Even in the busiest times, while in the thick of the most involved projects it’s important to stop and soak up nature’s wonders. The other day I snapped this picture of a rose past it’s prime but still quite beautiful. It’s so important to pause every now an then, especially when your plate is full [...]

Doodle, doodle almost done. I love scribbling on fabric with thread. I machine quilted panels four and five of my charity ArtPrize quilts late Wednesday. High five, everyone! Later today I’ll be picking out fabric for the binding and weaving in thread tails. I can’t quite believe I’ve been working on this project every day for [...]

I finally finished quilting the beast that was panel three of my charity ArtPrize quilt project. I had some thread tension issues in the wee hours of the morning that cost me some valuable time and sleep, but I’m back on track and a little more in tune with my machine. If I’ve learned anything [...]

It’s 4:18 a.m. Mistakes were made. What can I say? I will resume work after I get some sleep. The quilting is about halfway done on the third of five quilt panels. I can do this. (If you’re wondering what the heck I’m talking about, check out my other posts below.)

My Artprize deadline is less than two weeks away, so I’m in continuous work mode and really looking forward to taking a serious break in a couple weeks. I worked until 2:30 a.m. this morning free-motion quilting the first quilt panel. I thought I was done when I went to bed only to wake up [...]

I know it looks like it I’m wearing a discount Snuggie in the photo, but relax. I just decided to wrap myself in Fusi-Boo for dramatic effect. And it’s actually way more expensive than buying one of those discount sleeping bags with sleeves. If you quilt, you may know that Fusi-Boo is fusible quilt batting. [...]

OK, so I just have two more big steps before my public swan dive. In 14 days, I have to turn in my finished ArtPrize entry to be installed on the wall at the David D. Hunting YMCA in Grand Rapids. There is still plenty left to do, but I’m going to make my deadline. [...]

It’s time to send the kids back to school and I can’t quite believe it. This is the fastest summer I’ve ever experienced as a mom. I LOVED being home with my kids this summer – my first summer as a work-at-home mom. This year both my daughters will be eating lunch at school for [...]

This is the ArtPrize quilt I’ve been working on. I’ve been hand stitching every day for the last several days, working late into the night to turn the 127 hexagon flowers made of fabric from donated neckties into something beautiful and agonizing over whether or not this is even possible. I had some help getting [...]

This is what my ArtPrize quilt looked like yesterday morning. It was a box of 127 hand-stitched, paper-pieced hexagon blooms organized by color. (Note that navy blue dominates this box of blooms created using ties donated by prominent men in West Michigan.) I stitched the last 14 blooms at 35,000 feet flying to Seattle and [...]

Sue Hausmann says sewing is a life skill. And after you listen to her story you’ll understand what she means. As a young mom, she sewed everything for her family from housewares to matching swim suits her family of six. She also sewed to earn extra money doing alterations out of her home. Years of practical sewing [...]

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m heading West for the Conference for Creative Entrepreneurs in a couple days. There’s lots to do before I board the plane, but I took a break from spinning plates for a bit to work on a super important project for my daughters. I’ve been working on a set of stuffed [...]

If I had all the time back that I’ve wasted looking for my keys, I’d have sooooo much extra time. Seriously. Thankfully I’ve found a handmade way to decrease the number of times I lose my keys. After a particularly annoying key misplacement, I bought a key fob like the one above as an impulse buy [...]

Thank goodness for this printable hexagonal graph paper. As I work to stitch the final batch of blooms for my ArtPrize quilt, I’ve been thinking about the final shape this quilt will take. Having this graph paper eliminates the guess work. The donated ties I’m working with aren’t as bright as the colors above. But at [...]

I’m headed to the Detroit Maker Faire at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich. today and I can’t wait to see all the vendors and innovators who embrace the D.I.Y. lifestyle in grand fashion. Check back here for a full report. Or, better yet, go check out the event yourself. It’s open from 9:30 [...]