Since moving into our new home a couple months ago I've been looking for something rustic and charming to put my threads on.  A trip to the antique store unveiled 3 sets of wooden shutters for a good price...Wooohooo! My husband, Kent, mounted these on two boards at the top and bottom and attached the entire unit to the wall.   You can get thread stands from Joan's which I've had forever but I disassembled them and kept the horizontal thread holders only.  Kent nailed these to the shutters for me... ...and I proceeded to load them up with thread! ...

Here's a quick lesson on creating an easy Dresden Plate quilting design using the circle Ultimate Stencil! I have a design book that's part of my "Designs Collections" of e-books that is devoted to designs that are created on The Ultimate Stencils.  This is one of the pages from the book and I will be featuring more of these as time goes on.  Start by drawing your center circle. Draw the spokes of your Dresden Plate. Draw the arched lines at the end of the spokes.  You can leave this design as it is OR.... ..you can add a ring...

Last week I shared how to create a basic feather wreath using the circle Ultimate Stencil.  This week I'm sharing how to use part of The Ultimate Shape to create a basic feather border.  I am using the large 8" Ultimate Shape... ...and only using the arch.  This will provide the soft curve I'm looking for to create a feather border.  If I want to make a smaller border with shorter curves I would use the smaller Ultimate Shapes, i.e., 6", 4" and 2".   I traced the curve so I got the "down swing" and then flipped the stencil...

When I was at the Houston Quilt Show for the "Love of Linens" special exhibit, my fabulous sponsor, The Quilt Show, did an interview and it turned out wonderful!  It will give you some beautiful close up shots of each quilt, names of the quilters whom I featured and some fun information.  Check it out!   

So far I've covered how to create a basic star and a feather wreath with the circle Ultimate Stencil.  Now let's take things a step further and learn how to easily create YOUR own design from inspiration found just about anywhere! This tile medallion was found in the floor of a hotel and I just knew I had to draft this into a design.  It was VERY easy using the circle Ultimate Stencil. I always start in the middle and work my way out.  I've drawn a circle where I want my center star to be. I drafted my star. ...