Hey there, fellow quilting enthusiasts!

Last August, I embarked on a quilting adventure that took me to Denver, Colorado. It was only an overnight trip, but it required 2 large suitcases and a carryon bag. The suitcases contained all of my quilts and sewing supplies needed to film not just one, not two, but three segments for The Quilt Show hosted by Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims.

Fast forward almost six months, and the moment has arrived! Show 3403, featuring yours truly, made its debut this week.
Here is the trailer for the episode. Be sure to read on to see more and learn where you can watch the full episode.

Today, I’m pulling back the curtain to give you a sneak peek behind the scenes of filming for The Quilt Show—what it was like on set.

Be sure to read through to the end— I share how you can watch the full 1 hour episode and snag a free trial of The Quilt Show.

Let’s get into it!

I flew in to town the day before I was set to film. After navigating the Denver airport, I pulled up to the filming location, an Airbnb that was a former mission church. This church turned event/living space was magically transformed by the crew into a television set.

I immediately unpacked my suitcases in the designated “Quilt Resting” room. I wanted any creases that developed while my quilts were packed up and traveling to work their way out before filming the next morning. I also had a lot of supplies and materials that I prepared for my demonstrations to unpack and organize.

That afternoon I had some time to explore, so I headed over to Fancy Tiger Crafts, a mecca for modern craft supplies. Visiting this beautifully curated shop in-person has been on my bucket list for a while. At the time they were in downtown Denver (they have since moved). I have lots of photos of the old shop — perhaps I’ll do a blog post in the future featuring the original shop.

Filming Day!

After a fairly good night’s sleep, I arrived back on set at 8am the next morning. We had three segments (plus one with just Alex and Ricky) to film before lunchtime. It was a whirlwind of activity!

Segment 1: Interview with Alex, Ricky, and Sheri + Show & Tell

In this segment, Ricky, Alex and I chatted, exploring my journey from a graphic designer to a full-time quilt designer and educator. We took a look at my bold, graphic quilts and I gave a little bit of background about each quilt . I also shared the story of how I found my way into quilting, taught myself to sew through books and YouTube, and eventually launched my business Whole Circle Studio in 2015.

If you were ever curious how to pronounce my name (Sheri Cifaldi-Morrill), you’re not the only one. I was totally amused by these signs underneath each of the cameras.

Segment 2: Foundation Paper Piecing (FPP): Beyond the Basics

After our sit down interview, it was time to get down to work and demonstrate some helpful tips for quilters like you! As I was getting my materials and supplies organized, I looked up. It was pretty fun to have a view of the behind the scenes getting set up to capture the segment.

Many people look at many of my quilts and think it’s applique, but most of them are not — they’re Foundation Paper Pieced (FPP) on a machine. Some quilters are a bit intimidated by FPP (and either LOVE it or HATE it). I’m on a mission to share tips with quilters to make them enjoy FPP more and fall in love with this incredibly precise technique. I shared with Alex my tips and tricks that work well for me, including my favorite paper to use FPPing (here is a direct link to it), how water soluble glue sticks makes piecing easier, how I efficiently cut and position my fabric to ensure that sections are covered, and how I avoid ghosting of fabrics.

This segment assumes some knowledge of Foundation Paper Piecing (FPP). If you are new to FPP or need a little bit of extra help, be sure to check out my FREE Foundation Paper Piecing Video Tutorial/Mini-Class.

Segment 3: Intuitive Quilting (With Walking Foot)

Once we wrapped up the segment with Alex, I quickly cleaned up my supplies and grabbed my next batch of materials as I prepared for my third and final segment.

In this overview, I chatted with Ricky about how I plan my quilting designs and execute them with my walking foot. It was SO hard to decide what to share — I typically teach all about this in an hour workshop (that could be even longer!)

In this segment, I gave tips on planning your quilting design, listening to what your quilt top is telling you, and using a walking foot on your domestic machine. We also took a closer look at my Modern Moths quilt pattern design.

Check out the episode for yourself!
Read on for a free trial to The Quilt Show…

I’d love for you to check out my episode (Show 3403). I hope by watching, you’ll pick up a new tip, be encouraged to try something new, or be inspired by my process and quilts.

To watch the episode, you need to have a membership to The Quilt Show but… my friends at The Quilt Show are now offering a FREE 7-day trial of the entire website. That means you can not only check out my segments, but their complete library! Sign up for a free trial today. If you just want to view my episode or decide a membership is not for you, you just need to cancel your trial membership prior to the end of the seven day period. Get all the details here.

Until next time, happy quilting!
Sheri