Quilt As You Go, Simply Done

Category: The Frugal Quilter

  • Sew & Quilt in Comfort

    Introducing my newest book – a work of love! You may have read some of my posts, or seen the photos, of my “Custom Sewing Table”, which I’ve also called my “Cheap Sewing Table”, well, now it’s a book. The short backstory is that when our book proposal (Crazy Shortcut Quilts) was accepted in 2006,…

  • Margaret has a new table!

    Here’s her note to me: “I had a table and used the Sam’s table to extend my space. It is so great and spacious. I am marking a quilt now to begin stitching. I am so excited that this set-up will control a lot of problems I was having, i.e. the weight of the quilt…

  • Check out this Midarm Machine adaptation of my cheap table

    Barbara Fons used my foam insulation and clear vinyl ideas to make a “Faux Longarm” as she calls it – I might have to give this a try!

  • Great Homemade Table

    I was browsing the creations at Instructables and I found this great table. If you have space in your sewing room for a free standing table (or even if it were pushed into a corner) this looks like a wonderful table for cutting and (with a pressing mat) maybe even pressing yardage. I want one!…

  • Green

    My favorite color is green. I found a green batting at Spring Quilt Market, it’s green because it’s made from recycled soda pop bottles! Sarah bought a case of it and I’m going to get a batt from her to use. Sarah spent a significant amount of time at Market looking for organics and other…

  • Quilt Room Photo

    I just love having a cutting table that I can stand at and walk around! Sarah gave me this table and I use it all the time. The other thing that I really like is the pegboard that hangs next to it. I have the table shoved into a corner (no wobbling) and my rulers,…

  • Quilt Photography

    I have a good set up for hanging small quilts for photography. It’s a rolling clothing rack (about $12 at Walmart) and yards of stiff poly fleece (this is not the soft jacket style fleece) draped over it and 2 chunks of rigid foam insulation (my favorite building material!). I used silk pins – they…

  • Cure for Thread Backlash

    I was having a heck of a time with my decorative stitching and thread backlash in the bobbin. I thought it was the thread (no) the stitch (no) and finally just assumed that the timing was off on the sewing machine (no). I can’t say I know what caused the problem, but I do know…

  • Making cutting & pressing easier

    As with my custom quilting desk I’ve improvised my cutting and pressing tables & surfaces. Here are the things I use and like, and why. This table (Sam’s Club $42) has 3 height settings, so I can sew on it (sitting down) or stand comfortably and cut fabrics and battings at it’s tallest setting of…

  • Favorite Things

    I am going to do the Martha Stewart thing and post a few of my favorite (machine quilting) things. I’ve been machine quilting (home machine, longarm & midarm) for 13 yrs and have been teaching for about 10 yrs. I’ve used a lot of products over the years and I have developed some specific preferences.…