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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! ๐Ÿ’Œ

Featured Post

Tips for Taming Your Scraps โœ‚ + A Search in London

Ideas for sorting, storing, and using scraps + Chain Piecing Happy Weekend, everyone! I hope this week's edition finds you as well as possible. New on the Blog - A Jaunt to London + William Morris Inspiration A few weeks ago I mentioned being on a special trip with my daughters. I've finally had time to sort through all of the photos and organize my thoughts enough to share about a visit to my favorite place with my favorite girls. We went to London! And it was so fun to see it all through...

What I'm Working On + Book Giveaway! Hello friends! Thanks so much for reading my newsletter! It means a lot that you take the time to stop by. Thank you! Last week I had a great response to my post about 7 Tips and Tools for Accurate Quilt Block Piecing. I also had requests for a printable PDF with those steps. So I made one! You can download it for free here: 7 Tips and Tools for Accurate Quilt Block Piecing.pdf. (If you missed the full post and want to see all of the details +pictures you...

Tips for Accurate Piecing + Spring Clean Your Sewing Machine Hello friends! Thanks so much for reading my newsletter! This week I've got some great spring-cleaning inspiration, an update on the latest Quilt Block Challenge blocks, some of my favorite tools, and an announcement about where I'm teaching this Fall! 7 Tips and Tools for Accurate Quilt Block Piecing This week I spent some time catching up on the latest quilt blocks from the 2025 Riley Blake Quilt Block Challenge. All of these 10"...

Economy Blocks Tutorial + Printable Quilt Size Chart Hello friends! I hope this email finds you well. Lots of good quilting fun and inspiration to share this week! First of all apologies to anyone who had trouble clicking on links last week - there were technical issues with my website. Good news - they are resolved! ๐Ÿ˜… But I'm sorry for anyone who was frustrated. Thanks for your patience with me! Man, technical issues are not my strength. Let's get back to talking about something I feel more...

Spring & ๐Ÿฃ Easter Sewing Inspiration + Sewing For a Cause Hello friends! Happy Spring! March's uneven temperament continues to display itself as most evident by the snow falling on the yellow buds of my forsythia bush this past week. But I'm okay with the fits and starts of spring as evenings are starting to stay lighter, longer and the world is slowly getting greener. I think real Spring is really on it's way. Fun Finds on the Web: Spring + Easter Inspiration All of this has put me in the...

Irish โ˜˜ Chain Quilt Tutorials + 25% off my Most Popular Quilt Pattern Hello friends! I hope this week finds you well! First off, official business: Happy National Quilting Day! You are officially authorized by me (and whoever created this holiday) to celebrate however you like best whether it's some quality time at your sewing machine or supporting your favorite local quilt shop. It's the National Quilting Day thing to do. And I've got more celebratory items below! But first, new version of...

Free Mini Quilt Pattern + Tips for Finding Time + What's New Hello friends! Happy March! I hope you're feeling some of the effects of spring sun and hope wherever you are! (Well, if you're in the Northern Hemisphere that is.) Did you know March is also National Quilting Month? Apparently, it's a thing. Any excuse to celebrate quilting and I'm all in! In honor of the occasion I'm re-sharing the free Mini Quilt pattern called Bright Star with all of you. Click below to find the post to download...

Shamrocks and Rainbows Stitching

๐ŸŒˆ Rainbows + Shamrock โ˜˜ projects + QuiltCon Recap Hello friends! Happy MARCH! Woohoo. I love March. My first round of crocus flowers have officially bloomed and that makes me so happy. Spring is finally on it's way (even if it's in fits and starts). If you're in need of some cheery sewing projects to get you through until the spring weather officially arrives to stay, I've put together a list of Rainbow + Shamrock sewing and quilting projects from a bunch of different quilters and designers....

Jelly Roll Pattern Sale + Manx Quilt Block Tutorial Hello friends! Thank you so much for stopping by. โค This week I'm at QuiltCon, soaking up all of the quilts and color inspiration. Check out my posts and stories on Instagram to see the highlights! I'll be writing up a recap and sharing next week. New on the blog this week, a new quilt finish that was quick thanks to strip-piecing techniques. This Jelly-Roll-friendly quilt pattern, A Bushel and a Peck is perfect for a quick make! This...

Free 2025 Quilt Along, Machine Quilting at Home + Weekend Fabric Sales Hello friends! I hope this finds you well. Here's what's new around here: For a myriad of reasons, this week was not as productive as I'd hoped. But, I did get some time at my machine to start catching up on the 2025 Riley Blake Designs free Quilt Block Challenge. Mainly I'm slow getting started because it took me a minute (okay, a month) to pick fabric I wanted to use. Here's a look at the progress that's been made! This...