The rotary cutter trips up more new quilters than anything else in the studio, and it has nothing to do with the fabric or the pattern. In Lesson 6 of the Brave Beginner Quilt Course, Mitzie Schafer teaches studio assistant Kelly the three-point pressure technique, how to walk your hand up the ruler, when to change your blade, and why an inch is not always an inch between a mat and a ruler.

Working through the Charade quilt pattern? Mitzie breaks down her best tips for cutting, chain piecing, and laying out your blocks — including why "random order" isn't actually random and how to use value to give your quilt movement and flow.

Pressing and ironing are not the same thing, and the difference matters more than most beginners realize. In this lesson of the free Brave Beginner Quilt Course, Mitzie Schafer from Jittery Wings Quilt Company explains why sliding your iron distorts quilt fabric, what starch does that steam cannot, and how to get your fat quarter bundle prepped and perfectly flat before you ever touch your rotary cutter.

Should you wash your fabric before you start quilting? The internet will give you completely opposite answers. In this lesson of the free Brave Beginner Quilt Course, Mitzie Schafer settles the debate and explains why the real rule has nothing to do with which choice you make and everything to do with being consistent about it.

You picked some fabrics. You kind of like them. But now you are standing there wondering if they actually go together or if you are about to make a very colorful mistake. In this free lesson from the Brave Beginner Quilt Course, Mitzie walks studio assistant Kelly through her color choices for the Sidewalk Cracks quilt pattern live on camera, using the same Color Flow Theory framework that takes the guesswork out of fabric selection for good.

Your sewing machine has a lot of parts — and if you've never used one for quilting, it can feel like a lot to take in at once. In this lesson of the Brave Beginner Quilt Course, Mitzie Schafer walks through every part of a basic sewing machine, from stitch length to feed dogs to the quarter-inch foot, so you know exactly what you're working with before you sew a single stitch.

Starting your first quilt doesn't have to mean buying a cart full of tools you'll never use. In this lesson of the Brave Beginner Quilt Course, Mitzie Schafer breaks down every quilting tool a beginner actually needs — what it does, how to use it, and what you can skip — so you can get to the fun part faster.

Most first quilts end up hidden in a closet — not because the maker didn't work hard, but because no one taught them about color. The Brave Beginner Quilt Course changes that. Learn to make a beautiful, spellbinding quilt you'll actually want to show off, step by step, completely free.

Before a new pattern gets a name, a color palette, or a quilt layout, it usually starts with me at my cutting mat, playing. And right now, I am deep in a study for a brand new Split Quarter Rectangle block.

The idea for this block was born out of our March 22, 2026 HIVE+ Guided Practice LIVE.

The speaker emerged. This woman on stage started with, “quilting is dying!”
Wait! What?

Learn to quilt using the Foundation Paper Piecing Method (FPP) using the free Sparrow Quilt Pattern from Jittery Wings. Mitzie designed this pattern specifically to teach foundation paper piecing.

Use a 1000 foot spool of 3/16th inch rope from Mountain Thread Company to make a 4’ Christmas Tree Skirt and matching ornaments.

Learn the simple steps to add hangers to your mini quilts so you can enjoy them on your wall.

Learn this simple trick of sewing the “man’s belt and not his crotch” to remember how to connect the ends of the binding. I learned this long ago, and I can’t remember where, but it is wonderful.

A look at color through design elements found in nature to inform and inspire your next controlled improv project. Learn about ROY G BIV and moving colors from dark to light. Learn how nature can help you make critical design decisions.

Using the Here’s Your Sign Quilt Pattern to make holiday table decor using Michael Miller holiday fabrics. What a fun way to start the holiday season this year.

Controlled Improv is the term I use (others may as well, I am not sure) to describe following a process that allows for freedom inside some design boundaries that are predetermined. In this post, you will also learn “what is improvisational quilting” or “improv quilting.”

Leave the Scissors Alone. I rarely use scissors in my quilting. Rotary cutters open up lots of options for clean, precise cuts for quilting. Make friends with your rotary cutter and quilting will become a pleasure!

At Jittery Wings, we never include the 4-at-a-time option in a pattern because it leads to frustration and wonky quilts. When making Flying Geese, we use either the 1 at a time or no-waste method.