It’s a lot of work to write a book. The sense of accomplishment is great when it’s done. It’s fun to see it on the bookshelf, and it’s even more fun when someone buys it from you. But you never really know just how amazing it is going to feel until you actually experience this–when someone makes a quilt from your book and you see it finished. That’s how excited

We have just returned from the International Quilt Festival in Chicago. We sold a ton of fabric, but that wasn’t the best part. Even the quilting exhibits weren’t the best part. The best part was getting to see so many people that are customers. I even met one of my contest winners from Instagram! There is one thing that I love to see more than anything at quilting shows such

I had to do something that was bittersweet this morning. I love pajamas. I can’t stand to stay in my pajamas in the morning. It makes me feel like I’m having a sick day. Besides, I’m a nurse. There are two things that nurses can’t stand. One, breakfast in bed, and two, staying in pajamas all day. The reason for this is obvious. We have sick people eating breakfast in

Everyone knows I love scrap quilting. By the way, my second book is out. It’s now available at the shop or wherever you buy books. It’s called “Rainbow Quilts for Scrap Lovers”. Today, I am busily making step out pieces for the filming of an episode of Nancy Zieman’s show Sewing with Nancy, on PBS. I will be a guest on her show and it’s a two part series. It’s

Hello all! If you are making a block for Mary’s retirement quilt, you’ve found the right page. I am going to walk you through a few simple instructions. If you are a quilter and have a good idea of what you want to do, then you can disregard these instructions. If you are not, then here we go. Take your 10 inch white square and your piece of freezer paper

Well, I’ve beaten this drum time and time again. Our mothers before us and their mothers always quilted with substrates other than cotton. I’ve quilted with substrates other than cotton. It takes some creativity and experimentation. It’s part of what I love about the modern quilt movement and about modern quilting. Many modern quilts are using linens and other substrates in the quilts. I have always loved silk. It is

So on this project, the wind was taken out of my sails. That’s because they didn’t fit. I hear a lot of people say that they don’t do garment sewing because of the fit. Yes, it’s sad but true. It is really hard to fit garments unless they are of a certain design. Kimono jackets, loose fitting blouses–they will fit when you’re done with them. In high school, I sewed

So we closed the shop in February. It was a short month anyway. I know, it’s not so short if you feel that you have to access fabric and your favorite shop is not open. Above is Nancy Wszalek, good friend and helper, loading the trailer with fun modern fabric. We rented a 6 x 12 foot trailer and stuffed it full of fabric and goodies. It was so funny

I am very happy to finally show you this quilt. Again, this one was under lock and key because it’s part of a new book from C&T. I really think that everyone will like it as well if not better than the first one. There are 12 projects in this book. They are all made, once again with my template set. The templates are 3 1/2, 4 1/2, and 5