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

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