Hi ,

What is the worst mistake you've ever made in a quilt? Was it in the piecing, applique or quilting? Did the mistake ruin the quilt for you, or did you find a way to work around it and still finish the project?

The fact is, mistakes happen! Last Wednesday I shared a video on the Free Motion Quilting Project that detailed some major issues I've had with the quilt Duchess Reigns.

I'm not entirely sure why, but this quilt has tons of excess fabric on the surface. This excess fabric, combined with extremely dense stitching is creating unavoidable pleats on the surface.

Rather than fight the pleats, I've accepted them! I've had to allow the pleats to form, then stitch over them so the fabric fold is less noticeable.

Hiding mistakes isn't fun, but it's definitely the only way to move forward with this project and not give up. In the end, it's still a beautiful quilt, no matter how many pleats I have to hide under the quilting stitches!

You can read more about this process and watch a video on how I intentionally create and hide pleats in this quilt right here.

Now let's catch up on foundation piecing!

This is Double Foundation Piecing - first we foundation piece small squares, then piece them together into strips, then foundation piece them onto our prepared foundation for Express Your Love.

This is definitely the most bulky and complicated foundation piecing method we've played with this year, but it's a great way to use up even the tiniest scraps of fabric. If you're the type of quilter that likes to keep scraps down to the tiniest piece, this is definitely a technique you need to learn!

Are you struggling to move your quilts smoothly on your sewing machine? Wishing you could get a better grip and stop thread breaks from happening so often?

These are the major issues that machine quilters face and the major reasons why free motion quilting can be tricky to master. Fortunately we have three tools designed to make this process easier:

Queen Supreme Slider - The special Teflon sheet is super slick on the top, but grippy on the bottom so you can attach it to your machine and table top easily before quilting. This giant version is perfect for quilters with bigger machines and 7 inches or more from the needle to the right side of the machine.

By reducing all the friction between the table top and the quilt, you will now be able to move the quilt much easier, and with far less strain on your arms, shoulders, and back.

Little Genie Magic Bobbin Washers - Are you tired of your thread breaking constantly? These little Teflon washers pop inside your bobbin case (both top and side loading) and help the bobbin spin more evenly. Using these washers will help reduce minor tension issues, backlash, and birds nests from forming as you quilt.

Machingers Quilting Gloves - Get a grip! Machingers are lightweight nylon gloves with rubber tips that grip the surface of the quilt, allowing you to move it exactly where you want it to go. Students trying these gloves in class have often reported instantly feeling "in control" over their quilts.

The normal cost of all 3 tools is $85.45, but for this week only, you can pick up the Queen Supreme Kit for only $70.00!  Click here to save on the Queen Supreme Kit

These are the tools I use on a daily basis and I honestly cannot quilt as well without them. Of course if you have any questions about these tools, make sure to reply to this email and ask.

Let's go quilt,

Leah Day