Via Via A while ago, going through my "pile of probably not going to ever finish them" projects, I came upon a project I started eons ago. A cheat quilt as I used to refer to it - which today has a more sophisticated name- or so pinterest told me - and it's called quilted and crochet fusion blanket. Well, at the time, I as a very eager mother to make my firstborn a cheat quilt she was supposed to treasure forever, cut and sew laboriously pieces of her clothing she admired, of which there is a glimpse you can actually see here, and that was it. I put the pieces back into the "forgotten drawer". I didn't want to return to it - yet I might try this in the future using my vintage fabric scraps I've been jealously holding onto. So when the very first quilted / crochet blanket above appeared in my pinterest feed, it flushed back all the memories. And the desire which I hope will resist other whims my mind gets tackled with on daily basis. Until then, enjoy these beauties.  Via Via Via

Oscar has been studying kites this term at school, and he has just finished his term project of making a kite at home. Of course, the Fielke's had to have a patchwork kite, and it turned out so cute I...

Hey friends! I have been trying to think of ways to be more environmentally friendly when I am quilting. I am really thoughtful about the beautiful fabrics I select and I want to use every scrap so that nothing goes to waste. Today I am sharing a scrap buster tutorial to make a quilted bookmark! How to make a quilted bookmark: Materials: Fusible Midweight Interfacing Quilter's Cotton Scraps Sewing Machine Iron & Pressing Mat Other Helpful materials: 6 1/2

These simple words speak tons. A touch... a life... a change... a difference. You make a difference. You touch lives.

My final post from the Tokyo Dome is split into several parts. I didn't count the quilts in each competition category, but there seemed to be a lot more in the 'Traditional' category than in any of the others. Quilts in this section varied from the very traditional to borderline contemporary. There were many quilts where the lively use of colour and pattern made traditionally inspired block patterns seem very modern. In contrast to the lively, scrappy look, other quilts were very carefully coordinated and shaded. Some quilts in this section could easily have been swapped into the 'Original Design' category, like this minimalist design with simple straight machine quilting and monochrome tumbling blocks. The colour scheme is shown best in the last photo. There were plenty of taupe quilts in this section. This one made good use of ombre effects and touches of bright blue. Another vividly coloured quilt - a wonderful mix up of fabrics. With a quilt like this, the maker must have simply made lots of blocks before starting on the layout - there is so much variety. This was one of several quilts where the binding fabric had been cut to show printed text. These half square triangles had square spirals in couched braid on top. The bright turquoise accents are a little like the bright blue in the earlier taupe quilt. Traditional applique, carefully chosen fabrics. The final photo is most accurate for colour. One of many Log Cabin variations, with a 1930s retro style. Log Cabin with stripes. There were fewer Baltimore style album quilts than I expected. This one had beautifully done hand applique but none of the three dimensional effects often seen on Japanese Baltimore quilts. A version of Lucy Boston's Patchwork of the Crosses. Pushing the boundaries of traditional... The background division is interesting. A border quilted with French knots. Some blocks had amusing fussy cut centres. There were a number of floral applique quilts, featuring very realistically shaded roses. Log Cabin variation in (mainly) black and white. This was one of my favourite block based quilts. I liked the asymmetric arrangement, with the extra strip of boderless blocks on the right, and the variation in the background fabric colour in the blocks. It makes the quilt much more interesting. The choice of fabrics, mixing florals, geometrics, dots, text etc., is a popular thing with Japanese quilters. Even many of the fabric bundles sold by traders would seem rather uncoordinated to British and American quilters. I love the fabrics with text, the more oddball the better! Rich chocolatey tones in this taupe quilt. Aubergine and chartreuse, a very fashionable colour combination in interior design over the last few years. Foundation pieced Mariners Compasses shaded across this quilt. Papers for these patterns can be bought ready marked, but the way the motifs were combined and the fabric shading effects made this quilt stunning. Unfortunately, like many of the quilts at the show, it didn't hang well. This, along with vertical creases, seemed to be the biggest issue the quilters had with 'finish'. Another Log Cabin with text prints and grapic patterns. More photos to come!

This weekend, I participated in the Veteran's Day Sewing Circle , a project created by Sherri Lynn Wood. (The photo above belongs to her...

I have been fascinated with oya crochet for quite a long time. Always admiring minute, exquisite stitches that marvelously compose a whole new intricate and enchanting world. The history of this decorative edging known also as "Turkish lace" is thought to date back to the 8th century B.C. in Anatolia. Traditionally, Anatolian women used oya edgings to decorate their headdresses and scarves, under and outer garments, edges of towels and napkins, and today they are also popular as jewelry. Oya edging, which appears all over Anatolia in various forms and motifs, has different names depending on the means employed: needle, crochet hook, shuttle, hairpin, bead, tassel to name just a few. What I find immensely compelling is the messages they used to convey. Keeping in mind that this was a region where a woman was expected to remain silent or not bring up certain subjects, they had quite a lot to tell through their oya. Oya was the secret language they developed to tell the world what they had or how they felt. For example blue oya meant happiness and yellow meant tiredness. Girls engaged to marry the man they love wore oya of pink hyacinths and almond blossoms, while a girl in love wore purple hyacinths. Plum blossom oya was worn by brides. A girl engaged to be married sends a piece of oya -edged printed cloth to her prospective mother-in-law. If what she sends is ‘meadow and grass’ oya, this implies that their relations are cordial. But if she sends ‘gravestone’ oya, it means ‘the coldness between us will endure until death’. Since the oya is seen by the neighbors at the wedding ceremony, it is of course the wish of all mothers-in-law that their new daughters-in-law wrap ‘meadow-grass’ oya around their heads. The groom’s family, too, sends the bride a ‘bridal cloth’ with two or three oya flowers from which the bridal headdress will be made. I have tried my hand at oya by making a tiny flower, but in the future I would love to include some beads and actually make it a big project. Here's a free pattern for a necklace, courtesy of Wendy from the Sunshine Creations. Information about the meaning of oya was taken from Turkish Cultural Foundation and the respective links for the images I used in this post can be found on my pin board here.

Welcome to Week 2 of the Modern Fans Quilt Sew-Along! If you're popping in late, no need to feel left-out or stressed, we are keeping a slow pace with this sew-along so everyone can have a chance to gather any extra supplies or take that extra time to practice sewing curves.If you need a quickContinue Reading...

Explore pam garrison's 3316 photos on Flickr!

Dude. I must apologize in advance. You are about to encounter an obnoxious number of photos. Bear with me as I'm about to cover trimming ...

Someone emailed me recently and asked me to explain how I made the felted sweater blanket I have posted on my projects page. I found some old pictures on my laptop and put this post together.

Structural baby blankets are undoubtedly eye catching, very unique and easy to make at the same time.Pattern Center

Am I the only one that has a basket full of charging cords? It seems that everything has it's own charging cord, and all of the cords ...

No matter your skill level, our sewing projects for clothing, accessories, handmade gifts, stuffed animals, and beyond will hope you hone your skillset.

A crafty blog...mostly Crazy Quilting...and a bit of family stuff thrown in too. Grab a cuppa, stay a while.

Learn how to create a perfect mitered fold while sewing corners by using an easy double fold hem method. Stacy Grissom shows you how.

Explore Design*Sponge/Grace Bonney's 6850 photos on Flickr!

This beautiful Quilted Accordion Pouch expands out and gives you five pockets to keep your jewelry, small lingerie items, make-up, or other special trinkets.

Granny crochet blankets come in all shapes and sizes, and today our focus is on those made with squares. Big or small - no matter!

Learn how to create a perfect mitered fold while sewing corners by using an easy double fold hem method. Stacy Grissom shows you how.

Stitching in the ditch is a quilting technique, but it’s a good one to know for other sewing projects as well. I don’t use it a ton, but occasionally when I’m making …

Knitted squares blanket (2019) 241 Tote Bag (2019) Fabric envelope (2019) Insect Banner (2019) New York Beauty Mini Quilt Laptop Sleeve Bag Key Tag Zippered Pouch Pyramid Doorstop Door stop Mug Rug Bitty, bitty block book Polaroid Calendars Pin Cushion Felt Bunny Zakka Hoop EPP Drawstring Bag Santa Sack Mug Rug Zipper Pouches Art Folder Bibs Placemats Laminated Drawstring Bag "Bee Happy" Cushion "Marie Claire" Bag Sew Together Bag Needle felted garland Bunting Placemats Mini quilt Table runner "Lola" Zipper Pouch Teddy bear Pillow Lola Pouch Liberty Tissue Covers Gift Envelopes Cushion Hanging Storage Hexagon Cushion Tissue Covers Drawstring Bag Drawstring Bag Blue Wren Cushion Mini Sew Together Bag Burp Cloths Pam's tote bag Cushion Lola Pouch Teabag pouch and mugrug Christmas Table Runner- it lives in Morocco Wall Hanging Table Runner Pin Cushion Bag for Helen Union Jack cushion- lives in England Elephant Softie (2009) Christmas Stockings (2009) Christmas Stockings (2017) Drawstring bags Carry bag Pillowcase Pincushion Drawstring bag Weebraw Bags Embroidered Hoop Hexie Wall Quilt Doily totes 2022 Socks! 2022 Daisy Love purse

The Problem I hate binding quilts. It’s the one thing about quilting that feels like drudgery to me. It takes a long time to do it the traditional way, and it is difficult to get great results if y…

How to tie a knot in thread using a quilters knot video tutorial and photo tutorial! (Hi! Want more sewing how to tutorials just like this? Then don’t forget to check out my other sewing how to tutorials or my free easy sewing projects!) This tutorial will be showing you how to tie a knot […]

Looking for the perfect sewing basket? Make your own to fit your stitching needs. Great for Applique, English Paper piecing, handwork or for taking to a

Stitching lace insertion to fabric is the first technique that we learn when I teach heirloom sewing by machine. This is not a strong application of lace and best used on collars, yokes, or sleeves. Lace insertion is the lace that is straight on both edges. If one side of the lace feels rougher than the other, this is the wrong side of the lace. I have used a contrasting color thread for the photos. Use a fine machine thread that matches the lace and a 60/8 size machine needle. Starch and press the lace and fabric. Using a wash-away marker, mark the lace placement lines on the fabric. Set the sewing machine on straight stitch length of 2.0 and stitch close to the edge of the lace down both sides. I prefer to stitch from top to bottom each time to prevent the fabric and lace from distorting. Turn the fabric to the wrong side, and carefully cut the fabric between the stitching lines, being careful not to cut the lace. Press the fabric away from the lace. On the right side of the fabric, using a zigzag stitch of 2.0 width and 0.7 length, stitch over the previous stitching line. The stitch should "zig" into the lace and "zag" into the fabric. On the wrong side of the fabric, using blunt scissors, trim away the excess fabric. Starch and press the fabric and lace before continuing with your garment. I first started doing heirloom sewing about 15 years ago while doing custom sewing for "Joy's of Smocking" in Decatur, AL. I still love working with lace and fabric!

A tutorial on how to make fabric from scrap threads and use your orts. Using wash away stabiliser or dissolvable fabric you can create a new fabric.