Tag: 2007
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How To Paint & Trim Oak Cabinets
One of the most common decorating challenges I hear about in kitchens is the dated oak cabinetry. My friend Kim has done a spectacular job of tackling this challenge in her own house. With her kind permissions, I’ve put together a step-by-step how to on her process. If you like Kim’s work, please also…
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Spelt French Bread Recipe
Sometimes when I’m a little confused, having trouble working out a problem, or just can’t engage with a design, the thing I need most is to disengage my brain. To just let the ebb and flow of natural events wash over me until the mental grit and grime has floated away. So, this morning I…
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How to Unsew / Unstitch / Rip Out a Seam
Despite our best of intentions, all of us have had to undo a seam at one time or another. Some people call it “unsewing” and some people call it “ripping out” — it doesn’t matter what you call it, it isn’t fun and it isn’t pretty, but everyone has to do it sometimes. Here’s the…
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How to Use Leaders & Enders
The concept of using Leaders & Enders is one that blew my mind when I first encountered it. Not only do you eliminate the loose threads and tangles that happen at the beginning and ending of a seam, but you can be building the patchwork for one quilt while getting bonus patchwork happening simply by…
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How to Chain Piece
One of the most revolutionary things I learned early on in my pursuit of quilting was chain piecing. I believe it is generally regarded as an invention of Eleanor Burns of Quilt in a Day. The story goes that she was driving along near the garment district in her hometown and saw this chains of…
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Vintage Dresden Plate Blocks
I have gone a little crazy and bought three sets of antique, unfinished quilt blocks on eBay. (Update: Nowadays I like to find unfinished quilt blocks on Etsy!) I have to say, when you see these in person, you can’t help but wonder why the quilt never got finished. I mean, these are all…