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Three years ago, I hit publish on my website and peed on a stick. Patterns were sold, and 2 pink lines appeared. In business. Pregnant. All at once!
Truth be told, I was suspicious I was pregnant when basting a quilt on the floor made me crazy out of breath, but I waited to take the test because I was working so hard to get my website and first pattern out in the world, and I knew I couldn't handle a positive text until I had the work done!
Now I'm a mama to 2, 3 if you count my biz baby, Sew Worthy Mama!
You know me, I love a good tradition, so I wanna start a new one here today. 3 years, 30 favs. I'm sharing all my favorite projects, patterns, tools, shops, and more!
I'll share a bit about why I love each thing, but if you just want an easy to reference list of all 30 links, there's one at the very bottom of this post. Just scroll down.
Sew Worthy Mama Patterns and Projects
It's really tough to narrow it down, but if I had to choose just 3 favorites from my own collection, it would be...
Letters Quilt Pattern
I've made seven of my Letters Quilt pattern...so far! I literally have another fabric pull sitting and waiting for the right moment. I love how versatile it is. Swap up the fabrics and you can make a Love Letters quilt, a Christmas Cards quilt, Letters to Santa, Letters from Camp, Signatures quilt, Letters From Around the World! And the possibilities go on!
It was my first pattern and holds a dear place in my heart, inspired by the many letters I exchanged with my grandmother who also taught me to sew.
Pockets Full of Dreams Pattern
My newest pattern, Pockets Full of Dreams, has to be on this list! I think I put more "blood, sweat, and tears" into it than any other pattern yet. Plus, it's the closest to my mission--to provide mamas with patterns that both nurture their creative spirit and allow them to share their spark with their families through projects than can be used and loved together.
Pockets Full of Dreams is one part photo prop, one part keepsake album made over the years with first-day-of-school photos. Read the introduction post for all the details!
Free DIY Cutting Table Plans
The one that went viral! When I first wrote the plans for my DIY Cutting Table, a reel about it went viral. Over 1.6 million views! I think it was inspiring because I created this project for everyone. No building skills or fancy equipment necessary.
The table changed my experience of sewing and quilting completely. I'm much more organized, and I'm not bending over to baste quilts on the floor anymore. It even stores an entire roll of queen size batting underneath!
If your back could use saving, or if you just need a little glow up in your sewing space, check out my free DIY cutting table plans. (Or, if you've got a smaller space, don't worry...I built one for you, too!)
Equipment
These are are the things that always have a space on my table.
Oliso Irons
We'll count Oliso as one item on my list, but there are actually two types of Oliso irons to love! I personally love the ProPlus smart iron for most things. One exception is when I'm pressing binding in half. Then I love the M3Pro project irons because they stay down while my hand is off and pulling the binding underneath it. I wrote an entire post about the pros and cons of each iron you can check out if you aren't sure which one would be best for you.
Guess what?! I have a special discount code for you! Use code SEW15 to get 15% off!
Cutterpillar Glow Board
The Cutterpillar Glow Board is a new staple for me, but it's already earned its spot on the table! I love it for tracing my quilt labels. I like to print out what I'm going to write and trace it onto fabric with a permanent pen.
But it's more than just a tracing board. It has a clear, gridded cutting mat, too. So you can use it for FPP and aligning appliqués too! I can't wait to try it out with more kinds of projects.
Babylock Allegro
Oh baby! I love my Babylock Allegro sewing machine! It's smooooooooth as butter and has an enormous throat space so you can easily roll up your quilts and stitch away. Besides that, it's one of the only machines at the lower price end (compared to those 10-25k machines anyway!) that has some of the fancier bells and whistles like an automatic thread cutter! Plus it has tons of storage space in 2 drawers.
I still need to find just the right name for mine...
Wool Pressing Mat (3 options!)
Ok, depending on your available space, I have 3 options for wool pressing mats. I probably need to write up an entire post just to talk more about these! We'll just count these as one item on my list today. ;)
First, there's the Oliso Multimats. They're like square wool tiles that interlock and so you can buy as many or as few as you want to make up your own pressing space. Just one would be enough for pressing small units as you piece a block and even up to one 12" or so block. You'd want 2-3 for strip piecing, and 4-6 if you wanted to press across a quilt's width all at once. Remember, use the code SEW15 for 15% off everything at Oliso!
If pressing a full quilt in the least time possible is what you want, then definitely check out the Novodon wool pressing mat. At 5 FEET long, I use it down the length of my big cutting table. It helps me press a quilt top at lightning speed, or several yards of fabric for a garment project.
And if you'd like something sort of in between, the Gypsy Quilter wool pressing mat is that perfect medium. More than a block size, but still small enough to fit nearly any table and quilting space
Rotary Cutting Tools
Olfa Rotary Cutter
I love my ergonomic Olfa 45mm rotary cutter because it hides its blade when not in use. It's also light and feels easy to cut without pressing uncomfortably hard.
Creative Grids Rulers
Creative Grids has sooooo many amazing rulers! One of my favorite is the Ultimate Flying Geese Ruler. Their site has great videos for how to use each ruler which I find super helpful because many times, just looking at the ruler, it's not always obvious what it can do or how to use it.
Rotating Cutting Mat
I love my little 8" square Fiskars rotating cutting mat for trimming half-square triangles, especially. Just saves on time spent flipping things around a bunch of times, and allows you to cut at comfortable angles every time.
Extra Large Cutting Mat
The bigger, the better, in my opinion. I've never regretted having a giant cutting mat. In my opinion, you need one that can cut a full width of fabric (folded), at least, so that means you need an 18" x 24" at a minimum. I love my 24" x 36" mat from Creative Grids.
Grippy
Grippy is a tacky spray you apply to the bottom side of your rulers which keeps them from slipping while you cut with a rotary cutter. It's life changing. Especially when you're doing longer cuts, or if...(whispering) if your blade is a bit dull...not that you would ever cut with a dull blade! I mean, I neeeever do that! Haha!
Hand Quilting
I am in the middle of the largest hand quilting project I have ever attempted, and I am pleased to say it has been both easier and faster than I expected. I guess I've always been a bit intimidated. But the particular project was just begging for hand stitching, and I finally gave in. As I've worked on it, I've learned a lot and developed some favorites!
Embroidery Needles, But For Hand Quilting
I've been quilting with 12 wt. thread (on the larger side) and my Clover Gold Eye embroidery needles, size 9 are like goldilocks perfect! I am also using a few Richard Hemming & Son embroidery needles, also size 9. The Richard Hemmings are just ever so slightly harder to thread, and the Clover Gold Eyes are just ever so slightly harder to pull through the quilt sandwich, so choose depending on which one matters more to you. For me, I like them easy to thread.
12 wt. Perle Cotton (2 Options!)
For the project I'm working on now, I'm using a set of Wonderfil Spagetti thread. I love how vibrant the colors are, and I'm really into big-stitch style, so this is perfect.
Leather Thimble
I use a Clover leather thimble. I just can't figure out the old-fashioned metal ones. I can't feel anything or direct the needle well. But with a leather one, it's just like I'm using my finger, but without stabbing it! I would size up if you aren't sure on the size. One that's a touch big can still work, but one that's a touch small will make your finger throb. I use a medium.
Grandma's Quilting Frame
Unfortunately, I don't have a link for you for this one. There's a brand stamp on it that says Quiltworks, Oklahoma, but I haven't been able to find it online. It's a rectangle frame with legs that fold up for storage. A rectangle outer frame sits on top of your quilt sandwich and the underframe snuggly enough to hold the quilt without needing to be tightened like a regular hoop. That means it's super easy to just lift it up when it's time to move the quilt over.
Other Tools and Notions
There are soooo many things I could mention in this category! And to me, these are the most fun. Any gadget that does something unique or special or makes a task easier, count me in!
Modern American Vintage Tools
These are just lovely. Heirloom quality, handmade, wooden quilting tools from Modern American Vintage. I have a seam ripper and definitely want to add to my collection soon!
SewTites
Magnetic pins? What? Where have these been my whole life?! I just discovered SewTites but they are a fast favorite. If you ever sew with materials like vinyl (shor cork, you NEED Sewtites! They hold your material in place to sew without leaving any holes behind! Genius! They come in lots of different strengths, but honestly, the originals are plenty strong for my use. If you have a longarm, you'll wanna go up to a stonger version.
And guess what?! I have a coupon code for ya! Use the code CASEYCHATHAM for 15% off your SewTites purchase! Woohoo!
Aurifil 40 wt.
I was having an issue with my machine earlier this year. I was using a cheaper brand of thread, and it was getting twisted as it came off the spool and getting tighter and tighter before snapping inside my tension. It was awful. And it just kept happening. I spoke to an expert and she was blunt. "Cheap thread gets cheap results." She recommended Aurifil or Mettler. I looked at both, and Aurifil seemed to be at a slightly better price per yard, and available in larger quantities per spool. I use a lot of white and light gray, and appreciate being able to buy in bulk. It did feel expensive to spend $16 on a single spool, but I've been using it for months and it still looks nearly as full as new, so I have a feeling it's going to last quite some time.
No more twisting problems, no more snapping threads. Thanks Aurifil!
Yo-Yo Maker
Ok, if you've been around here for any amount of time, you know I love vintage style fabric yo-yos! If you're new, see my 7 Yo-Yo Ornaments pattern, my yo-yo Christmas sweatshirt, and my daughter's yo-yo flower garland.
I used to make these as a kid, but they always had a raw edge and came out a bit inconsistent in size and gathers. This Clover quick yo-yo maker tool makes yo-yos quick, easy, and consistent. I LOVE it!
Find more yo-yo resources and projects, here.
Clearly Perfect Slotted Trimmers
The Clearly Perfect Slotted Trimmers are a bit pricey for rulers. I definitely waited a while before deciding to buy them, but I would do it again and again! I only wish I'd gone ahead and tried them when I first heard of them because they are worth every penny!
They save SO much time on half-square triangles! The secret sauce is that you trim before you press them open. That means you trim all 4 sides in just 2 cuts. It literally cuts your trimming time in half, and personally, trimming is not my favorite anyway, so I love that.
Folded Corner Clipper
This one took my brain just a sec to fully comprehend how to use it, but once I did, it changed my binding process forever!
The folded corner clipper is so clever and makes your binding strips join up perfectly every time! You can even use it for the last join when you are stitching the binding to the quilt and need to connect the end of your binding to the beginning. Check out the videos on the Creative Grids site to see other uses for the same tool.
Lite Steam-A-Seam 2
I've been trying out a few appliqué projects of late, and Lite Steam-A-Seam 2 is my favorite fusible webbing! Just trace your shape, stick to fabric, cut, peel and stick, then press!
Fiskars Scissors Sharpener
The Fiskars scissors sharpener revived a pair of my Grandma's old snips in less than a minute! I highly recommend this for keeping your scissors like new! I love a tool that takes care of my other tools! :)
Fabric and Materials
Another area that I could go on about forever, but I'll just tell you my very favorites that I go back to again and again!
By Annie's Premium Clear Vinyl
Another one I discovered while creating Pockets Full of Dreams, By Annie's Premium Clear Vinyl is THE BEST! I tried some from Wal-Mart, thinking it was fine, but then when I tried By Annie's, and I'm never going back. It's smooth and comes with a backing paper so you can easily see where it is while cutting. Love that it comes on a roll to keep it uncreased, too.
Riley Blake Fabric
Riley Blake has the loveliest collections, in my opinion! Just check out this one from their collaboration with Crayola.
Warm and White Batting
My absolute go-to favorite quilt batting is Warm & White from The Warm Company. It's the perfect thickness, it won't show through your quilt tops, no matter how light, and it doesn't shrink. Don't worry, you still get a little quilt crinkle from any shrinkage in your fabrics!
Sewing and Quilting Shops
My favorite places to shop sewing online.
Sewing Parts Online
Don't let the name fool you. Yes, they have many many parts for sewing machines, but they have much much more. You can grab most of the items I've mentioned here from Sewing Parts Online, and thousands more. They have notions, thread, fabric, patterns, and yes, machines and machine parts. And it doesn't hurt that they happen to be based in Dickson, TN, a small town just about 20 minutes from where I grew up and where I got married!
Sewfinity
Sewfinity is my go-to shop for solids. They carry all the big brands' solid lines and I've always been able to get any color I'm looking for. Carrying the full line is their specialty.
And One Last Favorite
Quilt Folk Magazine
Easy Reference List—30 Favorites, Just the Links
If you'd prefer to get straight to the links, here's my full list of 30 favorites, condensed to just the links.
-
Letters Quilt Pattern
- Pockets Full of Dreams
- Free DIY Cutting Table Plans (or, the smaller one)
- Oliso (ProPlus Smart Iron, M3Pro Project Iron) Use code SEW15 for 15% off!
- Cutterpillar Glow Board
- Babylock Allegro
- Wool Pressing Mats (Custom size: Oliso Multimat (Use code SEW15 for 15% off), Medium: Gypsy Quilter, XL: Novodon)
- Olfa Rotary Cutter
- Creative Grids Rulers (Ultimate Flying Geese Tool)
- Rotating Cutting Mat
- XL Cutting Mat
- Grippy
- Embroidery Needles I use for hand quilting (Richard Hemming & Son, Clover)
- Wonderfil 12 wt Spagetti Thread
- Leather Thimble
- Quilting Frame (sorry! I don't have a link for this one.)
- Modern American Vintage
- SewTites (Remember, use code CASEYCHATHAM for 15% off!)
- Aurifil 40 wt. thread
- Yo-Yo Maker
- Clearly Perfect Slotted Trimmers
- Folded Corner Clipper
- Lite Steam-A-Seam 2
- Fiskars Scissors Sharpener
- By Annie's Premium Clear Vinyl
- Riley Blake Fabric
- Warm & White Batting
- Sewing Parts Online
- Sewfinity
- Quilt Folk Magazine
I hope you enjoy trying some of these out. As always, feel free to send me any questions!