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Diary of a Quilter

Hello! I'm Amy Smart. Subscribe for weekly emails with free quilt tutorials, seasonal projects, sewing room organization tips, and new content every week! Join 70,000+ other quilters! 💌

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Top Tutorials of 2025 + 💘's Project Inspiration

Top posts of 2024 + 💘's Day Sewing + Whole Shop 20% off! Hi Friends! Happy New Year everyone! How is January treating all of you so far? We've had a busy, happy family time at our house this year, plus some fun time gathering with extended family in the New Year. Pretty much no snow so far this winter, which is a bummer, but still good times and good food with people that I like, makes me happy. This week I've also been looking back at 2025 - as one does this time of year. I've put together a...

Add a little Scandi hygge to your life + Clearance Sales The week between Christmas and New Years is one of my favorite weeks of the year. The Christmas-hoopla and checklists are done. Schedules are more relaxed, there’s still plenty of (probably too much) holiday food leftover to munch on, and my family likes watching all of the football bowl games so I have time to sneak away to my sewing room while they’re entertained. 😉 I haven't done tons of sewing this month - too much real life came...

Christmas Quilts made over the past 20 years by Amy Smart

Some Christmas 🎄Sewing + My Gifts to YOU!🎁 "Twas the Saturday before Christmas" and MANY things are stirring around our house. 😅 Kids are home for the holidays, I still have pretty much 100% of my gift wrapping to do, but the cards were finally put in the mail yesterday and I *think* I'm done with shopping other than last minute groceries next week. *fingers crossed* How are things going in your neck of the woods? The Quilts of Christmas Past This week I had fun taking a little stroll down...

NEW: Scandi Heart Pattern Available + Last Minute Handmade Gifts Happy Weekend and Happy Holiday Season! In the words of the Grinch - Christmas is practically here! Well, thank goodness we still have another week and a half, because this mom still has a lot stuff to check off the list. (Plus a stomach bug this week didn't help with that to-do list.) AND I'm still enjoying the lights, sights, and sounds of the season. And hopefully the food again. If you're like me and rapidly running out of...

Free Stocking Patterns + Bows +What's New! Happy Weekend Everyone! Here we are staring down the second week of December and I've got some fun ideas and inspiration to share! Tutorials for Handmade Christmas Stockings Handmade stockings are one of my favorite Christmas traditions. If you're looking for one that's super fast and beginner-friendly - check out my most popular stocking pattern of all time here: The Fastest and Easiest Stocking Tutorial Ever Free Quilted Stocking Tutorial +...

Free Drawstring Bag Pattern

Brand New Free Pattern + Gift Ideas to Make for Friends Who Sew Hello Quilty Friends! Happy crazy-weekend-after-Thanksgiving. I hope you've had a festive week but also time to pause and celebrate gratitude with people you care about. I can't believe December starts in 2 days. (Wasn't last Christmas only a couple of months ago?!) This week I've got a brand new tutorial for EASY lined drawstring bag in 3 different sizes. Also some of my favorite ideas for handmade gifts you can get a jump on...

Favorite Thanksgiving Quilts + Gift Ideas For Quilters Hello Quilty Friends! Happy Week of Thanksgiving! We're definitely getting into the holiday mood around here - starting to haul out the holly but also still very much looking forward to celebrating Thanksgiving this week. In today's newsletter edition I've got gift ideas for Christmas but also a bunch of favorite Thanksgiving quilts and ideas to share. Gift Guides for Quilters and People Who Love to Sew It's that time of year when the...

Vintage Lone Star Quilt, Jen Kingwell Inspiration + My Go-To Gift Quilt Happy Weekend Everyone! I've had some fun things behind the scenes just waiting for me to get my act together and photograph and share. This week it finally happened. Here's a look at what's new! Unearthing a once-in-a-lifetime quilt find ✨ This summer I stumbled on an antique Lone Star quilt that completely stopped me in my tracks- over 2,500 tiny, hand-pieced diamonds, gorgeous vintage prints, and some surprising...

35 Favorite Christmas Quilt Ideas + What's NEW Hello Quilting Friends! Welp, the one bright spot about the sky getting dark so darn early now is that the holidays are right around the corner. What kind of Christmas maker/quilter are you? In the past I've typically been a "do-all-Christmas-things-after-Thanksgiving" kind of person. But you know what? This week I was suddenly struck by the mood to pull out and work on Christmas projects. And maybe some of you are too, so let's talk Christmas...

New Baby Quilt Pattern Release, Table Runner Ideas for Thanksgiving, Drawstring Bag Pattern Book Giveaway Happy Weekend Everyone! How's everyone feeling about the fact that it's November? I'm in a bit of a state of disbelief that we're heading into the final months of 2025, but for the most part I'm surprisingly cool with the idea. (Surprising myself, that is.) Fun things to share this week! New Baby Sugarhouse Star Quilt Pattern release Need a quick baby gift? I've updated my Baby Sugarhouse...