This week I'm sharing a story from a listener I'm calling D.C., and it's one of those journeys that didn't move in a straight line at all. She sewed as a kid, sewed for her own kids, then set it all aside for decades before finally picking up quilting in her retirement years. If you've ever thought "someday, when things slow down," this episode is for you.

FIRST STITCH STORY: MEET D.C.

D.C.'s quilting journey started with an old sewing machine that finally gave out, a trip to buy a new one, and a decision she'd waited over forty years to make. I won't give it all away here, but her story about learning entirely from YouTube and Pinterest…and the granny square quilt she's piecing with blocks designed by her three daughters and twelve grandchildren is one you'll want to hear in full.

WIP-FINISHING TIP: MACHINE QUILTING

D.C. mentioned that machine quilting is the part she struggles with most, even though she's already finished a dozen quilts. If that's you too, I've got three small, low pressure ways to make it feel more doable, including one tool that takes a lot of the grip and strain off your hands. Listen in to find out more!

SPOTLIGHT: QUILTING GLOVES

This week's spotlight is a pair of gloves that takes the stress off your hands during a machine quilting session, giving you a better grip on your quilt sandwich without all the squeezing and gripping that leads to tired hands. I'll tell you why they've become one of my go to tools for machine quilting.

Machingers Quilting Gloves Fat Quarter Shop Amazon

SHARE YOUR FIRST STITCH STORY

Do you have a quilting journey you'd love to share? I'd love to feature your story on an upcoming episode. Send me a note at firststitchpodcast@wildplumlane.com and tell me a little about your path to quilting...I read every single one!

Submit your story

Debbie learned to sew on a treadle machine when she was five years old, and sixty-five years later she's hand quilted, longarmed, and made just about everything a needle and thread can make... except one thing, because they weren't allowed at school (hear what it is in the episode!). In this episode she shares her First Stitch Story, and I've got a tip for anyone who's a little afraid to count up their own unfinished projects.

FIRST STITCH STORY: MEET DEBBIE

Debbie's sewing life took her through doll clothes, her own wardrobe by sixth grade, a home ec class she really didn't need, and a first quilt tied by hand in high school. There's also a quilt in her story that *might* be the original weighted quilt, decades before that was a thing you could buy! Press play to hear it in her own words.

WIP-FINISHING TIP: THE NO-GUILT WIP COUNT

Debbie mentioned something a lot of us feel but don't say out loud... she has so many unfinished projects she's almost afraid to gather them up and count them! If that's you too, I've got a simple, no-guilt way to find out what's actually in your project pile, without committing to finishing a single thing on it.

SPOTLIGHT: THE MARTELLI ERGONOMIC ROTARY CUTTER

Since so much of getting back to a project starts at the cutting table, I'm sharing the tool that's made that part of the process easier on my (arthritic!) hands. It's a small swap that makes a real difference if you're cutting for any length of time.

Get the Martelli Ergonomic Rotary Cutter

SHARE YOUR FIRST STITCH STORY

I'd love to hear your First Stitch Story too... how did you learn to sew, and what has it taught you about the quilter you are today? Send it my way at firststitchpodcast@wildplumlane.com, and you might just hear it on a future episode.

Submit your story

FIRST STITCH STORY: MEET KATHY

In this episode, we meet Kathy, a Navy wife whose quilting journey started with a box of her mother's old dress fabrics and a King-size quilt made entirely on her own. From her grandmother's church quilting group to renting a longarm machine today, Kathy's story is super-sweet, and super-relatable.

WIP-FINISHING TIP: SASHING YOUR WAY TO MATCHING BLOCKS

Today's WIP-finishing tip tackles one of the most common project-stoppers out there: blocks that just don't match in size. I share a simple sashing technique to bring mismatched blocks back into line, plus a personal story about the time my own Block of the Month blocks didn't match after a multi-year finishing gap!

SPOTLIGHT: THE BEST SQUARING-UP RULERS

This episode's tool spotlight is on the Creative Grids 10.5" and 12.5” Square Quilt Rulers...my favorites for getting a clean, consistent trim on every block, every time.

• Creative Grids 10.5” Square Ruler: Amazon | Fat Quarter Shop
• Creative Grids 12.5” Square Ruler: Amazon | Fat Quarter Shop
• Go even bigger! Creative Grids 16.5” Square Ruler: Fat Quarter Shop
• Creative Grids 18.5” Square Ruler: Amazon

SHARE YOUR FIRST STITCH STORY

Your story might be next! Every quilter has a beginning to their story, and I'd love to hear yours. Share your personal quilting journey, your best project-finishing tip, or your "first stitch" moment, and your story may be read on an upcoming episode of The First Stitch.Send it to firststitchpodcast@wildplumlane.com or fill out the simple submission form. It's easier than you think, and there's no wrong way to tell your story.