulling fabrics. I knew I wanted to use some blues from my upcoming Bring on the Bubbly line.
I discovered that they matched some of Alison Glass’ Diving Board line perfectly so I added those, some Essex wovens and some blenders & had my mix.
Because I’m juggling lots of deadlines, I decided to scale down the original pattern to a wallhanging size so I redrafted the quilt in Electric Quilt and started cutting strips.
Then, it was off to the machine & a couple hours later, I had this:
It finishes at 30″ x 36″.
I’ve been planning to try out machine quilting my own projects on my home machine for months now & this is going to be my first attempt. So I’m sharing a picture of the top. Depending on how that goes, I may share a picture of the finished project later. (wink wink)
Utility Style Quilts is full of projects I can’t wait to make. The photography is amazing and I love Sharon’s writing style.
Signed copies of Utility-Style Quilts for Everyday Living can be purchased by US residents directly from Sharon in her new STORE and you can also get the book from Landauer Publishing.
There are lots of giveaways going on with this tour so make sure to go see Silvia’s post from yesterday & Jessica’s post tomorrow.
For more inspiration be sure to visit the entire tour:
Monday 12/4 Heidi Staples – Fabric Mutt
Tuesday 12/5 Amy Friend – During Quiet Time
Wednesday 12/6 Maureen Cracknell – Maureen Cracknell Handmade
Thursday 12/7 Amber Johnson – Gigi’s Thimble
Friday 12/8 Karen O’Connor – Lady K Quilts Designs
Saturday 12/9 Kori Turner-Goodhart – Olive Grace Studios
Sunday 12/10 Silvia Sutters – A Stranger View
Monday 12/11 Sarah Maxwell – Designs by Sarah J–you’re here!
Tuesday 12/12 Jessica Swift – Jessica Swift
Wednesday 12/13 Lisa Ruble – Love to Color My World
Thursday 12/14 Cindy Wiens – Live a Colorfullife
Friday 12/15 Eleri Kerian – Sew and Tell Project
Saturday 12/16 Anjeanette Klinder – Anjeanette K
Sunday 12/17 Stephanie Kendron – Modern Sewciety
Monday 12/18 Christopher Thompson – The Tattooed Quilter
Tuesday 12/19 Susan Playsted – Hopewood Home
And now, a GIVEAWAY!
I’m giving away a copy of this great book. To enter, comment on this post & tell me if you’ve tried machine quilting on your home machine yet & if so, what your favorite tip is.
The giveaway is open all the way through the end of the tour so everyone can have a chance to win. (So comments will close at 11:59 pm CST on 12/19/17.)
I found it hard on my home machine, bulky, so I bought a mid-arm. So much easier.
WHAT TYPE OF MID-ARM? I’M DEFINITELY GATHERING INFO & DATA SO I CAN MAKE A GOOD DECISION.
I have tried machine quilting and my advice is go slow unless you are free motion QUILTING.
I’ve been straight line quilting all my quilts. Basting is the most important step and I use my walking foot. Thanks for the GIVEAWAY and sharing your project. Love to see the finished product. grinnie1961 at gmail dot com
Only on small things like potholders because i am a hand-quilter.
STRAIGHT line quilting is my go to for quilting. If I am doing larger spacing between lines I use painters tape for sizing, it comes in so many widths, Thanks for this great giveaway.
practice , practce on scrap pieces to get the rythmn of free motion. Stippling is an easy stiTch to start with.
GreAt book! It would be a nice addition to any quilter’s library.
Well i am new-again to quilting. Ive made small items and use my Walking foot. Just straight-line quilting. When i quilted years ago, i did hand-quiltinG. I’ll Use the machine now.
I have quilted on my home machine. Slow down would be my advice. I practice my FMQ on potholders and mug rugs. I am ready to try on a baby quilt. My plans are to try renting a long arm and learning to quilt this way in 2018. I also want to purchase a sit down quilter such as HQ sweet Sixteen or a baby lock tiara.
tushay3 (at) yahoo (dot) com
I quilt only small items myself – placemats, wallhangings, etc – because I have an awesome friend who does beautiful longarming. I find that when I’m quilting, I find myself holding my breath and tightening up. So My tip is – breathe! And relax.
Yes, I do smaller quilts on my own machine. Make sure you have a lot of space to support the quilt.
Beautiful quilt – I love the color choices. I have tried quilting on my home machine. Having my machine level with the table (I had a woodworker install it in an ikea table) + The supreme slider mat has really helped me. I am still learning though.
Yes!! I do all my quilting!! Be brave!!
Thank you!
Your quilt turned out great. I’m sure machine quilting it will be a learning experience! I find having a large area that is flush with the bed of my home machine is helpful as the quilt doesn’t drag as much. Also using the sew-slip teflon pieces on the bed of the machine makes it easier to move the quilt arond as well.
aha – i have quilted on my home machine…and while it’s a bernina 710 and a bit of a longer arm, it sure was work! and it’s not even a twin-sized quilt! i ripped out half the stitching to fix some of the puckering, even though it was basted well. i wore gloves and just did straight lines. not sure i have any pro tips, as it was my first, but i’m so excited to start the legendary quilt by elizabeth hartmann! and this book looks so fun!!! i can’t wait to own it!
quilt on my home machine all the time, love it
I have an older machine, so not alot of room, on 6 inches so I stick to small projects when attempting to machine quilt. Just keep praticing!
I do my own machine quilting, but nothing too fancy. I often come back to this: well-done simplicity is better than poorly done fancy. Just start simple!
I love this book. I had not yet seen this quilt done. Thanks for sharing.
The most helpful tip i can offer is practice, practice, practice. Start out with a smaller projecT like this quilt is also an excellent idea.
Yess I have and do machine quilting on my home machine.I also tie my quilts it really depends on how sore my shoulders are…It’s alot of work….
I WOULD SAY, EVEN GO SLOW FOR FREE MOTION AND DON’T START WITH STIPPLING OR MEANDERING BECAUSE THEY ARE HARD FOR MOST PEOPLE. I JUST KEEP PLUGGING AWAY EVEN IF IT’S HARD BECAUSE I DON’T THINK I CAN AFFORD A MID ARM…MAYBE IF I WIN A LOTTERY.
I have machine quilted several quilts on my home machine.The best advice is don’t clench your teeth, and don’t forget to breathe! Just relax and enjoy the process. take your time.
real tips: always pause with needle down.
I have just started quilting in this past year on my home machine. I have an older Bernina that has a 7 inch throat. I roll both sides of the quilt and go from the center out. I have quilted 2 queen sized quilts doing this. I must say my arms are certainly stronger after working the quilts through the machine.
I quilt on my sewing machine, I recommend trying to keep your shoulders relaxed.
I quilt all my quilts. I make sure I have enough table space to hold the weight of the quilt.
Al of my projects have been quilted by me on my home domestic machine! My best tip is to practice your design on a small quilt sandwich first to see if you like it and get the kinks worked out..
What a beautiful quilt. Im a beginner quilter on my home machine so Not manY tips from me. The first id say is practice, practice and more practice.
usairdoll (at) gmail (dot) com
I am definitely a beginner, but the things that have been helpful to me are 1) painters tape for making lines to follow, 2) keeping notes on what I’m doing–the spacing, etc., so that I remember if i’m called away, even if it seems quite obvious, and 3) humming a song so that i stitch at a consistent speed.
I’ve done some machine quilting on my domestic machine. My advice is to start with smaller items and try a walking foot before trying free motion. That’s what worked for me.
I have only used my walking foot up until now but My plan for the new year is to learn some free-motion quilting and I can’t wait!
best tips – use a walking foot, make a quilting plan before you start, and don’t be to picky. Some puckers are O.K. Set machine up in a space that will support the quilt and can stay set up for several days. Start with a mid size quilt, lap or baby.
I love using my walking foot!!! i DO A BIT OF FREE MOTION BUT IT DOESN’T SEEM TO BE AS PERFECT AS i WOULD LIKE IT! i GO USE A SUPREME SLIDER SHEET WHEN i FREE MOTION AND THAT HELPS ALOT TO MAKE THE STITCHES LESS JUMPY AND MORE SMOOTH!
Thanks for the giveaway. I have two tips for quilting on your home machine. First, practice a lot! quilt a wall hanging or a baby quilt to get started. It gets a lot better the more you do. Second, wear those gloves that help you grip the quilt– really makes it easier to move the quilt around.
I’m a beginner too..use my walking foot mostly. Have only done small things, and on a few Throws, I did Stitch-in-the-Ditch. No real helpful hints here, except practice lol..potholders are soooo handy! giggle..
Thanks too, for chance to win this Awesome book! 😀
Patience is my motto for home machine quilting
This looks like a great book, thanks for the chance.
I have free motion quilted on my home machines. I have an old singer and an older kenmore. I have done several charity quilts and started a few that I intend to put together the sections after the quilting is done. The biggest thing is to just do the quilting and do it a little every day.
I took a class on a regular long arm and although that was interesting I saw that it was not the easy solution to quilting that I had been hoping. Of course I don’t have my own so can’t practice often, but it seemed like it would be better to just do a little every day to finish projects – and work on ways to quilt sections and then join them. Anyway, thanks for the chance and happy december!
Hi Sarah, nice to meet you via Sharon’s Utility Style Quilts Blog Hop.
My tip is give yourself room and make room for the quilt to be moved around. I’d get so frustrated because i couldnt move it in the direction i wanted to quilt in. Prop a table next to your machine so the quilt can move along and stay on top w/o falling and causing it to tug. Oh yes………walking foot for me…it keeps all those layers in sync.
schimmel(dot)db(at)gmail)dot)com
I have not tried yet but that is my goal for 2018.
I have done some quilting on my home machine and it can be very rewarding. My best tip is to make your working area as ergonomically correct as possible, and have a large surface area for your quilt to rest on. The large area prevents drag that fights your quilt movement. Having a good setup helps avoid too much tension in your body and cranky muscles from trying to wrestle things around. It isn’t hard, but we want these activities to be fun!
HI, yes I’ve done several baby quilts. They are the perfect size on my domestic machine.I’ve done stems with leaves; chains of hearts; lots of straight stitching. practice is my one hint! thanks for you neat blog+sharon’s book giveaway as well!
I have done a little quilting with my walking foot–i guess my tip is to just take a deep breath and start in! Thanks for a chance to win a great book!!
I enjoy quilting on my domestic machine, but I’ve only done twin quilts or small ones. My tip would be to plan the quilting route so you don’t get stuck in the corner!
I quilted many quilts on my sit down machine before getting a longarm this summer. Two tips: keep quilt rolled to reduce bulk and divide quilt into quadrants and wuilt from center out
I have tried machine quilting (basic lines)…but not free motion quilting, still a tad bit too intimidated, lol! My machine doesn’t have a lot of throat space for the quilt so maybe soon when I upgrade to a larger machine I’ll give free motion quilting a go again. 🙂