Southwind Inspirations

Hi Everyone, I would like to introduce you to Kari Schell, On Point Quilter, a fellow quilt designer and teacher who has posted a great tutorial on how to quilt the Victorian Table Runner her blog:  On Point Quilter So here it is in Kari's words: Quilting a Victorian Table Runner Guest Blog Post by Kari Schell from On Point Quilter. Years ago saw a Victorian Table Runner at Quilted Treasures in Rogers and immediately needed to buy the pattern and make the quilt.  I don't remember who the recipient of the gifted table runner was. But the table runner remains a favorite of mine. Fast forward to a week ago... a customer brought me her Victorian Table Runner.  She wanted something "custom".

This table runner can present a bit of a challenge for long-arm quilters as problems can develop if you are not careful around the fold-back curves. Also - because of the nature of the fold back technique there can be some slight variation from unit to unit.

I spent some time...

Welcome to Southwind Inspirations Inspiring Today's Quilters with Dimensional Curves   A whirlwind of creativity is swirling around as our brand-new program A L P H A B E T   S O U P  is getting ready to launch.  Designed for all Quilt Lovers, it is sure to enrich your quilting experience. An Alphabet for Quilt Lovers Are you getting excited? Its getting closer, just a few more days ...

Just a few of the letters arranged on a backing of fabric featuring script fabric Alphabet Soup ! Big news:   This year I am rolling out a brand-new program called Alphabet Soup. If you have been following me you know I like to play with letters and numbers and I have finally found the perfect way to publish and share those fun letters with you. I developed this special program for the Southwind Inspiration Community and it is available for a limited time only.  Registration is open now until April 3rd.     After sewing out the entire alphabet I saw that I had actually developed two distinct fonts, I call them: SouthwindGreek :  A font with straight lines SouthwindRoman :  A font with a curvy flair.  For even greater variety you can combine the two fonts and choose which letter you want straight, which to make curvy.  The varieties are endless and so is the fun of spelling out  words on your quilt. Just thin...

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My dimensional curves can be made with the smallest pieces:  For example on the turtle Tots Pattern there are several curves made from 1" folded squares and there is a little trick to make these curves trouble free. Turtle Tots Use a glue-pen as shown in the picture.  I also use a cardboard square to keep the glue on the little triangle only.  Put just a little glue on the folded edge of the folded triangle and then place your finger in the "pocket" and  lift up the folded triangle, fold it back, press and hold it in place for a few seconds to make the glue stick firmly.  Repeat for all small curves.  Use a glue-pen to position and keep the glue just where I need it. Use a cardboard piece and slip it into the pocket of the small folded triangle Lift up the folded triangle and peel it back on itself. After one curve is glued back, position cardboard and glue on the next one Firmly p...

Borders have many different functions in quilting First and foremost borders are designed to enhance the quilt.  They often create a balance to the quilt design and help showcase and enhance the quilt blocks.  For many quilters borders are there to make their quilt larger.  This is also true, but the size of the border should not overwhelm the quilt design. In my quilt designs I use a variety of borders.  Many times I use straight borders, often multiple borders to frame my quilts and make the colors pop.  This was my intention for my latest quilt:  The bear quilt.  There is a certain art to sewing on straight cut borders, especially to larger quilts.   We never stop learning and I learned recently that staying up late at night, sewing on multiple borders in a limited space and low light is a bad combination.  The result:  My borders were too dark, not as straight as I wanted and of all things in the wrong order....

WHALES.... OR JUST WAVES - the choice is yours This is a perfect pattern for quilters new to this fun technique.  The whale block is super fun and fits together like a puzzle.  In my travels I often get asked about my curvy borders.  This inspired me to use the wavy borders in " Whale Watching " to design a fun and modern bonus quilt:  " Just Waves " . The whales offer so many possibilities: One single whale block makes a great pillow.  Combine several whales for a modern table scape.  Whale Watching on Purple background, using Island Batik fabrics. Alternate setting:  Just Waves with purple background and fabrics from Island Batik. This quilt is easy to make bigger.  The curvy waves are made using larger pieces and are super-easy, fast and fun to piece.  I quilted the purple quilts myself using just curvy lines made with my walking foot and different color threads.  It was just fun and relaxing to play and quilt these. ...