Episode 501: Give From the Heart
Listen to the show in the player at the end of this post.
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Give From the Heart
Quilters are some of the most generous and giving people there are, so it's no surprise that we like to share our creative talents with others by sewing up handmade gifts. Alison, the designer of Quilts & More magazine, talks about ideas to infuse your quilts with extra meaning. Luckily for us quilters, handmade gifts are innately unique, because they're not something you can pick up in the store. Creating something from scratch will always result in a one-of-a-kind item, even if you're making gifts in multiples. This is part of the joy of giving handmade gifts! She discusses:
- Ideas for personalizing handmade gifts for the recipient
- How to add deeper meaning to your creations
- How to support a sewing charity
- What to do when someone doesn't appreciate your gift
Love Your LQS
Doris, the editor of Quilt Sampler magazine, highlights how Wise Monkey Quilting in Denison, Iowa, has used social media to connect with their customers and help their community. Owner Amy Healey shares how at the beginning of the pandemic, her store bought elastic in bulk and distributed it at no charge to local sewers to make masks, which contributed to more than 18,000 masks donated to their town and surrounding communities. The store is also using social media to host online shopping, walkthroughs of the shop, and "happy hour" to connect with other quilters. (Connect with them on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to join the fun!)
What's On Your Work Space?
Lindsay shares about her progress on her oldest UFO -- the On the Bright Side quilt, which is a king-size bed quilt made of tiny pieced stars. She started the quilt in 2018 and has the goal of finishing the quilt this year (she only has 75 more stars to go).
Reader Tips
Lindsay shares YOUR best sewing advice to common quilting struggles. Tips include storage ideas, embroidery floss hacks, and ideas to use your acrylic rulers.
We always love hearing everyone tips, so if you have one to share, email us at apqtips@meredith.com.
APQ Quilt-Along
Join the fun with our 2021 American Patchwork & Quilting quilt-along. The pattern is called Nine-Patch Square Dance by Sherri McConnell and is available in the April 2021 magazine or for download online. The quilt-along runs from February 22-May 2, so we hope you can join in! See details about the quilt-along here.
(Also, join our Block of the Month or our seasonal sew-along.)