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Fussy Cutting: what is it & how to do it
Fussy cutting is a term we use in quilting when we cut one particular area of the fabric to highlight it rather than cutting a piece at random. We often do this in block centers or cornerstones in borders. An example of this is shown in the photo below. Learn how to fussy cut by reading our full lesson on our website... How to fussy cut
Does your mind wander when you are sewing seams?
Does your mind wander when you are sewing seams? Anita is often thinking ahead about what she needs to do next but when her mind wanders, so do her seams. Check out her tip to prevent this on our latest blog post. When my mind wanders so do my seams
Eyeing Up a Pattern
I've been eyeing up this pattern for quite some time wishing I had some spare time to make up a block or two, just to see how it looked. Well, I finally did just that and so much fun was had. I've added some tips for fabric placing and accurate stitching.
We're on the Move
We have a lot going on lately.... moving things around.... changes... it's all been going on in the background. If you are signed up with my newsletter, you would have heard a little about it. We have a brand new website and it is going to include a blog so I'm going to be writing less here and more directly on my website - blog news. If you want to continue getting blog updates please add your email address on this page: Blog only updates
Christmas BOM - part 1 and part 2
Last week I talked about fabrics to use for Anita's Christmas quilt and this week, I wanted to follow on with what is in the first two parts of this Block of the Month pattern.
What's New for Us in September 2021
Sitting in the pandemic is certainly not new - it seems to be going on and on and on... as is this current lockdown I find myself in. I'm finding it's a matter of juggling things - who knew I'd be good at that! For the last month or more, part of the juggling involved upgrading and updating my website at Arbee Designs. It's launched but still needs a lot more work - even in a few years since the last upgrade the online world has evolved tremendously so there is a lot of images and text that needs work. Even though it doesn't look much different on the front, there is a whole lot of new things going on in the background that you won't see at first glance and it is a whole lot better equipped for mobile devices too. I hope you'll check it out, and please let me know if you find a missing page, there are bound to be some links that have gone awry... Visit Arbee Designs
Rounding Up the Challenge
It's been a very busy time in my neck of the woods and yes, we are still in Lockdown even though much of the country has dropped a couple of levels, not here in Auckland though. Even with everything going on, I have managed to (almost) finish my challenge piece!
Quilt Thoughts of Stash Busting
Often when we are bogged down in a project - or several as the case may be with me at the moment, it is nice to take a step back and see what others have been up to.... so I made contact with Anita Eaton and she shared some thoughts of what she is currently thinking and aiming of working on for her next quilt.
Colors and How They Inspire Us
How are you coming along with your challenge piece? I'd love to see it. Unfortunately here in New Zealand, we have ended back up in lockdown so things are rather topsy turvy at the moment and I'm just not getting as much done as I'd like to so today I thought I'd share some thoughts on color and show you what Jennifer has created for her challenge, then next week I will hopefully be finished mine to show you all.
Challenge Continued with One Last Set of Instructions
Our challenge continues this week, I hope you're following along with your own block. I can't fathom where the days have gone since the last post - two weeks ago already! So let's see what I've been doing during this time...