What's New + Batting Tips + Simple Summer Coaster Tutorials

Greetings friends! Hoping this week's edition finds you well!

First off, apologies for the delayed newsletter this week. Blame Simone Biles, Sha'Carri Richardson, and Katie Ledecky because I couldn't pull myself away from cheering for those ladies + all the other athletes competing in Paris today. I've been a proud Olympics diehard since I was a kid in 1984. And this summer is no exception.

This week I'm sharing the latest I've been working on, including a few Olympics-inspired projects including FPP flags for Team USA, a Paris cross-stitch project, and the first quilted, zipper bag that I made inside a machine embroidery hoop! I'm pretty please with all of them.

Click button below for more details on each project.

Back to Basics: How to Choose Batting for a Quilt

For this week's tips on quilting basics, let's talk about how to choose the right batting for your quilting project.

Adding batting to a quilt is what makes a quilt a quilt - and yet there are so many options to choose from.

How do you know which one to choose? And where to find the best price?

We talk about

• Fiber (cotton vs. blend vs. wool, etc.)
• "Loft" (how thick should your batting be?)
• As well as some really helpful tips from a professional long-arm quilter.

Don't need this information right now but might want to find it later? Go to the post and pin this image so you can find this reference guide easily.

Click below for a guide for all of your batting needs.

Fun Finds: Handmade Summer Coaster Ideas

Coasters are so handy for cool drinks in summer months.

So why not have some pretty ones on hand?

These beautiful leaf coasters are easy to make thanks to a tutorial from Sedef Imer. And they're a great way to use up pretty fabric.

Or use leftover orphan quilt blocks to make cheerful coasters in this project idea from Stephanie of Swoodson Says.

Or what about a popsicle version in this free pattern from Amy of Ameroonie Sews?

Or check out this modern quilt-as-you-go quilted coaster tutorial using leftover scraps from Kristen of Scrap Fabric Love.

I mentioned in last week's newsletter that I was hoping to go camping in one of my favorite spots. And we were able to pull it off!

We took a camping trip to the Albion Basin here in Utah. (It's at the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon, and in the winter it's the home of Alta Ski resort.) AND it's the inspiration for my Albion fabric collection that came out a few months ago!

The Albion Basin is famous for it's wildflowers and one of my all-time favorite places to camp. This year, I had a big-time priority to see those flowers in real life. Usually we camp there mid August when the flowers have started to fade - this year we got a spot for the end of July and made it for peak wildflowers. I was in heaven.

I shared more pictures from our campsite and a hike we took that evening in my latest blog post. Of course, not none of the pictures do justice to the reality, but they do provide a good glimpse.

Happy August! Have a great week! I'll be back with more to share next week.

As always, thanks for stopping by.

Amy

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