Join us for Ann's Perfect Points Quilt Along! This week: Lesson One: Perfect Points Sampler.

Read more...

Welcome! We are ready to get started with the Perfect Points Quilt Along! Click here to join and the Perfect Points Quilt Along group on and download the PDFs for the tutorial and pattern introduction. You can even look at the suggested fabric requirements here before you begin. 

Read more...

Join my Quilt-A-Long on our Quilt With Us community. We start tomorrow, Tuesday FEB. 28th!

Each week for 6 weeks, I will walk you through my free block sampler pattern and help you master your points. This will all be guided on our Quilt With Us community. Every Tuesday I'll feature the lesson of the week right here on our NOTIONS blog.

Read more...

October would not be complete if we didn't post a tutorial on a technique that is "scary" to many quilters. This time, we've got two videos for you on...zippers! (Insert terrified scream here.)

Sue is our sewing pattern designer who can install zippers in her sleep--we jokingly call her the "bag lady" around the office because she's designed so many bag patterns for us. Sue is a transplant from Down Under, via L.A., so in the videos you get to hear her delightful Aussie accent. I think all video tutorials should be voiced by Sue, don't you? Anyway, when she was in L.A. she worked in Hollywood with a glamorous job as a costume maker. At the company Christmas party last year she regaled me with tales of which stars she's met clothed and which ones she's met in the buff...but, ahem, I'm getting a little off topic now!

So, zippers! Your basic zipper is pretty easy to install, but it's those pesky lap and invisible zippers that can give us trouble. Sue makes it look easy, and now I have to pick up a roll of that Wonder Tape because I see why she prefers it to pinning! You can read about the different zipper types below, and click here to view the videos.

How to Install a Zipper: Invisible & Lap

by Sue Terpin

Installing a zipper is a piece of cake if you’re familiar with the methods involved. I want to take the mystery out of zippers by showing you two different types of zipper installations that often scare quilters: the lap zipper and the invisible zipper. First a little terminology:

Lap Zipper A lap zipper is when a zipper is installed with a flap of fabric covering the zipper. It is used often in everything from throw pillow covers to bags to garments. The zipper type used is a standard or “all-purpose zipper” available at any sewing supply store.

Invisible Zipper An invisible zipper is a zipper that is installed in the seam of two pieces of fabric in such a way that the zipper is recessed in the seam and “invisible”, as the name suggests. It is predominantly used for garments, especially skirts and dresses, but it can also be found in bags and home décor items. The zipper type used is a special “invisible zipper”, and they’re available in sewing supply stores right next to the all-purpose zippers.

Watch the videos here, or on our YouTube channel here.

Most of you seasoned quilters probably chain piece in your sleep, but since we didn't have a full tutorial for chain piecing in our Tutorials section, I decided to write one up for newbie quilters. I know when I learned about chain piecing, it was like a lightbulb went on, and now I do it constantly! So if you're new to quilting, are teaching someone to quilt, or just want a refresher, read on...

Read more...