A few weeks ago I went on a trip and visited a friend. She sews professionally, having studied at an atelier in France. I had wanted to make something for her for a long while, especially as she gifted me a lovely collection of quilting fabrics over the pandemic. I made this needlebook for my …
During my wedding reception, I tore the skirt of my wedding dress near the hem. Thankfully for me I can sew and was able to make a repair. I don’t know when I’ll ever wear this gown again, but it felt good to fix it. You can use the same method to repair any lace …
I’ve been mending a lot of clothes and costumes lately, and thought it might be nice to share my mending kit with you and where I learned some simple techniques to fix my clothes. Mending (and visible mending) can be an easy way to get into sewing, as you are repairing a full garment and …
My new Prettified Pincushion is one of my final completed projects for 2021. It’s a great introduction to foundation paper piecing and the size is perfect as a pincushion or a pattern weight. I’ve had a copy of Ayumi Takahashi’s Patchwork Please! for quite some time, and have wanted to make the pincushion featured on …
I wanted to make some fabric Christmas tags this year that we can reuse year after year. I am so inspired by the ones Amy Sinibaldi and Kristyne Czepuryk made in their 2012 Holiday Tag-a-Long. Amy makes some of the cutest things! I found the patterns for her tags’ appliques in an article she wrote …
Last weekend we had our annual student showcase and during the first show I had a zipper in a costume break on me. Thankfully I had one that I could use at home, so I took the costume home with me overnight to replace the zipper. It didn’t take long to fix at all and …
I recently finished two new needlebooks, both for myself for different purposes, but they are fun to make and easy to personalize. I find it very useful to have a needlebook on hand to keep your needles and a few favorite pins in. They are slightly different – which design do you prefer? Minki Kim …
When these Nutbrown Hare Trellis Quilts arrived from the quilter, I couldn’t wait to open the box. They are finally done, given to the recipients and I can share them with everyone! My prior progress on these two quilts can be found here and here. I was so thrilled with the job the quilter did …
Next in this series, I’m going to share with you the fabrics I like to use when creating costumes. I’ll also share where I source the materials I use. You’ll always find all these tutorials on the Tutorials Page, and resources I like on the Recommended Resources Page. Fabric Types I really love using matte …
I recently made this Denim & Sashiko Tote as a way to practice sashiko. This tote comes this together quickly – the hardest part was choosing the fabric for patches! The design is Karen Steven’s Side Handle Gusset Tote, and I can highly recommend it! In the instructions she encourages personal expression in the embroidery …