Stay Safe in Your Studio!

We don't often think of how to stay safe in our quilt studios, but we really should! In this video Kim shows you some of the possible dangers in your studio and how to stay safe.

Be sure that your iron is turned off before leaving your quilt studio.

We all use extension cords, but this can pose a tripping hazard. Keep safe by taping or rerouting the path of extension cords.

Keep your sewing machine safe by plugging it into a power bar with a surge protector.

Always keep your rotary cutter closed when not using it. 

It's a good idea to have a first aid kit or band-aids in your quilt studio for those cuts that often seem to happen.

Have your cell phone or another phone close by in case of an accident where you need to call for help.

For more information, click on the image below.

Do you have other suggestions for ways to stay safe in the quilt studio? Let me know in the comments below.

Creatively,

P.S. Did you know that you can sign up to receive emails full of FREE quilting goodness? Click here to receive FREE content directly in your email inbox every few weeks from Chatterbox Quilts. I know you'll be glad you did!

Quilting Books for Autumn, Halloween and Thanksgiving

It's that time of year again! Cooler temperatures and shorter days mean that fall is just around the corner.

I love fall quilt projects, whether it is just for autumn or for Thanksgiving (in October for Canadians and November for Americans) or my favourite, Halloween. 

I've gone through my personal quilt book library and pulled out a few favourite quilting books that have projects for either autumn, Thanksgiving, Halloween or all three! They are (in no particular order):

'Tis the Autumn Season by Jeanne Large and Shelley Wicks

Festive Fall Quilts by Kim Schaefer

A Harvest Melody by Nancy Halvorsen 

Easy Does it for Autumn by Nancy Halvorsen

Acorn Hollow by Nancy Halvorsen

Stitches from the Harvest by Kathy Schmitz

Critter Halloween by Brandywine Designs 

Where possible, I have included links so you can take a closer look at these books - or get your own copy.

Click on the image below to get a sneak peek of each of these books.

Do you have a favourite book - or two - that have seasonal projects in them? Leave me a comment below to tell my the ones you like the best.

Creatively,

P.S. Did you know that you can sign up to receive FREE emails full of quilting goodness? Just click here to receive FREE content directly in your email inbox every few weeks from Chatterbox Quilts. I know you'll be glad you did!

P.P.S. I am an Amazon affiliate and will receive a small amount of compensation if you purchase a product by clicking through links in this blogpost. This allows me to continue to provide you with FREE content each week. Thank you.

What a Beginner Quilter Really Needs

When you first start quilting, you can quickly be overwhelmed by the notions and accessories that you "need" to quilt. Kim shows you what essentials you actually need to have in your tool kit when you first start quilting.

While you may add more items to your quilt studio as you progress in your quilting journey, you really need the following items to start:

A rotary cutter
A cutting mat (or self-healing mat)
A quilting ruler
An iron
A pressing surface (tutorial on making a pressing surface is below)
Pins
Seam ripper (yes, you will use this a time or two!)
Fabric
Batting
Multi-Purpose Quilt Spray (recipe and information below)
Sewing Machine with 1/4" foot, walking foot and free motion or darning foot

To learn more, click on the image below.

What are the essentials that you think a beginning quilter needs? Let me know in the comments below.

Creatively,

P.S. Did you know that you can sign up to receive emails full of FREE quilting goodness? Click here to receive FREE content directly in your email inbox every few weeks from Chatterbox Quilts. I know you'll be glad you did!

Book Review: Pure & Simple

Pure & Simple by Maggie Bonanomi is full of 17 primitive projects inspired by the seasons. These include small decorative projects, including wall hangings, table runners, pin cushions, and similar items. All of the projects are wool appliqué and are simple designs that should intentionally look imperfect for that perfect primitive look.

Image courtesy of Martingale

The projects in Pure & Simple are good for beginners as the shapes are simple and not intricate, making for a quicker and more successful project.

The designs revolve around nature with flowers, branches, and vegetables in most of them.

Image courtesy of Martingale

The examples in the book are done in muted colours: beiges, browns, and soft earthen tones. You could certainly make these in more vibrant colours, if that was your preference. The limited number of fabrics means you don’t have to have a lot of different colours of wool to do these projects. This is helpful for beginning wool appliquérs as they don’t have to invest in large amounts of wool to do these projects.

Image courtesy of Martingale

There isn’t much information in the way of directions for working with wool for appliqué, so if you have never worked with wool before, you might want to research techniques for doing this to ensure you are successful when making the projects in Pure & Simple. Wool appliqué is easy and you don’t have to worry about the wool edges fraying, but if you are a complete beginner, you might want to have more directions than are included in this book.

Click on the image below for a more in-depth look at Pure & Simple.

If you'd like to add Pure & Simple to your quilt library, click here.

Creatively,

P.S. Did you know that you can sign up to receive FREE emails full of quilting goodness? Just click here to receive FREE content directly in your email inbox every few weeks from Chatterbox Quilts. I know you'll be glad you did!

P.P.S. I am an Amazon affiliate and will receive a small amount of compensation if you purchase a product by clicking through links in this blogpost. This allows me to continue to provide you with FREE content each week. Thank you.

Walking Feet for the Janome MC9400

I really enjoy making improvisational quilt as you go (QAYG) projects and find that my AcuFeed Dual Foot and Holder (Twin) or AD foot that came with the Janome MC9400 is so helpful in quilting straight or wavy lines when I am making projects with this technique. If you're not familiar with the AD foot, you may recognize it as the walking foot or even feed foot. Yes, it's the one you will use for handling slippery fabrics, or, if you are a quilter, doing walking foot quilting. 

I love using the AD foot, but have recently purchased an additional walking foot, the AcuFeed Foot with Foot Holder Single or VD foot. This foot is similar to the AD foot, but is narrower, allowing for use in areas where the AD foot may be just a bit too wide. 

When I'm adding quilting to my QAYG projects, I like to use the edge of my presser foot to measure the space to where I want to lay down the next quilting line. When I want to have a narrow space between my quilting lines, the VD foot is perfect!

Both the AD foot and the VD foot work with the AcuFeed Flex system to move both the top and bottom fabrics along at the same rate. In order to use them with this system, you need to be sure that the AcuFeed Flex system is engaged on the Janome MC9400.

To see more information about both of these feet and how to use them with the AcuFeed Flex system on the Janome MC9400, click on the photo below.

Creatively,

P.S. Did you know that you can sign up to receive emails full of FREE quilting goodness? Click here to receive FREE content directly in your email inbox every few weeks from Chatterbox Quilts. You'll be glad you did!