Happy Saturday!

I'm flying to Northern California today for a family reunion in downtown Pleasanton. Very excited to see my family, it's been at least 20 years since I last saw everyone together. Family is important, so make sure your not crafting too much and missing out on life!

I added scrappy borders to my queen size churn dash big block quilt and just got my cotton batting from Amazon the other day. I'll share the finished quilt and how I added the borders in my next newsletter

This is your friendly reminder to enter something in your local fair this year. It's so much fun. I just passed the first round of judging and my quilt got accepted for the "fiber arts quilts - mixed techniques, larger than a throw" category. Mix techniques because it's hand quilted and machine quilted. I'm not expecting to win anything but it will be fun to participate any way. It's so much fun looking at what everyone has made. So here's your friendly reminder to enter. Here's an old post about how to enter a fair competition.

Here's a new post on how to sew a zipper without a zipper foot. It also has instructions for adding the zipper ends to make life easier when attaching. Plus how to make the zipper tabs and adding the zipper pull hardware.

If you sew or quilt, then you are probably working on projects with zippers. Zippered kindle covers, zippered makeup bags, zippered pillows or zippered pouches. They are very trendy and that's why I'm trying to sell them in my new Etsy shop for folks who don't sew or quilt.

But I'm sure you can make your own. Or try to make your own but the zipper is tricky. I used to be afraid of zippers and sewing things inside out but not anymore. Mostly thanks to the tips I've learned and share with you in my new tutorial.

I also share a link to the zipper used in my sample. You will need to watch the video link on how to attach the zipper pull but it saves money using the zipper strip and cutting to your size and then adding the pull tab. Happy sewing

I finished the book "Round Robin - Elm Creek Quilt Series and it was wonderful! Today I took one of my new books, "The Last Garden in England" and it's going to be a good read. What are you reading lately?

New to Quilting (Part 6)

If you joined along in the Make Your First Quilt Series, then you should be done with your quilt. Congratulations if you joined in! Finished your first quilt is a major accomplishment and I'm so excited for you.

In Part One we covered buying fabric, how to pick your first pattern, how to cut fabric with rotary cutter, how to sew simple squares together and how to make half square triangles.

In Part Two we covered picking a pattern but only using 2 - 5" Charm Square Precut packages. And following the free Charm Square quilt pattern and tutorial to complete the quilt top. It is just for practice and to make a quilt from start to finish.

In Part Three we covered backing fabric, batting and basting.

In Part Four we covered actual quilting of your quilt sandwich either with your sewing machine, by hand or tied.

In Part Five we covered making binding and sewing it on to your quilt. We also learned how to join the binding ends before turning the quilt over to complete the other side.

I know I promised to provide washing instructions and how to add a label but my trip got in the way. I will send out a newsletter next weekend on this. I'll also show you how to make your own sewing label to attach to your handmade zippered projects. Sound good? Sorry for the delay.

Ready for your next quilt? Check out my free Pattern Index to find your next project. Half square triangles type of quilt I made. You can try the Pinwheel Quilt, Chevron Quilt or a scrappy HST quilt.

Or stick with simple blocks but try the Checkerboard Quilt. Perfect for outdoor concerts on the lawn, beach blanket or for a picnic and reading your favorite book under a tree.

New to Quilting?

Check out my new "Learn to Quilt" page that contains all the information you need to sew a quilt from start to finish along with tutorials for each step. Print the patterns for a nice clean ad free copy so you can have it on your sewing table to refer back to.

Just remember, take breaks if you are getting tired, frustrated or are making a lot of mistakes. You can do this. Good luck and let me know if you have any questions or need help by sending me an email at nikki@sewnikki.com.

I'm Nikki, a maker obsessed with quilting, crochet, and all things fabric. Here, you'll find easy to follow patterns, helpful tutorials, and plenty of inspiration for your next handmade project. I'm here to make the process fun and stress free. Grab your fabric (or yarn), and let's create something beautiful together!

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