What Do I Bookmark–Part 4

Other places you might go to find inspiration and free patterns are fabric company websites.  There are well known ones like Debbie Mumm who has a free 6 installment quilt sampler pattern for 2013.  Isn’t this owl block for January so cute?


Check out the Hoffman Fabrics webpage free pattern page to find over 150 free patterns.  This is one of them called Autumn Song.  Isn’t it an interesting pattern?  If you want to use the same fabrics and make one just like it the fabrics are listed on the pattern as well.

Forty four free quilt patterns can be found on the Kona Bay website.  This pattern, Chestnut Lane, is certainly a beautiful quilt.


 Markus Brothers, is the next website I am going to share with you.  This free quilt pattern is called Tavern Collection by Heidi Pridemore for the company. 

Maywood Studio’s has free quilt patterns on it’s website too.  This one is called Harvest Tea Leaves


Moda Fabrics…free patterns here too.  This free pattern is called Wintergreen.  This website has 30-40 free patterns and a great resource.

Midnight Maze, a free pattern, can be found on the P&B Textiles website.  Over 40 free patterns can be found on this fabric manufacture’s website.


The last fabric website I am going to share is RJR Fabrics where I found this free pattern, Aurora Stars. This website has many, many free patterns.

Besides free patterns look for tips and tutorials, blogs, information about the fabric and designers on these fabric manufactures websites.  Remember what I said in an earlier post – the internet is like a great big encyclopedia.  You can find any information you are looking for if you just type in a few key words.  Take advantage of the free patterns offered by the fabric companies and be sure to look up all the fabric companies I didn’t list as there are many, many more.

Until Later,
Lynn

What Do I Bookmark…Part 3

Do you sew for charity?  You can find all kinds of projects to make and donate to worthy causes.  You can find local charities and make things to donate.

Do you know someone that has lost their hair due to chemotherapy?  How about making that person a soft hat to wear.  Here is a pattern to make soft hats from knits from Handcock Fabrics Store.  If you don’t know someone personally ask at a facility that does chemo and see if they would take donations and if they would give them to those that need  the hats.

Check out this website “Project Linus” where blankets/quilts are made and donated to children in need.  Again check out places in your local communities for places to donate small or large quilts.  Our guild made lap quilts for area nursing homes.  Do find out what sizes and type they would accept before making and delivering some.

How about the 1 million pillowcase challenge by AllPeopleQuilt.  You make pillowcases to donate to your local charities, children’s homes, cancer centers, etc.  Look on the website to find a list of possible places to donate pillowcases in your local communities, they have lots of free patterns too.  Our guild makes them for our small local hospital and they give a pillowcase to each child that has to be admitted to the hospital.  Like I said it is a small hospital so we can keep up with it but the nurses that belong to our guild report that the kids get so excited to know they get to take the colorful pillowcase presented to them home at the end of their stay.

Lynn

What Do I Bookmark–Part Two

Here are a few more good resources on the internet that I have bookmarked. 

Here is a link for the International Quilt Study Center in Lincoln, Nebraska at the University of Nebraska.  This is a wonderful facility for those that can visit but they also have a great website.  You can search the vast collection and see photos of the quilts, read publications, listen to podcasts, etc.

Have you ever explored You Tube to see what you can learn from the many videos on any subject.  Here is one on making Piped Binding part 1 by Susan Cleveland.  Be sure to watch part 2 as well.  I have been watching videos on using my DSLR camera while I am on the treadmill each day,  I have learned lots from the many videos, but of course there are some that are not so good too.   I take the good with the not so good and turn them off and move on to better ones.

Lynn

What Do I Bookmark

I bookmark a lot of webpages to refer to later but often times I forget that I bookmarked them.  Lately I am doing more pinning than bookmarking since I can browse my pins and see actual pictures that remind me what it is and bookmarks can’t do that.  I am revisiting all my sewing/quilting bookmarks and will share some of my favorites with you.


This first web page is  Free-Quilt-Patterns.net by Four Twin Sisters.com.  This tractor is one of the free applique patterns on their website.  There are a lot of free applique patterns plus some paper pieced patterns as well.


There are great pieced alphabets on this blog Wayne Kollinger’s Sketch Book.  He has several alphabets and has been very generous about sharing them so if you are interested take a look at his blog and be sure to search around to find all the different ones.


How about drafting your own quilt blocks – do you do it or are you afraid to try it.  Here are some instructions to begin learning how to draft some common quilt blocks.  Check out this World Wide Quilting Page on drafting

The internet is a giant resource for just about anything you want to find.   If something strikes your fancy or if you want to know how do do something spend some time and see what you can find.

Lynn