As you certainly know, I am in love with sewing. Any sewing (except hemming and alterations…oh, and throw in sewing buttons back on). I am not really sure when this all started. Perhaps it was when new deals were reached with foreign industry. Anyone could walk into a Wal-Mart or K-Mart and purchase a pair of pants for yourself or your kid and unbelievably low prices. I remember looking at

Today I would like to talk about making pillow forms in a simple but very decorative manner. Certainly, you could just cut out the size squares that you would need to cover the pillow, sew them right sides together, insert the pillow and stitch it the fabric closed. If you do that, what you end up with is something that cannot be easily removed to be laundered, and something that

These shorts are just so cute. They totally remind me of the sunsuits from the 50s and 60s. My sister Kathy had such bad allergies that in every home movie we had there she was…running around with a handkerchief pinned to her sunsuit. We all wore these. These are classic. I found several bubble shorts patterns online. I downloaded 2 of them. This is the first one I tried. The

Improvisation is a word that is often reserved for improvisational quilting, improv Theatre, improv comedy. We have become accustomed to think of it in those terms. With so many gadgets at our disposal, we sometimes forget that our mothers and grandmothers had to improvise all of the time. Have you ever had one of those days where you look at some design element or decorative piece in your house, and

So we are cleaning out our cabin on the bluffs above the Mississippi. For those of you that are not familiar with Southwestern Wisconsin, it is one of the most beautiful areas of our country. Right here, in Wisconsin? Are you kidding? No, I am not. If you’ve never visited the Driftless Area of Wisconsin, you need to go. Now. Don’t delay. You will find a magical place that time

Everyone loves these fun, easy, throw or baby blankets. They are always one of the first thing people notice when they come into the shop. They always ask how to make the mitered corner, and, how are these made anyway? So, I have decided to have a demo day. These are fun to make, and there’s a little trick to the miter. However it doesn’t take a full class to

I have been so busy writing my own books to stop and look up and take a breath. When I did, I realized what else is out there that I might have been missing! There are other C&T authors writing exceptionally great books. How would you like to see a fabric like this: To this: Well, you can. Go over to “Events” and read all about the class that we

Being a baby in the 60s, I remember little sunsuits. They’re super cute and easy because the clothing is all in one piece. They’re made for carefree summer days. I found this pattern and decided it was the cutest thing ever. It’s actually a Simplicity pattern. It ranged in size from 1/2, which I am assuming is a little baby size, for about 6 months. I wanted to make a

My son called me the other day from school. He’s away at college. He asked me if he could use the credit card to purchase some pajama bottoms online. He said that all of his pajamas had rips in the crotch. So, like a good mother I said…..NO! I have a ton of NHL fabric that just arrived at the shop. I will make you several pairs. Well, I made

A good quilt has a good design. Wow. That’s not exactly profound. A great quilt has a good design, and then another good design. Well, that’s a little better. What I mean by that is that the best quilts have multiple components when looking long enough. Whether that is a primary and secondary design, or whether that is a design, and then a closer inspection that yields interesting fabrics. Yes,