Hello My Quilting Friends

How do you win a ribbon at a quilt show? What are judges looking for and is there a way to "game" the system so you have a better chance of winning? Learn more about quilt shows and hear Leah's advice on the best style of quilt to compete with. Find the show notes here: https://leahday.com/QuiltShow

I'm up to my elbows in apple cider vinegar and baking soda as I scrub all the remaining rusty pieces of my Singer 12 - a treadle sewing machine originally made in 1880. In this episode I chat about the cleaning process, what I've learned along the way and share about the new Leaf Peepers Quilt Along I'm co-hosting with Sheri Cilfaldi-Morrill from WholeCircleStudio.com.

This week I'm taking on a new Great Quilting Debate - can you make quilts from bed sheets? Sheets are available in a wide range of cotton fabrics and for around $35 you can get a huge piece of fabric that seems perfect to use as the backing of your quilt. You can also cut up bed sheets to piece quilts as well. So why are more quilters not doing this? Why have bed sheets gotten a bad reputation for use in our quilts? I also go on to debate using fabric from big box stores and weird stuff like t-shirts, wool, silk, corduroy, and jeans. Find the show notes here: https://leahday.com/episode65

Hear the quilt story of Release Your Light a goddess quilt I created in 2009 that helped me gain confidence and finally figure out how I would start a successful, creative business. Find lots of inspiration for tapping into your creative potential and sharing it with the world. Find the show notes here: https://leahday.com/pages/release-your-light

I'm checking in today with a short update on my progress working on my vintage treadle sewing machines. Learn how I'm cleaning up a Singer 27 and have dismantled and am painting a Singer 12. Lots of things going on around the house too and you'll get to see the next quilt we're making together in the Leaf Peeper's Quilt Along coming in August! Find the show notes here: https://leahday.com/blogs/machinequilting/treadle-sewing-machine-update-quilting-friends-podcast-63

What are you most afraid of? Are these fears holding you back from living the life you want or doing the things you feel you MUST do? Learn more about Torrent of Fear, a goddess quilt I created in 2012 to illustrate what it's like to be completely stuck and consumed with fear. I also include a fear practice to help you challenge that stuck state and be able to move forward. Read more here: https://leahday.com/fear

Hello my quilting friends! I just got back from vacation and I'm feeling tired, but so happy we went and super happy to be home. This week I'm sharing a personal update on the different projects I'm working on including a free form crochet sweater jacket. I'm also learning how to watercolor paint in hopes of turning my paintings into fabric designs and making new videos for the Eternal Love Quilt Along. Find pictures of the many things I share in this podcast here: https://leahday.com/episode61

In 2010 I made a quilt called My Cup Runneth Over which was inspired by a feeling of overwhelming gratitude and thankfulness for all the many blessings in my life. In this podcast episode, I share the story of how I made this quilt and the ups and downs along the way along with a simple gratitude practice you can follow to tap into the amazing feeling of thankfulness and abundance that resides in your heart. I truly believe quilting positive emotions and working towards being happier with your quilts is a journey far beyond the craft of quilting and I aim to share that with you in the next few podcast episodes. Find the show notes and pictures of My Cup Runneth Over right here: https://leahday.com/gratitude

Meet Nika Gordham-Harrison and learn how she started quilting just a few months ago and is already designing her own quilts and writing patterns. Discover why she felt pushed to design her own quilts and what inspires her designs. The second half of the podcast, I turn it over to Nika and she asks me questions about writing and selling quilt patterns too. You'll get to hear from us both in this episode and get a unique take on quilting design and pattern writing! Find the show notes here: https://leahday.com/episode59

Hello my quilting friends! This week I'm sharing a personal update podcast because I have so many things to share with you. I talk a lot about how I've reached many goals this year by putting in steady effort and just 1-2 hours of time into a project every single day.

Learn more about quilting and how you're protected (and not protected) by copyright law with copyright attorney Heather Kubiak. In this Hello My Quilting Friends podcast episode we discuss copyright on quilt patterns and how designers can tap into the huge resource of public domain quilt blocks already published in the past as well as modern implications of sharing images to Pinterest and Facebook.

If you hire a longarm quilter, does that change who owns the quilt? If you have someone put on the binding, do you need to give them credit all the time? What about professional fabric designers? They sometimes have piecers make multiple quilt tops in time for show. Do they deserve credit for the quilts they create? Enjoy this Great Quilting Debate with Leah Day all about quilt ownership and what it means when you hire someone for help. Find the show notes at: https://leahday.com/episode56

Have you been wanting to learn about treadle machines? Do you have a treadle sewing machine in your closet, basement, or living room and don't know how to use it? Learn more about these awesome machines in this podcast episode with Cheryl Warren. Cheryl shares a wealth of information with lots of tips on the machines to look for and how to approach refinishing and restoring a vintage machine. I didn't really take her advice and have ended up with two much older treadle machines! Come watch the episode and see the beautiful Singer 27 that's joined me in the Crafty Cottage. Find the show notes here: https://leahday.com/Episode55

Have you ever seen a quilt and thought "That's cheating?" This week Leah digs into this internal judgement and shares her thoughts on where this idea comes from. After all, a quilt is just three layers of material stitched with thread. Is it really such a big deal if someone uses an embroidery machine, cheater cloth fabric, fusible web, or an automated machine to put it together? Read more and find the show notes here: https://leahday.com/pages/quilt-cheating-great-quilting-debate-with-leah-day

Meet Bernda LaFleur and learn more about photography in this Hello My Quilting Friends podcast episode. Find Brenda's website here: http://brendalafleur.com/ Brenda is a landscape photographer and teacher from Louisiana. She's also a quilter so in this podcast episode we chat about quilting, photography, and everything in between! Find the show notes here: https://leahday.com/pages/episode-53-quilt-photography-with-brenda-lafleur

I'm back with a new Great Quilting Debate about quilt piecing! Do you prefer to piece with a scant quarter inch or an accurate quarter inch seam allowance? What even is a SCANT quarter? Learn more about this confusing quilting term in this new podcast episode with Leah Day. Find pictures in the show notes of the quilts Leah mentioned in this podcast right here: https://leahday.com/episode52

Learn about an awesome Quilt-As-You-Go technique with hobby quilter Jenedel Wilcox. Jenedel explains how to stitch quilted blocks together with a three step zigzag and add extra decoration with yarn to both sides of the quilt. Find a handy print out with instructions on this technique in the show notes here: https://leahday.com/pages/three-step-quilt-as-you-go-with-jenedel-wilcox In the introduction, learn about the new Prism Path quilt along we began on Monday as well as Leah Day's plans to become a sewing machine dealer!

Hello my quilting friends! We made it to Episode #50! I'm so happy we created this podcast a year and a half ago. It's helped me reach many goals including feeling more connected to the quilting world and gives me a great excuse to start conversations with quilters and organizations I find interesting. I also decided to check in on my long term goals because just this week I met a goal I'd been seeking for many years. I talk a lot about how I keep my goals always present and maintain focus even over several years of steady effort. Find the episode show notes here: https://leahday.com/pages/episode-50-setting-long-term-goals-with-leah-day

Hello my quilting friends! Today I'm chatting with Elizabeth Townsend Gard about quilting and copyright. Check out Just Wanna Quilt, Elizabeth's podcast about the quilting industry and intellectual property right here: https://www.justwannaquilt.com/ I have long felt that copyright and quilting is a tricky subject. On the one hand we have a huge range of public domain quilt blocks and patterns. Basically if your great grandma was piecing log cabin blocks, chances are her great grandma was too. On the other hand many designers struggle to sell patterns because quilters copy and share them rather then purchasing their own copy. It's one thing for a log cabin block to be in the public domain, but the pattern itself - the cut sizes and the words used to describe how to piece that particular quilt are the property of the designer. In the podcast we discussed a specific issue that happened recently with a private Facebook group. The members of the group were copying patterns and quilting books

Hello My Quilting Friends! Today I'm chatting with Grace Medina from Handy and Crafty. She's originally from Venezuela but has been living in Qatar and has an interesting perspective on quilting, teaching and making tutorials online. Find Grace's YouTube channel right here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl50mnjdjrs5wSB7GsgGshQ When we spoke, Grace was working on a quilt tutorial for Valentine's Day. I record the podcast several weeks in advance so she's already had a chance to post this and you can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXTgI1pXFVM Grace went to college for journalism and learned to tell stories by asking who, what, when, where, how? She brings the same perspective to her quilting tutorials and tries to answer all the questions someone would have about a particular technique. Living in the Middle East does create some challenges for quilting. Grace mentioned being able to find any fabric she wants, but it's very challenging to find notions like rotar