Pour yourself a cup of tea and settle in for a newsy update…

Many of you have been following our newest big adventure I first wrote about last summer. (In case you missed it, CLICK HERE.) Admittedly, my blog posts were rather sparse during the last quarter of 2021 because we put our plan into motion and my husband actually made the big transition and moved down under in early November. We spent the holidays apart for the first time in 34 years, but we chose to make the season merry despite our circumstances. As for my poor husband’s ...

Let the sun set on 2021……

I’ve sat down to write a blog post dozens of times. I’ve written paragraphs, then deleted them and tried to write again. Always the same: I just couldn’t find the right words. I try to be very mindful when I do write a blog post, I never want to add to the “noise” of this clamoring world. There’s already too much negativity and nonsense being put into the universe. I don’t wish to contribute more of the same. But it’s time for an update and what better time ...

Hello! My goodness, it’s been awhile since I’ve been able to post. The past 8 weeks have truly been a blur. We put our home on the market, sold it, and then went through the arduous process of arranging for and managing three separate household goods shipments. It was a lot of work! We were authorized to ship a small amount by air, 14K pounds of household goods by sea (which isn’t all that much weight, really!) and everything else was either donated or put into a long term storage unit. Kent and I did much of ...

I’ve been away from posting on my blog and and I’ve missed sharing updates. But there has been a good reason for my absence: we’ve been making some life-changing decisions about our future. 

Four years ago, my sweet husband was offered the opportunity to take on a new challenge with a large defense contractor and we moved from Northern Virginia to Southern California. At the time, we hoped we might be able to stay here until it would be time for him to retire (8 years from now) from his full-time career as an IT specialist. We ...

Another new make on the Janome M7 using various stitches and features to make a great dress perfect! I found a link to a free blouse pattern on the Australian Peppermint Magazine on Spoonflower. Following the trail of cookie crumbs (or thread bits), I then found the Wide-Strap Maxi dress pattern, which is a free PDF download. They ask if you’d like to make a donation to support the cost of the site, so I did, and I GOT A THANK YOU! Nice! Click on the pattern name or here for the hotlink. Along the way I took pictures ...

Several months ago, I was invited to participate in an incredible effort to honor and support a very deserving veteran and his family by the television show, Military Makeovers, on behalf of Janome-America. Due to contractual obligations, I wasn’t allowed to share anything publicly until after the episode aired but now that it has been featured on network television, I can share the behind-the-scenes story and some photos with you all! 

Daniel Burgess, his wife, Genette, and their two daughters were the recipients of a complete home makeover by Military Makeovers, hosted by Montel Williams. Dan was severely injured ...

It’s a miracle…sewing for pure fun! Last summer I ordered the PDF download of this Eva Dress pattern by Tessuti Fabrics in Australia (don’t ask me what delightful rabbit hole I fell into that led me to a fabric shop half-way around the world). I had 2 1/2 yards of art quilter Leslie Tucker Jenison’s fantastic Warehouse District design printed on Kaufman’s Essex cotton-linen blend, a perfect weight for this jumper (there’s also a short sleeve version). Be sure to see the short video below!

I’m very excited to share that I’ll be teaching at VQF@HOME — the virtual Vermont Quilt Festival for 2021!

Since we can’t be together in person this year, I was asked to teach four classes for the Vermont Quilt Festival online — and I’m excited to share these special classes with you! Although I’d much rather be together in Vermont in June, meeting via ZOOM does have it’s advantages. So why not choose to look on the bright side with me and sign up for one, two, or all of my workshops (plus a lecture ...

Now that it seems as though COVID and travel restrictions will eventually be in our rearview mirror, who’s ready to begin planning for travel in the future? I’m absolutely thrilled to invite YOU to join me from May 25 – June 4, 2022 as we will journey to Japan for the trip of a lifetime! I’ve been working closely with Judy Berry of Opulent Quilt Journeys to plan a very special, exclusive textile-focused trip with an itinerary that will, quite simply, blow your socks off! 

Opulent Quilt Journeys does everything with the utmost personal focus of the quilter ...

Happy Anniversary!

April 1st is a very meaningful day for a variety of reasons. First and most importantly, it was three years ago today I became the National Spokesperson for Janome-America, Inc. In my 25+ years in this industry this is one of the biggest honors I could ever have dared to dream; and it is a roll I cherish very much! Janome is a company I believe in down to my core for their products manufactured with the highest quality materials and engineering, and for their ease of use and responsiveness — and attention — to their customers.

But it is ...

UPDATE: CLICK HERE to watch MY FAVORITE THINGS!

I’m personally inviting you to join me for a FUN FRIDAY FACEBOOK LIVE event this Friday, March 19th at 3pm ET (noon Pacific) for something just a little different. 

There are so many new Janome Continental M7 owners — and many more considering making this absolutely amazing machine part of their sewing studios — that I thought it would be informative and helpful to share my most favorite presser feet and accessories with you! I’ve put together a FREE list of all these items, complete with the correct part numbers and some ...

Looking for a new sewing machine but don't know where to begin? Start by reading this blog!

This time I surprised even myself. After cutting 850″ of 2 1/4″ bias, I sewed it to twelve (what was I thinking???? clearly I was not thinking….) placemats and a 44 by 15″ table runner, ironed it, glued it to prep for machine sewing. Then, in about 65 minutes I got the second side of ALL the placemats AND the table runner SEWN! Check out the pictures and video!

Janome is celebrating their 100th Anniversary and in honor of this very special year, they commissioned this beautiful cotton fabric! So, to celebrate this most special occasion, I’m in the process of making some wonderful things for my studio using this special print! If you love this as much as I do, be sure to stop by (or contact) your local Janome dealer to get YOUR own yardage because when it’s gone, it’s GONE!

Last autumn I created a fun, FREE, easy little pattern called Holiday Star. I created holiday-themed quilts with this pattern so I could ...