Fun with Smirk

I finally got a chance to embroider some of those cute Smirk designs from Dakota Collectibles.  I always want the sample to be inspiring to you, so sometimes it takes longer to think up what to do with the design than to embroider it!  Here are a couple of fun projects that definitely make the [...]

Let’s Get Snippy

At least 5 years ago, Barb & I attended a sewing seminar and, as is always the case at those events, there were products to entice our spending “needs”.  We were the only two who purchased a pair of dressmaker shears that night and we have bragged about them for years.  They are undoubtedly the [...]

Scissor “Bling”

Our good friend, Nancy, dropped by on Saturday with some cool scissor jewelry. Nancy’s friend creates some marvelous scissor lanyards (or ID badge lanyards) and she asked if we’d like to carry them in the store. They are so fabulous, I couldn’t resist. We’ve got a tremendous selection of colors and bead [...]

Makin’ Aprons

There’s quite a bit of talk lately about making aprons for grilling and summertime parties.  You can even create gardening aprons, tool aprons, or even sewing/crafting aprons.  We’ve used aprons for years to showcase fun embroidery designs, and usually make our own aprons. I recall one with appliqued gingerbread cookie embroidery, one with [...]

Join the Guild

I had a great meeting yesterday afternoon with Pat and Michelle from the Central Illinois/Peoria Chapter of the American Sewing Guild. It looks like there’s quite a bit planned for this year, from the Sew & Tell Luncheon in June to the big Sew Special in October. You might want to investigate what [...]

Baby Lock Workbooks

I received this wonderful email from a customer yesterday, and thought I would share it with all of you. With her permission, I just copied & pasted, so you’ll get to read it in her own words. The Baby Lock workbooks are available for most machines in the Baby Lock family, and we [...]

Eco-Friendly Embroidery Backing

Everybody’s been talking about eco-friendly products lately, but did you know that we’ve had an environmentally friendly embroidery backing in stock for several months? The first eco-friendly backing available in the U.S., this backing sews like a cutaway and then tears away clean and is non-toxic. This formaldehyde free backing lubricates the needle [...]

May Embroidery Club

Yet, again, I forgot my camera, so you’ll have to rely on my descriptions of the lovely show & tell all of the ladies brought yesterday. We ran out of chairs, which is always a good sign, and were treated to an endless stream of creativity. Forgive me, if I forget somebody’s treasures, [...]

Shades of Spring

Amazing Designs has introduced a wonderful addition to their Amazing Notions line of products–thread sets that coordinate with the latest Amazing Designs packs! They arrived yesterday, and the first set is for the Sewing with Nancy Wildflowers Set. The 6-spool polyester thread collection has 3 luscious yellows and 3 very realistic greens that [...]