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Mark your calendar for the third Saturday in March!
Did you know that there’s a National Quilting Day and it’s celebrated every third Saturday in March? National Quilting Day is for all quilters–beginner, expert and everyone in between? The day is coordinated by The Quilt Alliance and National Quilt Museum as a way to honor and promote the art of quilting. If you visit their website, you will find it rich in quilting content.
So now that you know there’s a National Quilt Day, how will you celebrate? With it still being flu season and this new virus running around, you may want to stay away from large crowds this year but let me share some great ways to honor the day.
Download a free quilt pattern to celebrate National Quilting Day!
Click on a name below to view their free downloadable patterns and projects:
Moda Fabrics
Aurifil
eQuilter.com
Handi Quilter
AccuQuilt
StudioE Fabrics
Henry Glass & Co.
Windham Fabrics
Make It Simpler
Indygo Junction by Amy Barickman
Share Your Quilting Knowledge
The art of sewing is getting lost! It may not seem like it because most of us have quilting friends, see a lot of people in quilt shops and have to wait a few weeks before our quilt is completed at the long-arm shop but many young people have not had exposure to a sewing machine. Schools no longer offer it as a mandatory class in middle-school or high-school and with many moms working these days they feel they just don’t have time to sew. There are a variety of ways you can share your knowledge and talent. Is there someone at work, church or a neighbor you can schedule time with, someone who has always wanted to learn to quilt? Another great idea is to share your knowledge with a grandchild or god child. Pass the art down to the next generation. How about giving the the GO Me and a sewing lesson?
Clean Your Sewing Room/Space
A clean sewing room always inspires me! When I’m working on a project, it seems several items are left out for “just in case in need to use again” and eventually my sewing room looks like a tornado went through it! What better way to honor this day by honoring your sewing space. Do you have AccuQuilt? Check out AccuQuilt’s storage and tote options. You’ll find wire racks and specialized boxes for die storage as well as cabinets and tables built specifically for AccuQuilt products. Looking for fabric storage? Check out these options at Amazon. Being able to see what you have and accessing it easily sure makes life in the sewing room easier.
Take on a UFO
OK, let’s be honest here . . . How many UFOs do you have sitting in a bin, drawer or closet? I’m going to post a picture collage of my UFO inventory. (Don’t judge me, please.). These are all in various stages of completion.
Just crossing off one unfinished project might leave you feeling accomplished and excited. Spend sometime this week determining how many hours you can spend completing just one of your projects. I suggest picking the one that has the least amount of hours needed to finish. Get that one done and then move onto the next one. Make it a habit to use one day a week to work on a UFO, moving it towards completion. This will also free up space in your sewing area.
Visit a Local Quilt Shop
Stop by your favorite quilt shop and wish them a happy National Quilting Day. See if your local shop is sponsoring an event for that day. Take a look around and see what’s new. Don’t have a local shop in your area? You could make a road trip to a quilt shop and even invite a couple of friends to join you. Make a fun day of it by having lunch in the area and talking about quilting, of course! If going out doesn’t sound like a good idea, how about visiting one of the many online quilt stores. May I suggest the Fat Quarter Shop, Blueprint or Annie’s Catalog?
Take a Quilting Class or Workshop
My local quilt shop is always offering some type of class and there’s always a new trend or technique to learn. Even if your local shop doesn’t have a class that interests you, they often know of something happening in the area. Many shops offer a mailing list either snail mail or email. Sign up and be in the know for upcoming classes and events.
Find a New Quilting/Sewing Podcast or youtube video
Finding a podcast is helpful if you don’t have time to sew or go out to a quilt event. A podcast can be listened to while doing home chores or as you drive around running errands. I also like youtube as there is quite a variety of DIY videos available and I can pause the video if I need to cook a meal or fold laundry and then I can come back to it afterwards.
And last but not least . . .
Build a Quilt Bucket List
Did someone recommend a new pattern or technique? Did you see a beautiful fabric line and want to find a project for it? How about making a bucket list with ideas and things you would like to do? Make sure you write it down and then see what item/s you want to check off first. Be brave and add those challenging projects such as curved piecing, appliqué, crazy quilting or hand quilting. Maybe you would like to use machine embroidery with quilting. Now is a great time to add it to your bucket list.
If your Saturday is all booked with non-quilting fun, at least share something you’ve created in the past on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest or Twitter. Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog to receive emails as soon as one of my posts goes live! And, have a happy National Quilting Day!
Thanks for stopping by my blog today!