I quilt very large quilts on my domestic sewing machines and I am sometimes asked whether I have considered buying a machine that has a larger harp. Well, I do covet the new Bernina 820, for many reasons including its 12in arm, but I haven’t been converted to other brands. A key reason that I […]
Gadgets & Notions
Red Dot Sale
if you look at my quilt galleries, and my stash generally, you will see that the powerful hue of RED does not feature very prominently. Yet lately I have been drawn to reds again and again which is why I went back into the Laundry King’s workshop to do some more scarlet dyework. And how […]
Poking Around Corners
In my continuing exploration of alternative quilt finishes, I have made this sampler of a variety of corner treatments that can be applied to a range of wholecloth/pillowcase and facing style finishes. (As always, photos are clickable.) By the way, a wooden cuticle stick is my favourite tool for poking out the corners.I used 60/40 […]
Familiar Features
My post about long rulers ignited much interest. It seems quiltmakers develop a very personal relationship with their tools. Sewing machines are no exception. The past few days have been VERY intense as I attempted to finish a project before my Mum and younger brother turned up this evening. There were a few anxious moments […]
Long may it rule
The serendipity studio was plunged into sadness when I stepped on my 5x24in Olipfa lip-edged ruler and snapped off the end. This ruler was the very first gadget (along with a rotary cutter and cutting map) I bought when I started quilting in 2000 and I hadn’t quite appreciated how much I relied upon it. […]
Rubber Mesh
My favourite play thing from yesterday’s “play day” was a rubber mesh pot mat that Erica picked up from a $2 shop. It worked well both as a stamp and for rubbing: