Off the Bolt
Stories, stitches, and the little wins between seams ~ pull up a chair.
Quilters Lifestyle
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Quilt Retreat Bingo, and How to Win It Before Lunch on Day One
Penny the Mascot @
Every quilt retreat plays a game of bingo, whether anyone prints the cards or not. Somebody forgot her foot pedal. Somebody brought a project she started in a different decade. Somebody's extension cord reaches exactly nowhere. Retreat Yourself Tees gives you a head start on the card, with tees for the whole crew and the faces everyone makes somewhere between the first cup of coffee and the last block at midnight. Dab your squares as you go.
Latest Articles
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Please Return Your Seam Ripper to Its Upright Position
Penny the Mascot @
The seatbelt light just chimed off, the cart is rattling down the aisle with pretzels, and the quilter in the window seat has already pulled a hand project out of her carry-on. Below the wing, the country rolls past one skyline at a time. Stitchin' In Skylines is the view from that window, a city for every stop on the flight path, each one built from the things its locals love most. -
Tug Any Loose Thread in Her Life and It Leads Back to Quilting
Penny the Mascot @
Loose threads get a bad name. Tailors snip them, mothers pluck them off your sleeve before church, and the dryer collects them by the handful. A quilter knows better. Follow one far enough and it always leads somewhere worth going. Sew Many Threads is the collection of those somewheres: the dog at her feet, the cat in the bobbin basket, the friends at retreat and the towns she has stitched her way through. -
The Merit Badges Real Quilters Earn Without Leaving the Sewing Room
Penny the Mascot @
Somewhere in a closet there is probably still a sash, green or tan, covered in little round badges for knot tying, first aid and selling a truly impressive number of cookies. Quilters never stopped earning them. We just switched to fabric and started stitching the badges on ourselves. The Sew It Yourself Club is where those badges live, one design for each skill a maker picks up between the first cut and the final binding.