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Taking the plunge

Two weeks ago I was laid off. No warning, just called into the boss’ office and told that the social media department I was hired to build just wasn’t large enough to cover my salary and that was that. I probably should be mad. I was only there for seven months, and while at my […]

It’s a Christmas miracle

It’s Christmas Eve and I don’t have any last minute sewing to do … It’s a Christmas miracle. Normally about this time I’m freaking out about how exactly I’m going to finish everything and get it wrapped in time. Honestly, it doesn’t really even feel like Christmas if I’m not still up at 5 a.m. […]

‘More Custom Slipcovers’ not for beginners

I’m not a novice when it comes to creating slipcovers. I’m working on recovering a patio set, but in that case I just removed the cover, took it apart and used the fabric as a pattern to cut and sew my new slipcover. The techniques in “More Custom Slipcovers: Easy to Make and Snug-Fitting” by Marge […]

July Block of the Month

I hope everyone had a great Fourth of July! Now that you’re all rested and refreshed, it is time to get started on the July Block of the Month pattern. This month and for every month until the end of the year, we will just be making four, 12-inch blocks as we finish the corners […]

Jennifer Chiaverini answers your questions

Jennifer Chiaverini’s 19th Elm Creek Quilts novel, “Sonoma Rose” will be released on Tuesday, Feb. 21. I got a chance to talk with her in a phone interview from her Madison, Wis., home yesterday and read an advance copy of the book. That means today is Elm Creek Quilts Day on Quilt Addicts Anonymous, because […]

Quilts of Love spins stories with quilts

Quilters yearning for a good story about their craft have a new series to line their bookshelves with. The Quilts of Love series from Abingdon Press features 25 books, each by a different author and written across multiple genres. The two things they have in common are each story has a quilt is woven through each […]

It’s Christmas in my mailbox

I’m the lead designer for the Mississippi Valley Quilters Guild Christmas tree for the Festival of Trees this year. For those of you who aren’t in the Quad-Cities, the Festival of Trees is a fundraiser for Quad-City Arts in which artists design Christmas trees, stockings, wreaths, hearths and entire rooms with Christmas decorations of their […]

When it’s OK to use fusble web for applique

I’m kind of an applique snob. I’ve tried just about every method known to man and have come to the conclusion that, in my humble opinion, to create heirloom applique you should use the spray starch method and stitch the edges under with teeny tiny stitches in a neutral colored silk thread so they will […]

March quilting goals

I feel so behind. Here we are almost a full week into March and I still haven’t set my quilting goals for the month, or sewn a stitch outside of the Block of the Month class I taught last Saturday. Finish nursery sewing March is going to be dominated by baby nursery sewing. I’m down […]