Paper piecing is a great way to easily make detailed quilt squares, without having to fussy cut or rotary cut every single little piece. Instead of having to meticulously plan every seam, paper piecing gives you a little more freedom and it’s a lot less intimidating to begin. One of my favorite books on the subject is “Paper Piece a Flower Garden” by Jodie Davis. The book is filled with patterns for leaves, flowers, bugs, birds and animals – in short, anything that you could find living in a flower garden!  It doesn’t give you a set pattern for putting the blocks together, instead the book encourages you to be creative by making your own design. I’ve made quite a few motifs from the book and have had excellent... [Read more]

Are you looking for a Halloween craft to make that’s fun, easy and charming?  How about Halloween crafts that use fabric and ribbon to make? The folks at Martha Stewart have obviously been having a lot of fun with Halloween ideas this year, because they’ve come up with some great ideas.  These crafts provide more “thrills” than “chills” if you prefer Halloween to be fun… not bone-chilling! This ribbon snake is easy enough for kids to make along with you.  Use wired ribbon, masking tape and a pen to create this creepy-crawler… and see if it will protect the Halloween goodies These cute little felt pumpkin people are hand-stitched around a wood shavings body – perfect for decorating... [Read more]

I had a somewhat surprising realization yesterday. There are two months left until Christmas. That means that as of today, there are two months less a day until Christmas! Eeek! I’ve got so many plans, ideas and hopes for Christmas gifts and crafts swimming around in my head right now that it’s a little intimidating. Before I get myself all worked up, I’ve got a few solutions that have helped me to manage my holiday crafting before.  And hopefully they’ll help you too First of all, write down everything you’d like to do – don’t worry about the order or if it’s realistic, just make a list. Okay, now it’s time to prioritize.  What’s more important to finish? What do you need to... [Read more]

I’ve finally finished my DH’s new winter jacket! I’ve shared a few different glimpses into the process over the past couple of weeks (here’s the first one, second, third and fourth) and now that it’s actually finished, you can see how it came together: I added a few extra details to the original pattern.  The pattern came with two inset pockets in the front seams and an extra cell phone or MP3 pocket on the chest.  Of course, that wasn’t enough pockets! I added two cargo patch pockets, with flaps that velcro close, that sit over the hips.  I also inserted a zipper into the cell phone pocket – let’s face it, who wants to lose their expensive cell phone because it’s slipped out of a pocket! The... [Read more]

There are some sewing projects that are more challenging than others to complete… It may be because they’re so technically complex… It could be that the fabric is just not cooperating… Or it could just be that you’re not enjoying the process… In short – it’s a sewing project that makes you feel like you deserve a medal after it’s done! But where to get a medal for sewing… I’ve found one! Okay, so actually Leviticus Jewelry has found a medal for dressmaking.  It’s a little vintage medal and they’ve made it into a great necklace: They’ve used brass, silver and gunmetal-toned chains to create the necklace, and added a little dollhouse iron to add to the seamstress-y... [Read more]