My newest book with C&T Publishing will be released at the end of this month. I am very excited. When you are doing a book you are doing all of your sewing in secret. You can’t put it all out there on Facebook or Instagram, and so it looks like you’re not sewing anything new. Really, behind the scenes you are sewing like crazy, like a little sweat shop worker.

Remember the old posters that said “Uncle Sam Wants You”? Well, the Northeast Wisconsin Modern Quilt Guild wants you! Are you fun and creative? We have a great time. We meet at 6:30 on the first Tuesday of the month. We meet at 314 Watson Street in Ripon Wisconsin. It is a beautiful storefront that is owned and operated by Ripon College. There’s tons of space. We love our location.

Having just returned from Cuba, I couldn’t wait to post some of my findings. Cuba has been the site of many a battle. They are a war weary nation. Because of their immense riches, resources and beauty people have tried to claim it for their own since the beginning of time. Because the Soviet Union had great timing in helping to rescue them from a ruthless and cruel dictator, and

So the paper-piecing continues. I am paper-piecing my way through the 50 states. We shall see just how awesome this quilt turns out once I have all 50 states. Designing them is a snap. It’s getting them all sewn that takes time. Here’s Virginia. It’s like that song by Train “Meet Virginia”. It’s hard to decide too, on which fabrics to use for each state. I don’t want to use

I love making these shades. They are so easy. What could be better than finding a piece of fabric that you just adore, and having it hang beautifully where you can see it every day? I love to use quilting fabric in more ways than just quilting. There are so many uses for beautiful fabrics. The shades are so easy to make, but here are a few pointers: Be sure

I have been all over this Sunshine and Shadow block for some time now. I have done it in quite a few different fabrics, but always with scraps. They’re the best. These wonderful little pieces of fabric. Scrap quilting hasn’t really infiltrated into the world of modern quite yet. It is coming. As I hashtag #modernscrapquilts and #modernscrapquilting, there are only a few entries that come up. Hmmm….people aren’t doing

You may want something quick and elegant for a last-minute or an unexpected-minute gift. Let’s say someone has invited you over for dinner. You don’t want to give them just another bottle of wine. Yes, everyone loves wine, but you want to make an impression. You want to give a gift that shows that you are a sewist, a maker. Here’s the perfect idea. I love to do tablescaping. Maybe

What is it about Christmas that makes us want to sew pajamas? For years, I sewed pajamas for the entire family. Matching pajamas. Every year. When the girls were little I sewed them nightgowns, and I would have a nightgown. My husband would get the full ensemble of the button down pajamas with pants, of course. Then Peter came along. I didn’t like nightgowns, and the girls were getting older.

So, I had this great idea. What if I would hang my lamps from the trees outside? Of course, you wouldn’t leave them out in the rain or weather. They’re so easy to move around because they just swag from a hook….or in this case a tree branch! There are so many people that are really getting into “Glamping”. People are tricking out old campers. Wouldn’t one of these be

These lamps have been all the rage. Every day they gain in popularity. People are realizing that they are a great decorating accessory. They take no electrician to install. All you need  is a hook in the ceiling so that you can swag them over a chair or over a desk. Add one to a dark corner of your house.  Put one over your bed so that you can read