How are you friends? I hope you’re tucked in safely at home taking good care of yourself. It’s taken our family some time to get our feet under us and settle into this new reality of homeschooling and things. I’m slowly finding my way back to sewing, which lifts my spirits so much! I hope you are well!
I’ve been curled up with a brand new book called, Walk, Jog, Run – A Free-Motion Quilting Workout, by Dara Tomasson. I’m exploring the joy and creativity of free-motion quilting and learning so much along the way.
To be honest, I was always a little timid to branch out into creative free-motion quilting. Dara gives lots of good advice and step-by-step instruction in her book. It’s given me the little nudge I needed to start playing and learning. She provides skill-building lessons and lots of pretty projects to create, including quilts, totes, placemats and more.
I decided to practice the new skills I’m learning with the Tote-ally Terrific Tote Bag pattern in the book. The tote is made from long strips pieced together, which makes a great canvas to doodle free-motion designs on. And, I can never have too many cute totes! After spending some fun practicing my loops and doodles – I dove in. I allowed myself lots of room to explore and learn, even practicing my designs on paper first — a great tip from Dara.
I created the tote with my newest fabric collection, Milk & Honey, with Riley Blake Designs. I pieced together light-colored, floral strips with a pop of aqua blue. The tote pattern was quick and fun to sew and there are so many other cute patterns in the book I’d like to make. My loops are far from perfect, but it was good creative fun to practice!
You can learn more about Dara Tomasson on her website here. She shares lots of quilting wisdom, and it’s been fun stretching myself to learn new skills.
I hope you’re finding little joys in your day, too. Stay safe and healthy, friends. Thinking of you all!
Leave a Reply