I have been doing a lot of thinking about my process and my work. Being one who loves handwork and the feel of nice cotton fabric. I have been thinking about what I am doing and why. We live in a world where everything is created quickly or available at a moment's notice. Slowing down and being thoughtful in what I do, and how I do it, is good for my health, well-being and, of course, my art.

I began my quilting experience with the idea that it was all about the end result and wanted to get there as quickly as possible. As I worked, I learned something about myself: the parts that excited me most were the things that took time and thought.

Hawaiian Quilt - "Na Lilia"

Did you know May has a flower of the month? We happen to have a Hawaiian Wall Quilt pattern with it, here is our Lilies of the Valley Hawaiian quilt pattern.

Guest Article from Nancy Lee Chong

Opinions and Possible Helpful Hints to Finish Sewing Faster

1. Never stop sewing at the end of the thread. Before you set your quilt or block down, always tread your needle, and take at least one stitch.
2. Only use your favorite fabrics and your favorite pattern. Don't settle for what others have chosen for you to work on.

Enjoy Antje's Story:

Pohopoho

When you are traveling or have time when you want to keep busy what do you do?

When you are going to quilt a quilt do you limit yourself to just machine quilting or hand quilting?

Are you looking for the perfect gift for a friend or family member, or something you can tell you family about that you would like for Christmas?

While most of our patterns involve just two fabrics, this one is a good one to draw from your stash, or scraps, to find the perfect variety of fabrics to fashion your pumpkins and baskets. Ours is pictured in realistic colors, but don't limit yourself. Put some whimsy in your quilt and go wild with prints and colors!

This month I thought it would be fun to share the story of how Sea Turtles and Dolphins came to be. This has proved to be the perfect collaboration between Nancy and Janice.

For any of you who love spending time near the ocean this quilt is for you. When walking along the beach you have probably encountered a couple of these creatures. Living in the Pacific Northwest for more than half of my life and loving to spend time at the ocean it only seemed fitting that we have a pattern that incorporated some of these creatures. We already have

We find it is often the outside points that are the most off-putting to people considering an applique pattern. Far too often we watch someone put back a pattern with a comment like, "Too many points!" It makes us sad to think that someone would not choose their favorite pattern, just because they don't feel they can applique the points. So, we want to show you our technique for outside points, and hope that you will never again turn away from a pattern you really like, just because of the points.

Continue the Tradition

One common shape that sometimes presents a challenge to appliquers is the reverse point (aka: valley, or inside corner). We thought it would help if you could see these areas with x-ray vision, of sorts. Nancy stitched these samples using silk organza (quite a different challenge!) so you could see what the turn-under allowance looks like.

Where to clip?

Using our Tulip Vases pattern, let's look to see where to clip the fabric. In this sample, to the left, three inside corners are highlighted:

Have you ever worked with 1/4" bias tape?

You can make your Galway quilt in the usual method of Celtic Knotwork using the Clover 1/4" (6 mm) Bias Tape Maker.

We are frequently asked if a wall-hanging pattern can be enlarged for a bed quilt. Or, if a bed quilt pattern can be reduced to make a wall-hanging. Here are our thoughts and suggestions.

If you want to make a small quilt larger: first consider these things:

Machine Applique and Hawaiian Quilt Patterns

Can I fuse and machine applique a Hawaiian quilt?

I wanted to share the following Newsletter article from the Academy of Applique about Nancy's Teaching in 2018: