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 ...

Snowflake Stars by Kimberly Einmo. Quilted by Birgit Schueller

I was privileged to virtually teach an enthusiastic group of quilters this past Saturday on the ZOOM platform. It was an amazing day with so much learning, sharing and interacting across the miles!

There were attendees from all across the USA, including two students joining from Alaska, one from Tenerife, and one from Ireland! There were two sisters in attendance who live over 2000 miles away from each other who took the class to spend time quilting together — all without having to leave their respective homes. There was a sweet young ...

bonjour à toutes, ANNULE je serai le 24 octobre chez Brigitte Couture à Chartres pour un cours de quilting à la règle. Venez découvrir la technique et repartez avec des idées! Inscription auprès de Brigitte.

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 ...

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 ...

Over the course of the year I’ve shared progress on this quilt:

• First, there was learning to use the AccuQuiltGO! which I blogged about here. It was a different block, but the easy applies.
• Then there is the PIECING of CURVES: see the blogpost here or go directly to the video on my YouTube Channel here.
• Now there is the quilting video (that covers ...

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 ...

Precision piecing has never been my strong suit, but I am — like Michaelangelo at age 80 — still learning. One of the things I’ve learned is that ...

My daughter-in-law Ashley is my “daughter by another mother.” She is crafty and smart and nice and boy did I get lucky! (Well, my son Joshua was smart too….) Anyway, she was interested in sewing, so for a few years we worked on small projects together. She liked it so much we decided to SPLURGE two years ago and give her a combined Birthday and Graduation from College with Honors with a Teaching degree (yup, popping proud): her very first sewing machine, the Janome M7200. What with moving, starting her teaching career, lack of space in the first apartment in ...

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 ...

Sometimes it is the little things, that turn out to be not-so-little, that make the difference in life. In my life, watching the bubbles form and the water boil gives me joy…what can I say, I live a rural life LOL! Another one is tools that make my sewing life easier like the Janome M7’s HP Presser Foot and throat plate, which are available on select other Janome models. It also turns out, you can teach someone who has been sewing for about 57 years new tricks!

I’ll be teaching at the Mancuso quilt shows later this year and next! They asked teachers to do a brief 1-minute video. To no one’s surprise, my first attempt ran long…at least it was only 3 minutes and not 10 LOL! But I decided to upload the longer version here. I hope you’ll enjoy this peek at what I’ve been doing and maybe take a workshop with me at one of the Mancuso shows–I’ll be in Massachusetts in August of 2020–or at International Quilt Festival Houston in Fall.

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 ...