The (not so) Dramatic Life

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Announcing Quilt Concert 2023: Twinkle Twinkle

Explore Foundation Paper Piecing with this design featuring negative space!

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Look Back to Quilt Concerts Past, Get Excited for Quilt Concert 2023!

Which design was your favorite?

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What does the Judge Think?

See the Comments from AQS QuiltWeek Paducah

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Patterns and Tutorials

Traditionally and foundation paper pieced quilts with a Modern twist for the contemporary quilter! Check out the latest patterns and tutorials from The (not…

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Classes and Events

Now booking virtual and in person events for your shop or guild!

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Trending: Rectangles at QuiltCon 2023

March 31, 2023

Trending: Whimsical Quilts at QuiltCon 2023

March 24, 2023

Shopping In Person at Hancock’s of Paducah!

March 17, 2023

Judges’ Comments for QuiltCon 2023

March 10, 2023

Welcome Spring with these Free Floral Quilt Block Patterns

March 7, 2023

Taking a Closer Look: 5 Stunning Quilts from QuiltCon 2023

March 3, 2023

QuiltCon Past and Present

February 24, 2023

Exclusive Tips for Building Your Stash- A New Article in QuiltCon Magazine

February 17, 2023

Looking for a New Take on an Old Favorite? Building Connections Left and Right

February 7, 2023

What Happened at Road to California? An Awesome and Unexpected Quilting Win!

February 3, 2023
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Thanks for visiting!

cassandra at The (not so) Dramatic Life My name is Cassandra, and I have been sewing for as long as I can remember. I love looking for inspiration in my surroundings, and my life as a theatrical scenic and costume designer heavily influences my quilt designs.

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NEW TOOL! I used these NEW water pens from Carolin NEW TOOL! I used these NEW water pens from Carolina Moore to help remove the foundation papers from this year's Quilt Concert quilt. When Carolina sent them to me, I was excited to try them out, but I didn't have a clue as to how much I was going to love them. This is one of those tools that I didn't realize how much I would love until I actually used it. 

My least favorite part of foundation paper piecing is removing the paper, and the water pen and tweezers completely streamline the process and make it easy to do. 

Are you attending Quilt Concert 2023? (Quilt Concert is our FREE* Summer quilt-along feature beginner-friendly foundation paper piecing) Post the I'm attending badge to your public Instagram account with #quiltconcert in the caption for a chance to win he water pens and new tweezers set. More details are on the announcement blog. 

The first PJ Jam zoom party is tomorrow night and Carolina Moore is joining us to talk more about her FPP tools! To get the link, sign up for my (or Lissa’s) newsletter that goes out on Friday morning. 

I am thrilled to co-host this annual event with @lovinglylissa 

There is no official sign-up, but head over to my (and/or Lissa’s) blog and sign up for my newsletter to get a reminder about each pattern release! (Link in IG profile)

*Patterns are free for a limited time

#quiltconcert #quiltconcert2023 #foundationpaperpiecing #foundationpaperpiecingpattern #freefoundationpaperpiecingpattern #fppquilt #quiltalong #sewalong #quilt #quilting #modernquilt #modernquilting #moderntraditionalquilt
Can’t wait to get started on the Quilt Concert S Can’t wait to get started on the Quilt Concert Summer Quilt-Along? Want to get ahead on your blocks? Have an epic vacation coming up that will keep you from downloading the weekly pattern?

Today is your lucky day!

The full pattern for Quilt Concert 2023: Twinkle Twinkle is now available! 

And It’s 20% off both on Quilt Pattern Mart and Etsy through June 9th!

Do you have to buy the pattern to participate? 

No! You will find lots of details this week on the FAQ blog post and on the announcement blog last week.

All blocks in this FREE* Summer quilt-along feature beginner-friendly foundation paper piecing.

I am thrilled to co-host this annual event with @lovinglylissa 

There is no official sign-up, but head over to my (and/or Lissa’s) blog and sign up for my newsletter to get a reminder about each pattern release! (Link in IG profile)

*Patterns are free for a limited time

#quiltconcert #quiltconcert2023 #foundationpaperpiecing #foundationpaperpiecingpattern #freefoundationpaperpiecingpattern #fppquilt #quiltalong #sewalong #quilt #quilting #modernquilt #modernquilting #moderntraditionalquilt
Adding binding to my 2023 Quilt Concert! (At 3x th Adding binding to my 2023 Quilt Concert! (At 3x the normal speed 😂) For this quilt, I used fabric I had left over from the foundation paper piecing to make a straight-grain binding.

For most quilts, I make bias binding that is cut 2” wide before folding. I find that the bias has just enough give to really hug the cut edge of the quilt when cut at that width.

Since the straight grain doesn’t have that bit of stretchiness, I cut this binding a tad wider- 2-1/8” 🧵

I also changed how I machine stitch the binding to the quilt. Typically I use a walking foot, but for this quilt, I tried using the Dual Feed feature featured with the Patchwork foot 97D on my BERNINA 770QE PLUS. It worked great and made it really easy to maintain the quarter-inch seam allowance around the edge of the quilt.

#quiltconcert2023 #quiltbinding #quiltfinishing #bernina #bernina770qeplus #bernina770qe #berninadualfeed
I’m teaching at QuiltCon 2024 in Raleigh! My thr I’m teaching at QuiltCon 2024 in Raleigh! My three different workshops include both new content and old favorites. What are you hoping to learn this year?

Piecing Full Circles (PIE003ThuEve and PIE003Sun): Take your curved seams to the extreme by going full circle! Piecing full circles opens many piecing and fussy cutting opportunities in quilt design. During this workshop, students will use the Classic Curves Ruler to cut and machine-piece complete circles. Students will then create a top for a pillow or mini quilt top that incorporates at least one full circle. 

Skinny Improv Inserts with Precision (IMP006FriPM and IMP006FriEve): Have you ever wondered how some quilters piece 1/8” wide slivers into their designs? It isn’t as challenging as it looks once you know a few key tips and techniques. This workshop covers how to piece 1/8” wide components while avoiding unwanted shadowing in your pieced seam allowances. Students will then work on incorporating this precision piecing technique into an improvisational design.

Foundation Paper Piecing with Irregular Shapes (FPP005): Foundation paper piecing makes for extremely accurate piecing and perfect points, but one of its most exciting uses is the creation of blocks using irregularly shaped components. Blocks and quilts with a wide range of irregular shapes may look complex, but they are easier than they seem once you have experience with a few techniques and tips. In this workshop, students will choose one of three animal patterns to sew in order to practice these techniques.

#quiltcon #quiltcon2024 #themqg #modernquilting #quiltshow #quiltingworkshop #quiltingclass #quiltingtogether #precisionpiecing #machinepiecing #sewingincircles #classiccurvesruler #foundationpaperpiecing #foundationpaperpiecingworkshop
I selected an edge-to-edge quilting design for thi I selected an edge-to-edge quilting design for this year’s Quilt Concert which made the quilting process go quickly, although not quite this fast- these clips are shown at double speed!

Toward the end of the video, you may notice some short metal bars holding the quilt top to the frame. For years I have used Leader Grips to load my quilts which are terrific for loading backings to the frame. However, the Mostly-Modern quilts I make tend to have blocks running all the way to the edge of the quilt that sometimes have bulky seams. I can’t tell you how many Leader Grips I have cracked going over those seams. 

Recently @sewtites gave me some of their lonarm magnets to try out, and this is a game changer. I was able to use the magnets (those short metal bars you see are the back to the magnet) to load the quilt top without even having to remove the bar for the Leader Grip. The Sew Tites were just as strong as other loading methods, and loading was super easy (more on this soon!) This will be my new go-to loading method for any quilt top that has edge seams with more than two layers of fabric coming together. 

All blocks in this FREE* Summer quilt-along feature beginner-friendly foundation paper piecing.

I am thrilled to co-host this annual event with @lovinglylissa 

There is no official sign-up, but head over to my (and/or Lissa’s) blog and sign up for my newsletter to get a reminder about each pattern release! (Link in IG profile)

*Patterns are free for a limited time

#quiltconcert #quiltconcert2023 #foundationpaperpiecing #foundationpaperpiecingpattern #freefoundationpaperpiecingpattern #fppquilt #quiltalong #sewalong #quilt #quilting #modernquilt #modernquilting #moderntraditionalquilt #sewtites #sewtitesmagnum #sewtiteslongarm #longarmloading #longarmquilting #longarm
Who’s joining us for Quilt Concert 2023? I am t Who’s joining us for Quilt Concert 2023?

I am thrilled to co-host this annual event with @lovinglylissa 

Your first chance to win starts now by posting this image on your IG feed with #quiltconcert2023 in the caption. 

More details, including fabric amounts are available on the blog (link in profile), and even more information is coming soon!

All blocks in this FREE* Summer quilt-along feature beginner-friendly foundation paper piecing.

There is no official sign-up, but head over to my (and/or Lissa’s) blog and sign up for my newsletter to get a reminder about each pattern release! (Link in IG profile)

*Patterns are free for a limited time

#quiltconcert #quiltconcert2023 #foundationpaperpiecing #foundationpaperpiecingpattern #freefoundationpaperpiecingpattern #fppquilt #quiltalong #sewalong #quilt #quilting #modernquilt #modernquilting #moderntraditionalquilt
PATTERN SALE! This weekend all of my PDF patterns PATTERN SALE! This weekend all of my PDF patterns are 20% OFF at both Quilt Pattern Mart and on Etsy. 

I typically only have shop-wide pattern sales twice a year, so if you have had your eye on something, now's the time to pick it up! 

The sale runs through the end of the day Monday, and shop links are in my profile and in stories.
Today is the day! @lovinglylissa and I are thrille Today is the day! @lovinglylissa and I are thrilled to present the design for Quilt Concert 2023: Twinkle Twinkle!

Make sure you head over to the blog to read more about the quilt and how you can win in the first prize drawing of the quilt along! The first set of instructions is coming June 9th, but stay tuned for more information about how the quilt along will run and the prizes our wonderful sponsors are offering along the way!

All blocks in this FREE* Summer quilt-along feature beginner-friendly foundation paper piecing.

There is no official sign-up, but head over to my (and/or Lissa’s) blog and sign up for my newsletter to get a reminder about each pattern release! (Link in IG profile)

*Patterns are free for a limited time

#quiltconcert #quiltconcert2023 #foundationpaperpiecing #foundationpaperpiecingpattern #freefoundationpaperpiecingpattern #fppquilt #quiltalong #sewalong #quilt #quilting #modernquilt #modernquilting #moderntraditionalquilt

Recent Posts

  • Are You Excited Yet? Quilt Concert 2023 FAQ: All You Need to Know
  • Announcing Quilt Concert 2023: Twinkle Twinkle
  • Look Back to Quilt Concerts Past, Get Excited for Quilt Concert 2023!
  • What does the Judge Think? See the Comments from AQS QuiltWeek Paducah
  • Don’t Miss This New Fabric Line & See My Hand to Machine Appliqué Remix

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Welcome to The (not so) Dramatic Life

This blog is based on my own ideas and opinions. You are welcome to link to this site at any time. If you would like to use images or text please contact me first (I will probably say yes!), and provide appropriate credit in your post. I love Pinterest so pin away as long as the image is labeled accurately and links directly back to this site. Please feel free to contact me at: cassandra (at) thenotsodramaticlife (dot) com.Thank you so much for visiting!

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