This week Leah Day shares updates about what she's working on, and why she's decided to try the Whole 30 Diet for the month of February.

Meet Christa Watson and learn about piecing and quilting with precut fabrics. This is the topic of Christa's newest book and she shares lots of information about working with precuts, plus how she's designing fabric, teaching classes on Craftsy, and planning more books for the future. Find the episode show notes here: http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.com/2018/01/piece-and-quilt-precut-fabrics-with.html

Basting spray is an aerosol glue you can use to spray the layers of your quilt so they stick together. It's a faster basting method in comparison to pin basting or hand basting, and I know many quilters that prefer to use spray basting because it's easier on their hands.

As with all my Great Quilting Debate episodes, I 100% believe you should use what you want and what works for you! I use polyester thread for quilting, I like to prewash and starch all my fabric before cutting, and I press my seams open - all of these are topics that quilters argue about.

But I rarely hear anyone arguing about basting spray and this worries me. I get questions weekly about whether starch will make their quilts more susceptible to bugs (a ridiculous quilting rumor in my opinion), but I never get questions about the effects of basting spray - a far more detrimental chemical.

Maybe this is because I don't use basting spray so quilters are taking their questions about it elsewhere. Or maybe quilters don't know about the possible side effects of using this chemical in their quilts. Read more about spray basting here: http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.com/2018/01/is-basting-spray-bad-for-quilts-podcast.html

Meet Amy Helton, or LongarmYogiGal, a longarm quilter from Kentucky. Amy is also a yogi and we talk about incorporating yoga into a daily routine and how Amy started her longarm quilting business. Connect with Amy through her Facebook Page Amy's In Stitches - https://www.facebook.com/amysinstitches

A new year is coming and that means it's time to pick a new word to serve as a guide. I've used this for years to set new intentions and achieve my goals. Listen to the episode to see how my words for 2017 panned out and what's in the works for 2018!

Meet Melanie Ham, a super successful Youtube teacher who shares videos on crafting, crochet, and quilting. I love her videos which are so nicely edited and clearly demonstrated. Find Melanie's YouTube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/iheartstitching

Also check out Melanie's premium course website. This is where Melanie shares more in-depth courses, projects, and quilt alongs. Remember she shared a coupon code in the podcast - make sure to enter Leah in the checkout to save 25% on your course!

I really enjoyed talking with Melanie because she and I do the same thing! We both make videos and teach a craft online and work daily to balance our busy schedules along with taking care of our kids, running our businesses, and managing our households. Of course, all of the messy bits get edited out of our videos (along with the unfinished bits too!) but it can be a struggle to get everything done on time. It was so nice to chat with another quilter who understands this world of online teaching and making videos.

Is polyester thread bad for quilts? Have you ever heard the rumor that polyester thread could damage your quilt? Many quilter's believe they must use only 100% cotton thread for quilting. Learn more about this quilting rumor in this Great Quilting Debate with Leah Day.

This week's guest is Stephanie Soebbing, the owner of QuiltAddictsAnonymous.com. Eight months ago Stephanie owned only an online quilt shop, but then expanded to create a studio, then expanded again to create a full scale brick and mortar quilt shop. In this episode hear how this transformation has worked for Stephanie and some of the struggles she's experienced along the way.

Do you prewash fabric before cutting and piecing a new quilt top? Learn about this Great Quilting Debate with Leah Day and hear why she believes prewashing fabric is a very important step in the quilt-making process.

Meet Sheri Cilfaldi Morrill, the designer behind WholeCircleStudio.com and what she noticed at the 2017 fall Quilt Market! Hear about the trends, pretty fabrics, and new gadgets Sheri noticed while attending this quilt industry trade show.