For years we heard the phrase “you can’t force creativity”. Well, I am going to challenge that today. When you were in school, did you ever have to take classes that you hated? Of course you did. You even had to take classes that you weren’t good at. Well, unfortunately sometimes education is wasted on the very young. I have found myself saying that time and time again. I hold

Everyone loves a picnic. Well, sometimes when the bugs are bad it can be discouraging. But, other than that Wisconsinites, in particular, cannot wait to go outside and eat. You can see people in restaurants eating outside even when it’s in the 50s. There is such a novelty about eating out of doors. As soon as the sun is high enough in the sky people start to think about picnics.

I made these summer pj’s out of a soft Jersey knit from Bungalow.  The pattern showed the top and shorts to be made of 2 contrasting fabrics.  I changed it.  I made the top yoke and shorts from one fabric,  and the rest of the top from a sweet star-printed fabric.   It provided much more interest .  I then embroidered a series of aqua hearts (to match the aqua stars

I am always looking for garment patterns that will please our customers in multiple ways. First off, garment sewing is hot once again. Why? Because people love to work with their hands and sew, and are ready once again to branch out from quilting into sewing other things. The quilting upsurge was a direct result of the love for sewing that many people have. As clothing prices dropped and dropped

Valentine’s Day is supposed to be fun. Too often I just let it go by without taking time to experience the fun of it. Remember the Valentine’s mailboxes we had as kids? They were all home made, and so pretty. It was a great effort to try and foster creativity at a really young age. Back when I was little, my mailbox was decorated with tissue paper and doily hearts.

I love Wisconsin. No, I really, really love Wisconsin. In particular I love my hometown, Ripon and I love the many small towns in this state. Why do I love them so? Because we take care of each other. It doesn’t matter what side of the fence you’re sitting on. We are all in this little town together and we really depend on each other. I depend on someone to

I worked and worked at it until I figured it out. I made a little minky or Cuddle coat for my granddaughter. It turned out pretty well. It’s fully lined, of course, and it’s slightly too big! Oh well, she can grow into it. The pattern called for snaps on the inside. First I fooled around and tried to sew a zipper into it. In theory, it should have worked

For this project you will need 1/2 yard of fabric and 2 yards of cotton cording cut into 2 pieces, 1 yard each. I have so many projects going at any given time, and so do my friends. They are knitters and quilters and sewists. One of the best ways to store your projects and keep them free from dust, dirt and fading is to put them into project bags.

I made an infinity scarf with Shannon Fabrics Seal Cuddle. I honestly couldn’t wait to do it. Following is a quick tip… I saw Judy’s pink one that she featured previously in this blog, and also FELT it. Oh my – it is really luscious – soft, warm and “silky” … a new description for a faux fur fabric, for me anyway. The one pictured is the one I made