Gift Sewing Continued…Sewing with a Sheer Knit Fabric
The Fabric It's always fun to come up with a sewn gift of love for my great niece in FL. This sheer knit caught my eye because of the unicorns on it as I was in JoAnn's one day. Affirming with my sister that her granddaughter likes unicorns, I purchased just 1/2 yard of this 60" fabric. On another visit, I found a metallic activewear knit (60" wide) in perfectRead More
Simple Machine Sewn Gifts for Kids to Make
My next few posts will be sharing my kid-tested directions for some great gifts. At the outside, I think 3 hours will accomplish this project, with you guiding the child. If you have any questions, just text or give me a call: 217-369-4687, and I'll be happy to answer. SEAT BELT PILLOW Pillows seem to have 'feet' in the car, so strap them to the seat belt with these directions.Read More
Gift-Making Ideas for Kids to Sew
Since my focus in life these days is teaching kids to sew, and gift-making season is upon us, here is a collection of ideas for you to consider. Any of these will accomplish BOTH goals: making a gift and teaching kids to sew. The BONUS? Planting the beauty of giving gifts they've made themselves in their hearts and minds! Hand-Sewn Gift Ideas SUPER SIMPLE FELT ORNAMENTS My 6-8/9 yrRead More
Rolled Jersey Knit Trims
Trendy Detail: Rolled Knit Trim How To’s for trimming with knit strips was the subject of my column in Sew News April/May 2018. When the editors accepted my proposal, I had no idea how much ADDITIONAL knowledge I would gain as I tested and tested and tested knit strips, grain, and rolling. Which Way DO Knit Strips Roll? I always assumed that cross-grain cut strips would be the best, as the mostRead More
Pattern Sizing, Measure Checking & Folding So it FITS Back Into the Envelope
Love to sew CLOTHING? I have some hints to help make your projects FIT. Take a few minutes to watch this series of 3 videos for the steps I take to begin with. After years and years of sewing, I know that good fit is a combination of these steps AND tweaking fit AS you sew. Comment below with YOUR tricks, and if this helped you. https://youtu.be/Zt6j51rtONI https://youtu.be/X1D67LnwR38 https://youtu.be/X1D67LnwR38
Memory Doily Headboard
I love lace - especially crocheted lace - ones I remember on furniture in my childhood home. When I started dreaming up my 'Memory' Guest Bedroom decor, I knew my collection of precious doilies would have to play a BIG part. Of course, I let my finger do the research on Pinterest, and came up with many ideas. You can see many of my inspiration pins at my "Linen Decor'Read More
Vintage Curtain Heading with Crochet-Edged Hankies
As I designed my vintage hanky curtains, I had the idea of highlighting the beautiful crochet-edged handkerchiefs as the 'headings' above the curtain rods. Since I did one panel, and then the other one later after it 'worked', I took photos and made notes as I worked. Hoping you might be inspired to do something like this, my directions for how I did this can be found below. 1.Read More
Vintage Hanky Curtains
For my 'Memory' guest bedroom, I decided to make use of precious hankies from my childhood. 'Secret Pal' hankies that I'd received each year on my birthday in a card from my 'Secret Pal'...always an exciting envelope to open, are important hankies evoking fond memories on these curtains. Many of the other hankies are ones I played with while sitting at my mom's vanity. I distinctly remember opening her upperRead More
How To Sew Pillows WITHOUT ‘Dog Ears’
I'm not sure where I learned this technique, but I've been making pillows this way for YEARS...and it WORKS! The video says it all. https://youtu.be/gGPPwwvuEWo Give it a try! Do you have any pillow-making hints? I've been busy creating a 'Memory Room' using antique linens like laces, hankies, pictures, memory boxes... even my childhood MUFF! Watch for details and How-To's in upcoming Blog Posts.
Sewing Pin Selection & Storage, How To Use, and YES, You CAN Sew Over Pins!
All sewing pins are NOT created equal! In this video, I share my favorite sewing pins and explain why. What are my 2 favorite tools for storage of my all-important pins? The Zirkel Pin Magnet and Ewesful Pin Cushion! And........tada: YES, I DO sew over pins, and you can too. Watch my video to hear me 'state my case'. As I share in the video, I'm sure I'll get manyRead More
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