Tales of quilting, needlework and life in Alaska

Sew On & Sew Forth is a sweet collection from Dear Stella featuring a variety of fen sewing and stitching illustrations. This fun novelty print features sewing supplies and notions on a creamy peach background.  Fabric is sold by the 1/2 yard (a 1/2 yard is 18 inches) When ordering in quantity your fabric will be cut in one continuous piece.  Manufacturer: Dear Stella Width: 44/45" Content: 100% Cotton Unit: 1/2 Yard

I guess it's a lucky thing I live in Montana, where wool is wearable (perhaps even a necessity) for at least half the year, if not more. Or perhaps it's because I grew up in Montana that I love wool as much as I do. Either way, I love me some wool fabric and I love sewing for the fall and winter seasons. I recently received a length of wool herringbone weave fabric from FabricMart in various lovely shades of brown, tan and russet. I ordered it thinking it would become a jacket, but when it came, I knew it also would be fabulous in a skirt. Hmmm. Did I have enough yardage to do both? I've spent weeks toying with different patterns trying to figure out how to get two garments out of this piece of fabric. Then, just after Christmas, Carolyn on Stitcher's Guild posted two beautiful coordinating sets of tops with sleeveless jackets she made using Cutting LIne Designs Anything But Ordinary pattern. I promptly slapped my hand upside my head and said "Duh!" Sleeveless! Then, being a shameless copycat, I used the Anything But Ordinary pattern to make my sleeveless jacket. I used Vogue 8435 again for the skirt. I didn't make these pieces intending necessarily to wear them together. Considering the recent discussion on the Cutting Line Designs thread at Stitcher's Guild, perhaps I shouldn't be caught dead wearing them together (LOL). Looking at the pictures, however, I kind of like them together. Any thoughts? (And sorry for the crappy indoor lighting in the pictures--the color of the fabric is a little less red than appears in these photos)

The August Breakfast Club is next week and I realized yesterday that I forgot to share Show and Tell from July. So here is a quick look as ...

Today I replaced the upper and lower drive belts on a Bernina 730 Record. I took some pictures along the way so you could see the process. Start by unplugging the power supply. Take off the side panel under the hand wheel. There are two screws, one on each side of the panel. Screws for end panel The panel then slides out an down to get from under the hand wheel. Take the screw out of the hand wheel and remove the end cap and the washer. Turn the machine on its side and remove the two screws holding the motor cover panel. The panel with then slide/lift off, just be careful to navigate around the motor switch panel. Screws for motor cover panel located underneath the machine Now you should have a clear view of the belts and access to the end of the machine and the motor pulley. End panel and motor cover panel removed The screw to release the tension on the belt wheels is below the bottom wheel and you will need an allen wrench to loosen it up. You don't need to take the screw out, just back it out a quarter turn or so until pulley behind the wheel is loose. This will give the wheel some play horizontally and vertically. Loosen screw below the wheel, do not take screw out Remove the lower belt from the motor and wheel first and then slide the wheel up slightly to remove the upper belt. Lower belt comes off first The upper belt is nestled behind the lower wheel and stretches up over the hand wheel. Slide the hand wheel off and the belt should come with it. Both belts and the hand wheel have been removed Now start putting the new belts back into the machine. Start with the upper belt and remember it tucks in behind the lower wheel. You can slide belt over the hand wheel and put it back on the shaft. Upper belt goes behind wheel and up over hand wheel Hand wheel back in place and upper belt tucked in behind it The bottom belt goes over the wheel and connects to the motor pulley. New lower belt in place You will need to adjust wheel position so that the belts are not too tight and putting strain on the motor or too loose and not engaging the wheel or hand wheel. When you think you have the correct tension, tighten the screw back up with the allen wrench. At this point you can plug in the power supply and try running the machine with the foot controller. Make sure the belts turn smoothly and make adjustments if necessary. Remember, the adjustment screw only needs a small turn to loosen or tighten. Here is a quick video of the machine running with new belts. Once you are confident with the placement of the belts, you can unplug the power supply and reassemble the machine. Put the washer back on the hand wheel with the little raised tabs pointing out away from the machine. Tabs stick out away from machine Put the cap back on the hand wheel and replace the screw. Hand wheel reassembled Slide the motor cover panel back into place and put the screws back into the bottom of the machine. Reposition the side panel and tighten screws.You are now ready to plug the power supply back in and begin sewing. This is my first how-to segment and I welcome any feedback you have that would help improve future segments. Thank you.

This week I started a three-part class to make the mini professional tote. Here's a completed version made by the class leader. Part one was cutting out all the pieces and fusing about a two-thirds of the pieces with Decor Bond. We start sewing next week. My main fabric is the black print. The orange will be my contrast, straps and bottom. The gold print is my lining. I'm very excited about this project!

FABRIC IS CUT AS A CONTINUOUS PIECE EXCEPT FOR FAT QUARTERS. To purchase multiple continuous yards, select fabric length 1 yard and use the quantity drop-down to increase yardage. For a length such as 1.5 yards, add one yard and 1/2 yard to your cart separately, the piece will come as a continuous piece. Fat Quarter is 18"Lx22"W 1/2 Yard is 18"Lx43"-45"W ONE yard is 36"Lx43"-45"W

Just a warning--this post has quite a few pictures. Butterick Patterns recently released a couple of patterns designed by Katherine Tilton, sister of Marcy Tilton. (I'm still a bit curious about why she moved from Vogue to Butterick--anyone have any ideas?) One pattern that really hit my "need to make it now" button was B5891, a very interesting pattern for a top/vest and a jacket. I purchased it right away (well, as soon as the Butterick website put them on sale). I decided to try the vest first. The pattern actually describes this views A/B as a "top," but I call it a vest because I would only wear it over another garment with sleeves. My upper arms do not make public appearances any more. I chose an odd fabric I had sitting on the shelves that I got from Vogue Fabrics about three years ago. It was labeled as a poly/rayon blend striped jacquard. I thought it was kind of weird and wasn't sure what to do with it, so it sat around for awhile. I figured it would be good to use for testing this pattern, since I wouldn't mind if it became a wadder. This is a very interesting pattern. It is rather cumbersome to cut out because there are 15 pattern pieces and they are almost all cut with the fabric single layer. I think it is essential to keep the pattern pieces attached to the cut fabric until the last possible moment and to transfer all the markings to the fabric. It is very easy to get the pieces mixed up or get them turned around. It would be a nightmare if your fabric looked the same on both front and back. Luckily, my fabric had some sort of interfacing pre-fused to it, so it was quite clear which was the wrong side. This did become an issue at one point, however, because the inside of the double collar shows the wrong side of the inner collar when you wear the neck unbuttoned. As a result, I chose to self-line the inner collar so it would look nicer when open. Here's a view with the collar buttoned up And the back. I tried to play with the texture of the fabric in the peplum pieces. The front peplum pieces have tucks sewn in, which adds an interesting contrast to the otherwise fairly straight structure of the garment. Overall, I'm basically happy with the resulting vest. My fabric is probably a little to stiff for this pattern, so it may not be the most flattering look on me. The vest is narrow through the shoulders, but increases greatly in width at the hipline--my stiffer fabric kind of accentuates that. Also, if I ever make it again, I will cut the armscyes a little lower. They are cut high under the armpit, which is a good feature if you are going to wear it alone as a top (no bra flashing when you raise your arms), but makes it a little tight with a shirt on underneath. While this is not a difficult garment to stitch together, I must say that the pattern directions were a little vague in some areas and also could have included a little more info on finishing details for a better resulting garment. A beginning level sewist might have some difficulties figuring out what the instructions mean for you to do in certain places, but a little playing with the pieces reveals how it all comes together. Shortly after finishing the vest, I just had to make the jacket as well. For this I chose a raw silk tweed in natural, black and white. I previously had washed the fabric, so it was a little more drapey than perhaps this view needs. The collar is a really neat feature and I'm not sure it comes across as nice as it could with another fabric with more body to it. However, I must say, I LOVE this jacket. The collar is really fun to play with, and can be draped in different ways. There is a small button hidden inside the left right collar that will hold the right left side of the collar inside, like here: Or, you can leave that unbuttoned for a completely different look: As I was rather convinced that this wasn't going to turn out well, I didn't bother to change the serger thread to a color that would blend into the fabric, so you can see the serging on the collar edges as it drapes. When I decided I really like this jacket, I was kind of pissed at myself for being lazy. But, actually, the more I look at it, the more I kind of like the contrast of the black serging. The nature of the tweed is such that it hides some of the design features, such as the front shoulder princess seams, so the bit of contrast seems to add something to me. Here's the back. Rather simple, but it really hangs nicely. It also has side seam pockets. I am really very happy with this jacket. It's a fun look, adaptable to lots of different fabrics for different looks. Furthermore, this is much simpler and definitely quicker to put together than the top/vest view of the pattern. I see at least one (maybe two) more of these in my future!

I was delayed with my post today but finally it's time to see what the ladies of Breakfast Club have accomplished. This is June's Breakfast Club project, "3,6,9" This is Marie's completed queen-sized top. I bought this kit too and am still plugging away. Marie had more to share. She took a class using the cotton theory technique where you quilt as you go and have a completely reversible quilt when done. Marie made this placemat...so sorry I didn't get a picture of the other side. Marie made this adorable top for a quilt she plans to donate to her church. This was Marie's final project, July's Breakfast Club pattern. This is "Strip Stacks," from G.E. Designs. It uses pieces that are 2 1/2" x 5 1/2" so it's great for scraps or jelly rolls. I love these batiks. Here is Jane's version. She used scraps from previous quilt projects. What a great way to get a little memento of past projects. This is Kathy's Fall quilt...she just threw it together. Here's another great quilt for the coming Fall season pieced by Maret and quilted by Carol from our group. This is a Lisa Moore pattern, "I Spy Alaska." This pattern works great with theme fabrics. Carol quilted another top for Maret, a "BQ3," pattern from Maple Island. Another pattern great for theme fabrics...this one has snow machines...or as those of you not from Alaska would say...snowmobiles. August's Breakfast Club pattern was a Moda's Bakeshop, "Cross-Terrain." I didn't start this one but is sure is tempting. It is jelly roll friendly...I have a lot of jelly rolls. This is a freebie you can download it here. And here's a preview of September's pattern for Breakfast Club. This screams Christmas prints to me! The little runner is made from the quilt top's scraps. I'm planning on making this one.

Last week I started playing with a disappearing four-patch block. I spent the weekend playing with the quilt design in EQ7. I had a need to...

Wow…2022 is just flying by so far. I had a Material Girls retreat last weekend which meant there was lots of activity getting ready and lots of accomplishments. First, we had a challenge to finish whatever Moda Frivols kit we were given last May. My pattern was, “Lakeside,” with Brenda Riddle as the fabric designer. I had to supply the background and binding fabric. There is no batik fabric in this one so that was the big challenge to for me as I like the tighter weave of batiks. But it is adorable and will make a great baby quilt. I like to work on a different project every day of a retreat. I started with a quilt I kitted up from my stash with a batik border print being my inspiration. The pattern is a freebie from In the Beginning Fabrics. It is a design from Jason Yenter, “Winter Elegance.” I am calling my quilt, “Autumn Elegance.” I just need to add the borders and this quilt top will be done. My second project was, “Ice Castles,” which I also kitted up from my stash using a pattern from McCall’s Quilting, February, 2009. I got all of the snowball and star blocks made at retreat and quickly made up the border blocks yesterday. I still need to sew all the blocks together. Then there will be a focus fabric for an outer border. And my final start at retreat was another blue and white snow-themed quilt, “Snow Stars.” I kitted this one from my stash…and I’ve not even made a tiny dent in my stash…but I am trying. I forgot to take my Bloc-Loc ruler to size these half-rectangle triangles so I moved to the second step which is making hundreds of four-patch blocks. Most of my show and tell at retreat where pieces I’ve shared on my blog but I added a Seminole border to the Chandelier top made with sewing-themed batiks. Just a little info about our retreat group. Our Material Girls quilting group meets during the “school year,”…summer schedules are too hectic for us to meet. We schedule 3 retreats during our quilting season, October, February and May. We also meet for a Saturday Sew-In day at our local quilt shop, the second Saturday of the month, for the months we don’t have a retreat. I think I joined the group in 2016. I love it! We decide amongst ourselves what “challenge,” we might tackle during the season. Since we just finished a challenge we are weighing two options. One is a mystery quilt one of our ladies will select and lead or making a quilt with the pineapple block using whatever method you want. I believe there is a new Creative Grids ruler a couple of ladies have for making pineapple blocks. I have a magazine pattern that uses paper piecing. We will decide at our May retreat. As always…there were some handwork projects I stitched on recently. My latest Bucilla kit project is a vintage kit that is a 3-D tree. I have to make the tree and all the ornaments. I think this will take me a couple of more months to finish. I officially finished the 2020 trio of Mill Hill Jim Shore ornaments. Feathered Friends Snowman, Gift Giving Snowman and Clean Sweep Snowman. I am now working on the 2021 Jim Shore series of snowman and have one done, Snowman with Cocoa. Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Find local haberdashery shops near you with the Stitch Directory from the School of Stitched Textiles. Use our search function to find textile shops near you.

I was delayed with my post today but finally it's time to see what the ladies of Breakfast Club have accomplished. This is June's Breakfast Club project, "3,6,9" This is Marie's completed queen-sized top. I bought this kit too and am still plugging away. Marie had more to share. She took a class using the cotton theory technique where you quilt as you go and have a completely reversible quilt when done. Marie made this placemat...so sorry I didn't get a picture of the other side. Marie made this adorable top for a quilt she plans to donate to her church. This was Marie's final project, July's Breakfast Club pattern. This is "Strip Stacks," from G.E. Designs. It uses pieces that are 2 1/2" x 5 1/2" so it's great for scraps or jelly rolls. I love these batiks. Here is Jane's version. She used scraps from previous quilt projects. What a great way to get a little memento of past projects. This is Kathy's Fall quilt...she just threw it together. Here's another great quilt for the coming Fall season pieced by Maret and quilted by Carol from our group. This is a Lisa Moore pattern, "I Spy Alaska." This pattern works great with theme fabrics. Carol quilted another top for Maret, a "BQ3," pattern from Maple Island. Another pattern great for theme fabrics...this one has snow machines...or as those of you not from Alaska would say...snowmobiles. August's Breakfast Club pattern was a Moda's Bakeshop, "Cross-Terrain." I didn't start this one but is sure is tempting. It is jelly roll friendly...I have a lot of jelly rolls. This is a freebie you can download it here. And here's a preview of September's pattern for Breakfast Club. This screams Christmas prints to me! The little runner is made from the quilt top's scraps. I'm planning on making this one.

I was delayed with my post today but finally it's time to see what the ladies of Breakfast Club have accomplished. This is June's Breakfast Club project, "3,6,9" This is Marie's completed queen-sized top. I bought this kit too and am still plugging away. Marie had more to share. She took a class using the cotton theory technique where you quilt as you go and have a completely reversible quilt when done. Marie made this placemat...so sorry I didn't get a picture of the other side. Marie made this adorable top for a quilt she plans to donate to her church. This was Marie's final project, July's Breakfast Club pattern. This is "Strip Stacks," from G.E. Designs. It uses pieces that are 2 1/2" x 5 1/2" so it's great for scraps or jelly rolls. I love these batiks. Here is Jane's version. She used scraps from previous quilt projects. What a great way to get a little memento of past projects. This is Kathy's Fall quilt...she just threw it together. Here's another great quilt for the coming Fall season pieced by Maret and quilted by Carol from our group. This is a Lisa Moore pattern, "I Spy Alaska." This pattern works great with theme fabrics. Carol quilted another top for Maret, a "BQ3," pattern from Maple Island. Another pattern great for theme fabrics...this one has snow machines...or as those of you not from Alaska would say...snowmobiles. August's Breakfast Club pattern was a Moda's Bakeshop, "Cross-Terrain." I didn't start this one but is sure is tempting. It is jelly roll friendly...I have a lot of jelly rolls. This is a freebie you can download it here. And here's a preview of September's pattern for Breakfast Club. This screams Christmas prints to me! The little runner is made from the quilt top's scraps. I'm planning on making this one.

The August Breakfast Club is next week and I realized yesterday that I forgot to share Show and Tell from July. So here is a quick look as what the ladies have accomplished even with the nice summer weather we had in May, June and July. This is a laser cut kit from an Alaska designer, Dana Michelle. Here is a link to her webstore: Wildfire Designs. She has several great Alaska theme kits. A small quilt that will be made into a pillow for a bride. The colors are her wedding colors. This little wreath is such a popular pattern lately, "Fold'n Stitch Wreath." I love Marie's version because she did a blanket stitch that really makes a great addition to the design. This is one of those deceptive quilts that you start putting together with your scraps but find you need to buy a little fat quarter or two to get the colors just right! Laura started this with some leftover layer cakes. We all know how that happens. Your trying to just pull from your stash but you find something is missing. The end result is beautiful so she made the right choice. This beautiful cross stitch piece is being turned into a pillow. Perfect for Barb's cabin. This is the pattern, Himalayan Pink. I need to add a picture of mine to this post. I think this was our April project. I believe this was a kit that was added to...I should have written some notes. Obviously I should have gotten this quilter to turn her quilt so we could see it properly...but you get the idea. I think this was another Breakfast Club pattern from a long time ago. I remember it but can't remember the name. A small project from scraps. And a nice big quilt from Thimbleberry fabrics. A sweet quilt for a baby girl. My version of Himalayan Pink with a set of batiks from Moda's Holly Taylor. They had been aging just long enough! And our project for August will be this Moda Bake Shop pattern, "Speedwell Quilt." It is a layer cake pattern, 54 x 72-inches. Looks like a great quickie.

I'm so tickled...my blogging friend, Cathy from Ontario has been corrupted...and I take all the blame. She bought her first Bucilla stocking kits. I love her choices. I have all the kits she showed but one..I may have to get that one too! I didn't find time to work on my stockings last night as I just had to open EQ7 and play with border options for "Island Chain." I have a real problem putting a plain border on a quilt...every time I do it I feel like I sacrificed part of the design. EQ7 makes it so easy to play with borders. I kept it simple. I didn't import images of my fabrics but these from the program's palette will do. I'm not sure what color I will use for the green section. Here's my fabric again. I'm leaning toward a turquoise...but of course purple goes with everything. I'm going to be cutting it close on having enough background fabric but I'm going to try. I am patiently waiting to get Judy's new borders book...I've been hearing all the oohs and awes from Blogland...but it takes a while to get to Alaska...next time I'm giving her my Federal Express account number!

It is the last Tuesday of September. That means it is time for another mystery quilt reveal and here it is. Becky replaced one of the blocks in the quilt with a pieced kitty block. I think it adds a fun little punch to the cat themed quilt. We have cut accessory kits for the kitten head if you like the addition it makes to the quilt. We have a few extra kits available for the regular retail price of $49.95 if you love the quilt but forgot to sign up ahead. We plan to use fabric from the Serenade line by Riley Blake for the October mystery. Call us at 801-465-9133 to reserve your kit. Thanks so much for your support and friendship. You make us happy to come to work every day.

Just a warning--this post has quite a few pictures. Butterick Patterns recently released a couple of patterns designed by Katherine Tilton, sister of Marcy Tilton. (I'm still a bit curious about why she moved from Vogue to Butterick--anyone have any ideas?) One pattern that really hit my "need to make it now" button was B5891, a very interesting pattern for a top/vest and a jacket. I purchased it right away (well, as soon as the Butterick website put them on sale). I decided to try the vest first. The pattern actually describes this views A/B as a "top," but I call it a vest because I would only wear it over another garment with sleeves. My upper arms do not make public appearances any more. I chose an odd fabric I had sitting on the shelves that I got from Vogue Fabrics about three years ago. It was labeled as a poly/rayon blend striped jacquard. I thought it was kind of weird and wasn't sure what to do with it, so it sat around for awhile. I figured it would be good to use for testing this pattern, since I wouldn't mind if it became a wadder. This is a very interesting pattern. It is rather cumbersome to cut out because there are 15 pattern pieces and they are almost all cut with the fabric single layer. I think it is essential to keep the pattern pieces attached to the cut fabric until the last possible moment and to transfer all the markings to the fabric. It is very easy to get the pieces mixed up or get them turned around. It would be a nightmare if your fabric looked the same on both front and back. Luckily, my fabric had some sort of interfacing pre-fused to it, so it was quite clear which was the wrong side. This did become an issue at one point, however, because the inside of the double collar shows the wrong side of the inner collar when you wear the neck unbuttoned. As a result, I chose to self-line the inner collar so it would look nicer when open. Here's a view with the collar buttoned up And the back. I tried to play with the texture of the fabric in the peplum pieces. The front peplum pieces have tucks sewn in, which adds an interesting contrast to the otherwise fairly straight structure of the garment. Overall, I'm basically happy with the resulting vest. My fabric is probably a little to stiff for this pattern, so it may not be the most flattering look on me. The vest is narrow through the shoulders, but increases greatly in width at the hipline--my stiffer fabric kind of accentuates that. Also, if I ever make it again, I will cut the armscyes a little lower. They are cut high under the armpit, which is a good feature if you are going to wear it alone as a top (no bra flashing when you raise your arms), but makes it a little tight with a shirt on underneath. While this is not a difficult garment to stitch together, I must say that the pattern directions were a little vague in some areas and also could have included a little more info on finishing details for a better resulting garment. A beginning level sewist might have some difficulties figuring out what the instructions mean for you to do in certain places, but a little playing with the pieces reveals how it all comes together. Shortly after finishing the vest, I just had to make the jacket as well. For this I chose a raw silk tweed in natural, black and white. I previously had washed the fabric, so it was a little more drapey than perhaps this view needs. The collar is a really neat feature and I'm not sure it comes across as nice as it could with another fabric with more body to it. However, I must say, I LOVE this jacket. The collar is really fun to play with, and can be draped in different ways. There is a small button hidden inside the left right collar that will hold the right left side of the collar inside, like here: Or, you can leave that unbuttoned for a completely different look: As I was rather convinced that this wasn't going to turn out well, I didn't bother to change the serger thread to a color that would blend into the fabric, so you can see the serging on the collar edges as it drapes. When I decided I really like this jacket, I was kind of pissed at myself for being lazy. But, actually, the more I look at it, the more I kind of like the contrast of the black serging. The nature of the tweed is such that it hides some of the design features, such as the front shoulder princess seams, so the bit of contrast seems to add something to me. Here's the back. Rather simple, but it really hangs nicely. It also has side seam pockets. I am really very happy with this jacket. It's a fun look, adaptable to lots of different fabrics for different looks. Furthermore, this is much simpler and definitely quicker to put together than the top/vest view of the pattern. I see at least one (maybe two) more of these in my future!

A while back, Shams of Communing With Fabric took up the gauntlet on a challenge to determine the pattern draft for an unusual dress from a picture found on the internet. She not only figured out the pattern draft, but generously provided her readers with a tutorial for making a skirt (tutorial found HERE). She dubbed the skirt the "Tablecloth Skirt." Numerous sewists have since made and shared their versions of this awesome skirt, all of which have been truly lovely renditions. Shams has created a gallery of those skirts she is aware of having been made (gallery HERE). I just had to jump on the bandwagon, although it took me awhile to find the fabric that really spoke to me as wanting to be the Tablecloth Skirt. Finally, I located this linen plaid in black, white and gray on FabricMart and knew it would be perfect. Luckily, I ordered more than a few yards of the fabric, because I decided to cut the bottom rectangles on the bias, which (of course) ate up a lot of yardage. But I am very happy with the outcome. If you haven't tried this skirt, you should. It's quite fun to put together and I know it will be fun to wear as well! Thank you Shams for doing the work and so generously sharing it with us all!

I had some fun making two sets of single-alphabet straight pins and a set of double-lettered alphabet straight pins...and I had my new pincushion to hold them all. I needed those pins to mark lots of parts to make,"Legendary," from Elizabeth Hartman. My son who is in Air Force pilot training loves Bigfoot folklore. I want to add the quote, "All who wander are not lost," to the quilt but will tackle making the blocks first. The second project I'm taking to quilt retreat is a mini quilt I designed on the computer program EQ8 incorporating my redwork blocks, "Sweet Christmas," from Australian quilt designer, Lynette Anderson. I made a sample of the star block to double check my measurements. Looking good. I also have two UFOs tucked in the stash to take. In the evenings, I am usually ready to stop working on my sewing machine so I am also taking several of my Bucilla stockings that only need some hand sewing to finish off linings. Tomorrow I will spend most of the day prepping my food. I am attending three nights and although there is a full kitchen and a small kitchen available, with 14 other quilters in attendance there is never enough room to prepare meals. I have been on a whole food plant based diet for almost a year now so no prepackaged foods for me. It's good food but takes dedicated time to prepare for four days. And then it will be time to pack my car!

Just getting started with sewing? You'll love this roundup of easy sewing projects for beginners including pillows, blankets, a dress, and more.

A Grace’s Cases Designs PDF sewing patternThis bag coverts from a backpack to a cross body bag very easily, there is no need to unhook and reposition the straps. Frustrated with purses that claim to be convertible but require changing strap lengths or connections or using a different strap? This purse takes away that frustration while remaining beautiful and functional! The Sally Forth purse is light as a feather and is the perfect size – large enough to carry all of your day-to-day items yet i

I bought a new camera today...boy am I struggling...I might have to read the instruction manual. What's up with that? Thursday was my monthly Breakfast Club date. This month we explored the block "Disappearing Four-Patch." You start out with a four-patch then you cut it apart and then rearrange and sew it back together. I brought batiks to play with...typical. Here they are set on diagonal. How about aligning darks and lights?... Here's the version of our leader created. She did two colors with a background color. I might go this route for the layout...going to think about it for awhile.

Materials: Expedit, Tundra, BestaDescription: The Idea was to build a cheap but tasteful enclosure for reptiles.

Origami tote in the traditional Furoshiki style. How to sew this style of bag with step-by-step instructions.

This is the first time I ever completed the blocks for a quilt top of any size in one day. I came home from Breakfast Club (which runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. plus) and finished sewing the second half of blocks and had this on the design wall right before bedtime. This top takes 40 strips (I used a bali pop) and 32 layer cakes. I stayed pretty true to the pattern's photo. Here is a photo of one of my Club buddies quilt, Carol got her's made before class. Carol's version was made with one background fabric in place of the layer cakes. She made a smaller version and centered the design. Next is a very similar quilt but done completely in strips. This is Bobbie's quilt she made entirely from her scraps....she claims she didn't even make a dent in her scrap pile. I wasn't quite ready to call to my blocks done and start sewing rows together...there were two blocks in my version that were really bugging me...the ones with the palest blue triangles. Instead of giving the quilt a little pop...they just screamed "not right." Sew...out came the seam ripper after a trip through my all important stash. It's sew necessary to have an extensive stash for just these kinds of situations. Much better. This will finish to a 70" square. I don't have any idea what I will do after this...borders? You know I will have to think about it for a while.

Uncover and celebrate your hidden creative strengths, understand your roadblocks, and get personalized guidance on your sewing journey.

A round-up of 10 helpful household tips to streamline various aspect of life.

10 Sewing Hacks You Probably Didn't Know- Whether you are a sewing pro or just a beginner sewing it is always helpful to have some sewing tips.

Hey friends! I have been trying to think of ways to be more environmentally friendly when I am quilting. I am really thoughtful about the beautiful fabrics I select and I want to use every scrap so that nothing goes to waste. Today I am sharing a scrap buster tutorial to make a quilted bookmark! How to make a quilted bookmark: Materials: Fusible Midweight Interfacing Quilter's Cotton Scraps Sewing Machine Iron & Pressing Mat Other Helpful materials: 6 1/2

Here are 30 free patterns you can learn to sew in just 10 minutes. Almost all of these DIY projects require only beginner-level expertise.

That title is not hyperbole. There are literally hundreds of free art printables available via this post. So, if you like your wall art fast and cheap,