Appliqué, appliqué – how do I love thee? Let me count the ways… You let me cover ground fast. (That means bigger statement, less time!) You let me use up my precious scrap bits that I cannot seem to throw away. (Which makes the pack-rat in me say “see I KNEW you’d need that one day!”) AND, when I […]
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Make your appliqué designs POP! Fearlessly appliqué those beautiful, bold prints in your stash… and feel free to use white, sheer or lighter colored fabrics over dark and high contrast fabrics. YES, you can! So what happens when your appliqué fabric is white and your background fabric is dark or rather brilliant? Yep. You get […]
Wow! This has been such a fun adventure with Baby Lock! I’ve so enjoyed seeing the wonderful features of Miss Destiny detailed with such fun projects by each sewist so far, and I’m really excited to see the rest – how about you? It’s my very great honor to be this week’s Love of Sewing […]
Let’s make a continuous border using that super-cool Connect Tool feature on your Baby Lock Destiny II. It’s so easy! Easier than catching a toddler, that’s for sure! Hopefully you have already had a chance to watch me demo this project in video. If not, you can find that HERE. This is what you will […]
Are you ready to finish your project? Yes, of course you are. Let’s do it! 🙂 The first step to finishing up a cutwork border design is trimming the tails and removing the stabilizer. So, first things first, let’s get that done. Use your little snips with curved blades or the snips with a crook on the […]
It’s been so much fun participating in Baby Lock’s Love of Sewing Challenge this week. Miss Destiny and I have had a wonderful time making beautiful borders! I hope you try it out and see for yourself just how quickly the Destiny II can make this seemingly complicated task SO simple. No more guesswork; just […]
I love vintage style sewing details, don’t you? Especially when a cool little tool lets me create a very “hand-done” look with my speedy sewing machine! Let me show you how much fun I’ve been having with Baby Lock’s Bridging Plate Set. This awesome accessory is actually a bobbin cover plate. To install it you simply […]
Don’t you love it when you have an “Ah HA!” moment and discover something that fixes that thing that’s been bugging you in your sewing adventures? YES, you do? Well, I had a major “Ah HA!” moment this year and it has been an awesome discovery: how to make my buttonholes look really, really good […]
There’s not much that is more useful than a soft, cushy burp cloth when it comes to baby tending, is there? I love giving burp cloths as new baby gifts because I know that they will be well used and loved, especially when it’s super easy to make them pretty too! Once upon a time […]
Let’s make a cutie-boo sign to hang up for Halloween! Here’s what you’ll need: Nine 3” x 18” strips of quilt weight cotton fabric (black & white or black & gray prints – or any color combination you fancy) 17” x 14” piece of quilt weight fabric for the backing 2.5” x 13” piece of […]
Does the thought of embroidering continuous designs all lined up perfectly make you borderline crazy? I know. Hooping is perhaps one of the hardest parts of embroidery. There are about a million hoop aid things etc. floating around in the great embroidery ’sphere, and some of them are quite awesome. However you probably have everything […]
It’s that time of year – Sulky’s Block Party! I’m so delighted to be part of it this year, and especially happy because I get to bring you a made-in-the-hoop machine embroidery version of a quilt block! Follow along with me and see just how easy, fast and fun it is to use your embroidery […]
Does your bunny need britches? This pattern was created as a companion project for the “Sock Bunny” article in the Spring 2023 issue of Classic Sewing. The instructions to make the sock bunny are included in that issue, but you can also purchase them HERE. (You’ll find options to purchase kits on that page as […]
How cute is this fabric from Riley Blake Designs! I love pretty much everything they come out with, but this Wheels 2 print by Deena Rutter just fired up my imagination. Of course it meant I had to make car designs… and not just sew-them-on-something designs, but play-with-me designs! Check out this little set of made-in-the-hoop […]
Once upon a time there were two little girls… Who loved to giggle and loved to twirl! One of my best remembered pleasures of childhood was having a twirly skirt to twirl in, how about you? Thanks to the terrific talent of two of my Baby Lock educator friends – Sue Kostroski and Missy Billingsley – I […]
Cottage Mama Dainty Darling Blog Tour I’m so tickled to be part of the Cottage Mama’s Dainty Darling fabric tour! When Lindsay told me last year that she had a new fabric collection coming out with Riley Blake Designs, I knew I’d love it at first sight – everything Lindsay does is just so pretty […]
Pockets! Everyone loves pockets, especially wee ones who have things to treasure and tote! Hidden pockets that are just utilitarian are awesome, but how much fun it is to make pockets that are part of the scenery – right out there, flaunting their prettiness! This is when I LOVE having an embroidery machine. (Okay, that’s […]
Awaiting baby is making this Gramma antsy. I’m finding it best to keep busy, and best part of being busy is there’s a pile of pretties for this baby-to-be stacking up quickly! I’ve discovered the delight of stitching heirloom worthy burp cloths from organic double gauze. (Gramma’s are crazy like that.) After making several 36” […]
I’m still in a double gauze mood – LOVE this stuff for baby things. Right now I’m busy hemming blankets for my house. Gramma needs blankies for baby visits too, right? (That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Riley Blake Designs just came out with a beautiful line of double gauze solids and prints. I am […]
Have you made a sock doll or two or three? I think I’ve got about a dozen here, eep! They are just that fun to make! Now it’s time to make some little dresses, and that’s just as fun as making the doll. Here’s what you will need: Materials for the Doll Dress Fabric* for the dress, […]
The fastest draw in the west…okay, it’s actually the fastest drawstring bag in the southeast, but let’s not get picky – this is an awesome quick and easy gift-giving project for all ages! Not only can it be the gift packaging, but it can be the gift as well. And it’s a great stash-buster… ahem, something […]
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine! Machine embroidery, meet Creative Notion’s “Artistic Foils” and let the shine begin! I first spied these pretty foil papers at Baby Lock’s Common Threads. All those pretty colors and the SHINE really caught my eye, but what really sparked my interest was that I didn’t need any special […]
There’s a forest in my foyer! A very nicely behaving one too – NO shedding needles and no leaves to rake, just lots of pretty stitches! Want to make a forest for your house? Read on! You will need: Assorted green quilt weight cottons (a fat quarter of three different green prints will do the […]
Let’s go undercover! (Yep, I’m shamelessly exploiting my grandson’s cuteness here, and isn’t he the cutest? Pardon this grandma, please – she just can’t help herself!) Have you ever stitched a white snowman on a red shirt and ended up with a pink snowman? Or have you ever stitched a pretty appliqué or embroidery design […]