I am blogging in my garden! While farmers are no doubt worrying about potential drought conditions, I am basking in sunshine. I got my plant troughs filled which has created another chore for me keeping them watered. I had to take down one of my window boxes because it was dribbling mud all down the wall. Having been warned that removing the dangling wires would cause certain death by electrocution, I decided to disguise them with fake wisteria. It does need more strands to bulk it out but I think it looks jolly. 

At work I have cracked on with ...

Hello Markers, 

It is warming up here in Minnesota and that means more time spent in my garden and walking around the lake! So it's time to prepare for those sunny, warm weather days ahead! The most fashionable way to protect yourself from the sun rays is by making the Sunny Brim Bucket Hat! This easy to follow PDF pattern and youtube video was an excellent resource for me to use to create my first EVER hat using the retro motifs in Tangerine Fabrics by AGF Studio. 

Oh, before we go any further, this hat is reversible so you ...

The time has come!!!!

Say hello to beach days and fancy refreshing drinks while lounging in your backyard!  Tangerine Fabrics by AGF Studio is here and it’s sending us a cool retro Summer, filled with charming florals and playful designs. This collection reminds me of my days living in South Florida and my weekend getaways to Key West. Popping on my me made Summer dresses and my sunnies and riding on mopeds all day weaving in out of the endearing streets of this island's rich history. I am so excited to start sewing up some of the ...

Hi Quilters,

Welcome to Week 3 of the Summer Jubilee Sew Along!

By now, you have made your Starburst blocks, and now we are ready to dive into the Rosette Blocks!

Chain piecing will be your friend this week as we make all the little units that will become the Rosette blocks.

These blocks may feel complicated, but they consist of blocks you are probably already really familiar with:  half square triangles (HSTs) and Flying Geese (FGs).

The HSTs are made 8 at a time, and the FGs are made 4 at a time so you can create the units ...

Hi Quilters,

Welcome to Week 2 of the Summer Jubilee Sew Along!

If you are just joining or haven't chosen fabrics yet, kits are still available HERE.  Grab one while they last!

This week we are cutting our fabrics and will begin assembling the units to make our Starburst blocks.

I love to start with a fresh blade and usually begin with cutting the background first since this usually has the most cuts (and honestly, it keeps me motivated to keep cutting since the prints are the most fun to cut, right?

There are fabric labels provided for you ...

Hello, Quilters! It's Victoria Newmyer Here! 

Welcome to Week 1 of the Summer Jubilee Sew Along!  

I'm so happy you are here. I know this is a busy time of year with graduations and summer approaching, so I appreciate you sewing along with me. It's always more fun to sew with friends.

Ready to quilt up some summer magic? Grab your Summer Jubilee Quilt Kit and jump into the fun! Don’t have your kit yet? No problem — get yours here, and let’s get stitching! 

If you haven’t signed up to the Sew Along yet ...

My long anticipated Art & Stitch retreat week was a success! The amount of preparation that I did paid off and I managed to pull off the illusion of being an expert on a complex digitising program. The folk who came along all gelled nicely as a group and all went home as far more confident users of the Q-Matic with Art & Stitch computerised quilting system. 

It was a beautifully sunny week here in Devon (nearly Cornwall) so it was a novelty to have a mid-week day off. I did not head for the seaside but pottered around at home then ...

I travelled back to my cosy Devon cottage on Tuesday via Stonehenge, according to the Satnav and that seemed to take ages, although it was scenic. I was back at work for 2 days this week where I dashed around making cups of tea for visitors, attempted a sewing machine inventory, basted a customer quilt and answered the phone, plus loads of other things;)

At home I painted what I could reach of the grubby upstairs landing. It is pretty small so that did not take long. My long awaited garden furniture set arrived from Temu. Instead of being 4 ...

Potager Lookbook is here! Brimming with quilting and sewing inspiration!

Spring blooms in fabric and projects with our must-see Potager Lookbook also known as our fabric project catalog featuring stunning Potager fabrics designed by the talented Sharon Holland, packed with inspiring ideas and projects.

Flip through the lookbook with me and get inspired to create with our fabrics!

Unleash your creativity with our FREE 'Home Grown' quilt pattern and discover DIY project inspiration & ideas from home décor to charming accessories, and stylish apparel—all showcasing the beauty of our premium quilting cotton and versatile substrates. 

*Featuring our Free Quilt Pattern ...

Ready to say 'oui' to gorgeous fabrics & projects? Our beloved Lookbook is HERE! This fabric project catalog showcases our collections and is packed with projects and ideas featuring Mademoiselle by Patty Basemi. Get inspired and see what you can create with our fabrics!

Come join me and flip through our lookbook book to get inspired!

Discover our FREE quilt pattern 'Bonjour Paris' and tons of project inspiration for your home decor, including charming accessories, chic apparel, and accessories each project showcases the beauty of our premium quilting cotton and available substrates.

*Featuring our Free Quilt Pattern: Bonjour Paris in Mademoiselle ...

I swear that next week I WILL take pictures at work just to prove that I have a job and am very busy;) I think that is proof in itself that I am so busy and forget to take photos. My 2 day ruler course went very well with the participants telling me that it was “outstanding”. I am so pleased that everyone went home with the confidence to have a go at ruler quilting. I worked on finishing 2 customer quilts that I feel have taken far too long way as I have been redirected to other tasks, including ...

Quilt Ladders are one of my favorite ways to display blankets or… my quilts!

My grandfather – Leon was a wood maker man. He had his own workshop out the back of his home where he cut and sanded a bunch of little wood projects. My mom got a great idea (this happens alot) and sent him some instructions to make 5 quilt ladders. One for each- my sister, and 2 sister in laws, me and of course herself as well.

Leon was one to please and set out to put them together. I’ve had mine for over 8 years ...

Maybe I am too hopeful but March has started with lovely weather – frosty first thing then sunny and mild. Such conditions are wasted if you are working of course but 2 days of nice weather at the weekend lifts everyone’s mood. I even decided to cut the grass which was long and straggly and had never really stopped growing. The old guy next door said it was too soon but his whole property is a mess so I ignored him. My grass is awful anyway and could not get any worse. 

I finally got the overhead locker up in ...

Nessie and I went on a charity shop mission to find Victorian style pictures for my arsenic green sitting room. I could not resist a barmy cross-stitch of kittens in frilly dresses. I hasten to add that it will be part of a “gallery” collection and not a main feature!

My DIY ventures continued with me spending an entire evening attempting to put up a curtain wire for curtains across my wardrobe area. After a lot of dropping tiny screws and shimmying up and down my step stool, I finished the job which would have been better attempted with 2 ...

Learn how to sew hand warmers in the shape of hearts! Use felted wool and rice to sew up this quick project. Great for any season and sewing ability!

I have been using a few hand warmers lately to help with the chilly weather. The heater is on, but it’s still freezy! That’s how I feel!

I had a cute pair, but they were cooked too many times and no longer worked. It was time to make me some new ones.

For these hand warmers I used felted wool sweaters. I keep a little pile in the sewing ...

Freya finally arrived on Sunday evening! We had a lovely week together – she was able to work remotely and entertain Nessie. She loved the cottage and enjoyed cooking most evenings except when we went out for tapas and pizza. She was a huge help with little DIY projects like putting together some IKEA shelves, since I never bother to read the instructions. We also moved the furniture around to accommodate the new-to-me armchair. 

It was really nice to have such easy company, from chatting in the evening to our outing at the weekend. We spotted a kingfisher on the river ...

Happy Monday to you all! I am still clearing out of the Christmas decor, there are some lights that I have take down, and a few candles to put back into storage. But I am keeping the red items out for Valentine’s Day. They are pulling double duty. This week’s freemotion design is also this versatile. Use the design for Valentine’s Day or Christmas.

The hearts wreath design is based on the classic Ribbon Candy design where the s-curves are turned into hearts. This freemotion pattern will look great on quilts with themes like Valentine’s Day ...

There was a cancellation in this week’s Sewing Mastery class so I took the space and had an intensive 2 day training course on getting to know a Bernina sewing machine. This was enlightening as I have never had any training on how to use all of the features on my machine. Whether I will remember it all is another matter;)

On Saturday I gave a 2 hour lecture-demo for the QGBI virtual retreat, complete with a cream tea interval. 2 out of 3 cameras co-operated, I had extra lights and a wireless mic. I think it went pretty ...

I had a busy week supervising a DIY quilter whose first ever quilt was an ambitious foundation pieced elephant. She did really well but did not quite finish after 3 days so she may have to come back to finish the job. She left me with a family heirloom hexagon quilt to complete with a dense feather design.

Each night I went home, got changed, had leftover spagbol, took Nessie for a walk in the park then painted the rest of my sitting room green. It was a tricky job because bumpy wallpaper makes it difficult to cut in neatly ...

A chill is in the air and there are howls on the wind, calling in all the Halloween freebies for a spooktacular roundup. Thirteen free Halloween projects and three free Halloween Quilt and Stitch Alongs await you. Keep reading… if you dare! The urge to make something is all but guaranteed to strike.

Home Decor

Creep your home looking spooky and cute this Halloween with one of these free projects! Which one will bewitch you this spooky season?

Spooky Bat Bunting

The Spooky Bat Bunting works up in two flaps of a bat’s wing and is frightening fun for ...