Uncategorized478 Videos

It’s Christmas in my mailbox again

I’m participating in my first fabric exchange hosted by Quilting Under the Influence. I exchanged 5-inch squares of Christmas fabric with Kelly Goheen and Linda Lewis Ezuka from QUTI, Deanna Pavay from Dizzy Little Kingdom, Marta Preusser, Dawn Nichols from Dawns Quilt Corner, Lizzie Marie from Wandering Stars, Jan Peoples from Sew Sowin Love, and […]

February quilting goals

It’s that time of the month when I attempt to be an over-achiever and list out some lofty sewing goals to complete this month. Last month I started out strong, but then a nasty cold derailed my progress. Hopefully this month will see better results. Here’s my game plan for the month: Quilt, bind and […]

May block of the month

Big progress is happening this month in the Block of the Month. We’re going to finish the blocks for the first pieced border.  We’re making double pinwheels all from squares, which means there are no triangles to cut. Just watch the video for step by step instructions on how to put them together. As always, […]

Quilt retreat to-do list

If you ask my grandma, she thinks I sew all day long. Unfortunately that isn’t the case. The business end of running a quilting blog tends eat up more time than sewing and you’re usually more likely to find me in front of a computer than the sewing machine. But that is going to change […]

Virtual Shop Hop: Expressions in Threads, LeClaire, Iowa

I call the Quad-Cities home. It is a metropolitan area made up of five cities bordering the Mississippi River in Iowa and Illinois. I know you just read “Quad-Cities” and then “five cities.” It’s weird, we know it. But in addition to the cities that make up the Quad-Cities proper, there are several smaller communities just outside […]

Beginner quilters show off their work

I’ve been teaching a beginner quilting class at CommUniversity, an annual event in the Quad-Cities where local instructors and experts teach month-long courses on everything from religion, to Spanish, to knitting. I developed a pattern for my course that included the quilting techniques of strip piecing, basic piecing, fusible web applique, free motion quilting and […]

Little girls, their dolls and dresses

http://instagram.com/p/llKlITP4R8/?modal=true When I was a little girl my American Girl doll and I both had matching dresses. That outfit was my absolute favorite, mostly because with thick bangs and dark brown hair, the Samantha doll looked like a mini me. So when I saw this pattern and fabric during a trip to Hancock Fabrics for […]

Quilt retreat is coming!

In two days I’ll be on my way to Quilt Retreat in rural DeWitt, Iowa, for four days of quilting, eating and sleeping. That’s it. There’s no laundry to do, dogs to let out, kitchens to paint. Just quilt, eat and sleep. It makes for a glorious and productive weekend. I’m also really excited because […]