5 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started Quilting & it's Not What You Think

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Transcript

Friends, family, quilters, and the quilting curious, thank you so much for joining me on the first ever live stream of The Word on the Stitch. My name is Bara Broomfield and I'm the creator behind Oh So Happy. You know what? We only get 1,440 minutes in a day. And the fact that you are willing to spend a couple of those minutes with me, it means everything to me. I don't take it lightly.

So, what I want to do is give you a little bit of my vision for this broadcast. After the welcome, we're going to go directly into the feature. Today, I'm going to talk about the five things I wish I knew before I started quilting. You know what? Because I would have started sooner. Okay. And then after that I'm going to talk about all things quilting news, highlights, trends. Today I'm talking about the shows that are taking place in the first quarter of 2026.

Then we're going to move into the weekly pattern. Now, this will either be a pattern that I have designed, a pattern that I am currently making, one that I want to make, or one that was recommended to me. That's going to be so fun. And if you're interested, maybe we will get together as an online community and make these patterns together.

Then we're going to go over to the free table. The free table is basically my weekly giveaway. This is going to be an opportunity for you to get something quilty or crafty. You know, those of us that are in this world, we're not into just quilting. We love knitting, sewing, puzzles, like all the things. And so today's giveaway is something from Tula Pink. So be sure to stick around to the end to find out what I'm giving away. All right, guys. Let's get to it. I'm just going to do a quick check here. I want to make sure you can hear me, you can see me. It looks like all systems are go. All right, so let's get to it.

Quilting Will Consume Your Life

All right, the five things I wish I knew before I started quilting. Number one, quilting can completely consume your life. Okay, you might be one of those people who can casually quilt, casually party, casually do anything. Here's the thing about me and my personality. When I jump in, I jump all the way in. Okay, I dream about quilts. Every time I'm on the phone with one of my friends, I'm sure you can attest, I am talking about something that I am quilting or want to quilt. And you know what? That's okay. I believe we all need hobbies, right? Something that we can rely on, something that we can go into as our rock. The thing is life ebbs and flows, right? Having something consistent, especially when you find your tribe is everything.

Case in point, when I started, well, I hadn't even started quilting yet, right? I had just discovered it. It started with the Midnight Quilt Show. All right, some of you know what I'm talking about. Angela Walters, when her kids would go to bed, she would pull out her piecing potion, aka wine, okay, her fabric, her sewing machine, all the things, and she would make the most amazing quilt. Okay, this was years honestly before I pieced together my first quilt. But when I found her, I was so amazed by the magic, okay, that she would put together on the screen. And here's the thing, I took the title literally, okay? I couldn't watch it in the daylight. All right? I found it at midnight. At 1:00, I was like, "Uh, Bara, you got to go to work tomorrow. You might want to go to sleep." At 2:00, I was like, "Okay, okay, just one more episode, please." At 3:00, I feel like my eyes were glued open. All right. At 4:00, it was like, "Whatever. This is going to be an all-nighter, right?" I love watching her videos. I love watching videos.

You might be a quilter if you have more pictures of quilts in your phone than anything else. That's me, right? It will consume your life. And you know what? That's okay.

Find Your Quilting Tribe

Especially once you find your tribe. All right. So, those of you that know me, I am naturally introverted. Okay? I would rather be up under the bed than going to a social event or a networking event. I mean like give me a root canal instead. So when I was out there quilting alone, it was fine. I was okay with it. I had YouTube. I had maybe the classes I went to in person, things like that.

But when I decided to join my local quilt guild, it's like it changed me, right? When I walked in to the local firehouse where we host our meetings, I mean, it was like people were bending over backwards to help me. Come this way. Let me show you how to join. Come this way. This is what you need to do next. Grab your sewing machine. Take it to the table. This is where you should sit. Right. It was so incredible. I mean, never once did I feel uncomfortable. Instantly welcomed in. And you know what, Jenny? I don't know if you're watching, but thank you so much. You kind of changed my life. Okay? And I quote, this is what Jenny said. "I think we'll keep her," right? I found my crew. I found my tribe. I love you guys. Thank you so much for just like being there for me. Support. I found support above and beyond quilting honestly. But yeah, quilting will change how you see people, how you spend time with them. It will change your life.

All right. Oh, so here are some pictures. I joined during quilt camp and I'm showing you these because guess who won one of the grand prizes? It was me. Can you tell I'm kind of sort of crying there, right? Like I was so excited. And guess what, guys? I still use it. I love, love, love that box. All right. So, it looks like I see some of my quilting crew in the comments. I mean, SQU y'all. Hey guys. So lovely, lovely to see you.

All right. But hold on. Now, this is the first quilt that I made after joining SQU. This is the jelly roll race quilt. I don't know if you guys know Donna Jordan. She was such an amazing, incredible woman. Built an empire, right, in her humble little store just showing tutorials online. And as a matter of fact, she is one of the people that has inspired me and how I want to do my tutorials, ones that I'll post in the future. Another plug, please make sure to subscribe so you will get those tutorials every time I drop one of them. Okay. I joined the quilt guild about a year and a half ago. Fast forward to last week. That would explain the hair growth. This is me trying on a jacket made by my friend Pat. She is the creator behind Small Luxuries by Pat. And I know what you're thinking. That jacket is so hot. I want one for myself. Well, here's the thing. You can get one. All you need to do is comment "jacket" and I will put you in touch with her. Maybe you want one for yourself. Maybe you want to gift one for a friend. This is her and she wears it so nicely.

One of the other things I want to do is take you into the details. All right. So, when you start piecing, chances are you're just going to start with things like half square triangles and piecing fabric together. This is foundation paper piecing. It's like next level quilting, right? Look at the detail here. How beautiful is this crab, right? She loves crabs. And you know what? I love, love, love this jacket. So, guys, again, if you are at all interested in one of these amazing jackets, okay, definitely let me know in the comments.

Making Quilts for Other People

All right, so moving on. I underestimated the joy I would experience in making quilts for other people. Now, the third quilt that I made, all right, I accidentally sold it, right? I did not piece it together with the thought, I'm going to sell this. That is another story for another video. And what I'm going to do is post that one later. It's a very interesting story because that is what gave birth to my company, Oh So Happy. But fast forward to the end of the school year. I have two children and my youngest, she is wonderful and a bit of a rascal. And so I decided I wanted to honor the three teachers that spent the most time with her with a quilt. All right, this is one of them. This teacher wasn't available for pictures, but I definitely wanted to capture what it looked like. This was the first chevron quilt that I made. All right. And then look here. You can't see their faces, but these women were so surprised and happy when they received their quilt. And you know what? It warms my heart when I think about them at home sitting, you know, on their couch cozied up with a cup of hot cocoa and their quilt watching Netflix, not thinking about the children and the school week and the school day, right? Shout out to our teachers because you know what? They deserve it.

Quilting Legacies

But moving on. Okay, creating multiple legacies for my children. Now, obviously, as a quilter, I will accumulate a stack of quilts that I will pass on to my children and hopefully to generations to come. However, what I didn't expect was seeing the little maker, all right, in my daughter. Okay. She doesn't call them quilts. She calls them fabric. And I love it when she comes into my sewing room and says, "Mommy, I love your fabric." Right? Or maybe I finished a project, I've laid it out on the floor because I'm getting ready to sandwich it together. And when she sees them, she stops, looks, and then kind of like fake passes out, right, because she's just so astonished and so amazed at the work I've done.

True story. All right, true story. Last week, I went to Michaels because I wanted to see their new fabric lineup, right? And as we're walking down the aisle, I look back and she is hugging the bolts of fabric, right, petting them. She was trying to kiss them, guys. I was like, "Grace, you can't kiss the fabric." Like, I'm looking at the cameras. I can't buy all this fabric in here, you know? I am definitely creating a future quilter. And you know what? She's six, right? So, I can only imagine what she'll be doing 20, 30, however many years from now. And that is just, you know, that's super, super special.

All right, this is a picture of her. This is a puff quilt that I made for her. I wasn't even finished, right, when she wanted to lay on it while she was doing her coloring. She's a sweet, sweet, sweet little love bug.

All right. And then lastly, the confidence that I have found in the quilting that I do has changed the trajectory of my life, right? So when I think back to that very first quilt that I made, I happen to have it right here. It was during a particularly tough time in life, you know, family stuff, work stuff, so many things just kept piling on top, right? And so one day I decided, you know what? I need a win, right? A small win. I'll take any win right now. So I went to the fabric store. I bought three yards of fabric. You'll notice the beautiful yellow. Why? I needed some sunshine in my life, right?

I brought the fabric home and I decided I wasn't going to stop until I had pieced this quilt, sandwiched this quilt, quilted it, and bound it. Okay, I needed the win. And you know what? It was something I could control. All right, this is a very simple pattern. It did not take long. There was not a lot that I had to do. But once I had that finished project and then I showed it to people, people who didn't know me as a quilter, it was the best thing since sliced bread, right? They were like, "Oh my god, how did you do that?" Right? And so I just found so much confidence in myself, my self-efficacy, my ability to start something new and stick with it. And you know, Bara back then, I couldn't even begin to imagine or envision this Bara that has a YouTube channel and is doing this live stream, right? So guys, again, it has changed the trajectory of my life. All right, and I look forward to bringing you lifestyle type things about the quilting world.

The Three Largest Shows Early 2026

But moving on to quilting news now. I want to talk about the three shows that are in the first quarter or three bigger, biggest shows that are in the first quarter of 2026. All right, there is the Road to California. It's January 21st to 24th at the Ontario Convention Center. Right. Classes are almost full, but there are four still available at least as of an hour ago. All right. Look at this cute sunshine puff quilt. Right. The designer is going to be teaching the class. All right. It's one of the last four available. There's also a couple of improv quilt classes, so definitely check that out. Tickets are $25 for all four days, $20 for one day. I mean, no-brainer, right? And if you register for a class, do not pay for the show, okay? The show is included in your class ticket.

All right. 2026 QuiltCon. It's taking place in February in Raleigh, North Carolina. All right. You can pre-order your commemorative merch pack up until December 31st. Tickets are now $60. Single day passes are $18 in advance and $22 at the door. All right. Hotels are booking up fast. At this point, you probably will not be able to get a hotel walking distance to the convention center, but it's nothing more than a quick Uber ride, right? So, if you are interested in QuiltCon, definitely get on top of that ASAP.

All right. Another big show that's also going on in February is Quilt Week. All right. It's taking place in Daytona Beach in Florida. Tickets are now $28 for members and $35 for non-members, plus a $5 processing fee. The good news about Quilt Week is there are still rooms at the hotel that's across the street from the convention center. They're $185 a night. And you know, to be honest with you, if you're in a hotel and you've got a convention center full of quilts on one side and the beach on the other, I mean, is there any greater place to be? Like, I don't think so. Right?

But you may be asking yourself, which should I go to, right? QuiltCon and Quilt Week are both in February at the same time. So, let's talk a little bit about the difference in the organizations that put on these events. MQG, the Modern Quilt Guild, they're responsible for QuiltCon, the Road to California, the Road to Virginia. I am a Virginian, so that is the one that I'll be going to. But you know, the Modern Quilt Guild, the quilts in the contest are more modern, right? I like to think of it as modern art meets your more traditional quilting, you know? And I love that. You know, sometimes when you look at these quilts, you think, is that a quilt or is it art? Right? They're the ones you want to put on the wall, right? They're the ones that you don't want anybody to touch, right? They're not the ones you're sitting on the couch with. But yes, the Modern Quilt Guild is a more grassroots type of energy, right?

So then you've got the American Quilter Society. These are more traditional quilts, right? They're what you remember on your grandmother's bed. And while there may be some modern quilts there, most of the ones submitted for show and to the contest are traditional. And you know what? There is always, always, always room for traditional quilts. So, that just gives you a little bit of information on how to consider which one is for you.

Kona Cotton Color of the Year

All right. And then lastly, I want to talk about the Kona cotton color of the year. All right. The 2025 color of the year is Nocturne. It's this beautiful rich velvety purple you see on the screen. I've provided in the description information on a store that is selling the current color of the year and then also other Kona colors that are on discount for $7.99 a yard. And you know what? They're even willing to ship it to you for free when you order $100 or more of merchandise. And you know as we all know that is not difficult to do.

All right. So next week I want to focus on sewing retreats. I personally have never been on one. I've done silent retreats before. They were amazing. So I look forward to the opportunity to combine the serene atmosphere of a retreat with the thing that I love doing the most, quilting. What I think is amazing is as I manifest a retreat into my life next year, the ability to live stream from a retreat, that would be awesome because I could take you right into the community so that you could see all the wonderful things that are done. I understand that a lot of these retreats have amazing food. And you know what? Honestly, it just comes down to the community, too. So, anyway, that's next week. Be sure to tune in.

Etsy Boho Quilted Vest Sewing Pattern (XS-4XL)

All right. So, this is our weekly pattern. I have to be honest, after trying on Pat's jacket, I said, you know what? I might not be ready to make a jacket, but I bet I could handle a vest. And I happen to love wearing vests. Look at girlfriend on the screen here. Okay, she is super cute. She's working that hat. The vest is looking flawless. Okay. I am so interested in making one of these. And you know what? If you are too, guess what? The pattern is only $3.32. Okay? It's on sale until December 2nd. And with the pattern, you're going to get extra small to 4XL. Can't beat that, right? The price is normally $5, but you know what? Get yours ASAP so you can save that $2. Why? $2 is a fat quarter of fabric. Okay? I'm all about getting the fabric when you can.

Weekly Giveaway

All right. So, now it's time for the free table. All right. This week I am giving away the Tula Pink 100 Modern Quilt Blocks. All right, let me put my producer hat on and see if I can get to the big screen. Yes, there we go. So, you guys can see this book. All right, I'm just going to pick a random page. Honestly, it doesn't matter. These are all beautiful blocks, right? Simplistic, modern, and amazing. Let me show you the sampler. Okay, look at this. Look at that quilt. I love a rainbow ombre quilt. All right, I'm going to be having a Tula Pink series. So, if you are interested in joining me with the series, please, please, please let me know. But if you're interested in this book, just go ahead and comment below "free table."

So, let's see, guys. That is everything I have for you today. I'm just looking in the comments. And you know what, guys? Thank you so much for your support. Again, whether you're watching this live or you're watching the replay, definitely drop me a comment. It just helps keep me inspired and know that you're listening. Let's see. There is a way that I can put you guys up there. Oh, look at this. "We love us some UB." You guys are so sweet. "Piecing potion." Yes, girl. If you don't know, sometimes you need a little extra wine sitting next to your sewing machine. And oh, we've got a free table. Yes, I love it. I love it.

So, you know what, guys? Thank you so much for joining me here on my first live stream. You know what? I survived. I didn't have a heart attack. I was a little bit nervous but you know what? I feel right at home. You guys have provided so much support and I just want to thank you for that. Thank you for supporting Oh So Happy and The Word on the Stitch. Subscribe to my channel and I will see you next week. Wait a minute before you go. Let us get some music.