H E L L O + R E C A P
Hello Creators. If you're new here, then welcome. This newsletter comes out the second weekday of every month.
It has been a full month. My family and I had some crushing setbacks that were dished out one after another. So the decision was made to take a last minute family trip to Maui the week before school started to celebrate and be grateful for what we have and for what we've achieved. We came back refreshed but right back into school mode. My daughter started 4th grade and has a full schedule of ballet and tennis for the school year. Geez, the pressure sports puts on kids just seems to me 3 years too early, but she wants to keep up. She has passion and drive. I'm adjusting to the new school schedule and hope to find more efficiencies in my day in order to make more time to create and share more with you.
Last month, we made the Solidarity Quilt. You can head over to my Instagram page (sandra.clemons) to see the progress photos. The pattern is now available for sale on my website. Thank you for saying hey and sharing your thoughts with me. I do appreciate it. You can find the pattern on my website, sandraclemons.com.
This month, we are making the Windowpane Quilt. I love, love how it turned out and I'm excited to see your interpretation as well.
I appreciate your support and encouragement.
Let's make something beautiful together,
Sandra
F R E E Q U I L T P A T T E R N
What will you choose for this quilt? The pattern is fat quarter friendly, which makes this pattern versatile to choose from those large scale prints that tend to stay in our fabric stash.
For September, this quilt pattern will be a free download for the next week on my website, sandraclemons.com. Grab the free download now!
Q U I L T I N G T I P
The Windowpane Quilt is a super duper easy quilt to make for a beginner quilter but quite the eye candy to capture the interest of an experienced quilter who needs a reason to use up those large scale fabrics. All the cutting and sewing for the Windowpane Quilt is made on the straight of grain. No bias. You're welcome.
That said, this month's quilting tip is to make sure you are sewing with an accurate 1/4" seam allowance. There are many products out there to help you achieve an accurate seam allowance, however, I am going to share with you my favorite two tips.
I'd recommend over anything else, buy a 1/4" inch foot for your sewing machine. Many sewing machines do not come with a 1/4" inch foot. You'll need to buy one that fits your machine. Once you have one, then use some scrap fabric to test your seam allowance. You may notice when you're sewing with the foot, you'll need to be exactly under the 1/4" foot, or perhaps, you'll need just a hair of the fabric showing from your foot. These little differences can compact over time when building out your quilt top.
If you're not quite ready to spend more money for your sewing machine, then you can do what I did when I first started quilting. Measure an accurate 1/4" distance to the right of your sewing machine needle, then make a mark. Use a piece of thick paper, place it under your sewing machine foot and line up with the mark. Use painter's tape to closely lay along the length of the paper or draw a line with sharpie marker onto the flat bed. Use this line to feed your fabric through your machine.
For experienced quilters, this is the time to double check your seam allowance. It is a good habit to check it every now and then, just to make sure you are accurate.
I hope these tips were helpful to you.
F R E E A R T P R I N T A B L E
If you're following me on Instagram, then you know by now we are a ballet and tennis family. My daughter is actively pursuing both. She tends to be a perfectionistic and we are developing her mindset to accept mistakes and enjoy the process of improvement. This quote by Jesse Owens is very relevant for her and perhaps for you too.
As quilters, perfectionism can quickly creep into our mindset, filling ourselves with doubt and comparison. However, we should feel a sense of accomplishment and happiness when we finish a quilt, regardless of mistakes. Most times, no one notices a missed point, ya know. Anyhow, if you are struggling with quilter's perfectionism, then download this printable and tape it next to your sewing machine to remind yourself why you really enjoy quilting.
G I V E A W A Y
This month I'm giving away forty 8" hexies by Me + You for Hoffman Fabrics. The hexies include Indah Solids and Batiks. Next month, I'll be using these batiks in my next free quilt pattern. To enter, follow me on Instagram, sandra.clemons. Sometime this month, I'll post the giveaway along with instructions detailing how to enter.
If you'd like to collaborate on next month's giveaway, then shoot me an email at sandypan28@gmail.com and we can discuss next steps.
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