Dead East Quilt Patterns

Perfect Quilt Borders

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:47:03 +0000

This video gives tips on how to add a border to a quilt so that it lays flat. The quilt block in the video is standing in for a full size quilt top to make it easier to see.

Longarm Machine Quilting- Loading your quilt

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 11:34:04 +0000

In this video I cover the basics of loading your quilt onto your frame. The setup I use is the Stretch Frame and Voyager 17 (V17) by Hinterberg. I specifically cover how to pin your backing, how to layer your batting and quilt top, how to baste your quilt sandwich together. The loading method I prefer is the “floating” method where the batting and the quilt top are floating atop the backing fabric. I show you how I load my layers on my frame. This video is continued in the video: “Longarm Machine Quilting: Free-Motion

Quilt Glide

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 08:10:47 +0000

The new “Quilt Glide” option for APQS quilting machines makes microstippling and other detail quilting almost effortless! The Quilt Glide feature gives you the smooth, fluid motion of manual sewing mode without losing the benefit of stitch regulation. Watch the video to learn more about this exciting feature and how to use it on your quilts! Quilt Glide is available as an option on 2008 and newer APQS Millennium and Freedom SR quilting machines.

Sewing Curves for Patchwork a Quilt

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 03:16:03 +0000

www.thequiltingcoach.com See how to sew a curve for a Ghostwalk patch or a Drunkards Path patch; you will have a smooth curve and won’t be pulling out your hair!

Magna-Hoop Pro: Quilting

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 02:46:13 +0000

Use the Magna-Hoop Pro to quilt!

A Guide to Buying a Mattress

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 01:46:07 +0000

Everyone hates to shop for a mattress. For most of us the last time we purchased a mattress was fifteen or twenty years ago. Prices have risen astronomically since then. Like car buying, we get sticker shock when we see what lofty premiums bedding stores have on their merchandise. We freak out when we see how much they cost. I could almost buy a good used car for the price of some new beds.Have you looked in the yellow pages and marveled at all the places that sell mattresses and foundations, not to mention headboards, footboards, frames, futons, pillows and just about anything you else you could think of to get you a good night’s sleep. If that’s not enough, you have to decide on such things as memory foam, rubber foam, foam encased sides, edge guards, pocket coils innersprings, hypoallergenic products, and even body pressure imaging systems, it’s no wonder that selecting a mattress can be confusing. Let’s take a look at the often complex task of selecting just the right mattress for you.The most important thing you can do to begin your mattress shopping is to try the mattress out. Most bedding stores don’t allow you to take the bed home and try it for a month, so it’s up to you to do the footwork necessary to insure pleasant slumbering. It’s good to find a store with a good return policy for the first thirty to ninety days. That’s when most defective mattresses surface.First of all, if you’re calorie challenged and weigh 400 pounds, don’t expect a two hundred dollar mattress to last you ten years without collapsing. It just won’t happen! Use common sense and find a mattress tough enough to withstand the weight night after night, year after year. Price alone should be an indicator of performance, but alas, that is not always true. Some folks say that there isn’t much difference between a cheap mattress and a more costly one. As with almost anything else, you really do get what you pay for.Shopping for a mattress should be fun! For most people though, it is a grueling test of physical and mental endurance. Let’s face it, after you’ve looked at three or four mattresses, your eyes are starting to glaze over. They all look so much alike; it’s hard to choose a mattress that will give you years of restful, peaceful sleep!Lay down on the beds you are trying out. Don’t just walk around the beds looking at the price tags and pushing the mattress with your hands. Don’t do that! It’s not going to bite you! You won’t be standing on your hands when you sleep, so quit squeezing the mattress. Doing that won’t tell your body how the mattress feels.Also, do not lay down on the mattress with your legs hanging over the side. You don’t sleep that way, so don’t do it when mattress shopping. Laying this way creates a strain on your back muscles. Your back will start hurting and you’ll start thinking it’s the bed’s fault that’s causing your back pain and not the weird way you are lying. Give the bed a chance!Try lying on the bed the same way you would if you were at home. If you sleep on your side, lay on your side. If you sleep on your back, lay on your back! Take a nap. Spend about fifteen minutes on each bed. This will determine if your body likes the bed. Listen to your body! Forget about your pocket book. A cheap bed will probably give you cheap results, resulting in a sore back in the morning. On the other hand, if price, not comfort, is your main criteria in a mattress, go to one of the huge national merchandising chains. You can’t try the bed out, but you can usually get a good price. You spend a third of your life in bed, but that eight hours of sleep is very important. If your sleep is not restful and restorative, the next day will be miserable. It’s to your benefit to give your searching the time it deserves. Putting in the time to check out mattress can be time consuming. Basically it comes down to this. Let your body decide. If a cheap mattress feels as good as an expensive one, buy it! Finally, this is just the beginning of your search. Think of all the fun you’re going to have learning about layering, foam, ticking, coil counts, coils,both pocketed and non-pocketed. There’s just no end to the excitement when you’re mattress shopping.

Robert Wilson Alexander is the author and sole owner of this copyrighted article.Bob Alexander is well experienced in southern barbque, leisure activites and mattress shoppingFor more of Bob’s ideas, follow the links:http://www.homeandgardenbob.com http://www.barbquebob.com
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Handmade Christmas Gifts Your Family Will Love

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 01:46:06 +0000

There are many types of gifts to give for Christmas to your family, but the greatest gift you can give is one that you have made yourself. It is a gift that will be cherished for years to come because you loved them enough to give the gift of your talents and time. Even if your not the most creative, or already have a developed hobby that you can do easily, you can still make a handmade gift if you start early enough to learn how to do it. Children can make wonderful crafts that anyone will love in the family. There is no limit on the different types of gifts you can make, and knowing the different choices are easy once you know how to theme it.

Anyone in the family that loves the comfy soft side of rest and relation will find useful gifts of the material type. Handmade pillows and quilts make great and useful gifts. If they love themed subjects, such as lighthouses, dogs, food or even steam engines, you can embroider or cross stitch interesting designs onto pillows for the couch or bed. Quilts can be a real heirloom because they can be any patch work design, or tailored to fit the interest of a family member. Young girls can put away a quilt for the hope chest with a wedding ring or flower design for their future home or apartment. Younger children whether boy or girl can be immediately enthralled with a homemade train set or wooden blocks. Little girls love to play house and a handy mom or dad might want to consider buying a precut dollhouse and assembling it before Christmas day. Later the girl in your life might love to go along with you to the hobby store to theme her home with the furniture and other necessities, such as curtains and little people.

Other types of gifts for the different family members need to include parents and grandparents. Depending on the age of the children they can make some sure fire popular gifts that will please mom. Dad can help a child by providing guidance and the supplies on a themed gift for mom and vice versa. A mom can certainly use any of the pampered gifts that a child could make. For example, a gift basket of mom’s favorite interests would be appropriate, such as candles and scented gift sachets for her clothing drawers, or even a collection of wrapped flavored coffees would make her smile too. A lot of moms like new recipes hand written or typed, and a child can paint and decorate a lovely recipe box that will make a busy mom very happy. Dads also appreciate hand made gifts, and mom and child can theme a gift for them too around their work or hobbies. Creating a personalized book on the computer for a dad that likes sports such as golf is a real keepsake for dad. Ideas and patterns can be used for dad to have his own homemade wooden jewelry chest from the child he loves. Wooden engraving sets can be found at hobby or discount stores such as K Mart. Lovingly engraving their initials or a pattern of their profession makes a nice gift to give from a child.

Grandparents are some of the easiest family members to make a gift for at Christmas time. If they live away they certainly appreciate any gift that they can display to show off, but even close by grand parents still cherish those gifts too. A family collaboration on homemade gifts can be items such as photo frames engraved and a new picture tucked inside, or children can make grand parents jewelry with craft products. Lovely pieces made with beads for grandmothers necklace or bracelet, and for a grand father handmade tie tacks, cuff links, or lapel pin will make him feel very dressed up for the holidays or anytime. Grand parents always love it when a scrap book is made by grand children, and they never get tired of admiring it either.

What ever gift you decide to make for your loved ones this Christmas season you will not go wrong in making it, even if there are a few blips when it is finished. The holidays are a time for giving the gift of love, and also for making a lot of precious memories and keepsakes that will be passed down from one generation to the next. Take the time to make a new tradition of giving hand made gifts not only this Christmas but for the years to come – you won’t regret it.

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Mary’s Quilting Passions #1

Sun, 27 Dec 2009 22:57:49 +0000

A tribute to the legacy a mother has given to her family & friends. “Mary’s Quilting Passions” documents a quilt show organized by Mary Loser’s daughters to honor her on Mothers Day. Nearly 150 quilts made by Mary were on display during a two day quilt show at Minglewood Retreat in Lafayette, Indiana. In Part One Mary talks about how she started quilting over thirty years ago with the “Quaker Quilt Ladies” from Farmers Institute Friends Church….

Decorating Basics

Sun, 27 Dec 2009 19:38:38 +0000

Traditionally, consumers follow three decorate primary decorating approaches: country, casual/contemporary and traditional. The population is divided almost evenly at 30 per cent following each trend.
Some decorators venture into bold and artistic, but the basic theme rarely ventures far from the basic ideal of what is ‘right’ in home decorating.
Most surveys agree that the average homeowner puts extreme importance on style in their home. The only variation in style is country, which is divided into mission, Shaker, and French country. The folk art, crafty look of the 80s has given way to a sophisticated, and stylish, ducks and deer have been replaced by wedding ring quilts.
The heavy furniture is now overstuffed and new, but distressed to give the illusion of wear and tear.
The contemporary home gave up the bold colored plastic and vinyl with elegant woods and comfortable cushions and fabrics. The homeowner is no longer trying to make a statement. Instead, comfort is the key to a successful room.
Traditional has seen a major change in fabrics, quality, and color. Traditional was born from generations of mixing and matching furniture and fabrics. Each generation added their footprint to the home.
Today, traditional is a finished look that often comes in a kit.
The bathroom has seen the most dramatic changes. Manufacturers have worked hard to bring style and elegance into the bathroom. Faucets have grown from simple molded tools to the sophistication seen in the artistic designs.
Bathtubs have grown in style. Small shower stalls are now moved to the workroom. Rain forest showers and elegant wash stands have expanded the size and purpose of the bathroom.
Chrome is still the fixture of choice, with brushed nickel following a close second. Bolder decorators may want to try oil-rubbed bronze or wrought iron.
Trends in the bathroom are not a good idea. The short-lived glass bowl balanced on a thin steel frame is a perfect example of manufacturers ignoring American’s love affair with the main three design styles.
Maintaining the allure of the three classic styles, while thinking ‘out of the box’ is the trademark of the natural-born decorator. Today, the style is in the accessories. The quality of cotton towels, an elegantly designed towel rack, or a simple shelf can bring together an entire decorating scheme.
Today’s home decorators start with the small items and build the room around them. This deviates from the past where home decorators choose rugs and wall coverings first, then worried about furniture and left accessories to the last.
Rooms are made and broken on the quality of the room’s lighting. No matter what classic style a decorator wants to bring to life in their home, success starts with their manipulation on the room’s lighting.
A stark white bathroom can look sterile and cold. Adding a gold shade to the ceiling light will warm the room without diminishing the overall style and mood of the room.
The secret to a beautiful home is found in a combination of the style, incorporating the right fixtures and accessories, and blending it all together under the right lighting.

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Country Home Decorating – How To Include A Country Touch To Your Home Today

Sun, 27 Dec 2009 19:38:37 +0000

How do you add that “country touch” to a decorating style? Since the “country look” has evolved over the years and taken on a wider variety of characteristics, it can add a special touch to decorating from rural to contemporary. Here are a few ideas to give your home a “touch of country” and retain that feel of tradition.
Add a little extra luxury in your country home decorating such as pampering guests with a serene bedroom furnished with a high-quality mattress and specially-selected cotton sheets that feel good against the skin.
A layered look in fabrics gives a tranquil feel to a room. Country home decorating makes use of patterned fabrics, florals, and stripes as well as eyelet. They complement one another and provide a special touch in any room.
Another idea is to add blue and white checks on cushions and pillows to give that country appearance. Blue denim is also an icon of the country home decorating style. It is a traditional, timeless American classic that gives a relaxed, comfortable feel to a room.
Quilts, quilts, and quilts- what a wonderful way to add that country touch to your décor. There are countless patterns from which to choose that will harmonize with your country decorating idea.
Old and new photographs are an outstanding addition to your country home décor. The space above a staircase is a place to display your photos for your own enjoyment as well as for your family and guests. Make sure the staircase is out of the direct sunlight.
Take time from decorating to relax in a hammock for an hour or two-what a true country experience!
As you can see, these are just a small number of the unlimited ways to add a touch of country to your country home decorating ideas.
For ideas on keeping your home organized, download a free copy of the ebook “The Essential Guide to Organizing Your Home”. This ebook has many practical, easy-to-use tips to make home organization a reality. Go to http://www.lynnshomedecor.com/f/Opt-in_Pages.html for your free download.

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