Hi ,

 

Feathers are a beautiful quilting design that fill your quilts with elegant texture. 

 

I really struggled to quilt feathers at the beginning. I couldn't get the hang of forming the shape smoothly without the edges going wobbly or angling in an awkward direction.

 

It took a lot of practice and hours of quilting really ugly feathers into practice sandwiches until they finally started looking halfway decent. Then more practice before I understood how many different ways this shape can be quilted and the best way it worked for my brain and hands to quilt.

 

So if quilting feathers is on the top of your "Must Learn to Quilt" list, understand that practice is the first, most essential step!

 

Last year I began working on a feather ruler to see if I could make this design a bit easier to master. Dad and I worked on a series of prototypes and I kept playing with the design until it was perfect. Using the etched lines on the back of the ruler, you can line up and quilt perfect 2-inch wide feathers that stack in a neat straight line like this:

Now if you don't have the Feather Ruler or the ability to do ruler quilting, please jump to the time: 22:22 to see how I quilted feathers free hand into one of the smallest petals.

 

The Feather Ruler works great for the larger petals, but the smallest ones will need to be quilted with regular free motion quilting. Make sure to practice on plain fabric first and mark the feathers on your quilt if you need to.

 

Remember - marking your quilting design isn't cheating, it's saving you time from making a mistake when the design doesn't look the way you want.

 

And make sure to watch to the very end because you can see how I still struggle to quilt feathers if I'm not forming them in my favorite direction!

Last week I shared a new podcast with the 2nd chapter of Mally the Maker and the Queen in the Quilt!

 

I love reading this book, but I admit the editing is far, far more time consuming than I expected. This is why the podcast is now every-other week to give me time to record and edit a chapter.

 

I hope you enjoy listening to the book one chapter at a time and will share this with the kids in your life too. You may just find your kids or grandkids suddenly asking how to sew or quilt!

Log Cabin quilt blocks are one of my favorite traditional quilt blocks. Piecing these is like wrapping into a warm sweater with a cup of Earl Grey tea and a good book. So simple I don't have to think about it and so comforting as the pieces stack one on top of the other to create the simple design.

 

 

Looking for a pattern for the mini Log Cabin quilt block? It’s all in the video! I’m including all the information in the video itself. Just hit “pause” when you need to and write down the pieces to cut.

 

Is that just not your thing? Here’s a snapshot of the patchwork pieces to get you started:

One last note: Josh and I are excited to announce that we are now Janome dealers! I've added a small selection of new machines to our Quilt Shop right here.

 

I can't wait to share new videos on how to sew projects, piece quilts, and quilt fantastic designs on these sewing machines. As with our Grace Frames, we're going to slowly expand this dealership. I love focusing on one machine at a time and learning all the ins and outs, nuances and quirks, so I can provide excellent support and troubleshooting for our customers.

 

We're excited about this new dealership and opening a small space in Shelby, NC for you to come visit us in person. Of course, those plans are on "pause" for the moment due to the virus, but we're looking forward to these changes coming soon.

 

That's it for this week! Please take care of yourself, enjoy your time with your family, and make time for yourself as well.

 

Let's go quilt,

 

Leah Day