Free Motion Quilting on a Panel

Practice your free motion quilting skills on a panel with Rob!

Practice your free motion quilting skills on a panel with Rob!

I’m a free motion kind of guy. My quilts are like blank canvases just waiting to be filled with pure creativity. But this week, I’m actually “coloring” inside the lines.

Practice your free motion quilting skills on a panel with Rob!

Free motion quilting on a panel is like target practice. As you stitch along the printed designs of your panel, you get a feel for the pace and movement of machine quilting. Bonus: because you’re practicing on a panel rather than scraps, you’ll end up with a totally useful quilted project. Click HERE to watch the vid!

Check out a new tutorial every Monday!

Fidget Quilt

Make a Fidget Quilt with Rob Appell

Make a Fidget Quilt with Rob

A fidget quilt is outfitted with a variety of textures and moveable parts: prairie points, ric rac, pockets, velcro, zippers, you name it! It’s purpose is to occupy restless hands and soothe anxious minds – all while keeping your legs warm.

Make a Fidget Quilt with Rob Appell

Fidget quilts can provide tons of comfort to individuals with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia, and fiddling with those little parts and pieces is great exercise for the mind as well as the hands. (They are also great for kids and adults with ADHD, ADD, or autism.)

These quilts are super fun to make, and they bless the lives of those who receive them. Click HERE to watch the tutorial!

Check out a new tutorial every Monday!

Walking Foot and Stitch in the Ditch Sewing Tutorial

Learn how to use a walking foot and stitch in the ditch with Rob! Appell of Man Sewing

Learn how to use a walking foot and stitch in the ditch with Rob! Appell of Man Sewing

Stitch in the ditch is a style of machine quilting that simply follows the seam lines of the quilt top. The trouble is, all those layers of fabric and batting can really bog down the operation.

 

Learn how to use a walking foot and stitch in the ditch with Rob! Appell of Man Sewing

My advice? Swap out your presser foot for a walking foot. The walking foot is like “4-wheel drive” for your machine. It gently guides the top layer of fabric in sync with the feed dogs, so everything stays smooth and properly sandwiched.

Click HERE to learn how to stitch in the ditch with your walking foot!

Check out a new tutorial every Monday!

Reverse Appliqué Snowflake Quilt

Reverse Applique Snowflake Quilt with Rob Appell

Reverse Applique Snowflake Quilt

Do you remember making snowflakes in grade school? We’d fold the paper into an itty-bitty triangle, snip out shapes with little safety scissors, and then open it up to reveal a frosty masterpiece. Good times!

Reverse Appliqué Snowflake Quilt

Today we’re kicking it back to those school days, but this time we’ve brought along our best sewing shears and a yard of batik. Click HERE to learn how to make an applique Snowflake Quilt!

Check out a new tutorial every Monday!

Gator Quilt: Burst Block with a Twist

Create a Gator Quilt with Rob

Create a Gator Quilt with Rob

If you’ve been following Man Sewing for long, you know I love working with The Burst Block. (Check out the entire Burst Block playlist HERE.) My Burst Block Template makes construction simple, and there are so many cool ways to put these blocks together, I can’t help but rebuild this quilt every once in awhile.

Create a Gator Quilt with Rob!
This week’s Gator Quilt is my newest Burst Block creation, and with this fun, twisty layout, you don’t have to worry about lining up seams!

Check out a new tutorial every Monday!

Checkered Cross Quilt

Let Rob show you a great spin to the Burst Block!

In many forms of art, there are no shortcuts. No “marble carving made easy.” No “glass blowing for dummies.” Talent must be honed over years of meticulous practice, and even then, it takes a good dose of natural ability to succeed.

Watch as Rob shows you a fun trick with HST!

Luckily, quilting is one art that can be enjoyed by just about everyone, no matter your skill level. Today’s Checkered Cross is an intricate design, but the construction is so simple, even a beginner can tackle this quilt! Click HERE to watch the vid!

Check out a new tutorial every Monday!

 

Garden Quilt

Cultivate a colorful quilt with my Garden Quilt tutorial

The Garden Quilt is a softer, more organic version of one of my favorite patterns, The Gears Quilt.

Cultivate a colorful quilt with my Garden Quilt tutorial

I use miniature pinwheels as the background, layer on some killer floral applique, and finish it off with my signature free-motion quilting. This garden is bold and modern, and it’s a cinch to put together. Click HERE to watch the vid!

Check out a new tutorial every Monday!

Island Sunset

Check out this easy tutorial on Disappearing HST

When the sun sets over the ocean, you get a magnificent burst of color – but it only lasts a few moments. Today I’m stitching up an Island Sunset that will remain brilliant for years to come!

Rob Appell from Man Sewing shows you how to create an easy tutorial on Disappearing HST
This quilt was inspired by Missouri Star’s Disappearing Pinwheel. It’s a project that looks complex, but the truth is, it couldn’t be easier! Click HERE to watch the tutorial!

 

Check out a new tutorial every Monday!

3D Dudes Quilt Tutorial

3D Dudes Quilt Tutorial with Rob Appell!

Two years ago, Jenny Doan and I teamed up for an epic 3 Dudes Quilt tutorial. More than 335,000 views later, I’m ready for a re-mix! The 3D Dudes Quilt is visually complex, but it comes together easily thanks to strip piecing and Jenny’s signature half-square triangle shortcuts.

3D Dudes Quilt Tutorial with Rob Appell!

Click on the button to watch the video and get the supplies to add some more dimension to your life!

3D Dudes Quilt Tutorial with Rob Appell!

(And, for old times sake, you can click HERE to watch the original 3 Dudes Quilt tutorial with Jenny and me.)

FMQ Skills & Drills: Building from the Base

Learn to Build From The Base When FMQ

Learn to FMQ by starting at the base!

 

Quilt top complete.

Sandwich basted.

Machine geared up for a free motion quilting extravaganza.

It’s go time, baby!

But…where do you start? How do you take those first few stitches with confidence?

 

Get some great FMQ tips from Rob Appell of Man Sewing!

 

Conquer that blank canvas like a pro with a simple method I call “Building from the Base.” I begin with one basic shape that serves as the starting point for all the detail to come. Click HERE to watch the vid!

 

Check out a new tutorial every Monday!