Kick your next girl’s night out or Bachelorette party off in style with these fun party koozies.  You can se these to relive the party every time you get together!

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Everyone needs to sew a little black dress at some point in their sewing career. This dress was made for my sewing class at Kent State University and the entire class had to use the same satin fabric. The goal was to differentiate yours from your peers by adding another fabric, through the style of the dress, or the sewing techniques used. Any or all of those could be combined but I decided to get a contrasting fabric (gold charmeuse) and I died cotton french lace edging purchased from Martha Pullen for the hem. I pin tucked the front bodice piece and I had 5 rows of pin tucking above the hem. This satin was such a great fabric to work with, I really enjoyed it!

Get your feet wet with some quilting techniques while making this banner to welcome the leprechauns with the pots o’ gold this St. Patrick’s Day!

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Pi Day is March 14, and Urban Threads has released a mathematically marvelous FREE embroidery design to celebrate! “Pi Equals Delicious” will be yummy on creations for math teachers and number-crunching mad scientists of all stripes to celebrate this most circular of holidays.

It’s available for download in two sizes in formats for machine embroidery, hand embroidery, and digital stock art, FREE through Sunday March 14. Emjoy!

I have been working on baby blankets and recently found a time saver.  I used to pin pleats on the satin ribbon and then sew on the minky fabric.  After a few blankets and  a lot of time, I purchased a ruffler foot.   You can actually ruffle satin onto the fabric at the same time.  I wish I had gotten a ruffler foot a little sooner.  Now I am looking for projects that need ruffles!  Pillow cases, dresses, etc.

Now that you’re inspired to make a quilt, how do you care for it? You’ve invested a lot of time making this one-of-kind piece, so take these 8 tips to heart when it comes to care.

1. Keep it dry — store it in a cool, dry place so mold and mildew won’t grow on your hard work
2. Store it in a cotton sheet or pillow case — this will allow the fabric to breathe and keep moisture from building up
3. Avoid temperature extremes — temp changes can cause stress and the fibers could deteriorate
4. No bugs and mice — in other words, don’t store it in a cardboard box, attic, cellar, garage, shed, etc.
5. Keep it in the dark — sunlight can cause discoloration and deterioration
6. Keep it unfolded — you don’t want creases to form after all your hard work, so roll it around a wrapping paper tube or unfold it often being sure to refold it a different way
7. Use acid-free paper — it’s a good idea to put acid-free paper between the folded layers of your quilt. And, acid-free is important to prevent your fabric from becoming stained or corroded
8. Keep it away from wood — unfished wood often contains acid that can ruin your quilt. If you must store it in drawers, then line it with acid-free paper

What better way to get the party started than with a fun table setting! These will quickly become essential for all your family celebrations.

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To sandwich your quilt layers together you’re going to need quite a bit of space. Typically, I like to spread this out over the dinning room table or on the master bed.

To start, on the wrong side of your backing, mark the center at the top, bottom, and side edges. Place the backing right side down and smooth away the wrinkles — use masking tape to hold it taut and in place.

Carefully unfold the batting and place it over the backing, be sure to keep it wrinkle free.

Lastly, position the top over the batting, keeping the sandwhich wrinkle free. Match the centers of your quilt top with the backing. Now, pin your layers together to prevent them from shifting.

Now you’re ready to take your sandwhich to your Baby Lock machine for quilting!

I handsome extra minky fabric and wanted to think of a something else it could be used for other than baby blankets.  I decided to make my daughter a pillowcase.  She got to pick out the color and the embroidery design.  She thought that was great!   She loved  how soft it was on her face.  Well, when she woke the next morning her long hair wasn’t tangled like normal.  Which meant less brushing and fusing that morning!.  It’s the pillowcase.  Grandma was right!  If you don’t want your hair messed up during the night than sleep on satin…..and now minky too!