Did you know Olfa is celebrating 35 years? It's hard to believe. I actually used  Olfa cutters while working at a fabric store called "Cloth World" during the 80's (I know...I'm dating myself). At the time I wasn't a quilter, but it was pretty fun demonstrating how the blade could

 Happy Tuesday, and welcome to Simply Small quilted projects parade day! Last week I thought it might be fun to have a Christmas in July project to share with you, so I used two Moda Candy packs of 25th & Pine to make a couple of potholders and a table runner.  These projects

Recently I was asked by my friends at Fat Quarter Shop to review the new Makin' it Cute Petal Pack templates by Barb & Mary of Me & My Sister Designs.  Since I had seen these adorable templates at market in Pittsburgh I gladly said yes! After playing with my template pack this weekend I

 Happy Saturday! Today I have a fun giveaway from Rhonda of Olie & Evie...Rhonda is one of my wonderful sponsors I was privileged to be able to meet a couple of weeks ago while at the Small Town Quilt Show in Midway, Utah. Olie & Evie is an Etsy shop with lots of wonderful goodies! In

How I love this Nested Churn Dash Pattern! I had to start sewing pieces together the other night...and of course now I can't wait to get this quilt finished. Because I love it already.  Half of the blocks will have red centers and alternate red with blue so that the outer ring is

Happy Wednesday! I love the idea of "works in progress" posts and have done many of those over the last few years; however, I've been thinking that along with the "progress" the important thing is the actual "process" used in creating quilts; I think this is especially interesting in relationship to

Vacations are always good, but I did miss my sewing machine. I was happy to have lots of family around for the holiday weekend, but it was also good to get in a little sewing. First on my list was my Homestead wall hanging quilt (pattern by Fig Tree & Company). I'm making a 9-block version of

 Hope you are having a wonderful day, and Happy Fourth of July to my American readers! Pictured above is my very first mini quilt...circa 1999. The pattern is a "Little Quilts" design. I also made little pillows from that pattern...and they are sitting on an antique rocking chair with one

 Hello! Happy July first! Today is kind of a special day here at A Quilting Life; you see, today is the 6th anniversary of my very first blog post! I'm always filled with gratitude when I think about how many blessings have come into my life as a result of starting this blog. I began blogging

 I've been making more of the "Sew Together " bags I posted about here and here. And I still have more to make. Some I'm gifting now, and I have a whole list of people I should make them for for Christmas gifts! Anyway, some of the tips I'd like to share today apply to any small bag sewing

This is a "finish it up" post for the Sew Organized series I posted in the month of June. Although I still have a few odds and ends to finish up, I'm so much better organized than I ever have been in this space.  I've received quite a few emails about my cutting table, and I did a little

This is one of those quilts I've been wanting to make for sooo long! When the mini quilt craze sort of exploded last fall I knew I wanted to make my "Shine" pattern as a mini. It seemed perfectly suited for a mini... But there were always deadlines...so I kept it on the back burner until

Happy Monday...sort of...I'm getting this post up just under the wire for Monday, Pacific time. It's been a busy week--along with my sewing room organization project we've had a sort of house reorganization project, too. My oldest daughter and her husband are moving in with us for a couple of months

Happy first day of summer here in the northern hemisphere...and what better way to celebrate than with a giveaway from Southern Fabric?! Aubrey from Southern Fabric is offering a $25 gift card to one of my blog readers. Visit Southern Fabric and come back here to leave a comment with your favorite

Today is my day in the Nested Churn Dash Quilt Along! I'm happy I can finally share my finished mini quilt with this block (I wasn't sure how much I could share before my "official" day, so I'm sorry for the sneak peeks here and there)! This block and this quilt were so much fun! I'm definitely

Hello! This post was supposed to be up yesterday...but it was one of those days...I was early to my first appointment, late to the next, and just couldn't seem to get anything together at the "right time." On top of that I had to take out just about everything in my sewing room so we could move in a

Welcome to Simply Small parade day where I showcase simple projects made with 2 1/2" squares. As I thought about what to make for this month's pattern, I immediately thought of scrappy place mats perfect for summer get togethers and 4th of July celebrations (if you are here in the U.S.).  I've

Today I'm happy to share a giveaway from one of my blog sponsors, The Loopy Ewe! This is a unique family-owned brick and mortar and on-line shop specializing in not only fabric but also yarn. If you click on fabric from the home page, you'll find links to fabric, kits, notions, and patterns--with

 Happy Friday! Thanks again for all of the support and the terrific suggestions that are coming in through comments, emails, and Instagram (find me over on IG at @sherrimcconnell). Another IG note: if you'd like to post progress photos there I'm going to start using the hashtag

Did you know that Craftsy is currently running a big summer sale with 50% off classes...be sure to visit here if you have been thinking about one of their classes! Also, the Fat Quarter Shop is sponsoring an amazing giveaway Sweepstakes during the month of June. Go here to find out all about

Hello and happy Wednesday! Thanks so very much for all of the support for this  organizing series. If you come across any tips to share as you are working on these projects, please leave your ideas in the comment section on any of the posts in this series; later, I'll set up a page to compile

Thanks so much for all of the support for the summer organizing series...looks like there are a lot of us that will be working on this over the next few weeks! I'll be back tomorrow with day 3 and day 4 tasks.  Along with my summer organizing I've been beginning and finishing a few

If you are looking for Blogger Girls Block 6...I posted it this morning, and you can find it here. Hello, and welcome to the parade of Schnibbles quilts. If you are new here, Schnibbles are quilts that can be made with two charm packs and a little extra yardage. The patterns are all designed by

Happy June! Today, I'm sharing the 6th set of blocks in the Blogger Girls Block of the Month quilt along. Be sure to download all of the block patterns from Monique now while they are still free (if you haven't started collecting them yet). Each month features one block design with an alternate

This was supposed to be one of those "What I'm Working on Wednesday" posts, but I just didn't quite get it together in time! I wanted some good photos and had to wait for a little sunshine this morning for that. Right before I left for Quilt Market my final block in the Fat Quarter Shop Designer

With all of the inspiration I received from Quilt Market, I just wanted to come home and sew. So I put unpacking and cleaning on the back burner and started a few projects I just couldn't wait to make. Above is one of the new Fig Tree Mini Patterns, Mini Blossom.  The full size version of this

 Happy Memorial Day! I'm truly thankful for all those who have served and given their lives for our great nation.  My favorite Veteran is, of course, my Dad who served in the Navy in World War II. He passed away almost 25 years ago, but not a day goes by that I don't think of the important

I love everything about market...the atmosphere, the inspiration, the people, and the opportunity for travel. It's always hard to leave, but at least the photos do capture the beauty of the fabrics and designs. The view of the showroom floor is always amazing...and this is just one side of

Hello, and Happy Saturday! I'll be back next week with more Quilt Market Recap, but today I wanted to let you know about a fantastic quilt along coming up! I'm super excited to have been asked by my friend Jane to participate in this quilt along featuring her beautiful nested churn dash block. I

It's Friday, and that means it's a perfect day for a fabric kind of giveaway! Bear Creek Quilting Company is offering a $50 gift certificate to their online shop (this giveaway is open to domestic and international readers). As I did some browsing around the shop I noticed they have some special

Thanks so much for all of the kind comments on my first market post. I will have several more market recaps in upcoming posts. Today I thought it would be nice to focus on all of the amazing Moda booths. It's really nice to have so much inspiration all in one area of the show.  I couldn't

 The Spring 2014 International Quilt Market held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania  was an amazing event with visual treats for every type of quilter. Prints and patterns provided the perfect backdrop for fantastic designs and amazing inspiration. It's hard to put it all together even after

Good morning, and happy Tuesday! I returned home from Quilt Market in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania last night very much inspired and ready to sew! My plan today is to get my thoughts and photos organized to share with you. In the meantime, though, I have one last market collection pattern to present.

I head out today for International Quilt Market in Pittsburgh! I'm super excited as I've never been to Pennsylvania before! My "last minute" project was a patchwork Travel Duffle. This bag is such a great size, and the pattern was excellent! My other "last minute" project was finishing up the