Sandra's NOVEMBER Newsletter Recap

 H E L L O  +  R E C A P

Hello Creators. How was your Halloween? We spent ours trick-or-treating with friends. I sometimes wonder how many more Halloweens I'll have with my daughter.

Last month, I introduced the beautiful Rotation quilt. I shared my progress on Instagram of a Halloween version of the quilt. (If you didn't get a chance to pick it up for free, then you can find it on my website for a nominal amount.) I don't typically work with orange and black, but it was nice to go outside my comfort zone and explore unchartered territories to grow my creative process. I won't say the orange and black color palette helped me explore new possibilities, but it surely did confirm my style and preferred color palettes.



This month, we are making the Discover quilt. I'm excited for this one, because I'm working with yellow. I love, love, and love yellow. The kind of yellow that reminds you of the bright mid day sun. It will be really easy to pick your color palette for this quilt, just pick two colors. See the next section for more information.

I'm so thankful for you joining me on this journey. Another way to show your thanks is simply by following me on Instagram, sandra.clemons.

Let's make something beautiful together,
Sandra

 F R E E   Q U I L T   P A T T E R N

Say hi to this month's quilt pattern, called Discover. Let's make this quilt together during the month of November. My journey will be evenly spaced out throughout the month. Join me and/or follow along. I'll share about my progress on Instagram and hope you'll share your progress too. It's important to me to hear your voices. You are motivating and inspiring.

I'm not entirely sure how you feel about the difficulty of this quilt, but I have a bunch of reels and posts planned out to show you how I constructed this quilt successfully. In addition, the pattern is extra wordy to explain in detail how to make this quilt with ease. Come on, take this ride with me.

For November, this quilt pattern will be a free download for the next week or so on my website, sandraclemons.com. Grab the free download now! 

 Q U I L T   T I P

 

The Right Side of Solid Fabric

For printed fabrics, it's easier to identify the right side of fabric by sight. The brighter side is the right side of the fabric, because fabric is printed on the right side. However, it is trickier to identify the right side for solid colored fabrics. I have good news for you, there is a way to tell the right and wrong side of solid fabric without looking for brightness.

I chose a solid yellow fabric for the Discover quilt. Although it doesn't matter much to track the right and wrong side of solid colored fabric, it might occur to you to consider what is the right side of solid colored fabrics during the construction process.

During the fabric manufacturing process, the fabrics are put on rollers. The rollers leave tiny little holes along the selvage of the fabric. The holes punch through from the wrong side of the fabric. When you touch the holes, the holes from the wrong side of the fabric will feel smooth while the holes will feel bumpy or indented on the right side of the fabric. That's it. 

This tip will help you identify the right and wrong side of solid colored fabrics. 

 F R E E   A R T   P R I N T A B L E

This month's free art printable is Thanksgiving themed. You can find this art on my website, sandraclemons.com. Feel free to download and print it off. Tape or frame it to your wall to decorate for the holiday. I hope you enjoy. 

Sandra's OCTOBER Newsletter Recap

 H E L L O  +  R E C A P

Hello Creators. Are you ready for Halloween? I can't believe that it's already here. This school year seems to be flying by. But I'm committed to you. I promised to deliver you a free beautiful quilt pattern every month and for that month, I'll be posting my construction of said quilt throughout the month. I started the newsletter about 6 months ago and it has become my little safe haven from the worries of the world and family duties. I'm so thankful for you joining me on this journey. Another way to show your thanks is simply by following me on Instagram.

Speaking of Instagram, I started posting reels, oh my. I have been in fear of posting videos, but I will post more reels to show you my quilt assembly process. Stay tuned.

Last month, we made the Windowpane 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, sandraclemons.com. Thank you for saying hey and sharing your thoughts with me. I do appreciate it. 



This month, we are making the Rotation 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

Say hi to this month's quilt pattern, called Rotation. Let's make this quilt together during the month of October. My journey will be evenly spaced out throughout the month. Join me and/or follow along. I'll share about my progress on Instagram and I hope you'll share your progress too. It's important to me to hear your voices. You are motivating and inspiring.

What will you choose for the fabrics of this quilt? I'm choosing a Halloween theme fabric to get me and you into the spooky spirit this month.

For October, this quilt pattern will be a free download for the next week or so on my website, sandraclemons.com. Grab the free download now! 

Q U I L T I N G   T I P

 

Rulers Lines

The Rotation Quilt requires cutting squares on a diagonal to create right angle triangles. These triangles are utilized to make a square-in-a-square unit for this month's quilt pattern. It is critical to make sure your triangles are cut accurately to ensure the assembly of your square-in-a-square units are constructed with ease. You'll notice on your rulers, there are diagonal lines labeled as 45 and 60 degrees. These lines are a life saver and reassurance in cutting triangles precisely.

When you're ready to cut a square diagonally which will make two triangles, use the 45 degree line on your ruler to align it to the edge of the square and make sure the straight edge of the ruler is laid directly through the diagonal corners of the square as shown above. You'll want to double check that the 45 degree line is right on the edge of the square while at the same time the ruler edge is straight through the corners. Hold your ruler with your hand and cut. 

This tip will help you cut accurate triangles that will in turn build up your precision when assembling your square-in-a-square units for the Rotation Quilt.

Sandra's SEPTEMBER Newsletter Recap

 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

Say hi to this month's quilt pattern, called Windowpane. Let's make this quilt together during the month of September. My journey will be evenly spaced out throughout the month. Join me and/or follow along. I'll share about my progress on Instagram and I hope you'll share your progress too. It's important to me to hear your voices. You are motivating and inspiring.

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

 
 

Sew With A Quarter Inch Seam Allowance

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.

Sandra's August Newsletter Recap

H E L L O  +  R E C A P

Hello Creators. If you're new here, then welcome. Thank you for joining me on this journey and gifting me with your time. This newsletter comes out the second weekday of every month.

Friends, can you believe it? School is right around the corner. I cannot believe how summer flew by. On one hand, I've enjoyed my summer spending extra time with my daughter and watching her grow in her activities, such as tennis, basketball, and writing. On the other hand, I'm looking forward to obtaining more of my "me" time back. I have a list of creative things to accomplish and cannot wait to share them with you.

Last month, we made the Pirouette Quilt. You can head over to my Instagram page (sandra.clemons) to see the progress photos. 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 Solidarity 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

Say hi to this month's quilt pattern, called Solidarity. Let's make this quilt together during the month of August. My journey will be evenly spaced out throughout the month. Join me and/or follow along. I'll share about my progress on Instagram and I hope you'll share your progress too. It's important to me to hear your voices. You are motivating and inspiring.

For this quilt, you'll learn how to make flying geese units. I chose a white and black color palette to go with my modern white farmhouse decor in my home. What will you choose? The pattern is fat quarter friendly, which makes this pattern versatile to choose a more colorful palette for those stars.

For August, 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   T I P

Quilting Rulers

The Solidarity Quilt asks to cut pieces that are beyond 24" long. I don't recommend using the measuring lines on your rotary mat to measure and cut your pieces. In this case, I use two rulers. Try putting two rulers together to achieve your desired length and then check twice and cut. 

G I V E A W A Y

This month I'm giving away a fat quarter bundle of Moda's Whispers Metallic. 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.

Sandra's JULY Newsletter Recap

 H E L L O  +  R E C A P

Hello Creators. If you are new here, then welcome. Thank you for joining me on this journey and gifting me with your time. This newsletter comes out the second weekday of every month.

Last month, we made the Litebrite Quilt. You can head over to my instagram page to see the progress photos. Thank you for saying hey and sharing your thoughts with me. I do appreciate it. You can find the pattern on my website.

This month, we are making the Pirouette 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

Say hi to this month's quilt pattern, called Pirouette. Let's make this quilt together during the month of July. My journey will be evenly spaced out throughout the month. Join me and/or follow along. I'll share about my progress on Instagram and I hope you'll share your progress too. It's important to me to hear your voices. You are motivating and inspiring.

For this quilt, you'll learn how to make half square triangle units and pinwheel your seams.

For July, this quilt pattern will be a free download for the next week on my website, www.sandraclemons.com. Grab the free download now! 


D O N A T E   T O   A   C H A R I T Y
The quilt you make is yours to keep for yourself or gift away. You'll also have the opportunity to donate your quilt to my friends at the Mile High United Way. The United Way supports young families by providing basic essentials for their new babies helping to create stability within the home. The second most requested item behind diapers, are blankets. When I heard this, a huge light bulb went off. A lot of us here are quilters and I bet we have a fabric stash we need to use up. Let's use what we have and make a beautiful quilt for these families to help jump start their growing family. My hope is when these families snuggle into our quilts, it'll remind them they aren't alone especially in those dark times, and we do love and care for them. Now doesn't this seem like an opportunity you want to be part of?

Q U I L T   T I P

Pinwheel the Seam Allowance

Have you ever been frustrated by the bulk of too many seams coming together? Maybe you've let it go or maybe you've resorted to opening your seams. I do not advise opening your seams because when the seams are open, you risk those pieces pulling away from each other when the quilt is washed and used. Also, when you're quilting your quilt, you'll have to be mindful to not stitch-in-the-ditch in those areas, because essentially you are stitching through the top and sewing into the batting and backing fabric. You'll completely bypass the quilt top. Pinwheel your seams is the answer to all those issues. When you pinwheel the seams, you are pressing the seams to one side, but are rotating the seams around a center point, like a pinwheel (see below picture). When you make the Pirouette Quilt, you'll learn in detail how to pinwheel your seam allowance, (see above picture).

  

F R E E   A R T   P R I N T A B L E

My family is in the middle of summer sports, particularly tennis and basketball. Positive self talk is so important in every day life, but on the court as well. I made this art with my daughter in mind, but I felt that we could all use encouragement to believe in our yourselves, too.

G I V E A W A Y

This month I'm giving away a fat quarter bundle of Michael Miller Fabrics cotton couture solids. To enter, follow me on Instagram. 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.

Sandra's June Newsletter Recap

 H E L L O  +  R E C A P

Hello Creators. If you are new here, then welcome. This newsletter comes out the second weekday of every month with a bunch of freebies.

To summarize last month, we made the Freshman Quilt Pattern together. I posted my progress on Instagram and responded the best I could to all who commented. Thank you for saying hey and sharing your thoughts with me. I surely do appreciate it.

I also gave away a fat quarter bundle from my Applause fabric collection to Jackie in New Jersey. I threw in some extra things in the package as well, so I hope she enjoys all the goodies inside.

May has been busy for me and my family. Both my husband and I celebrated our birthdays. Then, there was Mother's Day (I hope all of you had a special moment for that day, too.). My daughter wrapped up her year in ballet with two performances and completed her academic year as well. I bet you all had a similar month of events in May, too. 

June is exciting too. I'm excited for June's quilt, called Litebrite, and summer.

Let's make something beautiful together,
Sandra

F R E E   Q U I L T   P A T T E R N

Say hi to this month's free quilt pattern, called Litebrite. Let's make this quilt together during the month of June. My journey will be evenly spaced out throughout the month. Join me and/or follow along. I'll share about my progress on Instagram and I hope you'll share your progress too. It's important to me to hear your voices. Your voices motivate and inspire me.

I know you have a ton of fabric, so start by downloading the pattern and go through your stash to pick out a color palette for this quilt. Tomorrow, I'll share my fabric selection on Instagram.

For the month of June, it's a free download on my website, www.sandraclemons.com. Grab the free download now. 


D O N A T E   T O   A   C H A R I T Y
The quilt you make is yours to keep for yourself or gift away. You'll also have the opportunity to donate your quilt to my friends at the Mile High United Way. The United Way supports young families by providing basic essentials for their new babies helping to create stability within the home. The second most requested item behind diapers, are blankets. When I heard this, a huge light bulb went off. A lot of us here are quilters and I bet we have a fabric stash we need to use up. Let's use what we have and make a beautiful quilt 

for these families to help jump start their growing family. My hope is when these families snuggle into our quilts, it'll remind them they aren't alone especially in those dark times, and we do love and care for them. Now doesn't this seem like an opportunity you want to be part of?

Q U I L T   T I P

Practice Free Motion Quilting The Easy Way

Before quilting your quilt, audition and practice different quilting motifs by practicing on paper with a marker and/or a dry erase board. This tip helps iron out details such as where to enter and exit a block for continuous quilting. Practicing builds muscle memory and working with paper or dry erase board is quicker and easier to access than making a practice quilting sandwich. 

F R E E   A R T   P R I N T A B L E

This month has a very special holiday, Father's Day. I made a sweet and precious art printable for you. You'll find this free printable in my shop at www.sandraclemons.com. It'll be free for the entire month of June. 

F R E E   C O L O R I N G   P A G E

I'm giving away a free coloring page featuring this art piece. I've colored mine above, but the download is an outline. You can download this art piece at www.sandraclemons.com 

Post your finished coloring page to social media and be sure to tag me. I don't want to miss it!

G I V E A W A Y

This month I'm giving away a layer cake and fat eighth bundle of At Home with Bonnie & Camille by Moda Fabrics. Moda is a supporter of this newsletter and graciously sent me fabric to use for Litebrite as well as this giveaway. Thank you, Moda!

Sandra's May Newsletter Recap

H E L L O  +  R E C A P

Hello Creators. I've started a newsletter. Every month, I'll published a bunch of freebies, including a quilt pattern, art printables, tips, and much more.

Each month's free quilt pattern, will allow all of us to make the quilt at the same time, together, for the month. I'll post my progress on social media. When I post, you'll have the opportunity to ask me questions about the pattern and for quilting tips to help all of us improve our skills in quiltmaking. 

The quilt you make is yours to keep for yourself or gift away. You'll also have the opportunity to donate your quilt to my friends at the Mile High United Way. The United Way supports young families by providing basic essentials for their new babies helping to create stability within the home. The second most requested item behind diapers, are blankets. When I heard this, a huge light bulb went off. A lot of us here are quilters and I bet we have a fabric stash we need to use up. Let's use what we have and make a beautiful quilt for these families to help jump start their growing family. My hope is when these families snuggle into our quilts, it'll remind them they aren't alone especially in those dark times, and we do love and care for them. Now doesn't this seem like an opportunity you want to be part of?

Every month, I'll extend an offer to donate the quilt. It is totally up to you and there's no pressure. Perhaps, this month you want to keep it, but maybe next month, you're willing to give your quilt away. That's totally acceptable and exciting. 

To conclude, I appreciate you. Stay with me and watch us grow.

Sandra

F R E E   Q U I L T   P A T T E R N

Say hi to this month's free quilt pattern, called Freshman. Let's make this quilt together for the month of May. My journey will be evenly spaced out throughout the month. I'll share about my progress on Instagram and I hope you'll share your progress too. It's important to me to hear your voices. Your voice motivates and inspires me.

I know you've got a ton of fabric, so start by downloading the pattern and going through your stash to pick out a color palette for this quilt. This quilt is a great option for beginner quilters. The experienced quilter can still enjoy making this quilt because it is quick and easy. It's the perfect kind of pattern for a graduation gift, hint hint. Come on, join me, and let's quilt together.

For the month of May, it's a free download on my website, www.sandraclemons.com. Grab the free download now. 

There will be a free quilt pattern every month. Each month, the community will come together to make the quilt and share our progress together on Instagram. 

Q U I L T   T I P

Picking Fabrics for the Freshman Quilt

If you're having trouble deciding on a color scheme for the Freshman quilt or any quilt, I have two effective suggestions. The first suggestion is to select a main print fabric. The main print is usually the border and sashing, or backing of the quilt. Use the colors in the main print to audition fabrics for the blocks. If you choose a busy print, then the fabrics for the blocks could be simple tone on tone patterns. If the sashing and border print is a simple fabric, then have fun using up your large scale prints for the blocks and mix in some solids to add variety. The picture above is an example.

My second suggestion, select a main color and two additional highlight colors. The quilt I'm making this month uses this color strategy and is shown below. I chose a summer blue as my main color, and bright green and white as my highlighting colors. The Freshman quilt asks for 20 fat quarters for the blocks. I selected about 70% fabrics of different values of blues, another 20% of greens, and 10% of whites. Find me on Instagram to see how it turned out. 

F R E E   A R T   P R I N T A B L E

This month, I'm giving away my Free Your Mind art printable. I was inspired by the 90's R&B band called En Vogue. En Vogue sang a song called Free Your Mind, and still to this day, I know every lyric. I felt compelled to make this art printable. In fact, I had been avoiding it's creation for some time. Nearly every morning, I take 30 minutes to write, to spell out thoughts, to ask God for creativity, and search for God's answers. This printable kept on coming up in my quiet time. Often times when I create, I feel these boundaries of how I should create, because most of the time, I seek approval from other's. To free my mind of rules will help me become the authentic artist that I aspire to be. I hope you'll print this art off too, tape it to the wall and remember, rules are meant to be broken, judgement is not our worry. Free your mind.

You'll find this printable in my shop at www.sandraclemons.com. It'll be free for the entire month of May.

F R E E   C O L O R I N G   P A G E

I'm giving away a free coloring page featuring the art piece above for Mother's Day. Print this piece on art paper, and have the kids color it in for a loving gift for mom. You can download this art piece at www.sandraclemons.com 

Post your finished coloring page to social media and be sure to tag me. I don't want to miss it!

G I V E A W A Y

This month I'll be giving away a fat quarter bundle from my Applause fabric collection to say thank you. I am so grateful for my community and appreciative of your support. The bundle consists of 28 prints. Below is the collection description:

My daughter is a ballet dancer. She craves the opportunity to dance on stage. She spends the semester practicing and perfecting her moves. The result of all her hard work is showcased in the season’s dance recital. The performance is a success. The music stops and she releases her last pose. She searches the audience to lock her eyes to mine. I feel the transfer of pride + joy in her heart as she hears the roar of the crowd’s applause. The APPLAUSE fabric collection encapsulates this very moment. You’ll find ballerinas in position, music notes, crowns, and so much more. The colors are in whimsy pink, green, blue, and purples to bring a nice rhythm to the collection. APPLAUSE will inspire you to make beautiful things. You too will hear the applause of your hard work.

To enter, follow me on Instagram. 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.