Sparrows, Stitches, and a Workshop for Almost Nothing
Or actually nothing if you're already a paid subscriber!
Hello and thank you for reading my newsletter! June has brought nesting sparrows to the roof corner outside my studio window. I am so looking forward to seeing the baby fledglings peek out as the weeks pass.
Bea’s Bright Idea
I have previously mentioned that I took over Global Quilt Connection at the end of 2025. It was just a few weeks ago that I got the chance to film a demo for GQC by Carol Wilhoit, an amazing quilter and teacher, who was showing different finishing methods. I recommend the whole video (a mere 22 minutes) but if you’re pressed for time click here to start just where she’s talking about how she gets around an issue I have often come up against.
You know when you’re sewing two right sides together all the way around and you leave a gap so that you can then turn the whole thing inside out? I always ended up with a wobbly line where I then tried to sew the seam shut. Carol had a great tip about ironing the seam BEFORE you turn it inside out, not after like I have always done. So clever…so simple!
I love that I am always learning from other quilters and creatives.
From the Studio
When I do have a gap to close and can only see the right (outer) side, I will use Ladder Stitch to get it done. This happened on the EPP (English Paper Pieced) quilt I’m currently hand quilting, where two shapes had started coming apart.
What I do:
Thread a small sharps needle with a 50/60wt thread in a color that will blend with the two sides the best.
Use my “four stitches” start (image below - it’s 4 stitches on top of each other) about a 1/4” from where the hole starts to ensure it doesn’t come undone any further.
Use a ladder stitch to close the gap.
Finish with the same four stitches at the end, as much inside or parallel to the seam as possible so it remains almost invisible.
Trim the thread at the surface of the fabric.
I teach the 4-stitches start/finish at my Mending & Hemming classes and people are always skeptical about it being secure enough. But trust me, it really is!
Join Me
My next virtual workshop is one of my favorites! On June 16th at 10am PST (1pm EST) I am teaching my Sew Together Bag workshop for the Global Quilt Connection as a YouTube livestream. SUPER easy to watch - no logging in, no passwords. Just click the link at the start time and away you go. I have almost 300 people from GQC signed up already so I figure there is room for one or two more!
This 6-hour workshop is usually at least $49 (and is available at that price as an on-demand workshop in case you want to buy now). But for my newsletter subscribers you can join the livestream for 50% off, just $24! You get the workshop on June 15th live and then also get to watch the recording for one-week afterwards.
Needless to say, paid subscribers of my newsletter/blog get the workshop for FREE. Subscribing is $9/month or $90 for the year and someone who subscribed in January would so far have received $60 of free workshops…
Worth Having
I always have a hand sewing project on the go for the evening times. The much discussed Charlotte (my immortal cat) likes to sit on the end of the quilt I’m not working on while I sew the other end.
This week I have been using a water-erasable fabric marker and a stencil to mark a traditional fan or waves pattern before doing some hand quilting. I can stencil a chunk at a time and then sew that chunk before moving on. This is what I’ve been using:
Water erasable fabric markers (you can use a chalk pencil as well but I’m always worried about it rubbing off, especially with Charlotte’s cute bottom wiggles being seemingly intended to gently rub chalk off fabric)
Have a wonderful day!
Bea
PS: Don’t forget to sign up for that Sew Together Bag workshop here.
Links & Info
Join the globalquiltconnection.com newsletter list to hear about events for teachers, guilds and individual quilters.
My workshops & lectures for quilt guilds are here
My workshops for everyone else are here
1-1 sewing lessons - book here (in person or via zoom)
These are my on demand workshops that you can sign up for right now!
This is my store. Many a random thing plus a number of freebies.
This is where I’m teaching in the next month or so.
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