Why Do I Need A Cricut Maker For Quilting

I get asked a lot why I am such a huge fan of the Cricut Maker and if it is because they sponsored a spot in my holiday guide last year.  I only reached out for that sponsored spot because I was already a fan of the product.  What I had seen made me believe it could make quilting so much easier.  The Cricut Maker isn't going to replace your rotary cutter, rulers, and mat.  I'll explain why below though  I do think it will help you with your more difficult cutting since it takes away human error and shifting.

Paper Pieced Pineapple Quilt Block

The pineapple quilt block is one of my favorites but it is tedious to make.  There are 45 pieces in the block.  FORTY-FIVE PIECES!  I don't like dealing with that many pieces but that's what makes the pineapple quilt block so striking.  Sometimes I have to just suck it up and deal with lots of pieces to get the look that I am going with.  With this quilt block, I used two colors but you use it to bust up your scraps. I would suggest keeping one constant, for example, the cream and replacing the pink with your scraps.  You always want a constant when you are doing scrappy so your eye has a place to rest.  

Charm Square Tree Skirt or Table Topper

So I finally ventured into the pre-cut world.  I have nothing against pre-cuts but when you typically design things outside of the normal sizes pre-cuts don't always work.  I didn't design this tree skirt though, it's from Fat Quarter Shop.  I toyed with joining this sew along because it is outside of my norm.  I don't do a lot of holiday-specific sewing, I don't typically use pre-cuts like charm squares or layer cakes, and it is one of my busiest times of the year.  I decided to join because I know a lot of you do like charm square projects and holiday sewing.  Plus having a deadline meant that I took time for myself to sew, even if it was a "have to" thing.

Union Square Quilt Block

I'm so excited to share the Union Square quilt block with all of you.  This whole project put a lot of things in focus for me.  It made me realize that everything happens for a reason and you have to roll with the punches.  This is not my design, I'm collaborating with Fat Quarter Shop.  It's been a while since I've made someone else's block which was nice.  The Union Square block takes just two fabrics and if you don't want to pick fabrics Fat Quarter Shop is offering a kit.

Using A Cricut Maker To Cut Quilt Templates

This might be the most exciting partnership I have ever done here on the blog.  I knew when I first saw the Cricut Maker it was going to be a great tool in the quilt studio.  When putting together a Christmas wishlist for quilters this was on the top of my list.  Cricut was kind enough to let me play with one and let me tell you, it was everything I thought it was going to be.  It makes cutting odd shapes that we normally need a template for a breeze.  As long as, you can get it to your computer you can have the Cricut Maker cut all those quilt templates for you.  No human error!  9 times out of 10 the problem with a quilt block that uses a special template is we goof when cutting it.