Maranta leuconeura is probably the most reverent plant on earth. Every night at bedtime, its leaves fold up like praying hands. Combine that pious personality with crazy good looks, and you’ve got a plant worth quilting! This week Rob is working on a Prayer Plant quilt using layers of batik applique and Quick Bias Tape by Clover. Click HERE to learn how to make your own tropical masterpiece!
There are so many fun hobbies in this world. Sports, cars, sewing, music, you name it! And for every collection, pastime, or talent, there’s sure to be a quilt to match! This week Rob Appell demonstrated how to make an amazing chess-themed quilt. Best of all, the chessboard background is an easy-to-make optical illusion. Click HERE to watch the tutorial!
Picture this: It’s spaghetti night and you’re wearing your favorite white polo. Or maybe you’re cruising down the road with a juicy hamburger in one hand (extra mustard, of course). Let’s face it: you need an bib. Rob’s Body Bib is a big, full-coverage adult bib that doesn’t need to be tied. The shoulders are weighted with Poly-Pellets, so it just rests in place – no fuss, no MESS! So go ahead, eat that big ole bowl of chili from the comfort of your favorite recliner. Say yes to tacos and spicy chicken wings and jelly-filled donuts. Life’s short; click HERE to learn how toRead More →
Spider webs are pretty incredible. They catch prey, provide shelter, and act as protective egg sacs. Some spiders even use a silken thread as a safety line while navigating tricky obstacles. Coolest of all? Webs can be used for flying! Certain types of spiders create web balloons that send ‘em sailing across air currents like gnarly little eight-legged surfers. This week Rob is using a web motif to finish off my spooky Science Jars quilt. (Bonus: the thread glows in the dark!) Click HERE to watch the tutorial!
Men’s formal wear can be a bit of a snooze-fest, but it hasn’t always been that way. During the 1700s, fashion-forward dudes wore vivid colors, lots of embroidery, elaborate hair pieces, and even high heels. That’s a far cry from the basic black of the modern tailored suit. Now, I’m not lining up for lacy cuffs or powdered wigs any time soon, but I do like to add a little personality to my outfit with a custom bow tie. Click HERE to learn how it’ done!
A quilt top, no matter how intricate, doesn’t have a ton of texture. It’s just…flat. That’s where FMQ comes into play. Because with a little planning, your stitch patterns can force the batting to puff – or crush – exactly where you want it. Last week I pieced together a Mariner’s Compass, and this week I’m finishing it off with an action-packed session of free motion quilting. Click HERE to learn how to give your compass quilt tons of 3-dimensional character with a few basic FMQ motifs.
Ahoy there! Don’t be afraid! Rob’s Mariner’s Compass Quilt may look like a doozy, but he’s got a secret weapon: The Quiltsmart paper piecing pattern with printed interfacing. This genius product will guide you every step of the way with sea-worthy accuracy – just like a real compass! Click here to watch Rob put together this gorgeous quilt!
My quilting laboratory is stocked with all sorts of spooky specimens, thanks to Tula Pink’s De La Luna fabric. Time to make a Halloween jar quilt! I use my mini rotary cutter, the Shark Applicutter, to fussy cut creepy apothecary jars filled with eyeballs, skeletons, bugs, and bats. This is a super fun project with tons of room for creativity, so let your imagination run wild as you concoct this spine-chilling quilt!
Hop into a time machine and travel back 400 million years. You won’t find humans or even dinosaurs that far back, but you will find sharks. Why have they lasted so long? Probably because they’re totally rad. Sharks have up to 3,000 razor-sharp teeth at a time, and when one falls out, it can be replaced in as little as one day. Their senses – sight, smell, and hearing – are insanely powerful, and they can even detect the electric charge of other living creatures. They never stop swimming and they never really sleep, they just cruise through life like the undisputed kings of theRead More →
It’s the big winter games, and the best athletes in the world are competing for top honors. The best human athletes, that is… Because if we’re being honest, in a contest of the most extraordinary physical feats, you’d have to include the common house cat. A domestic cat can run 30 miles per hour. (That’s faster than gold medal runner Usain Bolt, folks.) They can jump seven times their own height, and 90% of cats can survive a five-story fall. But perhaps most impressive, the average cat sleeps 16-18 hours a day. (You may have observed this impressive talent in your own home.) This weekRead More →
