Block a Day Challenge roundup – Week 10

We have some new members this week that I’d like to welcome. And if you’re thinking about joining, but don’t think you can catch up, don’t worry. The entries start over at zero each month so everyone has a good chance to win. Plus, it’s like the lottery. The winner is chosen at random so […]

My dream sewing room…

As I’ve been cleaning out my sewing room, I’ve been thinking about what my dream sewing room might look like. Sometime in the next couple of years I’ll get to design a sewing room from scratch when we finish the basement, so this is something I can get excited about. Since I’m a planner, I’ve […]

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 […]

Sewing room disaster update

I’ve been working on cleaning out my sewing room. I’m not done but I’ve made progress. Now you can see the floor, not that the floor is pretty. Replacing the flooring throughout the first floor is next on my DIY home improvement list. I also can close the closet door now. So while I still […]

Triangle Boot Camp

I’ve started a new quilt, that I designed for a class I’m teaching in June called Triangle Boot Camp. My method of sewing triangles involves sewing them together as squares first and then slicing them in half. It’s easier because the point of the triangles doesn’t get eaten by your feed dogs, you don’t have […]

Win three yards of flannel backing fabric

This month’s winner will receive three yards of 108-inch wide flannel backing fabric in a tan marbled print. That’s enough to back a queen-sized quilt. If you’re new to the Block a Day Challenge, here’s how it works. Sew one quilt block each day and post a photo of it to our Flickr group. Each […]

Block a Day Challenge – February round up

February was a busy month for us in the Block a Day Challenge. We finished 380 blocks, 11 tops and 8 quilts. I’m really looking forward to see the finished quilts from the blocks you’re working on. This month’s winner is Quilts by Lisa. She will receive a copy of “Free-Motion Quilting Made Easy,” by […]

Sewing room disaster

A few weeks ago I wrote that my sewing room was so messy I was too embarrassed to show you all a picture. Well, then I threw some more junk in it, decided I have no shame when it comes to quilting and took this photo. I know, it’s bad. You can see a mess of laundry […]

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 […]