Things Every Beginner Quilter Should Remember

Picture this, it’s 11:30 at night, you’re eight episodes deep into a Dr. Who marathon and your stack of 387 half square triangles. Somehow your stack topples over and before you know it, you slice through a bunch with your rotary cutter. Ok, maybe it wasn’t exactly that, but we all run into problems at one time or another. Whether you’re a beginner or have been quilting for years, we’ve put together our list of questions to ask yourself when you’re in meltdown mode.   Can this mistake become an opportunity? Remember that every mistake you make can

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Quilting Mayhem’s Birthday Month

We’re feeling a bit nostalgic. May is Quilting Mayhem’s birthday month, and we’ve changed so much in the last eight years. Looking back to the beginning of everything, which seems so long ago, we opened our doors on 1st Street with 3,000 square feet of shop on May 1st, 2015. At the time, we had some fabric, only one classroom, and a longarm rental.  Fast forward to 2016 and we quickly began to grow. We added sewing and quilting machines to our arsenal with BERNINA and Handi Quilter dealerships. Our dreams of offering more for our

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Why Shopping Small At Quilting Mayhem is a Big Deal for Quilting, Sewing, and Crafting Enthusiasts

We love to quilt, to sew, and to make things. Call it a cherished pastime, or an obsession depending on the day, but making mayhem is a have-to activity, our creative outlet, and an escape from the daily stresses of life. Since we think so much about what to make, you can bet we put thought into where we shop. While big box retailers may seem convenient, shopping small and supporting local businesses, such as Quilting Mayhem, is the way to go. Supporting Your Local Small Businesses Small businesses are the lifeblood of local economies. By choosing

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Quilting Mayhem 2023 UFO Resolution Challenge

I don’t know about you, but my stack of UFO’s is embarrassingly high at the moment. Fortunately, we’ve got just the push you need to tackle your pile of WIP’s and turn them into finished objects with our yearly UFO Challenge. And as if finishing those quilts wasn’t enough of a reward, you can win goodies, too! Here’s what you need to do to join us: Submit your list of 12 UFO projects with the beginning status of each project filled out by January 31st, 2023 You have to have 12 UFO projects You can add

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cartoon render of a quilt shop

The Case for Quilt Shops: Why You Should Still Shop Locally

By Mindy Lennon, Founder of Quilting Mayhem If you are lucky enough to live near a locally-owned quilting or crafting store (like Quilting Mayhem in Snohomish, Washington), chances are, it has survived this long because it’s serving the needs of local creatives like yourself. Here are some of the many reasons you should shop local next time you run out of thread, fabric, notions, or project ideas: 1. Knowledgeable Staff Help You Find What You Need Quilting is a very specific form of art and creation and there’s always more to know. So why not shop where you might

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Guy looking at a large sewing machine on the horizon

How to Buy a Sewing Machine for a Quilter: The Ultimate Gift Buying Guide

Buying a sewing machine for a quilter is a wonderful act of love, but it can also be confusing (especially if you’re not someone who currently sews). Purchasing the top-of-the-line machine does not always mean it’s the right one, and buying a machine with the wrong features can cause confusion for the sewist trying to learn a new machine. On the plus side, buying a machine with extra features can give a person room to grow and expand their sewing knowledge. While there are many lists of “recommended machines,” it’s still hard to know what your

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a quilt tailor choosing fabric

We have a blog!…..Again

Yes, I am back at it again. It's been a couple of years since I worked on the last Quilting Mayhem blog, and a lot has happened since then. If you haven't come to visit us in the last year and a half, we have moved off of First Street and up to a much larger facility on Second Street in downtown Snohomish. This gave us the chance to expand everything, along with adding a larger Machine Service Center and retreat rooms that we rent. In light of a lot of brick-and-mortar quilt shops closing

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