Best Freehand Quilting Podcasts (2025)

1
Why I Created the Free Motion Quilting Masterclass 18:08

Play Pause

7M ago18:08

18:08

Send us a text In this episode, I share the story behind my Free Motion Quilting Masterclass, explaining how I discovered my passion for longarm quilting and developed techniques to help others master freehand quilting without patterns or templates. Resources Mentioned: Free Motion Quilting Masterclass: Available at stitchedbysusan.com under the "L…

1
Meet Blair Stocker of Wise Craft Handmade 37:26

7M ago37:26

37:26

Send us a text In this episode, Susan interviews Blair Stocker of Wise Craft Handmade, discussing Blair's unique approach to color and value in quilt making, her journey as a crafter, and her revival of the vintage stitching technique called "chicken scratch." About Blair Stocker Blair is known for her creative approach to scrappy quilts, focusing …

1
The Sweet Spot Between Excellence & Efficiency 17:35

7M ago17:35

17:35

Send us a text In this episode, I discuss how excellence and efficiency can coexist in creative entrepreneurship. Episode Highlights: Finding the balance between providing excellent service and maintaining profitability The difference between excellence and perfection Creating a "sweet spot" where excellence and efficiency intersect The importance …

1
Meet Erynn Truexx: The Creative Mind Behind The Panto Shop Revival 33:49

8M ago33:49

33:49

Send us a text In this episode, I speak with Erynn Truexx, the creative force behind True Threads Quilting and The Panto Shop. The conversation explores Erynn's journey as a quilter and entrepreneur, focusing on her experience with longarm quilting and her recent acquisition of the Panto Shop, a digital pantograph marketplace. Key Topics Discussed …

1
The Courage to Learn New Things 18:03

8M ago18:03

18:03

Send us a text In this episode of Measure Twice, Cut Once, I explore the process of learning new skills and capabilities, both in quilting and in business. I share personal stories about taking on challenging projects—from creating a quilt from vintage blocks to building an online course business—and break down the four stages of growth: courage, c…

1
Sarah Becvar: Threading Stories Through Fabric & Cards 32:39

8M ago32:39

32:39

Send us a text In this episode, I welcome Sarah Becvar, a textile artist from England with over 20 years of experience creating machine embroidered textiles and greeting cards. Sarah shares her unique technique for creating beautiful machine embroidered cards and offers practical advice for listeners interested in trying this creative art form. Spo…

1
Amy Lollis: Breaking Free from Creative Burnout & Finding Joy Again 32:40

8M ago32:40

32:40

Send us a text In this episode, I welcome Amy Lollis, a quilt pattern writer, fabric designer, podcaster, crocheter, and Oklahoma homeschool mom. About Amy Lollis Quilt pattern writer, fabric designer, podcaster, crocheter Oklahoma homeschool mom Creator behind Amy Lollis Creative Unofficial motto: "Make every day just a little bit more magical" To…

1
15 Quilting Tools Hiding in Your Hardware Store 18:50

9M ago18:50

18:50

Send us a text In this episode, I explore unconventional and budget-friendly quilting tools that can be found at your local hardware store. As part of Season 5's focus on building a creative business, this episode offers practical tips for quilters looking to save money while enhancing their craft. Hardware Store Quilting Tools: Tools Section: Magn…

1
Engagement Magic: it Starts With a Story 19:36

9M ago19:36

19:36

Send us a text In this episode, I explore the power of storytelling in newsletters and email marketing for creative entrepreneurs. She shares how incorporating personal stories can dramatically increase engagement, build connection with subscribers, and transform newsletters from dreaded tasks into effective business tools. Want to learn how to wri…

1
Carina Gardner: A Creative Dynamo 32:47

9M ago32:47

32:47

Send us a text In this episode, Susan welcomes Carina Gardner, a renowned fabric designer and CEO of multiple companies. Carina, who has designed fabric for Riley Blake Designs, dies for Silhouette, host of the Make and Design Podcast, creater of Design Suite, and is the founder of the University of Arts and Design, shares her journey and strategie…

1
Snippets from QuiltCon 2025 50:28

9M ago50:28

50:28

Send us a text Join me at QuiltCon 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona! I had the pleasure to speak with vendors, attendees and teachers, and recorded them to share with you. Find out more about them below: Hollyann of String and Story Website - https://www.stringandstory.com/ Kristin of Laurastar Website - https://www.laurastar.com/ Lorelai Kueker of Pigs in…

1
Navigating Creativity, Business, and Life with Amy Smart 39:00

9M ago39:00

39:00

Send us a text In the latest season of 'Measure Twice, Cut Once,' we dive into the world of creative entrepreneurship and quilting. Join me as I welcome Amy Smart, of Diary of a Quilter, a well-established quilter and fabric designer for Riley Blake Designs. Amy and I discuss her journey from blogging to designing fabric, the evolution of her busin…

1
Join the Journey: Quilting Adventures with Tour Host Kim Caskey 31:46

10M ago31:46

31:46

Send us a text In this episode, I welcome world traveler Kim Caskey to the podcast. You can find out more about her from her website at www.kimcaskey.ca and more about her world tours at www.kimcaskey.ca/tours as well as on Facebook and Instagram. Kim has the enviable job of coordinating and organizing textile tours around the world, including Irel…

1
Collaboration Over Competition 9:06

10M ago9:06

9:06

Send us a text In this episode, I emphasize the importance, as I see it, of collaboration over competition. It's a beautiful thing when our quilting community shares knowledge, celebrates others' successes, and seeks help without fear. I advocate for giving proper credit to original ideas and designs, ensuring a supportive and vibrant and sustainab…

1
Crafting Your Success Story: A Heart-to-Heart with Business Coach Tracy Beavers 39:24

10M ago39:24

39:24

Send us a text Want to try free motion quilting but don't know where to start? Here's 3 simple steps to get going. Are you looking to ADVANCE your machine quilting skills? Machine quilting can be very solitary, especially on a longarm. It's just not that easy to pack up your machine and head to a friend's house for the day, right? But it's importan…

1
Profitable Quilting - A Step by Step Pricing Guide 17:55

10M ago17:55

17:55

Send us a text In Season 5 of Measure Twice, Cut Once, the focus shifts to the business side of quilting and creative entrepreneurship. The season aims to share personal experiences and host guest discussions on building a thriving creative business. The opening of the episode introduces Heather from PurpleHobbies.com, who designs custom 3D printed…

1
Fearless Pricing for Makers: Setting Rates That Match Your Skills, with Casey Brown 37:33

10M ago37:33

37:33

Send us a text Creative Entrepreneurship and Pricing with guest Casey Brown In this episode of Measure Twice, Cut Once, I introduce to you my special guest Casey Brown, a pricing expert and author of 'Fearless Pricing' and founder of Boost Pricing. Casey's TED Talk can be viewed here. Casey talks about helping artisans command the prices they deser…

1
Threading the Needle: Balancing Creative Passion with Entrepreneurship 16:31

11M ago16:31

16:31

Send us a text In the new season of Measure Twice, Cut Once, I'll be delving into the behind-the-scenes of building a creative business. The season features personal experiences and guest interviews about navigating creative entrepreneurship. I'll shares my creative journey of turning a quilting hobby into a thriving business, sparked by the challe…

1
The Art of Creative Gatherings: How the 'Retreat Queen' is Stitching Together Community 33:08

11M ago33:08

33:08

Send us a text Exploring Creative Entrepreneurship and Quilting with Tabatha Smith In this episode of 'Measure Twice, Cut Once,' I welcome Tabatha Smith, also known as the Quilt Retreat Queen. Tabatha discusses her journey of building a successful quilting business and the upcoming Quilted! Summit, a virtual event featuring 25 speakers sharing insi…

1
Better Than Resolutions? How a Not-To-Do List Makes Room for What Really Matters 12:45

11M ago12:45

12:45

Send us a text The Power of the Not To-Do List in Creative Entrepreneurship In season five of Measure Twice, Cut Once, the focus shifts to the behind-the-scenes world of quilting and creative business building. I'll share personal experiences and strategies for turning a passion into a profession, emphasizing the importance of a 'not to-do list.' T…

1
Karlee Porter - the Queen of Grafitti Quilting 44:52

2y ago44:52

44:52

Send us a text #machinequilting #artquilting #grafitti Over 10 years ago Karlee Porter invented and made wildly popular her signature style of quilting - Grafitti Quilting. Machine quilting has never looked so gorgeous! Basically, it's a mashup of all kinds of unexpected designs in the same quilted area. But that's not all. Oh no! It also involves …

1
Amy Freyn - Quilting in Quito, Equador 25:34

2+ y ago25:34

25:34

Send us a text Amy Freyn is one of only TWO longarm quilters in the entire country of Equador! She's a professor by day, and an avid quilter by night. She credits quilting with saving her life - twice! Her story of change and pivot and taking chances is truly remarkable. Amy's also the #dancingquilter. Take up her challenge and post your own videos…

1
Carly and Lydia - The Shopping Channel Reimagined 50:56

2+ y ago50:56

50:56

Send us a text Carly Brush and Lydia Kao are representing WHATNOT, which is a community marketplace all wrapped up in an app. They are both so excited to be building the Quilting and Sewing category of WHATNOT, and it is growing at a tremendous rate. It has been designed to serve small business owners, with simplicity and convenience and, really, i…

1
Adria Good - the growth of a longarm quilter 45:02

3y ago45:02

45:02

Send us a text Adria Good has been quilting for a very long time! She's quilted through getting married...kids...homeshooling...basketball coaching...all the things. Her story is one of learning and growing. New idea? Research and learn. New upgrade? Practice, and expand capabilities. New challenge? Take it one step at a time. You CAN do the hard t…

1
Being Candid - there are HARD days! 9:19

3y ago9:19

9:19

Send us a text Today I'm talking about a slightly uncomfortable topic - what to do when everything’s just going wrong. Just last week, I received a schooling in this! I regularly live stream quilting a project on YouTube and Facebook. I’ve dubbed it Live & Unscripted, and sometimes Quilting’s First Reality Show because it’s just that - real time pr…

1
Sam Alberts - building and pivoting a crafting business 27:40

3y ago27:40

27:40

Send us a text Sam Alberts was one of my very first podcast guests - see Episode #4. Now she's back to give us an update on her Quilting Curve Studio. Sam's been (of course!) quilting, lo, these many months. But also, she's made significant pivots in her business. She was finding that a) there are only so many hours a body can quilt, and that trans…

1
Dixie Thue - Quilts & St Bernard Puppies 34:18

3y ago34:18

34:18

Send us a text Dixie Thue (pronounced too-ee) is a fellow Canadian, and a quilter with broad experience, and stories to match! Listen in as we chat about her ranch life in northern Canada, raising St. Bernard puppies, and her collection of sewing machines. Quilters seem to be multi-talented people, and Dixie is no exception. Skim through her feed o…

1
Tiny and Snail - Creating Cards With a Mission 44:19

3y ago44:19

44:19

Send us a text Leah Nixon and Grace Nixon Peterson are a powerful duo - two sisters that create greeting cards rich with meaning. The word "card" seems too simple - their artwork, the thoughtfulness of every word, their passion about writing to each other by hand - all these come together to create one-of-a-kind snail mail. We chat about the themes…

1
Dara Tomasson - "Love Yourself Thin" 49:56

3y ago49:56

49:56

Send us a text In Dara's own words - "If you can make a quilt, you can do anything. That includes taking control of your life and losing weight that has been holding you back." Dara Thomasson is a longarm quilter and a quiltmaker. She teaches all these skills, but also coaches and teaches women to love themselves thin. Her approach is positive, hol…

1
Jenn Geisbrecht - Building a Quilting Business 35:44

3y ago35:44

35:44

Send us a text Jenn Geisbrecht lives in central Alberta, Canada, which means she know allll about long, cold winters. Jenn also knows a lot about building a machine quilting business. In this episode we chat about growing a clientele, building a brand and visibility, using social media to aid in growth, and - gasp - doing new things outside your co…

1
Dee Bradford - Finding freedom in freehand quilting 1:01:22

3y ago1:01:22

1:01:22

Send us a text Dee Bradford is a student in my Freehand Quilting Masterclass. In this episode she shares her quilting journey, and highlights how becoming proficient at freehand work has both brought personal enjoyment, and opened creative doors of opportunity. Want to try free motion quilting but don't know where to start? Here's 3 simple steps to…

1
Why I Created the Freehand Quilting Masterclass 31:06

3y ago31:06

31:06

Send us a text Today's episode is a little departure from the podcast norm....I'm giving some backstory on why I created a comprehensive course on the art of machine quilting. It was born directly from the need I felt as a novice quilter to have some solid and extremely practical guidance as I got to know my machine and my own style of quilting. Wh…

1
My take on the dreaded words...Quilt as Desired 10:40

3y ago10:40

10:40

Send us a text We've all cringed at those words. C'mon, admit it! This is my exploration of edge to edge and custom quilting, and why and when you might want to choose one over the other. Custom quilting is specific to areas, or blocks, or borders; may include stops and starts or thread color changes, and is often more complex or intricate. It is d…

1
Carina Gardner - Surface Designer and Business Builder 29:03

3y ago29:03

29:03

Send us a text Carina Gardner and I chat about business building and entrepreneurial skills. Tenacity...the willingness to learn and stretch...these are essential. There's no magic - it takes time and determination to establish and grow a business, but Carina's successes will encourage you! Carina has a Ph.D. in Design from the University of Minnes…

1
Eva and I Chat Up Scrappy Quilts 37:19

3y ago37:19

37:19

Send us a text Does the idea of creating a scrappy quilt just overwhelm you? Where to start? How to choose fabrics? How to make it sparkle? Eva and I both love a good scrap quilt, so we're sharing the things we've learned about fabric selection, scrap storage, even pre-cutting into sizes we know we use often. We've got some simple tricks for determ…

1
Eva and I Chat up Quilt Shows 31:56

3y ago31:56

31:56

Send us a text Quilt shows - you gotta love them! There's something new around every corner - quilts in every style, color, size. There are classes and demos. There are dealers with machines you can take out for a spin. There are vendors with delicious fabric! And, usually on the last day, there are ribbons to ooooh and aaaah over. Our local show i…

1
Eva and I Chat Up Shop Hops 17:59

3+ y ago17:59

17:59

Send us a text Shop Hops are a great way to explore a variety of quilt stores - and get free patterns to boot! Eva and I chat about the details; from mapping and planning your route, to snacks and take-alongs, to collecting the free patterns that are unique to each shop, and even the contests that are available for speedy piecers! You'll want to co…

1
Eva and I Chat Up Quilt Retreats 29:51

3+ y ago29:51

29:51

Send us a text Quilt retreats - what's not to love? They are a chance to visit and giggle with your friends...a time to get in some uninterrupted work on a challenging project...a chance to finish up some WIPs. My friend Eva and I were recently at a rather rustic retreat, so we'll tell you what we loved best, and what we learned. Plus tools and sup…

1
Shannon Fraser - Modern Quilter 42:37

3+ y ago42:37

42:37

Send us a text Shannon Fraser became a quilter unexpectedly - in fact she says she had discounted quilting as an interest entirely! Never say never! Shannon tells the story of textile exploration that eventually led her to quilting and pattern design. We chat about her love of saturated colors, and graphic designs, and improv as a quilter's version…

1
Lorinda Davis - Quilter's Planner 30:56

3+ y ago30:56

30:56

Send us a text Lorinda Davis loves making pretty things, but she also loves being organized. We chat about her journey into the art of quilting - the first time she tried it she thought "that's not for me!" but eventually she was drawn in in an unexpected way. And then we explore the wonderful world of planners...organizers...checklists, and how wr…

1
Courtney Kimball - One Common Thread Part 2 41:35

3+ y ago41:35

41:35

Send us a text Courtney Kimball first learned to sew in special some one-on-one time with her grandmother, and she's been "making" ever since. In 2017 she and her husband and family moved to Honduras to develop their existing business. And over time, Courtney became acquainted with the desperate needs in the slums right next to their apartment comp…

1
Courtney Kimball - One Common Thread, Part 1 41:35

3+ y ago41:35

41:35

Send us a text Courtney Kimball first learned to sew in special some one-on-one time with her grandmother, and she's been "making" ever since. In 2017 she and her husband and family moved to Honduras to develop their existing business. And over time, Courtney became acquainted with the desperate needs in the slums right next to their apartment comp…

1
Pat Sloan - Making Quilting Fun! 29:59

3+ y ago29:59

29:59

Send us a text Pat Sloan - designer, author, and YouTuber truly has a deep passion for making quilting fun for herself and everyone around her. She's made over 800 quilts!! Pat has a vast experience of all aspects of quilt making and design, from patterns and sewalongs, to fabric design and teaching online. We chat about some of her most favorite t…

1
Darlene Girton - the Featherweight Doctor 44:27

3+ y ago44:27

44:27

Send us a text Darlene Girton has been making pretty things from fabric for a lot of years, but these days she has fallen in love with Singer Featherweight sewing machines. They have some unique qualities that make them beloved by quilters all over North America and beyond. Truly they are time capsules that we get to use and appreciate nearly 90 ye…

1
Leisha Farnsworth - Longarmer and Digital Designer 40:33

3+ y ago40:33

40:33

Send us a text Leisha Farnsworth has been machine quilting for over 17 years! Many, many quilts were done completely freehand, but she now shares her skills and creativity by creating digital quilting designs. She's also developed a set of rulers, born directly from a need she saw, as well as an online course and on-demand classes. Leisha has some …

1
Bethanne Nemesh - the Devil is in the Details 1:01:17

3+ y ago1:01:17

1:01:17

Send us a text Bethanne Nemesh is a classically trained artist with degrees in art and art therapy. She's been mastering the art of machine quilting and creating for over 23 years. She has extensively shown her quilts and won many major awards at national and international levels. Her deepest love, though, is teaching. Bethanne has taught quilters …

1
Ann Brauer - Creating Art Quilts that are Landscapes of the Imagination 27:57

3+ y ago27:57

27:57

Send us a text In Ann's words - "For 40 years I have been making original quilts that use color, fabric and tradition to create abstract landscapes of the imagination." Ann's creations are made one strip of fabric at a time, and are so evocative of wide open outdoor spaces. They range from eyeglass cases to a 140-ft series. She gives us a little to…

1
Karlee Porter - Graffiti Quilter and Fabric Artist 46:29

3+ y ago46:29

46:29

Send us a text Karlee Porter is an artist! In her own words: "I excelled in the clay pencil holders of elementary school; I dominated the 10 minute drawing warm ups of my inner city middle school art class; and, against my mother’s most polite wishes, I skipped most of my high school core classes to escape to the art studio on the 3rd floor of my a…

1
Jenny Kae Parks - Quilting in COLOR 29:41

3+ y ago29:41

29:41

Send us a text Jenny Kae Parks came to this (audio only) interview in clothes coordinating with the quilt behind her. That's how passionate she is about color and its appeal! Jenny Kae home-schooled for many years, and has honed those teaching skills to now teach quilters to develop their own eye for color and style. In Jenny Kae's words: "Don't st…

1
Tiffany Groff - Quilting is the BEST Therapy 31:33

3+ y ago31:33

31:33

Send us a text Tiffany Groff's words about herself: "Insomniac Quilter, Random Conversations, Disabled living with Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis and still LOVE & LIVE Life!" Tiffany knows all about the therapeutic qualities of quilting. She has MS, and at one point was wheelchair bound. Quilting became her passion, her motivation, and he…