“Several years ago, I took a class with Judith Doenias on how to draw your own star pattern for a quilt block. I made a block with three stars in it and sat looking at it for some time. At that time, I had just started to make square fabric bowls with interior designs based on quilt blocks. So I decided to make the jump to a round bowl so that I could fit my star design into it. After working on bowls with star designs, I realized that the round shape lends itself to making bowls based on flowers, and all kinds of designs began to emerge to create this book.” —Kirsten Fisher, author of Ro ..read more

My dear friend Daisy has a new book out called Quilting with Curves from C&T. If you don’t know Daisy, you need to stop reading and immediately* go over to Warmfolk and look at everything. * immediately after you read my review that highlights her awesomeness First off, a little background on Daisy and me. She recently came to teach at my guild, and while I had known her as part of the quilty world, I really got to know her while she was here. She is a delightful human! She is talented, creative and approachable. Stitching curves is not one of my favorite things in quilting. She has templ ..read more

Stitching with other teachers always brings out the best tips! My friend Shirley taught me the coolest way to ruffle. You loosely hand wind a bobbin with elastic thread and use any thread on top; I used Aurifil 50 wt. Set the stitch length to about 4.0. I did some tests and settled on 4.5. Make sure to back stitch or knot at the beginning and end. Voila! Perfect loose ruffles. I use Little House Cottons organic cotton which has a fine thread and tight weave that ruffles beautifully. xx LC ..read more

Anyone else in panic mode trying to finish holiday gifts?! That’s exactly what is happening here at May Chappell HQ! And I needed three 7″ metal zippers. Despite having a drawer of hundreds of zippers, I had exactly zero 7” metal zippers. I did however have A LOT of 9” zippers. But you can’t really tuck in extra metal zipper length…stitching over the metal teeth is a no-go. But then I got the idea to remove the teeth with my pliers! I made it 7″ of teeth. I just pulled hard and they popped right off. I cut the excess off with pinking shears. Voila! Don’t forget to pin the pieces together so ..read more

I originally did this tutorial for Olfa as it uses some of their awesome specialty blades. However, it is no longer on their site and I’ve received a few messages about it. So here it is again! And for those of you that did not see it the first time, please enjoy! Supplies:Two 4×11” pieces of thick wool/wool felt One 9” zipper 40 wt thread Print one copy of Pencil Case Template Olfa Supplies:Rotating Mat 6×12” Frosted Ruler Scissors Rotary with straight blade and decorative blade Step 1: Place two pieces of wool together with the template on top. You will cut through all pieces at once so t ..read more

This summer I was able to cross something off my Bucket List. I took a class at the John C Campbell Folk School. The school is located in Brasstown, a beautiful part of western North Carolina. They offer a variety of classes in art, craft, music, writing and so much more. The classes are amazing, but the experience is what will stay with you forever. I left feeling creatively fulfilled and inspired. The Gardens, including a dye garden The school has a bit of a vibe of an intense camp for adults, but with way better lodging and food! Some mornings offer Morning Song which is full of song, music ..read more

I love a good scraptastic adventure! When you’re working on being scrappy, it can be challenging to keep things looking random. Put the scraps into a bag and blindly choose them. It’s tempting to cheat and sneak a peek, but resist. If you look, you will create the same combinations over and over, unintentionally creating a pattern. My favorite patterns for scrappiness are Cross the Scraps, Scrappy Star and Serendipity. I have even more that are scrap friendly. Making a scrappy quilt feels like it’s free because you’re using “trash”. Ha! xx LC ..read more

Hello friends from snowy North Carolina! If you’re weather looks anything like mine, you’re inside and stitching away! It’s also that time of year when we all commit ourselves to finally getting organized and start making plans for the year ahead.  That’s why I’m so excited to share some news. I’ve partnered with 13 amazing designers to create this fantastic Quilt Pattern Bundle of scrap busting patterns just for you. This way, you can just sit down and sew, instead of shopping for supplies.   The Quilt Pattern Bundle has everything you need to finally take control of your scra ..read more

Lee Chappell Monroe on The Quilt Show Trailer I’ve been a fan of Alex Anderson since before I was a quilter! So when I was invited to be on The Quilt Show, it felt like a homecoming. And she lived up to the hype! Sometimes when you meet one of your heroes, it can feel like a let down, but she is even more delightful than I could’ve imagined! Plus Ricky Tims!! I had met him a few years ago at AccuQuilt. He tells the best stories and has endless knowledge about quilting. The reason The Quilt Show is an enduring and amazing success is these two people in front of the camera and the many equall ..read more

Do you know someone who’s always wanted to learn to stitch? Or are you looking to hone your skills? Great news! I’m offering a new course Jump into Sewing: Basic Tools & Techniques on Creative Spark online. It’s the same platform where I’ve done The Quilting Hour (season two coming soon!) and Tips of the Trade. The best part of Creative Spark is everything is recorded for easy reviewing. Jump into Sewing Book The course will follow along with my book, Jump into Sewing! In fact, an ebook is included with the course. Student’s will learn all the basics, starting with the sewing machine, how ..read more