…With your scrap pile, of course :) This week, I was playing with a new block idea that could use up more scraps! You’ll need at least three 2½” strips… or, several scrap length 2½” strips if you don’t have selvage to selvage length. I chose two red strips and one red and white gingham strip. Sew these strips together and press the long seams open. This strip set should measure 6½” across once sewn. Cut the strip set into rectangles 6½” x 4⅝”. You’ll need (9) pieced rectang

Have you ever run out of spray starch in the middle of your project? Did you know you can make spray starch, just like your Grandma did, from items you already have sitting in your pantry? It's non-toxic, cheap, and easy to make. All you need are a few pantry items, water, a whisk, and a spray bottle. You can make different spray starches from essential kitchen items like cornstarch, potato starch, flour, vinegar, white glue, vodka, and white rice. Toss in a few drops of ess

Spring is in the air! And that usually means I get the itch to change my decor (typically flower-related), but not this time :) Have you seen the big bow trend lately? I've seen this cute idea popping up here and there and thought it would be fun to give it a try! For the pillow, I sewed enough scrap strips of varying widths together until it was at least 17” square (enough to cover a 16” square pillow when complete). You know me and my commitment to using up every last bit o

Need a quick, super-cute new idea?! Just this week, I worked up this little table runner using only three fabrics, and I couldn’t be happier with the results! I used a technique called fussy cutting to get these little Santas in the middle of each diamond. Then I cut matching triangles from striped fabric! That is pretty much all it is :) Once it was cut, I had the whole thing sewn in 37 min… haha! That’s right, less than an hour. I filmed a new YouTube video to show you the

Well, would you look at that?! This week, I took inspiration from an older project and made a new poinsettia pillow using scraps left over from Crimson Christmas! Below is the original blog post and pillow I made in sweet spring pinks. I followed the same process, only this time in Christmas colors, and I am in love with it!! It’s time to change out the snowflake throw pillows in my living room, now that we are well into spring, haha! This week, I had the idea to make a 3D fl

It's about that time of year when we start thinking about quick little gift projects to make in a flash! How about a super easy wool-felt zip pouch for quilting essentials or a shave kit pouch for the guys? I've been working on some project ideas using wool felt, and I thought I would share one because it came out sooo cute! First, I cut an 11” wide x 12” long rectangle of wool felt (this stuff is stiff enough to hold its shape, but not hard to sew through). I used 3mm 100% w

I had a crazy idea while walking the aisles of the craft store. It started with fabric-covered pumpkins and morphed into this fabric “painted” pumpkin pillow! Years ago, we did a technique in quilting called “snippets” landscape quilts. This method uses fusible web-coated fabric cut into little snippets and then arranged to make beautiful landscape scenes. These quilts have a sort of painted look. It’s the perfect way to use up itty bitty useless scraps 🙂 I thought a pumpkin

Have you ever stopped to think about how some of our most used notions are made? The ones that have been around forever, and we wouldn't know what to do without them? I came across this fantastic video showing the manufacturing of hand-sewing needles and pins. I found it so fascinating, I wanted to share it with you! Bohin, a French company, has been making high-quality needles since 1833. This video condenses their 27-step process into one minute. If you enjoy the details be

I had a wild idea this week, to use the traditional trapunto quilting technique to make a dimensional pumpkin that I could frame. I found this nice, framed art for a great price. I didn’t care much for the art, but the frame was pretty, and I figured it would work great for this experiment! So, I gathered a bunch of cream and tanish-white scraps and set to work. I cut a generous piece of background fabric, big enough to fill the frame, plus about 1” extra all the way around.

Years ago, we used to do silk ribbon embroidery using our sewing machines. I remember the technique being somewhat tedious, as we wrapped...

I've never done much paper foundation piecing, but I wanted a basic five-pointed star for a little 4th of July zip pouch. I printed off...

You know the routine :) I tinker with scraps… and see what happens! I haven’t made a new cover for my bench pillow since Valentine's Day,...

Summer weather has finally arrived in my area, which means picnics, BBQs, and potlucks will be the weekend activities for the next...

Another week, another crazy quilting idea :) I needed a nice all-purpose table runner to brighten up my kitchen table. I have plenty of...

I made a birthday card for a friend that turned out so cute, she said I should sell them :) Haha! The funny part of the story was that I...

It is definitely Spring around here! Rain, wind, scattered sunshine, all in a twenty-minute timespan. So, outdoor gardening is peppered...

Have you ever considered the weave of your fabric? In the world of loom weaving, this is called the warp and the weft. In the quilting...

I just knew there was a way to make carrots with this ruler! 😀 Plus, more scraps were used so I couldn’t be happier! How about a...

Years ago, I made a cute baby quilt with chenille flowers and stems on blank squares alternating nine-patch blocks. For some reason, I...

I've always been impressed with the way hand-embroidered quilts look. Someday I'd like to do one myself. But until there are thirty hours...