There are times when I love a particular layer cake and I don’t know what to do with it. Even when I love a particular fabric, and I can see that it would bring me joy for years, often I can’t picture it in any quilt. That’s when the always dependable hourglass design is useful. I have made several of these quilts because they’re beautiful, and work well with most

I have been doing a lot of teaching these days. That’s how it goes in the summer. I tend to do one on one teaching of children for several reasons. For one, I like to give them undivided attention. Where hot irons and sewing machines are concerned, you have to watch them like a hawk. Secondly, when I advertise classes for children at particular times, hoping to get 2 or

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