Monica Curry Quilt Design

For the past few weeks, I've been working on my unfinished quilt projects aka UFOs. I gave myself an official UFO challenge. I decided to share some of my tips for starting your own UFO challenge and finally getting your unfinished projects done. 1. Get everything out in the open. Pull out all of your UFOs, and I mean all of them! Lay them out and review exactly what you're dealing with. 2. Weed out the rejects. Look at each UFO and decide which ones you'll keep and which ones you can part with. Some UFOs are UFOs for a reason. Maybe the colours are wrong, the pattern is boring, or the workmanship is poor. Don't spend precious sewing time on projects that don't thrill you. If a project doesn't make the grade, let it go. Use it for a scrap quilt or give it away. 3. Store each UFO where you can see it. After you've sorted out your projects, store them where you can see them. I use clear plastic 12" x 12" scrapbook bins that I buy at Michael's....

The fabrics you choose for your quilt can really make or break your project. I prefer not to stumble blinding when picking my colors but choosing from all the beautiful fabrics out there can be overwhelming. There are many wonderful pre-cuts that make most of the color decisions for you, but it's still good to know at least the basics of color theory. To get started learning color theory, purchase the color wheel by Dritz that is specifically for quilters. The color wheel will help you choose colors a little more easily. COLOR WHEEL COMBINATIONS Below are the basic five color combinations you can get from the color wheel. I use one of these as a starting point when planning quilt colors. With practice, choosing fabrics will become easier starting with just these five combinations. Download FREE PDF of these five combinations HERE MONOCHROMATIC Different shades and tints of the same color. COMPLEMENTARY Colors that are across from each other on the color wheel. ANALOGOUS   C...

When I first started selling my quilt patterns I decided to offer them in downloadable PDF format only. It's much more cost-effective for both my customers and me. Printing costs for patterns are expensive and those costs are normally absorbed by the customer along with mailing costs. Another advantage of buying PDF files is that you don't have to wait days for your pattern; instant gratification! I thought it would be helpful for my readers and customers to have a list of five hassle-free steps for downloading and printing them. I will be including these steps with all my patterns from now on. What is a downloadable PDF file? A PDF (Portable Document Format) "is a file format that provides an electronic image of text or text and graphics that looks like a printed document and can be viewed, printed, and electronically transmitted." -- Google Dictionary 1. Get Adobe Acrobat Reader   Before you can download your PDF pattern you will first need the Adobe Acrobat Reader ...

This spring I'm launching two new placemat patterns, Baby Jersey and Little Piglet . Aren't they adorable? I'm sure your child or grandchild would love one of these to make mealtime fun. These placemats are easy to make using fusible appliqué and simple straight line quilting.        

In a previous post, I showed you how to make your own quilters ironing board . In this post, I’m going to talk about irons for quilting and introduce you to the four irons that I've used over the years with good results. A quilter’s ironing needs are very specific. We might need several types of irons depending on our projects, but there are so many irons on the market it can be mind-boggling choosing the right ones. Three guidelines when buying an iron for quilting: Determine your needs. Do you quilt only occasionally or is your iron going to get a full workout? Do you do patchwork, applique or both? Do your homework. Research different products. Purchase the best iron you can realistically afford. There are many good irons at different price points, so shop around if you're on a strict budget like most of us. 1. Steamfast Mini Steam Iron My  Steamfast Mini Iron  is my little workhorse. It sits beside me on my TV table ironing board when I'm doing all my piecing. It...

Last weekend hubby and I took a nice drive in the country to pick up these incredible vintage sewing machine bookends for my sewing room. Aren't these the coolest things you've ever seen? I first saw similar bookends on Pinterest, so I had my eye on these for a while after seeing them on a Facebook group. I was happy the artist, Greg at Prairiepickers.com , still had the bookends when I finally texted him last week to buy them. They cost $100. I thought that was a very good deal considering all the work that went into them. The sewing machine is circa 1920s. Even the wooden bases are from an old sewing machine table. Greg told me he normally upcycles the bases of vintage sewing machines into tables. He said he's usually left with the machine when the table is finished. So, he decided to make something out of a machine because he didn't want to throw it out. The set even came with some vintage wooden spools of thread. I would love to find more of these spools...

One of my favourite piecing techniques is Improv. I come from a fine arts and design background so I love to go off the beaten path. I enjoy the freedom Improv provides. I believe it's quilting for the soul. There are no real rules for Improv quilting. You are basically piecing scraps together in a free-form way. The results are stunning. The textures and all the combined colours can result in a true work of art. My piece Summer Aspen below was submitted for a new wing at a local hospital. The theme for the submissions was trees. I chose the Aspen tree because I love how Aspen leaves rustle in the wind. Unfortunately, the piece wasn't chosen but I ended up with a very nice quilt for my home. SUMMER ASPEN by Monica Curry The strips I used for the tree trunks in  Summer Aspen  were cut from fabric that was printed from a  linocut  I made. I wanted each strip to look like an actual Aspen tree. I liked how this quilt turned out and it hung in my office...