Quilting and Crafting Articles and
Video Demonstrations

Quilting with Leah Day Videocasts	Experimental Quilting Techniques	The Basics of Machine Quilting
Quilt Piecing Instructions	Quilt Binding and Finishing	Miscellaneous Quilting and Crafting Videos
Preparing and Cutting Fabric

Don't let lack of knowledge stand in the way of your creativity. Use the following articles and video demonstrations help you get the hang of every step in the process.

Quilting with Leah Day Videocasts

Every week Leah features a video blog of what she's been doing. While the main focus is quilting, you'll also see Leah's studio, her machines, as well as other surprises around her house. Click the link to watch the video and find links to all the information shared in the videocast.

Videocast #1 Trying Something New - (March 2, 2011) - I'm now shooting videocasts! - New Designs: Echo Shortcut and Wiggly Woven Lines - See what Hot Cast looks like stretched out on the table being basted - Check out Josh's new rooster called Chaucer	Videocast #2 T-Shirt Quilts (March 9, 2011) - New Designs: Leaf Filler and Landscape Stitch - Details on the Free Motion Quilting Project Flickr Group - Check out T-Shirt Quilt photos posted to the Flickr Group - See several variations of the Flower Bouquet Quilt in the studio
Videocast #3 Don't Fear the Ripper (March 16, 2011) - Ripping out dense free motion quilting stitches with a 4 in 1 tool - New Designs: Blowing Wind and Butterfly Feathers	Videocast #4 Crazy about Hot Cast (March 24, 2011) - New Designs: Psychedellic Checkerboard and Icicle Lights - Update on Hot Cast - See the different designs used in the sky section of Hot Cast - Learn more about the inspiration for Hot Cast and why I like sharing about the whole process
Videocast #5 Transformation Challenge (March 30, 2011) - 9 by 12 Transformation Challenge update - Learn more about this quilting contest and get the answers to commonly asked questions - New Designs: Patchwork Farmland and Sea Oat Flower	Videocast #6 - Spring Flowers (April 6, 2011) - New Designs: Lollipop Flower and Butterfly Feather Flower - Update on Hot Cast: details on dealing with excess fabric and what designs are being used in the bottom of the quilt - See what Hot Cast looks like on the back mostly filled with many free motion designs!
Videocast #7 - Super Busy Week (April 13, 2011) - Experiment #1: Textured Applique and Trapplique - New Designs: Sea Weed Flower and Granddaddy Longlegs - Supernova Quilt Along Block - Quilted Pincushion Tutorial	Videocast #8 - Super Spring Sale and Stippling Tips (April 21, 2011) - Spring Sale in the Quilt Shop - Launch of the Australian Shadows Quilt - Experiment #2: Drawing on Fabric with black markers - New Designs: Triangle Starships and Seashells & Waves - Tips on quilting Stippling in free motion for beginners
Videocast #9 - Quilt Painting (April 28, 2011) - New Designs: Heart Confetti and Double Matrix - Quilt Painting on Hot Cast - Finishing up the two small art quilts for a coming show	Videocast #10 - Dolls and Designs (May 6th, 2011) - New Designs: Ball Bearings and Eyeballs - Experiment #3: Dollmaking - Hanging up quilts to see the quilt design
Videocast #11 - Summer Fun with Sewing Machines (May 20th, 2011) - New Designs: Rockin', Feather Fans, Complex Feather, Rattlesnake, and Calm Sea - Under $500 Sewing Machine Review - Sewing Machine Survey

Experimental Quilting Techniques

Experiment #1 - Textured Applique and Trapplique Check out this cool experiment creating beautiful texture with pleats and purposely wrinkling your fabric. Also learn more about using quilted fabric samples as appliques.	Experiment #2 - Black and White Portrait Learn how Leah took a simple photograph, blew it up, then transferred some details of the portrait onto fabric using a black pigma pen and sharpie marker
Experiment #3 - Dollmaking While this may not be quilting related, it's still a lot of fun to play with fabric and fun materials to make a 3D object.

Articles on Preparing and
Cutting Quilting Fabrics

How to Make a Quilt - Read through a basic overview of making a quilt and watch videos on getting your first quilt started.

To Prewash or not to Prewash: That is the question! - No one likes to bother with prewashing fabric, but bleeding colors and a ruined quilt can definitely change your tune!

How to Prewash Fabric - Watch a quick video on prewashing your quilting fabric and read tips on how to make this chore quicker and easier.

How to Iron and Starch Your Quilting Fabrics - Prewashing and Ironing your quilting fabric can seem like a real chore so learn how to lighten your load with time saving tips for starching your quilting fabrics!

How to Build a Hard Ironing Board - Learn how to build your own ironing board that will be harder and more stable than anything you can buy in a store.

Square Your Fabric - Wish you could cut your fabric in a perfectly straight line? Learn how to square up your fabric so that you get straigh cuts every time!

Quilting Supplies Needed for Accurate Fabric Cutting - Learn more about supplies and tools you need to cut out your quilts precisely every time in this video created by Leah Day.

How to Cut Quilting Fabrics with a Rotary Cutter - Learn how to use your rotary cutter to cut your quilting fabrics into perfect pieces. Incorrect cutting is the #1 reason why seams don't match!

How to Cut Fabric Scraps for Quilting and Sewing Projects - Sometimes you will end up with a lot of odd shapes and sizes of fabric scraps. Learn how to properly cut scraps correctly into usable shapes.

Quilt Piecing Instructions and
Demonstrations

Quilting Tools Needed to Piece Quilt Blocks by Machine - Piecing your fabric together requires only a few more tools and notions. Get everything you need so you can get your quilt together quickly.

Quilting Tools Needed to Piece Quilt Blocks by Hand - Not into the idea of being strapped to a sewing machine? Learn what notions you need for piecing blocks by hand in small projects you can take anywhere.

Piecing a Basic 9 Patch Block - Learn how to piece the most basic of quilting blocks perfectly with matching seams.

The Basics of Strip Piecing a Quilt - You don't have to waste time cutting out millions of little squares just to sew them all back together again! Learn how to strip piece your quilts so that they take less time, but still look great.

How to Make Half Square Triangles Video Demonstration - Triangles can be tricky! Learn how to piece them perfectly with a little help from this video demonstration.

Paper Piecing Instructions - Learn how to paper piece a simple boat block with this video demonstration by Leah Day.

The Basics of Free Machine Quilting

Quilting Tools You Need for Basting and Quilting Your Quilt - Learn about the basic supplies you'll need to have in order to baste and then quilt your first quilt.

Choosing the Best Batting for Your Quilts - After all the money you've invested in your quilt with tools, fabric, and thread, you now need to chuck out even more money for batting! Learn why this is one step you shouldn't skimp on either.

Introduction to Free Motion Quilting - Want to get started free motion quilting? Learn how to break free of your walking foot and what other materials you will need to quilt like a pro!

Do I Have to Drop my Feed Dogs?! - Wouldn't it be nice if we didn't have to drop our feed dogs (or struggle to figure out HOW to drop them) before free motion quilting? Read through this article and learn why Leah NEVER drops her feed dogs.

Introduction to Free Motion Quilting - Want to get started free motion quilting? Learn how to break free of your walking foot and what other materials you will need to quilt like a pro!

365 Days of Free Motion Quilting Filler Designs - Looking for new free motion designs to add to your quilts? Check out Leah's new project: designing and quilting a new free motion stitch every day for the next year!

Free Motion Quilting How to Keep Your Lines Even - Quilting straight lines in free motion can be tricky. Get tips and tricks from Leah in this demonstration video.

5 Tips for Beginners - Just getting started with Free Motion Quilting? Get some tips from Leah on to keep your stitches even and cosistent and your speed under control.

Quilting Machine Setup - You can quilt any quilt, even king sized quilts, on a domestic sewing machine if you follow Leah's advice on setting up your tables and sewing station with the right tools and supplies.

3 Videos On Quilting Machine Setup - Check out the 3 different videos on what Leah uses in her quitling space and how to setup you rmachien most efficiently.

Skipped Stitches - This is a very common problem for machine quilters. Learn how to combat it with a variety of tips and tricks that Leah uses on a daily basis.

How to Hide Your Quilting Threads - Stop clipping your threads off! Learn how to hide your threads inside your quilt properly and quickly with a cheater needle.

Quilting Machine Conundrum - Learn about all the machines Leah has owned and why she feels like the best setup is to have one machine for free motion quilting and one machine for everythine else.

Stippling and Microstippling - Learn about the most popular free motion quilting stitch and watch 2 videos on how to stitch this both wide and loose and very tight and dense.

McTavishing - Discover a stitch developed by Karen McTavish and see a few new variations of this awesome design as well.

Pebbling - Possibly one of the richest textures in the quilting world, learn about pebbling and how beautifully it can fill the surface of your quilts.

Paisley - This is 4th most popular quilting filler and one of the easiest to master. Watch how to quilt it with a video tutorial by Leah Day.

 

Quilt Binding and Finishing

Blocking Your Quilt - Once your quilt is completely quilted, it's time to get it ready to hang on a wall or drape on your bed. Learn how to block and square your quilt so it always looks perfect.

How to Attach Quilt Binding by Machine Part 1 - Learn how to cut your binding strips and seam them together.

How to Attach Quilt Binding by Machine Part 2 - Watch how to attach binding to your quilt, turn corners, and finish flawlessly.

How to Attach Quilt Binding by Machine Part 3 - Finish your binding perfectly with a buttonhole stitch and mitered corners.

Miscellaneous Quilting and
Crafting Demonstrations

How to Make a Quilted Jacket - Learn how to make a beautiful jacket that doesn't make you look like a snowman! Use Leah's technique for finishing your seams for a perfect double sided garment.

Do You Really Need to Use Fabric Crayons? - Watch a video demonstration of Leah showing the difference between fabric crayons and regular crayons.

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