All the tutorials and patterns on this page are free from me.
Feel free to pass these projects and directions along, as long as you keep my name and contact information on the sheets. Thanks!
A note for those using Windows-based systems: When you click these links on my website, you’ll see the directions open. Click the download icon (it’s near the bottom right and looks like a cloud with a downward arrow). This opens a new window where you can see the three pages of the pattern. Now click the download arrow (it’s in the upper right, next to the printer icon). It will ask you where you want to save the PDF on your computer.
UKRAINIAN SUNFLOWER PIN
This is a free pattern. In exchange for using it, I encourage you to contribute what you can to World Central Kitchen, which is feeding
refugees from Ukraine and those who remain in Ukraine. WCK has an excellent charity rating, and helps hungry people in crisis due to war and environmental disasters around the globe.
refugees from Ukraine and those who remain in Ukraine. WCK has an excellent charity rating, and helps hungry people in crisis due to war and environmental disasters around the globe.
HOW TO MAKE A QUILT SLEEVE
Looking for an easy directions to make a professional-looking 4" quilt sleeve to hang your quilt? This sleeve (with just a bit of give in it to accommodate a rod or slat) is the one required by most quilt shows. Pass it on to your quilt guild’s new quilters when it’s time for the quilt show!
HOW TO FACE A QUILT
This is my favorite technique for finishing the edges of an art quilt. Why? Unlike a binding, it doesn’t create a frame around the quilt, so it looks more like a piece of art when it hangs on the wall. It’s also very clean and professional looking.
HOW TO MAKE A FRENCH KNOT
French knots are a lovely embroidered embellishment. (This tutorial Includes directions for lefties, too!)
HOW TO FINISH WITH A PILLOWCASE TURN
The pillowcase turn is the fastest and easiest technique for finishing an art quilt. I call it my “quick and dirty” method. The batting is basted down so it stays in place before you turn the piece inside out before quilting. It doesn’t always give you the most professional results, but it is super fast!
UPDATE COMING SOON
HOW TO FRAME FIBER ART
Have a small piece of fiber art that might look puny hanging on a wall? Want to protect it from dust and spills? Need an easy way to hang it up? Want to make it more appealing to potential buyers? Framing it is a great answer. This tutorial shows how to stitch a piece of fiber art to an acid-free mat, then frame it in a shadow box.
QUILT: LEAVES OF GREEN
This quilt was designed for Aurifil thread in 2010, the year I was one of their featured designers. The leaves and berries are stitched using needleturn appliqué. I used Aurifil Cotton Mako 50-weight thread for the appliqué, piecing, and quilting.
QUILT: ON THE RUN
This 18"-square quilt “On the Run” quilt was designed to showcase Jamie Fingal’s fabric line called “Sewing 101.” It features a pair of scissors, hand stitching with perle cotton, and machine echo quilting that adds a sense of motion, like the scissors are running.
PROJECT: ALL-PURPOSE APRON
I wear aprons a lot, because I make lots of messes. I do a lot of surface design on fabric before I stitch it into art quilts, I dabble in other sloppy crafts, and I dig in the dirt (garden). I designed this apron to cover most of my clothing, but still be comfortable and utilitarian. It’s easy to customize it to meet your needs, and make you look fabulous!
Free tutorial on Bernina's blog We All Sew.
PROJECT: CANDY CORN MINI QUILT
I love decorating my home for Halloween, baking spooky goodies, and preparing to greet the trick-or-treaters in my witch’s hat. Halloween is also about community; it’s a time to meet your neighbors and celebrate autumn’s bounty. And best of all, Halloween is about CANDY! Here’s an easy project to satisfy your sweet tooth…without any calories at all!
Free tutorial on BERNINA's blog We All Sew.
PROJECT: AWARD ROSETTE RIBBONS
These ribbon rosettes are a great way to make someone feel special, or to decorate a package. You can attach a pin-backed button at the center, or make them into prizes. They go together easily and quickly. A pink rosette for the Sweet Sixteen birthday girl. An all-black version with an “Over the Hill” birthday button. A lacy version for the bride-to-be. A rosette for the winner of the first prize quilt. Simply change the color and style of the fabrics, and you have a lovely hand-made gift that is way spiffier than store-bought versions.
Free tutorial on BERNINA's blog We All Sew.
PROJECT: PENNANT BANNERS
These pennant banners are a fun way to decorate for a special occasion (think baby shower, Easter, graduation, Fourth of July or Halloween). Decorating with them lends a festive air to any space. I’ve made them for my daughters’ graduation parties, and then given them to them to decorate their dorm rooms. You can make them in different sizes, too. Tiny ones would look darling in a baby’s nursery.
Free tutorial on BERNINA's blog We All Sew.