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Welcome!

I’m so happy you have found me! I’ve been in love with quilting for over 20 years, and I’m excited to share my knowledge with you! I have experimented with everything from longarm quilting, hand piecing, appliqué, and anything else that has caught my attention. It’s my mission to help you learn to love quilting, too.

Take some time to explore – I’ve got lots of resources here for you.

Blog

Lots of words and pretty pics. I love to write – I hope you love to read!

Quilting 101

Basic quilting info and tutorials to get you started.

Workshops & Lectures

Come play with me! I offer live classes online and in person.

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Shop

Check out my Etsy shop for digital patterns, stickers, and needle minders. And sometimes scrap bundles.

Gallery

Finished Quilts, organized by year

WIP Gallery

Works in Progress. Will I ever finish them?

jenstrauser

Quilter, Educator
Class Coordinator for @Gothamquilts
Seen in @mccallsquilting @quiltmakermag
@accuquilt Designer

Thank you @dianemorrisey for the delicious lunch.

Thank you @dianemorrisey for the delicious lunch. I made the Zucchini, hams and mozzarella torte, and it’s fantastic.

I’d you don’t follow Diane, check her out. Smart, easy recipes that item emphasizes using what you have on hand. I subbed manchego for the provolone, and shredded mozzarella for smoked. Two cheeses and some ham out of the fridge feels like victory.

Tahdah! Okay, it’s official. I’m smitten with

Tahdah! Okay, it’s official. I’m smitten with the Suzy Quilts Aurifil Perle cotton assortment. This stuff is really nice to work with. I’m plus, if I empty a spool, it’s one of those fun wood ones.

Next challenge - develop a stitch guide and release a pattern for this. Does anyone know if there is someone who sells embroidery diagrams for publication?

#handembroidery #slowstitching #slooowstitching #embroidery @aurifilthread #aurifilperlecotton

On the blog today I’m sharing about my entry to

On the blog today I’m sharing about my entry to the Pantone Challenge put on my @saroy

I’ve made a small Kawandi - easy and fun. These peachy fabrics are so good - I’m going to have to make some more with this color way.

#kawandi #kawandiquilts #bigstitchquilting #handquilting

Look what arrived yesterday! Thanks to the fast s

Look what arrived yesterday! Thanks to the fast shipping from @snugglymonkey I’ve got my paws on the new Perle cotton from @aurifilthread ! It’s so pretty.

I had to whip up a hoop design, inspired by the motto we used for @threadsomepatterns at QuiltCon.

Any other slooow stitchers here? This is going to take a while, and I’m going to live every minute of it.

#slooowstitcher #slowstitching #handembroidery #aurifil #perlecotton #embroidery

I’ve been trying to come up with ways to use my

I’ve been trying to come up with ways to use my collection of little Kawandi. Every time I teach I start another small one, and the piles are building up. Today I got the idea to make myself a messenger bag to take along to H&H Americas next week.

It took less than an hour, and I love how it turned out! Now I get to decide what my handwork project will be on the flights.

#kawandistyle #kawandiquilts #messengerbag #slowstitching

I had so much fun during the intro to improv retre

I had so much fun during the intro to improv retreat with @gothamquilts this past weekend. I worked on other stuff, but after the curves piecing demo I had to play a little bit. I finally cut into my collection of 10” squares of Century Solids from @andoverfabrics that I’ve been hoarding.

Should I make a whole quilt with just these colors, or should I use all 100 colors?

Block “pattern” is Layered Curves from the Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters by @sherrilynnwood .

Our next retreat is up on the website. We will be playing with half square triangles this time. I can’t wait. It’s so nice to be able to set aside a few days and know I will be playing with friends all weekend. Come play with us!

#impovquilting #modernquilting

Hello, old friend. It’s good to see you up on my

Hello, old friend. It’s good to see you up on my wall again.

I finished my Kawandi Saturday, and needed something else to sew. These blocks reminded me that they are still waiting. Two more were finished yesterday, and I have high hopes to finish the rest and write a full pattern.

The weird layout is helping me see how large the quilt will be when I’m done. 10 rows of 10 blocks.

I had originally planned some kind of complicated layout, but I love the randomness. I see patterns begin to form, fall apart, then reappear. I really like it. Also, it’s easier than figuring out something else!

The block pattern is available as a free download at threadsomepatterns.com (which is also me).

#100dayswooltexture #woolapplique #woolappliqué #slowstitching #handsewing #threadsomepatterns

Tahdah! Mom’s piece is on the top, mine is on th

Tahdah! Mom’s piece is on the top, mine is on the bottom.

If you zoom in, you will see that the first row of stitches was done on my sewing machine. This was started as a step out for a class. Mom took the extra piece and started one, too. Hers is all hand done.

Isn’t it interesting how different the pieces look? Both were made from the same fabric pull. She used all tencel perle from @trailheadco.ca . It’s so pretty. I used a combination of tencel and Fruitti from @wonderfilspecialtythread .

#kawandi #kawandistyle #bigstitchquilting #handquilting #slowstitching

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