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Fabric dyeing fail

I came home from Quilt Festival inspired to take my quilting to the next level by adding some art elements to my creations. I’ve had supplies to dye fabric for months and never did anything with it, so I decided give it a try. I prewashed my fabric, boiled water, added dye and salt according […]

Blood, guts and a sewing needle

I spent New Year’s Eve and Day doing two things, hand quilting and watching The Walking Dead marathon on AMC. I know, that’s kind of weird. I started watching the show at the beginning of Season 4 and have been dying (pun intended) to see the back story. So when I heard about AMC’s marathon, […]

Productive insomnia

I’ve reached that point in my pregnancy where sleep is elusive. I’m up every couple hours dealing with heartburn, sore hips or pressure on my sciatic nerve, and let’s not forget the increasingly frequent trips to the bathroom. Then there are the mornings where I wake up an hour or so before my alarm with […]

Use found objects, kitchen materials to make your own fabric

You don’t need fancy equipment, expensive resists and printmaking stencils to create your own beautiful fabrics at home. That’s the lesson of “Fabric Printing at Home” by Julie Booth, an artist and experience fabric designer. In the 127-page full-color book filled with photo illustrations of the steps and techniques, Booth teaches readers how to create one-of-a-kind […]

A peak at the design wall

I had a great time at quilt retreat. I did nothing but sew and chat with other quilters for three days, and while my husband doesn’t understand why that was so fun, I’ll definitely be going back for the fall retreat. On Friday afternoon I finished the quilt top for my signature quilt, layered and […]

I landed another teaching gig

My class at CommUniversity, lead to another teaching position at Neal’s Vacuum and Sewing Center in Muscatine, Iowa. It all happened when I brought my machine there for an emergency cleaning. I’m paraphrasing a little, but the conversation went a little like this… “I know you’re backed up with sewing machines, but how quickly do […]