Witches Whimsy

If there was ever such a thing as an emergency baby quilt, this was it. A beloved coworker announced her pregnancy a week before her last day. I didn’t have time to work on it over the weekend so this was made over just two evenings after work (with the last of the binding hand sewn down at work where I knew she wouldn’t see me). I love how it turned out and it’s a good reminder that simple classic patterns can still be stunning.

another comic about friendship

All from the Antique Pattern Library

This twisty one

This pleasantly-flourished simple one. it's quirky.

I have no clue how one would include backstitching in a font, but it would look so good

This Art Deco set, from a pamphlet where it shares space with both the most stunning animal illustrations you've ever seen and also the world's most baffling, hideous borders

This one has a lowercase set, too. In a modern context this reads more as a retro game font than a cross-stitch one.

these would look INSANE stitched. more of a monogram font than one for sentences, but who cares. I could figure out some lowercases and this would absolutely COOK

Love the weight of this one. Gothic, fun, but not large enough to be unwieldy.

The first twisty font is better, I think. but if I had infinite time I'd do this one too

A very respectable twist on a classic sampler font. could get a lot of mileage out of this one

hot take but I think with a good lowercase set this one would also be good for a lot of things-- party in the capitals, but keep the lowercase legible.

a very respectable font. you could file your taxes with this one.

their bulbous forms entrance me. I REALLY like that 'H'

Another set that really should only be for monograms... but some part of me wants to believe I could make a proper font around these

LOVE the 'A', like the others. really dig that the original artist included a lowercase set, too

Bonus Monograms I like:

HST 8-at-a-time - Learn to do the math (might not be the most favorite part of this for many of you) but after you have it down….go to town! This is a super speedy method for getting a bunch of half square triangles done in no time flat.

Sewing a Mile a Minute - While I know that the my machine already shakes the table because I’m sewing a mile a minute– this process is actually all about taking your scraps and making them into a larger piece that you can then use for quilt blocks, borders or sashing. You name it!

String Piecing - Similar to the mile a minute technique…but with this process you are using a foundation fabric. This piece is cut a little larger than your desired finished quilt block and then you stitch all the scraps or strips onto it, square it up and then finish the quilt top just like any other quilt.

Chain Piecing - This is one of the quickest ways to get a bunch of blocks or parts of blocks done all at once. There is no snipping in between stitching. No raising of the needle…getting the next set of fabric pieces stuck in the feed dogs…none of that! You simply feed piece after piece without cutting them apart and ironing them until you have them all done at once. Then you iron them all, then you prepare for the next step. All. At. Once.

Orphan Blocks - Use what you already have. This whole series was based on using quilt blocks that were just sitting in your sewing room.

Make a Quilt Kit - Now, this one doesn’t actually allow the pedal to go faster, BUT having all the supplies for the one project you are going to start all together can save some serious time.

Clean Your Sewing Machine - This is such an important step in making sure that the sewing machine can sew fast enough to shake the table. There is nothing fun about setting up, getting your supplies and quilt kit all together only to find out that the needle won’t move because the bobbin area is filled with lint.

Quilting Terms - Know what your reading (and what you’re talking about). Nothing is more frustrating than looking at instructions and not ‘getting’ what the heck they are talking about. WIF what is that?

Keep Your Sewing Space Organized - This is such a challenge for us creative people! There are times when my sewing space is spotless…..for a few days and then other times it looks like a bomb went off for a month!

Absolute beginner adult ballet series (fabulous beginning teacher)

40 piano lessons for beginners (some of the best explanations for piano I’ve ever seen)

Excellent basic crochet video series

Basic knitting (probably the best how to knit video out there)

Pre-Free Figure Skate Levels A-D guides and practice activities (each video builds up with exercises to the actual moves!)

How to draw character faces video (very funny, surprisingly instructive?)

Another drawing character faces video

Literally my favorite art pose hack

Tutorial of how to make a whole ass Stardew Valley esque farming game in Gamemaker Studios 2??

Introduction to flying small aircrafts

French/Dutch/Fishtail braiding

Playing the guitar for beginners (well paced and excellent instructor)

Playing the violin for beginners (really good practical tips mixed in)

Color theory in digital art (not of the children’s hospital variety)

Retake classes you hated but now there’s zero stakes:

Calculus 1 (full semester class)

Learn basic statistics (free textbook)

Introduction to college physics (free textbook)

Introduction to accounting (free textbook)

Learn a language:

Ancient Greek

Latin

Spanish

German

Japanese (grammar guide) (for dummies)

French

Cooking with flavor bootcamp (used what I learned in this a LOT this year)

Beekeeping 101

Learn Interior Design from the British Academy of Interior Design (free to audit course - just choose the free option when you register)

Video on learning to read music that actually helped me??

How to use and sew with a sewing machine

How to ride a bike (listen. some of us never learned, and that's okay.)

How to cornrow-braid hair (I have it on good authority that this video is a godsend for doing your baby niece's black hair)

Making mead at home (I actually did this last summer and it was SO good)

How to garden

Basics of snowboarding (proceed with caution)

How to draw for people who (think they) suck at art (I know this website looks like a 2003 monstrosity, but the tutorials are excellent)

Pixel art for beginners so you can make the next great indie game

Go (back) to school

Introduction to Astronomy (high school course - free textbook w/ practice problems)

Principals of Economics (high school course - free textbook w/ practice problems)

Introduction to philosophy (free college course)

Computer science basics (full-semester Harvard course free online)

Learn a language

Japanese for Dummies (link fix from 2022)

Ukrainian

Portuguese (Brazil)

American Sign Language (as somebody who works with Deaf people professionally, I also strongly advise you to read up on Deaf/HoH culture and history!)

Chinese (Mandarin, Simplified)

Beginner-oriented video on how to sail

This guy has so many videos on baking different types of bread. SO very many.

Coding in Python - one of the most flexible and adaptable high-level programming languages out there - explained through projects making video games

Learn to swim! (for adult learners. I don’t care if you live in Kansas or Mali or wherever. LEARN TO SWIM.)

Learn how quantum mechanics works. Then read some more about it

[Learn about quantum mechanics again, but in a more advanced engineering/mathematics class. Then read more about the math and physics of it]

Poetry Handbook, by Mary Oliver

Something I learned this year: how to sew a quilt (Here’s a very easy beginning pattern that looks amazing and can be done with pre-cut fabric!)

How to hit the ball in softball

Tutorial video on what is under the hood of most (gas) cars + weird engine sounds and what they mean

Full beginner mechanics technical training, if you want to go more in depth

Playlist on how car engine physics work if you want to go ultra in depth

Lecture series on architecture design through study of buildings

How (American income) taxes & tax law work (choose “audit course” at checkout for free class)

Pickleball for beginners (so you can finally join your neighbor/friend/distant cousin who is always insisting you join their team)

+ Para-Pickleball for beginners (for mobility aid users!)

School is so much more fun when there’s no tests:

American Law - Contracts

Shakespeare’s Life and Plays

Fairy Tales: Meanings, Messages, and Morals

Modern Poetry

World History [Part 1, Part 2]

Learn a language:

Arabic + Resource Guide compiled from Reddit (includes info on different dialects)

Chinese (Cantonese) (audio)

Urdu (frequently recommended course on Reddit) + Resource Guide

Please reblog with three of your favorite projects. Let's share that which we love!

1) This blue tumbler quilt I made for my friend! Piecing it took a month, and hand quilting it took two years. It was my first finished quilt!

2) This rainbow crumb quilt I've been working on since 2020. My crumb collection keeps growing and so does the quilt. My favourite blocks are ones where I've had to get creative with triangles and they come out so visually striking.