I have always had a love of thrifting and recycling, especially when it comes to reusing fabric, turning it into something new. In fact, my first published book was entitled Second Stitches (long out of print), focusing on recycling as you sew. This was in the early days of the Internet, and I thought it […] Read more…
Sewing/Creating
Three Fabric Embellishments
I love to add texture and color to fabric for a unique look. Here are three videos from my You Tube Channel, each one featuring a simple way to elevate the look of your fabric. In most cases, I embellish flat fabric and then cut out the pattern for the project I am making. This […] Read more…
Holiday Hot Pads – A Great Beginner Project!
Another Thanksgiving is over and I hope yours was happy and healthy. We had a family dinner with good food and lots of pie! Every time we have a large dinner, I wish I had more trivets and hot pads to protect my tabletop from hot dishes. I’ve decided to get busy, so I’ll be […] Read more…
Vintage Fun!
When I see someone’s interpretation of something I designed, it always makes me happy. My first reaction is that I am seeing something I like and it is sooooo familiar, but I can’t always immediately place it. That’s because most sewers put a little bit of themselves into their projects, so it is not exactly […] Read more…
Fun Technique Tags
Create a little piece of art with items you may already have in your sewing space. Making technique tags is fun, fast, and easy to do. I create these tags to showcase my favorite techniques or to practice new ones that I’ve just learned. My latest video shows you how to create a double-sided tag […] Read more…
Going Sewing! FREE Printable
Hi, I’ve just returned from a fun week of teaching classes to sewists who love to sew as much as I do! I was in New York City teaching at the American Sewing Guild Conference. As a sewing teacher, I am well aware that we took a 2-year break from in-person classes, but over the […] Read more…
Red, White, and Blue Placemat with a Summertime Sale!
Summer is here and it’s almost the 4th of July. Time for family gatherings, picnics, and fireworks! Enjoy this fun Independence Day sewing project – a red, white, and blue placemat to dress your table for holiday dinners. It’s made with an easy quilt-as-you-go technique and a wrap-around binding method to finish it off. Keep […] Read more…
Coloring Outside the Lines
Do you like coloring or painting? If so, you may be interested in a recent blog post I did, entitled Creating Art with your Sewing Machine. This was a guest post for RNK Distributing. You may know them for the product lines they sell such as Quilters Select (Alex Anderson products), Embellish, and Floriani items. […] Read more…
Happy Scrappy Hearts Follow-Up
Hi All – If you liked my Valentine’s post with my Happy Scrappy Hearts pillow, you’ll love this follow-up. One of my readers, Carolyn, emailed me with when she saw the post with this comment about my Happy Scrappy Hearts Pillow: “It’s beautiful. It’s a very sweet project! I’m hoping to have my granddaughters each […] Read more…
From UFO to DONE
As I have been working on my new sewing space, unpacking, and sorting, I was on the lookout for any UFOs (unfinished objects) so I can make plans to finish them (or not). I came across one that I started years ago and for the life of me, I don’t know why I didn’t finish […] Read more…