Suzzies’ new location is conveniently located across from the Manassas mall in Manassas, VA

Welcome to Suzzie’s Quilt Shop!

True confession: I LOVE this shop. In fact, this became my local shop and favorite hang-out when it opened six years ago on Jan 12, 2013. Lucky for me, it was located just a stone’s throw away when we lived in Manassas, VA.

This sweet lady, Susy Shafer, has the amazing ability to remember everyone who walks through her shop’s doors!

Owned by Susy Shafer and her husband, Brian, with the support of their beautiful children, Suzzie’s ...

I’ve been quilting since 2010 and have struggled with the small machine I have.  It’s doable, but there is a lot of pulling and tugging involved. Don’t get me wrong,...

As the Janome National Spokesperson, I’ve started a fun, new tradition of surprising Janome dealers by stopping by their shops when I’m traveling or out and about. In case you missed my first two special Shop Stops, you can read about them HERE and HERE. Shortly after Christmas, I decided to visit the closest Janome dealer to where we live in the South Bay area of Los Angeles (plus I was in desperate need of some yellow and pink fabrics for a new project in the works.) My sweet husband drove me to Long Beach, CA, to visit ...

A quick catch-up

So much has happened in the last month or so and I’ve been remiss in not posting more frequently here on the blog. I thought about writing a long follow-up about my trips and teaching engagements, such as the International Quilt Market and Festival in Houston with tons of photos, but it would take me several hours. And honestly, that was just one of many things happening for us here in the past six weeks. So I’ll just write a quick catch-up since you are likely as busy getting ready for the holidays as I ...

Hi everyone…is anyone else madly trying to figure out what to do for Christmas gifts?  Here’s a FREE pattern by me, with major thanks to Shannon Fabrics for the Cuddle fleece.  Literally you can make a couple of these in an hour or so–give yourself three hours and a yard and you can make half a dozen in production-line mode!

How many selfies do you need to take to eliminate many chins or no chin? LOL! I love my soft hat!

And here is what the hat looks like, flat:

Two hats…I mean I used up ...

Bonjour à toutes, Vous avez peut-être craqué au Black Friday mais moi, je me suis réservée pour le Salon Création et Savoir-Faire qui ouvre mercredi prochain. L’année dernière absorbée par la recherche de sponsors pour le quilt along 2019, je n’avais rien acheté! Roxane en est témoin! Mais cette année, j’aimerai trouver quelques bricoles: patron … Continuer de lire Préparons le CSF!

Ashley’s snowman, sewn on my trusty Janome 9400, using the buttonhole stitch and free motion stitching. 

Do ya ever have those moments when you walk into your studio / crafting space / hides hole and have a near panic attack because there are so many mid-stream projects that serious ADHD kicks in and you can’t do anything because you keep getting distracted by yet another something?  Yeah.   It was one of those days.

I’ve  added enough books and class materials (classes I’ve taken) that my shelves are too full.   So I had to find a box and remove ...

Unattainable goal or within easy reach?

Quilters the world over continually strive to perfect the elusive scant 1/4″ seam allowance much like golfers strive for a hole in one or gourmet chefs painstakingly prepare the perfect souffle. The truth is, the perfect scant 1/4″ seam allowance is something every quilter can master with the right tools and practice. If you love precision piecing as much as I do, then stitching the perfect scant 1/4″ seam allowance is something you strive for every time you sit at the sewing machine to piece your fabrics into pretty blocks. And ...

Wherever I go, I’m frequently asked by quilters where they could find important information about using their machines. So today, I’m sharing a link from the Janome Life blog about where to find this goldmine of useful information and helpful tips! 

My friend, Liz, who writes under the name Lizafrica, is a font of knowledge and she loves sharing her passion and knowledge for all things sewing with everyone! Thanks, Liz, for putting together this handy-dandy guide!!!

CLICK HERE.

And while you’re clicking around and having some fun, be sure to check out these new short videos ...

So I decided to use up the very last bits of my buffalo check fleece.  I began with 4 3/4 yards of the 58-60″ wide cloth.  The second photo shows the last bits!   These hats are SO FAST to make…including figuring out the best sewing sequence it took less than an hour for the first one.  If you wanted to make a half dozen, you could do that in an afternoon–quick and easy winter gifts!

How many selfies do you need to take to eliminate many chins or no chin? LOL! I love my soft hat!

This ...

Hi everyone…preparations for teaching at International Quilt Festival Houston are nearly done, so I can return to somewhat regularly sporadic blogging!   In addition to that snuggly lap robe/blanket in Cuddle fabric, I also recently made a hooded jacket using two layers of fleece and a Simplicity pattern.

Cuddle-y two-layer fleece jacket–I may not want to take this off this winter!

As I’ve; mentioned in earlier posts, I totally fell in love with Shannon Cuddle fabric at the Janome Education Summit this past May. Here’s a link to the buffalo check (temporarily out of stock as ...

Welcome! I hope you had a chance to join me as an armchair traveler as I visited my first-ever, surprise Janome Shop Stop, Sew Special, in Maui! (If not, simply CLICK HERE.) From Hawaii we traveled to Virginia to visit our sons, who are attending Liberty University, for Parents’ Weekend. While we were in Lynchburg, Virginia, my husband and I couldn’t wait to visit Janome Shop Stop #2, Sew Simple — a fabulous quilt shop and Janome dealer owned by the well-known, uber-talented, and much-loved, Amy Johnson and her wonderful husband, Eric!

I had the privilege of getting to know ...

As the National Spokesperson for Janome, I decided it would be fun to start a new trend of visiting as many Janome dealerships as possible whenever I’m traveling for business or pleasure. I’m going to call these surprise, drop-in visits “Janome Shop Stops.” And during our recent trip to Maui, I had the opportunity to visit a fabulous shop called Sew Special.

Kent and I spent several hours visiting Barbara and Roy Huntley at Sew Special in Kahului, Maui…. and it was a very special shop indeed! As we entered their store there was so much to see ...

A heavenly combination: my studio, my Janome 9400 and Shannon Fabrics cuddle fabric–I’m ready for winter!  This fabric is so soft you just want to pet it, snuggle under it, and not give it away as a gift!

Last May, Janome America had its first ever Janome Education Summit, and one of the presenters was Shannon Fabrics.  From the kit they provided, I made the lovely summery top in this blogpost.  But they also shared samples of their fabrics, including these two.  True confession:  I have this Elmer Fudd-esque love affair with red and black buffalo check.  When ...

Bonjour à toutes! oui, vous avez bien lu! je participe au Challenge lancé par Losri sur le compte Facebook des Simply Vintage Addict auquel j’appartiens encore… J’avais acheté ce numéro car Valérie y avait un modèle. J’avais découvert Valérie en participant pour Quiltmania au challenge des Oui Are Makers. Voici la couverture avec  la French … Continuer de lire La French pochette: challenge Simply Vintage addict

Janome Ruler Kit

Have you seen the Janome Ruler Work Kit?  It’s been available for several months now. As a Westalee Design Accredited Teacher, I received a kit from Sew Steady a couple of months ago.

For less than $100, the kit includes six fun templates and a Crosshair square ruler. Plus, the kit includes pattern instructions for each ruler and a DVD tutorial for making and quilting a ruler carrying case.

I used two templates in the kit to make my Family Love banner. The Hearts of Plenty and Pointed Oval templates can be used to make unique ...

Luxe print cuddle and velvet cuddle (the solid red) from ShannonFabrics.com

Oh I can’t WAIT to start sewing this.  At the Janome Education Summit in May we had a program from Shannon Fabrics using their double gauze and Cuddle (minkee).   I saw these three fabrics in swatches and NOW I have some!  They are part of the Fall line, and I can’t wait!  SQUEE…just checked and these are now available at Fabric.com–go here.

The white with buffalo-plaid moose will be backed/edged with the big buffalo-check (each square is about 2 inches) for a ...

I’ve got a great idea to share with you.

Take care with scissors or a knife when opening the box containing your new machine. I had some expert help from my son, Josh.

As you may know we’ve recently completed a move from the east coast to the west coast. However, we’re actually veterans of many military moves so I’ve had lots of experience dealing with packing and shipping of household goods including my cherished sewing machines! And whether you have moved frequently or lived in the same home for many years, I think you’ll ...

Recently made up a VERY quick and easy project for Janome America which is free for you to use… a felt apple pin for your favorite teacher.   Of course you could also make it in woven cloth, a lovely wool, anything you like, but a wool felt is fast, Fast, FAST…and fun!

A quick and easy project by Sarah Ann Smith for Janome America ©2018

I used leftover bits of felt–you could use black for the backing instead of the oatmeal felt I had, anything you want!  Including drafting the apple and sewing on the pin backing I ...

With a happy and contented sigh of relief, I am happy to announce my new sewing studio is finished. It has been a journey of stretching my vision, practicing patience, and overcoming obstacles. I’m thrilled with the results! In many ways my new studio is similar to my previous studio partly because I loved the look, colors, and creative vibe of that studio. But there are some exciting new differences. For instance, the paint color I chose for the walls is darker and richer than the previous paint color although it is still my signature perwinkle. Let me share ...