UPDATE! Due to COVID concerns, the event has
been postponed until March, 2022. More details will follow.

I’m headed to Houston for an in-person event!
(Yes, you read that correctly!) 

Thanks to the good folks at Sewing and Vacuum Warehouse in Houston and their forward-thinking ways, they will be hosting a giant, blow-out event you won’t want to miss!

I think we were all disappointed the International Quilt Festival was not able to take place this year. But never fear, because now you can make plans to attend a multi-day, in-person event that very same week in Houston ...

63″ x 63″

I’m very excited to announce I’ll be teaching my newest quilt design, Snowflake Stars, as a class! This virtual class, held on the ZOOM platform, will be:

Saturday, October 10^th
11am – 4pm EST

This completely interactive, professionally moderated class will be held in real-time class (not taped) just as if we were meeting at a quilt show or in-person quilting event. Class size will be limited so I can interact with everyone personally through the Zoom platform. I’ll be doing live demos, will have excellent samples to share of each step in the ...

Cheeto has a very BIG announcement!

Cheeto and I are thrilled to tell you my Pineapple Punch pattern is available for sale as a downloadable file on my website. There have been so many requests for this pattern, I’m tickled to know so many people love this fresh, cheerful quilt as much as I do! 

I used a variety of fabrics from my stash to make this quilt. But the majority of fabrics are from my Solid-ish line by Timeless Treasures. Due to popular request, I have created a very limited number of fat quarter bundles of 15 of ...

This is so cool, I just had to share. I’ve been blessed with honors and wonderful things which have happened to me throughout the years. But this most recent event might be one of the coolest things yet! 

Cheeto and I have been made into a cartoon! 

Yep…the good folks at Janome made a cute little cartoon for their digital and social media presence and they modeled the character after yours truly and Janome Cat, Cheeto! 

Granted, the clip is only a quick fifteen-second video ...

I hinted I had a new quilt in the works back in February. As I pieced the blocks, I posted a few sneak peeks.

After I finished the quilt top, I shared a picture of it in my rearranged studio during the early weeks of the pandemic. 

Then I sent the quilt top to my very talented friend, Birgit Schuller, and she frosted it with her exquisite machine quilting! It was wonderful to work with her again on a quilt (thank you so much, Birgit!) When I received the quilt back from her, I was thrilled; but I still needed ...

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 ...

The definition of cogitate is: “To think deeply about something; meditate or reflect.” 
I’ve been cogitating.

It’s hard to believe the last time I wrote a blog post was in May. The Covid-19 pandemic, turmoil, social unrest, and changes in our world have been truly mind-boggling in the past several months. I must admit, I’ve had to really take time (all while working harder than ever at home to meet deadlines and commitments) to really look inward and think about many things. I’ve challenged myself to examine old beliefs in new ways with a fresh perspective ...

The Southern Pacific Dogwoods which bloom in Lake Arrowhead in spring are spectacular!

Blooms larger than your hand!

How are you doing through this COVID-19 event? I pray you and your loved ones are healthy and well. If you have been affected by this terrible pandemic, I pray things improve quickly and you’re back to feeling as right as rain very soon.

As for me, I can’t believe how quickly the time has passed. Several months have gone by in a flash. But it didn’t start out this way. While we were lucky to return from an ...

Have you been tuning into Facebook every day at 3pm to see the LIVE events being hosted by Janome? The talented educators and I have been sharing our favorite features, tips, tricks and all kinds of exciting and fun things every day, Monday – Friday.  

My next event is this coming Monday, April 20th and I’d love for you to join me. You can find these LIVE events on the Janome Sewing Machines page on Facebook.  This Monday, I’m inviting you into my studio to show you all about the awesome Accuspark app, plus I’ll review many 1 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

…for Christmas!

I can’t believe I started this festive and fun quilt just a couple of weeks ago. I never dreamed it would be completely finished (with three days left to spare) before Christmas! The design is a variation of my Arrowheads quilt pattern that I debuted in my classes this year. When I taught the class at the Vermont Quilt Festival this past summer, one of my clever students had the idea to turn the arrowheads upside down to make Christmas trees. It was a brilliant idea!

I took the idea one step further and modified the pattern ...

I’ve been on the road teaching for guilds and at industry events a lot lately. One of the benefits of my busy travel schedule is it affords me the unique opportunity to visit Janome dealers around the country, sometimes unexpectedly! Just last week we flew into Dulles airport outside of Washington, DC on our way to visit our sons at their university. I had heard about this incredibly stylish store and that it’s located not far from the airport. so Mr. Kim and I dropped in to visit Precious Lopez at Sew Magarbo in Ashburn, Virginia.

To say ...