What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Several weeks ago, my daughter's boyfriend asked me to create a matching two-tone hoodie for her birthday. Since this was a surprise, I needed to be very careful not to spill the beans. Now, she has already received the hoodie (and yes, she really loves it!), I get to share a tutorial on how I accomplished this highly secret mission. hahaha. He provided two hoodies and stay tape. I just needed to find the time to work on them when she was not around. * You will need Two different color hoodies Stay tape Jersey needle Thread * How to 1 ...

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As I mentioned in my previous post, all my projects in 2024 were quilts. After receiving the Babylock Victory serger, my desire to sew more garments increased by 100%! I have many Japanese sewing books and American patterns I bought from Joann's. I have many apparel fabrics and knits for future projects. I have no shortages there. All I need is to just start. I guess the hardest part for me is deciding the perfect match of sewing pattern and fabric. Sometimes this process takes months and years for me, because I see many possibilities with the fabric piece ...

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I have been SO excited about my new Baby Lock Victory. Because it's all new to me, I had to read the manual and watched some videos, but I was able to figure out how to thread the machine and sew my first project with the serger! Seriously, the jet air threading and needle threading system makes threading the machine a breeze! I used to dread threading my previous machine, but not anymore!
I decided to make a simple white t-shirt for the upcoming season. I used one of my favorite t-shirts as a template, tweaked some things and ...

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I finished this quilt at the end of last year, but I didn't have a chance to take a picture until recently. I am finally ready to share it! I made this quilt for my second son as a "grown man quilt". As I was browsing for design ideas, this came to my mind. You can find the pattern at Lo and Behold Stitchery and the shop has other beautiful patterns you will fall in love with! I just changed up the colors to make it more for my son and he loved it. :) Guess what? Shortly after I ...

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Hello everyone! This is the very first post of 2025 and I have exciting news to share. I have been an ambassador for Baby Lock for the last several years, and I created some fun projects with the sewing machines Aria and Sashiko. They are such excellent machines and I recommend them wholeheartedly. Now I have an opportunity to work with their serger, Victory! Look at this beauty… decades ago, my husband bought me a simple serger as a surprise and it has been a good machine, but I always wanted to try a Baby Lock serger. I had a ...

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In the morning and in the evening it is getting a bit chilly where I live. I prefer cold weather to hot weather (the heat sucks out my energy) and I am anticipating the upcoming seasons. Fall is where I can start incorporating sweaters, cardigans, jackets, coats, boots and scarfs and have fun with layering. Speaking of scarfs... what I have here today is a quick tutorial on how I made a light weight scarf using my Baby Lock Sashiko. * You Will Need 2 yards of Gauze or other lightweight fabric Various Yarn, threads you want to use on the ...

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I finished piecing this quilt in September of last year (no I didn't remember this info, I just went back and saw my post on Instagram), and I finally finished hand quilting it last month. I have a good excuse for why it took so long... I was making two other quilts for my son who was getting married. That will be another post, but today, I am ready to share this one. The pattern is designed by one of my most favorite Aussie quilt designer Jen Kingwell and called Halo. Not only do I love scrappy quilts, I ...

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I have been sewing for many years, but my children have had very little interest in what I do. They think it's great that I have something I love to do and respect what I do, but that's about it. So when my daughter asked me to make a laptop sleeve for her, I was so excited. Hold on, it is coming right up!

There are various sizes in laptops, so I can't give exact measurements to suit everyone in this tutorial. Please measure your laptop to come up with numbers before you cut the necessary pieces ...

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Every year, from October to now I feel like I am in full gear between three birthdays in my family, Thanksgiving, parties, all the preparation leading up to Christmas and Christmas celebration. Phew... it is definitely fun and exciting, but it can be a bit exhausting. I bet many of you feel the same way. And guess what? Next up is New Year’s Eve!

In Japan, New Year’s Eve and the few days of celebration following New Year’s are very special. I am not very traditional, but I still remember how my family deep cleaned the whole ...

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Have you ever heard of Kantha? Kantha means "Patched cloth" and is a type of embroidery performed in the eastern regions of India and Bangladesh. It is often used to make simple quilts with a mix of old saris and other discarded pieces of fabric. The rich history of Kantha traces back to centuries ago! I have a Kantha quilt I purchased years ago and what I love about it is the bright colors and big stitches running through the quilt. Kantha does not have batting in them, but it is very soft and perfect for summer nights. The art ...

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Trick or treat! I can't believe we are already entering October. The year flew by so quickly and it has been a bit chilly where I live. I wanted to share a quick, useful and fun Halloween project using my Sashiko machine. Of course you could make this project with your regular sewing machine, but I wanted to showcase Sashiko stitches with this project. Are you ready?

*You will need

A fabric to cut side fabrics
A fabric to cut bottom and handles
A fabric to make lining 12"x 20"
Muslin for backing 12"x 20"
(sorry, it ...

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At the end of last year, I received a Baby Lock Sashiko machine. It is no joke, the Sashiko machine has always been in the back of my mind ever since I discovered its existence. This is such a unique and innovative machine; it can create a hand stitched look. I started out as a hand quilter several decades ago, and I still love doing that, but it would be nice to have an option to quilt with a machine and get the hand stitched look. You can see what I mean... WHAT!? Right? Isn't it pretty amazing? I ...

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Sashiko is in the hooouse!

This giant box from Baby Lock was delivered to my doorstep the day before Christmas Eve. I had my birthday in December (I turned 50! Yep, it's kind of a big one), it was like receiving a birthday present and a Christmast present both at the same time! The name of the machine is "Sashiko", look closely, not Sachiko; which is my name(means a happy child or blessed one). Sashiko is a traditional Japanese embroidery or stitching used for the decorative and/or functional reinforcement of cloth and clothing. The items that were ...

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There are many scrappy strip/string quilt tutorials out there. Some tutorials suggest using white fabric as a foundation and some use different types of papers. I wasn't sure if I wanted to use fabric and have an extra layer in my pillow. So I used tracing paper I had at home and it was too thick to peel off after the strips were sewn. I know there are special papers available online, but I wanted to start making the blocks right away. Yes, I was in the mood that I had to start the project at that moment ...

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I have been an ambassador for Baby Lock for the last few years, and every year, I was given an opportunity to attend Common Thread; where we can reconnect, take classes, and learn about new products. I always learn something new and it gives me motivation to do more and try something different. One of which is this 5/8" Adjustable Seam Guide Foot. I couldn't wait for the package to arrive and start sewing with it! 5/8" is the seam allowance most commonly used for garment sewing, but you can simply slide the white plastic and adjust ...

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