In my ongoing battle of keeping my sewing space organized, I am preparing (read this to mean: thinking about it) to declutter and reduce the amount of “stuff” I have. Before I start, I’ve decided to make a plan so I can do this purposefully and see it through to the end. We all know […] Read more…
Four Things a New Sewer Needs to Know
When I have new sewers in my classes, I regularly see a pattern in the challenges they face as they sew. Even when stitching easy techniques, they often struggle with their machine. It’s not surprising to me because when I think back to when I first learned to sew, I made the same mistakes and […] Read more…
Five Things I Wish I’d Known as a New Sewist
When you first learn to sew, there’s a lot to learn. You take a few baby steps and learn it bit by bit. And truly you can keep learning for decades because the scope of sewing is deep and wide. No matter how much I know or what I’ve learned about sewing, I keep discovering […] Read more…
Vintage Scissors Necklace
Keep your small scissors handy with this unique vintage-style sewing accessory that has a lot of character and is fun to make. It only takes a few minutes to complete and you’ll always know where to find your scissors. Supplies 1 ½” yards of measuring tape twill tape, ½” wide Polyester or cotton thread for […] Read more…
Track Your Stash
If you have a fabric stash (who doesn’t?), you may struggle to really know all of the fabrics you own. I am continually going through mine to see what I have because I don’t always remember what I’ve bought or if I used it or not. So I’m using a low-tech, quick and easy way […] Read more…
Four Things I Love About My Sewing Machine
I own a BERNINA 790 Plus and it is the best sewing machine I’ve ever had. I could write a book about all the things I like about this machine but today I just want to discuss four little features that make a big difference in my sewing. Some of these features are easy to […] Read more…
A Practical Sewing Machine Stitch You Probably Never Use
Today’s sewing machines come with hundreds of stitches, for both practical and decorative techniques. When you look at the practical stitches, it’s sometimes hard to know how to use them. Here’s one of my favorite practical stitches with three useful techniques. The Universal stitch starts with two vertical straight stitches and then takes a horizontal […] Read more…
13 Halloween Costumes with Free Patterns
I remember Halloween as a kid and how much fun it was to put together a costume. It’s even more fun today because there’s so much inspiration and sharing that goes on using the Internet. Because Halloween is the only time the number 13 is lucky, I scoured the Internet and found 13 fun choices […] Read more…
My Go-To Presser Foot
I own all of the BERNINA presser feet and I have to say, I use ALL of them. Some more than others and there are a few that I only need on an occasional basis, but I love having access to the tools I need to sew any technique, any fabric, and any type of […] Read more…
Tube Quilting: Easy Chevron Design
I first came across this method of piecing about 7-8 years ago and it has become one of my favorite speed piecing methods. It was called Tube Quilting and although I’ve occasionally seen it called Tube Piecing, (which it technically is), most of the time I see it as Tube Quilting so that’s what I […] Read more…