AF Enterprises will unveil their new state-of-the-art Quilters Visual Social Network April 1st. The latest technology can be found in their new versatile, planet friendly, always ready QLCD. You really won’t want to live without it and you don’t have to! Best enjoyed when your friends have one too. Be sure to check Quilter’s Warehouse tomorrow for all the details.

I seldom sew by hand. I have even been known to sew my bindings on completely by machine. (Please don’t tell the quilt police.) But sometimes you MUST sew those bindings by hand. It takes me as long to thread a needle as it does to sew the binding. Until I started using this gadget, the Needle Threader. I LOVE IT!

It looked complicated and confusing until I saw how it worked. You just lay the thread across the slot made for it, drop in the needle upside down (the needle threader turns it just the right way!), push the button. Tah Dah! Ready to sew.

It’d be hard to get any easier than this!  Fieldstones can be made from  scraps and you can enjoy seeing bits of all your recent quilts.  Or showcase a new or favorite fabric line and make it from Layer Cakes and Jelly Rolls.    A perfect quilt to showcase a line of fabric or all the fabrics from your recent quilts.  Instructions for crib, lap and twin size.  A pillow pattern is also included.

Goober Peas has a great diagonal or on-point look to it but it’s just hourglass blocks and oversized center nine patch blocks.  Again, easy, but with a great look.  This quilt is a good one for using your reproduction scraps.

We can’t quilt non-stop. Sometimes we have to shop!  Here’s a cute bag you can make to carry with you on your next shopping trip.  You’ll get lots of help with neat tips and cool tricks when you make this EZ Bag.   You can dress this one up or make it flirty and casual. Bet you’ll make more than one!

Control your scraps and make your own Charm Squares.  This Charm Wizard ruler makes it easy.  Also great for fussy cutting.

Blizzard Table Runner can be made with the stitchery center – a very cute snowman – or without.  It’s a winner either way.  If you make it without the stitchery you can use red white and blue fabrics and you’ll have a stunning patriotic table runner. 

These are just a few of the new items.  Check out the rest of the new quilt patterns at Quilters Warehouse.

The Creative Grid 4.5″ square ruler was perfect.  Just the right size to mark my diagonal lines.  Sitting in front of the TV with a stack of squares and a small ruler worked out great.  And, when the half square triangles were sewn and pressed, the square ruler was just right for trimming the squares to size with the diagonal laid right along the diagonal seam.  Beautiful half square triangles.  This opened a whole new world.  There are several sizes of square up rulers and it so much easier when you have just the right size, whether it’s a 4.5″ one or and 18″ one.  As long as it fits the job.

For lots of different triangles, there’s the Tri-Recs Ruler.  Your 1/4″ seam allowance is included.  Sold in a set of two, an instruction book will help you learn all the things you can do with these rulers.

We’ve just scratched the surface when it comes to rulers.  There are lots more.  How is your collection?

No longer a rumor . . . it’s on the market.  Amazing product!  Check out the Quilter’s Portable Tool Kit.  Powerful, versatile, portable.  Just can’t say enough good things about it.

This storage box is perfect for storing WIPs (Works In Progress), or patterns.  If you are new to quilting and just starting to build your stash, it might hold all of your fat quarters of one particular color.  Or if you’ve been quilting for a while, perhaps it would store all of one color of fabric scraps.

The Multi-Craft Rack Storage will hold all your pins, needles, thimbles, quilting marking pens, extra bobbins, seam rippers, and more.   If you like to embellish your quilt projects, think of all the materials for embellishment this will hold.

Are you on the go with your quilting?  Do you head out to a quilt day at your local quilt shop or to an evening of sewing with your quilt guild?

The Total Tote will hold everything you need to take with you.  It has storage on each side with adjustable elastic bands to keep things organized and in place.  There are several interior pockets.  You also have the option of removing the center divider to provide bulk storage.

If you are taking your sewing machine along with you this wheeled sewing machine bag will be sure to hold it and still have room for your projects.  It has an inside pocket to hold your quilt patterns.  When you are not on the go, it collapses and stores easily.

Ok, now, no excuses . . . get organized, then get sewing!

The Color Selector color wheel will help you choose fabrics for your next quilt project. 

How handy would this SideWinder Portable Bobbin Winder be to have.  No more “un-threading” your machine to wind bobbins and then have to thread it up again.  What a time-saver! It will run with a power cord or it will run on batteries… truly portable.  The SideWinder will work with any bobbin that has a standard center hole.

Joan Hawley of Lazy Girl Designs has two gadgets that she really likes.  One is the Ultimate Scissors.  Here’s what she has to say about them: “In addition to their great cutting, they are lightweight and feel like holding nothing in my hand. I’ve had these scissors for about a year and I once again appreciated how wonderful they are while working like a fool at a weekend-long quilt retreat.”

Another of Joan’s favorites is the Bendable Bright Light. It’s so very handy AND it’s energy efficient.   Read everything Joan has to say about these two items at Lazy Girl Designs Blog.

Do you do any hand sewing? If so, this is a “must-have” gadget.  This Desk Needle Threader will save you time, save your eyesight and save you aggravation.  PLUS you’ll save money on it at Quilters Warehouse!  It doesn’t get any better than that!

There are many more quilting tools, supplies and gadgets available.  Browse through them and you’ll be sure to find something you can’t live (or quilt) without.

Actually, it’s TWINS! Fraternal, of course, and both of the ThreadBanger Sewing Machines are chocked full of good genes and talent and are sure to live many, many creative years on the planet

OK, OK, so we jest. TB12 is a cast aluminum body machine that is based on a former model so popular that long-time Janome fans have been begging to see it again. So, here it is—upgraded and updated for ThreadBanger.

But seriously, we are pleased to introduce to you TB12 and TB30, the two newest and grooviest members of the Janome family of sewing machines.

The TB12 has 12 actual stitches, including a number of stretch stitches, and multiple stitch functions, including length adjustment.

EZ change feet and a simple 4-step buttonhole give you endless options for creativity, and a built-in one-hand thread cutter and simple reverse lever make finishing off stitching a breeze.

It’s a hardcore, no-frills workdog–perfect for on-the-go DIY.

The TB30 is a little fancier. (It’s just as tough, but it’s got some frills.) It has 30 actual stitches, 6 one-step buttonholes, a built-in One-Hand Needle Threader and Stitch Width and Length adjustments. Also, there is a Stitch Elongation feature– that means you can elongate some stitches without losing any density. 

Another cool feature is the Direct Stitch Selection Buttons. Push the button once, and the green light shows the left stitch pictured on the button is selected. Hit the button again and an orange light indicates the right stitch on the button is selected. The letter on each button advises you what foot to use. Such a pal!

There are three pressure adjustment levels for sewing a greater variety of fabrics, and a Needle Up/Down Button. This button allows you to select whether the needle stays down in the fabric every time you stop (allows for easy corner turning) or comes up out of the fabric each time you stop sewing. Nice, right?

Also, the Start/Stop Button allows you to sew without using the foot control! AND, if you press it and hold it down, it will sew very slooowly, so you can be as exact as you want.

Both of these machines are perfect creative tools for the DIY sewist!

We love ThreadBanger so sew so much that our own Kira DeLong personally delivered the first machines to Rob and Corinne’s ThreadBanger studio!

When you purchase a template set there is usually a pattern included that will get you started.  You can use your rotary cutter with these templates to cut your fabric. 

Here’s one example of Elisa’s patterns… Chocolate Go Round is made with the 3 1/2″ Drunkards Path, 2 charms packs and your favorite background fabric.  Here’s a chance to play with color.  Keep the dark sections but in the lighter sections use slightly darker shades as you go from the center to the outer edges of the quilt.  Or make the colors change as in a rainbow.  Or slightly darker from the center to the outside and the dark sections slightly darker from the outside in.  Play with it!!

Watch Elisa’s video “Cutting 20 Fat Quarters” on YouTube.  She’ll show you how to get the most out of your fat quarters using both the 8″ and the 3″ templates.  The 3 1/2″ template works perfectly on charm packs.

When you are finished cutting, you can sew your curved pieces together WITHOUT pins.  Watch Elisa’s video “Sewing Crazy Curves Without Pins” on YouTube.  Once you try it you’ll wonder why you waited so long to make a quilt with curves.  You’ll be amazed at your talent!