Any quilter can quilt any quilt on any sewing machine.
I'm Joni, and I believe that with my whole heart.
Not the fancy machine kind of quilting. The kind where you cut the fabric, piece the top, and quilt it yourself, start to finish, on the machine you already own.
I've been a quilter for 25 years. I still remember not being one.
Keep scrolling. I'll tell you exactly how I got here.
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I Didn't Become a Quilter the Day I Bought the Fabric
Once, I was young, pregnant, and broke as a joke.
I knew I wanted to be crafty. I just had no idea what that was supposed to look like for me. So I started where a lot of people start, with a sewing machine, and sewed myself a few maternity dresses. I liked how they turned out. I did not like making them. Not even a little.
But something stuck. I didn't love sewing dresses, but I loved the fabric. I loved the machine. I loved watching a flat piece of cloth become something that hadn't existed that morning.
So I turned to quilting. I bought the ugliest calico you have ever seen and a cutting mat made of cardboard. Actual cardboard. I cut those first squares with more enthusiasm than skill, ended up with a small mountain of shredded cardboard, and then I stopped. I had a stack of squares and no earthly idea what came next.
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Those squares sat in Ziploc bags for just over three years.
I wanted to be a quilter. I had the fabric, the squares, the desire. What I didn't have was anyone to show me the next step.
Then I met Susan.
She was working on an appliquĂ© block at a gathering of friends, and when I asked about it, she told me she was a quilter. So I said the only thing I could think of. âI have a bunch of ugly squares in Ziploc bags that I don't know what to do with.â Like quilters do, she offered to come over that weekend and show me the next step.
She arrived, looked at my bags of ugly fabric, and I'm pretty sure she considered faking an illness so she'd never have to come back. But she stayed. Over the next month, Susan taught me the quarter inch seam, how to press, how to join blocks and rows, how to baste, how to quilt, and how to bind.
That second quilt was better in every way. The design, the colors, the piecing, all of it. And I was hooked. Not âwhat a nice hobbyâ hooked. Hooked for life.
That's how I became a quilter. Not the day I bought the ugly calico. The day Susan sat down next to me and showed me what came after the squares.
Susan and I lost touch over the years, and I think about her more than she'd ever guess. She's the reason I'm a quilter at all.
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Quilting is My Happy Place
Quilting plays a huge role in my life. Through good times and bad, baby quilts and memorial quilts, in peace and in stress, quilting is what centers me and feeds my soul. I think if you give it a try, it will feed your soul too.
So my promise to you is to inspire you to create beautiful quilts in an uplifting community. If there's anything you want to learn about quilting that I haven't posted yet, send me a message and make a request. I'll get to work on it and let you know when you can expect to see it published.
My mission
INSPIRE | CREATE | UPLIFT
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Chris crossed FMQ off her bucket list
"This class encouraged and invigorated me to get excited about my projects and to know that I have the skills to take them to the finish line."
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Kim is more confident than ever
"This was exactly what I needed to take my quilts from zero to finished with a lot more variety and confidence."
I'm here for...
Free-motion quilting
Innovative design
Inspiring you
Creating with care
What's Next?
Take a look around and see how I can help you take your quilting to the next level
Learn with me
Tips & Tricks
Get my best quilting tips and tricks and get a glimpse behind the scenes.
Practice your skills
Patterns & Fabric
Practice your quilting skills with a pattern or fabric bundle.Â
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