Hi , 

It's the week after Christmas, my absolute favorite week of the year.  This space of 7 days before the new year is my time to take stock, get organized, and enjoy some quiet quilting time too.

This year I'm setting an ambitious goal - to take each quilt I start from beginning to completion. No more UFOs!

I decided to set this goal this past month as I stitched binding on this quilt made from Betty's Onesies. It felt so good to finish this project before Betty turned eighteen!

We've been rocking under this quilt every evening before bed and I love the memories it holds and the new memories we're making together.

I also love that this quilt is not in my sewing space anymore.

Unfinished quilts add clutter. Clutter leads me to feeling overwhelmed and confused. What is the next thing I was supposed to do to that quilt? I'm so distracted by the ten other quilts on my cutting table, I have no idea what I'm doing with anything.

New Sewing Space and Cutting Table

This is why I recently shrunk my massive 80 inch cutting table down to just the surface of the Dingo Fabric Cutting Table. This change allowed me to completely redesign my sewing space and for the first time ever - decorate it like a real quilting studio.

I've already changed up my decorations from Christmas to Valentine's Day - one of my favorite holidays of the year. If you'd like to see my Christmas decorations, make sure to watch my Christmas Tree Cake Quilt Block Video here.

Working on one quilt at a time will be challenging. I'm really, really bad at this. But I know having a clean, organized space makes me feel better. Finishing quilts and seeing projects I love being used and enjoyed is the reason I became a quilter.

And luckily I have a lot of quilting gear to help me finish my quilts fast. 

I'm so excited to be using Quilter's Creative Touch 6 and exploring fun new ways to quilt quickly with digitized designs.

I'm also piecing faster using my Little Rebel sewing machine. WOW! This sewing machine is incredible. I've quilted on over twenty machines since 2005 and I've never used a machine like this before. To put it simplest - this is the first sewing machine that feels like it was actually designed for quilting.

Yes, just in case you're wondering, machine embroidery quilting will be coming out in 2024 too. I've learned so much from my Beta Stitchers (thank you all!) and I'm incorporating all of their suggestions into a guide, plus the designs we offer on LeahDay.com.

As you can tell, one quilt at a time is hard, especially when there are so many fun techniques and new technologies to learn. I know 2024 is going to be an amazing year.

Buy a Longarm Machine, Get a FREE Frame

Just in case you're liking the idea of this Start to Finish Quilting Challenge, but need to upgrade your quilting gear, we have an amazing deal on select longarm quilting machines:

While supplies last, you can get a Free Continuum II Quilting Frame included with your Qnique 21X Elite longarm machine.

This bundle will save you over $2000 on a quality, rolling rail style frame. Choose from an 8 foot or 10 foot length to fit your space. Click Here to check out this special longarm machine offer.

Did Someone Say Free Cuties?

Yes, you can also get a Free Cutie Frame with any Qnique 16 longarm. Choose from the following awesome longarm machines and save $500 with this free frame bundle:

Qnique 16X Manual - Get started longarm quilting for only $3499. Our most inexpensive longarm doesn't include a stitch regulator so you'll need to practice a bit to make perfect stitches. The benefit is the affordable price, and now with a Free Cutie Frame, you'll have a complete quilting system for under $4000.

Qnique 16X Longarm - If you want perfect quilting stitches right NOW, this is the longarm for you. The 16X includes a stitch regulator and four different stitching settings. You'll be able to quilt up to a 10 inch quilt block in one pass, and on your Free Cutie Frame, you'll be able to quilt any size of quilt too. Click Here to learn more.

Qnique 16X Elite Longarm - If you're already pretty comfortable quilting pretty designs, you may want a little more speed in your machine. the Qnique 16X Elite has a more powerful motor, capable of stitching 2100 stitches per minute. When bundled with a Free Cutie Frame, you'll have a complete quilting system for under $5000.

Of course the most important thing to check is if this Free Cutie Frame will fit in your sewing space. Here are the dimensions of this quilting frame so you can measure your room:

Last Question of 2024...

What do you think of Pantone's Color of the year?

Hmmm, I just realized that the actual color of the year is Peach Fuzz. We all caught a cold last week and for some reason I got the right color confused with Persimmon.

Wow, you can really only make mistakes like this while running a fever. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this newsletter and are excited about all the colors and fun we will have quilting together next year.

Let's go quilt,

Leah Day