Sew Better, Faster & More Creatively!
If you’ve been sewing as long as I have, you probably remember using scissors to clip threads as you stitched. At the end of every seam and line of stitching, you lifted the presser foot and pulled the fabric away from the machine with tails of thread still attached, and then clipped the threads. Historically, […] Read more…
I sometimes use a non-traditional piecing technique and when I’m finished, I have a beautifully embellished quilt block, pillow front, or background for a mini art quilt. This one is made of 2 ½” squares, which can be tedious when stitching square to square to make rows, and then stitching the rows together, all the […] Read more…
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…
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…
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…
A few days ago I told you that my new eBook, Sew What…A Beginner’s Guide to Sewing, was coming. And now, it’s here! If you are a new sewer, a non-sewer who wants to learn, or a confident beginner, you’ll love this eBook. This 70-page eBook is an introduction to sewing. Written for beginning sewers, […] Read more…
Have you been putting off upgrading to a modern sewing machine? I’m sure you have your reasons and some of them may be good reasons to keep sewing on your older sewing machine, but it may be time to rethink. My friend, Sara, from Sewing Mastery has a great video with 10 Guilt-Free Excuses to upgrade […] Read more…
After unpacking dozens of boxes in my new sewing space, I think the title of this post is the motto of my creative life. I knew I had a lot of “stuff”, even after I purged a great deal before moving but when it’s all laid out before you, it starts to look a little […] Read more…
Many sewing machines have a pressure setting that can be adjusted if needed. But it is often not used by sewists because they don’t know what to do with it. This post talks about why machines have a pressure setting. But, let me say that this is not a feature you will use on a […] Read more…
Over the years I have taught a lot of sewing/embroidery classes to thousands of students. Most of them have lots of questions and I’m always surprised at how many students ask the same questions. Today, I’m telling you about three of the most often asked questions that come up at some time or another in […] Read more…