Saturday, January 12, 2008

Q(uilters') Tips

1. A thin sliver of soap is useful for marking temporary lines on dark fabrics. It shows up well and can usually just be brushed or rubbed off. Always test on a scrap of fabric first.

2. Use masking tape as a guide when doing straight line stitching. It saves lots of time marking.

3. Sew with navy thread on black fabric and black thread on navy fabrics. It will be easier to see if you have to take out a line of stitching.

Monday, January 7, 2008

The Light-hearted Quilter

Welcome to the world of the Light-hearted Quilter (also known as Ada K. Moyles). And what an exciting, challenging, sometimes frustrating, but always interesting one it is. I invite you, as this blog progresses, to share in my accomplishments and sometimes, perhaps, failures, as I pursue my passion for quilting.

If you are a quilter, quilt-owner, or merely interested in quilting, I hope you will find something of interest in my blog.

In addition to making quilts, I also write about quilting. Look for my book "Crazy About Quilting; the Adventures of an Average Quilter" (Published by Whitecap Books) to read some of my quilting adventures.

I am especially interested in stories about particular quilts. They may be antiques or modern, baby or king-size, but if they have a special story, I would love to hear it. If you own such a quilt and would like to share your story, please contact me.

Currently, I'm working on a series of quilts called "Fabulous Fish", inspired by Susan Carlson's book "Free-style Quilts." This is a great book if you are looking for a way to express your creativity using non-traditional methods. I'm having great fun, using some of Susan's techniques to create my own wall quilts. The picture below is one of my early efforts.