What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

A quick selfie with Danielle (c) and Anne (r) to kick off our “Janome Girls’ Sewing Retreat!”

Last week, I experienced the restorative power of friendship and laughter with two dear friends who came for a sewing retreat here in my mountain studio. Words are simply inadequate to express how much this gift of time and the safe space to open up, be silly, creative, and truly authentic meant to me. We talked, we laughed, we sewed, and we visited the quilt show, Road2CA for a day in nearby Ontario, CA. 

In the booth at Road2CA, Sam Fung showed off ...

I have to share our son Andrew’s super-cool accomplishment. Andrew is a senior at Liberty University working towards his Bachelor’s degree in Digital Media. But this past summer while he was sheltering at home with us during the early stages of the pandemic, he decided (all on his own, I might add) he wanted to make a quilt large enough to fit his bed. Andrew is a tech nerd and loves Star Wars. So, I purchased a fat quarter bundle of Star Wars print fabrics online and told him I was here to help but he should just ...

I have wanted to write a complete and thorough review about Janome’s newest sewing machine, the Continental M7, for many months. I was first introduced to this machine before the official launch during the summer of 2019 and then a new M7 arrived in my studio last November. I’m glad I waited to formulate my thoughts and put them in writing until now for many reasons. The main reason is that while I’ve been at home during the pandemic, I’ve had large chunks of uninterrupted time to dive deep and really get to explore and learn ...

UPDATE! If you missed the Facebook LIVE event today, you can watch the video by CLICKING HERE. 

Have you been following along on the Facebook Janome Sewing Machines and Janome Sewing Classroom pages? If not, you’re missing out on so many fabulous FREE classes and tutorials! Since early April, when stay at home orders were issued for most of the US, the talented Janome educators and I have been producing LIVE events to share tricks, tips and tons of techniques to help you learn to use your Janome machines and all the amazing features and presser feet which ...

Many of you have been following along on the Janome Facebook pages these past several months where the talented Janome educators and I have been presenting LIVE events, demos, tutorials and classes. If you haven’t been watching, well…..oh my goodness — what are you waiting for? Since the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve collectively created a supportive and encouraging community of sewing enthusiasts (whether or not they are Janome machine owners) from all walks of life and around the globe which is now almost 100k strong! This feat alone has taken dedication and forward thinking. No ...

I’ve been in the planning process for this Facebook Live event for a couple of weeks. While I love teaching classes or sharing tips and techniques on camera, going LIVE brought with it a whole different set of things for which to plan and prepare. And I was quite nervous leading up to the event. But once we got started, it was truly so much fun and I loved the interaction with all of you watching from across the country and around the world!

Janome initiated these Facebook LIVE events last week. They will appear on Facebook every Monday ...

I’m back after a brief hiatus! I took a few days last week to work on some creative projects and it was a wonderfully refreshing, productive time. Now I’ve got some really fun and clever things to share with you all in the coming days. Starting with……

I’m personally inviting you to join me on Monday, April 6th at 3pm Eastern Standard Time for my first-ever, FACEBOOK LIVE Event! You’ll be able to find this on the Janome Sewing Machines page on Facebook. If you can’t join me for the LIVE EVENT, it will be ...

UPDATE! My PERFECT PINES pattern is now available as a download on my website! My Precision Flying Geese Ruler is required to make this pattern (you’ll need it to squeeze out cutting the little triangles from the leftover bits to make the pieced border trees!)

I’m excited to share a brand new quilt with you! I was inspired to make this quilt by this woodsy, mountain lodge themed fabric and my original Perfect Pines pattern. The blocks are pieced from 10″ x  10″ squares (these fabrics are from a Layer Cake by Deb Strain called Holiday Lodge and ...

Hey there; calling all you Janome lovers! I’m here to tell you about an important and very exciting opportunity! 

Have you ever wanted to take new owner-style classes in the comfort of your own home? Would you like to know more about your Janome sewing and/or embroidery machine(s)? My talented friend, Amy Johnson, is getting ready to start two new, special Janome “video tutorial clubs!” Starting on March 1st, she’ll be offering monthly instructional videos jam-packed with all sorts of interesting, super-helpful, and usable information you can apply right away. 

These videos are a combination of ...

The way things were……

Some changes have been happening in my sewing room lately and it’s finally time for me to share what we’ve been up to! You might remember when we moved into our home almost two years ago and I took over the living room of the house and turned it into my new studio. I blogged about it HERE (Part 1), HERE (Part 2), and HERE.

Late last fall, the impressive, fabulous new Janome Continental M7 came to live in my studio and I have loved using it and really putting her through her paces ...

I visited extended family in Ohio recently and while I was there, I thought it would be fun to visit the local Janome dealer in the area. So on a rather cold, blustery, Ohio morning, I stopped by Pins and Needles in Middleburg.

When I pulled into the spacious parking lot, I was immediately struck by the sheer size of the building. It is huge! I couldn’t wait to walk in the door and discover all the magic waiting inside.

The store is light, bright, and filled with so many beautiful things to see! The super-nice folks at Pins ...