Sew Better, Faster & More Creatively!
A variation of Sashiko quilting, Boro stitching is a Japanese textile technique that is both an art form and a practical, decorative way to mend fabrics and garments. The word, Boro, means “ragged”, or “tattered”, and usually has a patchwork look. Traditionally, it is sewn by layering fabrics and hand-stitching using a running stitch. I […] Read more…
The other day I was “surfing the net” (does anyone still say that?) and I came across a question asking, “What are the most difficult fabrics to sew?” The answer did not surprise me, but I also did not agree with it. The blogger gave a few tips to minimize the challenges of sewing these […] Read more…
I love to hear from my online students, and I recently received an email from Mary Ellen, one of the students in my Sew Vintage course. My courses are designed to be instructive but just as important, I want my students to enjoy the classes and just have fun! Here’s what Mary Ellen had to […] Read more…
Today is the first day of January which means that 2025 is officially here! If you read my latest newsletter, you know about my sewing resolutions for the coming year. In case you missed it, keep reading to see the goals I have made for the new year. I’m making three resolutions for 2025, and they […] Read more…
One of my resolutions for 2025 is to complete my UFOs – Unfinished Objects. I have twelve projects that I want to finish so I am going to complete one each month in 2025. This post is the first of the twelve. Most sewists I know (including me) are collectors. We collect fabrics, sewing notions, […] Read more…
A couple of weeks ago I gave you a sneak peek of my latest mini art quilt. I was about half way finished with it, making it up as I went along. In today’s post, I’m going to show you the finished quilt with the details of how I made it. This fun quilt features […] Read more…
I recently randomly came across a few posts/comments that were discussing names used for people who sew. I was surprised that opposing “name droppers” had very strong opinions on the subject. When I first started sewing, it seems that most people sewing were female and the definitive name was seamstress, which is a female name. […] Read more…
There’s a feature on most of today’s sewing machines that you hardly ever use but is a lifesaver when you need it. Today’s post is about the freearm sewing surface of your machine. Some machines, such as the bernette 35 shown below, have a small section of the sewing surface that pulls away from the […] Read more…
Here’s a sneak peek at my latest art quilt. I used few fabric scraps cut into circles and then I embellished them with scraps and leftovers, making art clusters. I’m right in the middle of this project but am already loving it! Over the next couple of weeks, I will finish it and then post […] Read more…
There are so many ways to sew – quilting, making garments, sewing items for your home, embroidering by machine, and more. Even though we may enjoy different types of sewing, there is at least one thing all sewists have in common. We all have scraps of fabric left over from every project we make. And […] Read more…