Episode 432: Are You Afraid to Use Your Fabric Stash? Here's How to Dig In!
Listen to the show in the player at the end of this post.
*BONUS for our podcast subscribers! Get 60% off a subscription to American Patchwork & Quilting. Click here, and use coupon code PODCAST at checkout.
*BONUS for our podcast subscribers! Get 50% off one digital quilt pattern of your choice in our online shop. Visit apqshop.com, and use coupon code PODCAST at checkout.
Thank you to our sponsors, Moda Fabrics and Baby Lock!
Are You Afraid to Use Your Fabric Stash? Here's How to Dig In!
Joanna Burgarino, the editor of Quilts & More, talks about a topic quilters love – their fabric stash! Whether you've been growing your collection for years or are just starting to build a stash, we find that some quilters are actually afraid to dig into their fabrics for their projects. Joanna has some great tips to share for getting started on using your stash. From organization to pulling fabrics that look good together, Joanna covers common stash problems. She says: "Sometimes I find I need to stop worrying so much about perfection and just start making things. That's the fun part after all."
What We're Loving
Joanna and Lindsay share the trend, pattern, product, or person they're loving right now. Joanna is loving wool pressing mats, which she first used while making a project with tiny pieces. She found that her seams were lying flater, her seams were less bulky, and the heat was disributed equally for a clean press. Joanna suggests Pam's Pressing Mats from Pam Damour.
And Lindsay is loving Clearly Perfect Slotted Trimmers from Kari Carr of New Leaf Stitches. It's an acrylic ruler used to trim triangle-squares and also trims off dog ears. She has multiple sizes of ruler, and each ruler has lines that can trim 5-10 different sizes of triangle-squares (some on the 1/2" and some of the inch).
Collector's Corner with Jody
Jody Sanders, editor of American Patchwork & Quilting, shares the history of signature quilts. As far back as the mid 1800s people were making quilts that included signatures. At a time when people moved away and sometimes never returned home to visit their families, these quilts were valued reminders of family and friends back home. Because they were treasured keepsakes, many of them received special care and are still in good condition today. The most basic signature quilt is one that is constructed using a single block with signatures of family or friends. Earlier quilts often have inked signatures, while later quilts have embroidered signatures. They can be made easily from scraps so did not require a great deal of investment in materials.
Getting Sewcial with Helen Godden
On today's show, Beth Peterson chats with Australian quilter Helen Godden. Helen has been an artist all her life and is now a Handi Quilter Ambassador for their Sweet Sixteen machine. She travels the world to teach and share her love of quilting. She's an incredibly talented art quilter and free-motion quilter. She shares her favorite features on the Sweet Sixteen, tips for getting adventurous with your machine-quilting, and talks about the differences in Australian and American quilting terms.
Learn more about Helen by visiting her website, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
Get Organized with Elizabeth
Elizabeth Stumbo, designer of American Patchwork & Quilting, shares behind-the-scenes of the Dream Sewing Room she created for the October 2019 issue of American Patchwork & Quilting. She goes into details about how she designed the room and what features were most important, her favorite storage tips shared in the issue, how to work with The Container Store to design a custom closet, and more organization ideas.