What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Yup. I know. I missed last week’s newsletter. It was bound to happen. 

My husband left town for 5 days, life got a little extra busy around here, and by the time I came up for air, the week was over. Sigh. 

I could’ve spent a bunch of time feeling guilty about it, but instead I decided to just pick up where I left off… and feel just a little bit guilty about it. read more

My son turns 17 tomorrow.

SEVENTEEN, y’all. 

I remember when I was 17 like it was a few years ago. HA! But now I feel like I blinked and somehow the little guy who used to show up in my videos is now almost 6’3″ tall. read more

This week, my 16-year-old son drove himself and his younger sister to high school.

Alone.

It’s his senior year and I can hardly believe it. But the even bigger shock is that the “baby” of the house is in high school now, too.

I was not ready for this. 

There’s something strange about watching your kids grow up because you can feel two things at once. I’m excited to see who they’re becoming. But there’s also a part of me that’s grieving.

I miss the little boy who loved to sew with me and ...

The last post on our Christmas in July event brings a few more ideas for crafting and sewing fun. Read on for holiday inspiration you can start now.

Make adorable sewing ornaments by wrapping empty thread spools with glittery trim, and adding some cute embellishments to the top and bottom.

See the tutorial on the ornaments above along with the cookie cutter button ornaments below on my post Handmade Christmas Ornaments.

Use your embroidery machine to stitch out small motifs or holiday words. Then use a large covered button kit to mount the stitchery, adding trims and a ribbon hanger ...

Today we’re officially launching my brand new Sewing with Cotton Rope: Second Edition course! read more

In this video I want to share a sublimation demo with you! I teach a monthly arts & crafts class locally to senior citizens and this project was a hit with them.

If you have a sublimation printer and heat press and are looking for new ways to use it this is a fun one! We’ve made these towels with kids and seniors and everyone really enjoys picking out a design, choosing where they want to put it and seeing it come to life with a quick press!

• Kitchen Towels (affiliate link): https://amzn.to/43Cp1Yt

• Sublimation Design- Have a ...

Today we’re officially launching my brand new Sewing with Cotton Rope: First Edition course! read more

Vanessa has been playing around with different ropes/clotheslines and making a few bowls. Join the livestream today and learn a few more rope bowl making tips that you can use on your next rope project!

Vanessa will also share the rope projects she’s been working on. If you rarely use your sewing machine’s zig zag stitch this is a super fun project to work on.

• How to make a coiled rope bowl tutorial: https://youtu.be/Bpz6VTFS0Zo?si=pQB02DBK7CVyoSMi

• Scout Mini Satchel Bag: https://craftygemini.com/shop/scout-mini-satchel-video-course/

Join our email list: https://craftygemini.com/newsletter/

Ask ...

Vanessa has been playing around with different ropes/clotheslines and making a few bowls. Join the livestream today and learn how to make a simple coiled bowl using a zig zag stitch! If you rarely use your sewing machine’s zig zag stitch this is a super fun project to work on.

• Slanted Zipper Pouch: https://craftygemini.com/shop/slanted-zipper-pouch-video-course/

• How to make a coiled rope bowl tutorial: https://youtu.be/Bpz6VTFS0Zo?si=pQB02DBK7CVyoSMi

• Gypsy Quilter cotton rope (100ft) (affiliate link): https://amzn.to/4mHrucy

• The Mountain Thread Company Cotton Rope: https://www.themountainthreadcompany.com/shop/p/316-100-cotton-rope-by-the-yard-made-in-america

Join our ...

Help us celebrate our 200th episode of WIP Wednesday today with a Q&A Chat, LIVE Giveaways and a sitewide sale!

In this episode of WIP Wednesday Vanessa is answering some questions from the Q&A submission form that viewers have filled out.

We had LIVE we will have giveaways availble only to LIVE viewers. So, tune in for some fun!

We are also running a 24-HOUR FLASH SALE to celebrate our 200th WIP WEDNESDAY episode. Sale ends on Jan. 29, 2026 at 11:59pm EST. The sale is for 15% OFF everything on https://craftygemini.com/shop (excluding: sewing ...

It has been a wonderful holiday week, with a slower pace, more time with friends, and the last of the shopping. Settle in with a cuppa for a long and picture heavy post. The gifts are under the tree, and the stocking stuffers are hidden for when Santa comes on Christmas eve. Handmade cards were sent, and Christmas cookies baked and frosted to enjoy at leisure. Tuesday night, we had dinner with friends and went to the Lake Julian Festival of Lights show.

This is a small show, in comparison to others. But we love it simply because it is ...

For the Mountain State Fair this past September, I wanted to enter the Twisted Snowflake that we made last year during a guild program. I thought I did a tutorial for it then, but it seems I didn’t. When I dug out the snowflake from the Christmas stuff, it was crushed due to my poor attention to packing it up. So, time to make another one. I started by fusing two pieces of fabric wrong sides together with Heat and Bond. I used a high contrast combination with one side black with gold stars, and the other a bright ...

Join me today to unbox and setup the new HTVront A200 auto tumbler heat press! If you already have a sublimation printer this would be a great way to whip up a bunch of custom tumblers to gift this holiday season!

• HTVront A200 Auto Tumbler Heat Press (affiliate link): https://tidd.ly/4pndhBP
*** SAVE $70 off with discount code: TU70

• HTVront A200 if ordering from Amazon (affiliate link): https://amzn.to/4oQcHwI
*** Use this code to save: W4D9J4EF

• ALL MY FAVORITE SUBLIMATION SUPPLIES (affiliate links): https://www.amazon.com/shop/thecraftygemini/list/

• Sublimation Printer I use (affiliate link): https://amzn ...

The NC Mountain State Fair this year has been as much fun as ever. I worked the quilt take-in table for a shift on Labor Day, then back to the Expo building on Wednesday to work as a judge for the Professional Crafts Division. Both days were fun, and so inspirational to see the wonderful projects and quilts coming through. Back to the fair on Friday evening for the first cooking competition, I had a chance to look around the exhibits to see how my entries fared. I was so excited to see Koi Pond with a First Place ribbon ...

It is less than three weeks from the turn-in day for entries to the Mountain State Fair, and I am in the process of getting it all together. This year, the turn in day is September 1, the earliest it can possibly be. The first thing I did was to register online for all the categories I entered in previous years. I may not actually have an entry for everything, but it is far easier to turn in an unused entry tag rather than try to add an entry. I printed out the entry list, and started looking around for ...

The flowers on the veranda continue to be happy with the high humidity these past days. The geranium keeps giving me gorgeous blooms. The plant is really leggy now, and I need to cut it back, but I want to wait until these blooms fade.

Sunset one day last week after a rainstorm had passed gave an interesting look to the clouds. The section lit by the fading sunlight just glowed.

On the bird feeder, the cardinal pair visited again. The female and male took turns on the perch. I think the one on the right is a female house ...

Make Your Own Custom Quilted Sneakers—Yes, You Can!

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It has rained most of the week, which has been wonderful for tamping down the wildfires. It has made the grass and weeds grow, and brought the azaleas in full bloom. I’ve been taking more photos of them. We have this deep pink, along with the pastel pink and white ones. A few days from now, there should be blooms all the way down the driveway.

My Merlin app says we have a blue-grey gnatcatcher in the local avian choir, but I have not seen it yet. They look a lot like a titmouse without the tufted head. There ...

In a heartfelt journey of transformation, we embraced change, moving closer to our grandchildren, and creating a new dream studio. Through meticulous design and cherished memories, I built a space brimming with intention, comfort, and inspiration. Blessed with love, light, and creativity, it reflects a life dedicated to passion and purpose. Continue reading →

For many Christmas’s, my five siblings, and I, rotated through our names and each made a hand crafted gift for another. I almost always make a quilt. I had previously made three (sadly no photo of the first…) for this … Continue reading →