Aside from some of the secret stuff going on at my desk right now, from time to time I pull out the Nearly Insane book by Liz Lois and make a block or two. I mentioned last week, that the book is back on the sewing table, front and center. I’m sewing the blocks in […]

Taking a week off from writing this article last week allowed me some time to finally put the wraps on the stitched notions case I’ve been working on for an eternity! Or at least, it feels like that long! If you have been following along, then you know this project started as a stitched sampler […]

As a kid, salt potatoes were just part of the menu during the summer around here. I didn’t think much of it. For a very brief history lesson, Syracuse, New York (my hometown) used to be known (and still is, in many circles) as the Salt City. Through much of the 19th century, Syracuse was […]

This week, I have been clipping along on the stitched notions pouch I started over a year ago. Last week I finished the lining pockets.   This week, I worked on the zippered, windowed interior pockets. Remember, I’m not working from a pattern, so I’m winging it as I go, and this is where I […]

Starting about 18 months ago, I’ve been working on a stitch sampler/soon-to-be notions case. To recap, I upsized the design area a bit on the sampler, started stitching, then things stalled. In January of this year, my embroidery guild challenged folks to stitch something–even one stitch–every day for 100 days to move stalled projects forward. […]

The Finish Over the past couple weeks, I’ve been keeping myself occupied with a variety of projects. Some I can’t share . . . yet, but some I can. . . For example. This pineapple quilt that I’ve been working on for quite some time – years, in fact – is done! This quilt started […]

I’ve been struggling. About the holidays, no less. You know, Christmas stuff. Yes I know it’s just the beginning of summer, but I’m behind. Really, I am! Every year, I put a hand-made ornament in my holiday cards. A few years ago, I started making them one per week, starting in January or February to […]

A few months ago, I introduced you to the newest product from the Hummingbird Highway – Your Nest® Thread Nest Floss Bobbins! They are a handy tool to organize your stitchery fibers – floss, and perle cottons, for example. I created the bobbins to replace an item that was discontinued, because I wanted to include […]

I’ve created a very aggressive business plan for myself this year. I love having a plan, and I thrive when the projects I have prioritized follow a detailed timeline. Some things slip while others advance. Everything seems to take longer than expected, even so, stuff is moving forward. It’s crazy, invigorating, and frustrating all at […]

With business meetings taking up a good deal of time on my schedule this week, I feel a little out of sorts trying to keep projects moving forward. It feels like they’re all stuck in Limbo-land. For example, I may have gotten carried away with Sweetpea Pod production. I mentioned this cute little pouch pattern […]

I put the scrappy pineapple aside temporarily to work on the next bird block sample for The FLOCK. Once the block was done, I took out some of those colorful zippers I showed here a couple weeks ago, along with some fabrics and fusible batting to make some Sweetpea Pods for fun. The pattern is […]

This scrappy pineapple quilt, pieced a few years back, has been my on-again, off-again project for my weekday sewing sessions for the last month or so. Every weekday, I spend about an hour or so in the morning before breakfast working on the sewing machine. Once that hour is up, I start my day with […]

  With ‘secret’ sewing projects wrapped up for now, this Pineapple block quilt is back ON the sewing table. Progress is slow. . . I am able to finish the swirly ditch-quilting on 2 or 3 blocks in a weekday morning sewing session. Nine blocks to go, or at least three more days. Then I’ll […]

Each month, projects move on and off the sewing table to make room for secret projects that I can’t share. This week, I’m working on some upcoming block designs for The FLOCK in the sewing room, and I’m not allowed to share them. That means, the quilting on the pineapple quilt has been put aside […]

I spent the last couple weeks working on my blue and brown pineapple quilt. Two weeks ago, I was just finishing up some straight-line quilting in the sashing strips. This week I finalized and began executing my quilt plan for the blocks. More on that below. I did receive a question or two about the […]

Once I wrapped up the Swirl placemat I worked on for a few weeks, using the Creative Grids Mini Pineapple Trimmer and my Swirl pattern notes, I kinda got on a yank to finish up the pineapple quilt I started a few years back. I’m a really big fan of blues and browns together, so […]

Last week, I showed you my progress on a swirly little project that filled some of my sewing time in between time-sensitive projects. I used the Creative Grids Mini Pineapple Trimmer and my Swirl pattern notes to make little square mug mats from 5″ scrap squares. This week, this project was in the home stretch! […]

Since last Fall, Dave and I have been making an effort to get outside for a 3-4 mile walk at least once each week, usually on a Saturday or Sunday. For the past couple weeks, Dave has sidelined himself with a sore foot (nothing serious). Not wanting to break the trend, I went solo on […]

I am between sewing projects this week. I’m expecting a delivery in the mail by the weekend that should change this in-between situation I have at the moment. Since I try to sew a little bit every morning to stir the creative juices before moving to the computer for the day, I like to have […]

Eagle Inspiration Most people don’t equate Bald Eagles with Syracuse, New York. For a VERY short, VERY general geography/history lesson of this area. . . Onondaga Lake is at the (sorta) center of the city. In colonial times Syracuse became a city because of the salt deposits around the lake. Salt, being a valuable preservative […]

I was warned. Before Dave and I got married 21 years ago, he took me aside and told me he had a secret passion . . . He is a historical board gamer. Not the online type of gaming, although he has certainly spent many hours online with the likes of World of Warcraft and […]

In last week’s article, I highlighted a mug mat and mentioned a technique to add a continuous/loop binding to small projects. Since I had a question or two about this technique, I thought you might like to see how I add a binding to a small project, such as a 5″ square mug mat. Of […]

Some people refer to it as ‘frogging’. . . I have to say, I’ve never embraced that term. Maybe because I like frogs. I love the sound of peeper frogs in the spring, a sure sign of warmer weather. It’s great fun when a frog, or several, show up in the garden pond, no invitation […]

  They are HERE! They spent months in designing, altering, testing, sampling, revising, negotiating, re-testing, production, shipping . . and they have finally arrived! Who is or what are ‘they?’ Your Nest® Thread Nest Floss Bobbins, of course! They are brand new and in stock! Exciting! If you collect 6-stranded floss, perle cotton, or other […]

After a couple of crazy-hectic weeks in my sewing room and at my desk (and in the universe), I had a bit of a reality check yesterday morning as I was working on finishing my Peppermint Purple 2020 Sew-along project, soon to be a quilted table runner. For nearly all my quilty life, I have […]

. . . But not before wrapping up a few projects here and there. I tried to step away from the computer for a bit over the Christmas holiday, and will continue to make that effort over the next few days. I’ve been hearing lots of stories throughout 2020 about how neighbors and friends have […]

For I-don’t-know-how-many-years, now, I have been making a small ornament to insert in my holiday Christmas cards for family and friends. Years ago, when this ‘thing’ first started, I usually had an idea right around Halloween, and started making. I do about 30 cards per year. At that time, I also made cards with glitter, […]

From time to time, I like to get a little insane. . . Or Nearly Insane. This is actual the title of a book by Liz Lois. Inside the book is a collection of about 100 or so block diagrams–nothing else, not instructions or measurements, just the diagram. I purchased the book years ago on […]

With the Stitchery Crossover course now up and running, my mind is already planning the next project for the online class series. In fact, I already have a couple sample blocks under way. And I’m REALLY excited about them! Can’t wait to share more about them, in fact. However . . . As enjoyable as […]

A quick message to wish the very best holiday greeting to you and your family. Our celebrations may be small this year, but I hope there is a turkey in the oven (or will be soon) and pie at the ready in your home today. As for this household, Dave has been practicing for this […]

If you’ve been following this newsletter for a while, then you know that I’ve been working on a new technique to combine counted stitchery (like cross stitch or blackwork) with quilting. Not just sewing quilt borders onto stitched blocks – that’s not necessarily a new concept. Instead, the new Stitchery Crossover technique adds stitched borders […]

As you may know, I try to sew for at least an hour every morning. Once that hour is up, I’m usually on the computer, working on various projects until dinner time. If I don’t get those morning stitches in, my whole day is thrown off. A couple weeks each month, my stitchy time is […]

If you’ve been following along for the last couple weeks, then you know that I’ve been selling the scrappy pin cushions I started making from a collection of pin cushion parts. These semi-constructed pin cushions have been in my stash for a very long time. At the beginning of the pandemic back in March, I […]

With lots going on behind the scenes at the Hummingbird Highway, I took a little break this week to experience FALL. For the last few weeks, Dave and I have made a weekly walking commitment. We seek out a local walking trail and walk 3-4 miles on either Saturday or Sunday. It has been good […]

As usual, I have a bunch of things going on in my stitchy universe these days. As I started to fill this week’s pin cushion with wool batting scraps, I wondered just how much batting actually disappears into one pin cushion. I can’t say I’ve been keeping track. I just stuff until the pin cushion […]

Over the years, I have made it a habit to sew for an hour or two each weekday morning. If I don’t, I can get sucked into the computer and never sew a single stitch! When big projects finish up, it’s so rewarding because they’ve come together little by little over a long period time. […]

  I wouldn’t say we had ‘stellar’ Fall weather this past weekend, but it was certainly nice enough to take a walk in the woods on Sunday. Plus, having recently purchase some hiking shoes, it was time to break them in. Dave and I jumped in the car and headed to Baltimore Woods – a […]

About a month or two ago, a blue and yellow budgie parakeet flew into our yard. Sadly, someone lost a pet. Budgies originate from Australia. It should not have been flying into our yard. Somehow, the hungry and thirsty guy managed to make is way into a travel bird cage we had on hand. The […]

This post has been updated to delete auction links since the auction for this item has ended. Sign up to receive the Good Migrations Newsletter to hear about future auctions. I normally END my weekly message with the reveal of this week’s Puffy Four-Patch Pin Cushion. This week I’m putting it right up front because […]

Last week I talked about my deep dive into the recesses of my stashed-away projects to unearth a short stack of brightly colored, applique Boogie Birds blocks. (Pattern by Linderella Design Studio). This week I finished the blocks, bordered them, sewed them together – three rows of three blocks. Then I added an outer border, […]

A few weeks ago, “Gillie” literally flew into our yard. Dave just happened to be on hand when this little budgie parakeet arrived. We searched for his family with no luck. So he’s part of our feathered family now. It’s all good. He seems to be happy with his new habitat, view of the backyard, […]

For a few months now, Dave (the hubster) has had a regular weekend routine. On Saturday and Sunday mornings, he goes to Dunkin Donuts drive-thru and buys himself coffee and donuts. I’m not a coffee fan, so I stay home and put the tea kettle on with one of my favorite Republic of Tea flavors. […]

Last week, I gave you a quick free-motion quilting tip to find a more efficient path to quilt the sashing and cornerstones on your next quilt. This week, on my current quilt project, the sashing and cornerstones have been quilted, and I’m turning my attention to quilting each block. A little bit of quilting to […]

Except for only one or two exceptions, I have always quilted my own quilts. Most of them on my table-top machine, some by hand. To prep the quilt for quilting, I prefer to pin-baste the quilt sandwich rather than use a spray baste. I’m not a fan of adding anything to the quilt that has […]

I guess you could say I had a bad week. Not earth-shattering bad, just bleh. Plans are changing, projects dragging, interruptions interrupting. One of our favorite summer time activities – summer theater – has dwindled from a season of in-person Broadway shows to two events at a drive-in movie theater. One of the two of […]

I want to say that it has been quiet around here. But it really hasn’t been. It’s been a bee-hive of activity at my desk and on my computer screen, but unfortunately, I can’t show you any of it yet! Frustrating to me, but I know how you like surprises! *Wink!* The Hawaii cruise quilt […]

Inside, projects continue to advance a little bit each day. Progress is slow. I apologize for delays in upcoming patterns on the bird blocks and the Stitchery Crossover re-boot, specifically. Despite my silence, both those projects are moving forward behind the scenes  . . .  Thanks for your patience. Back to today’s topic . . […]

Almost two years ago, I signed a contract to teach on a quilting cruise to Hawaii. Almost immediately, I had an idea for our quilt project for the trip. For the first time, ever, I wrote the pattern for a mystery quilt. It didn’t start out as a mystery, but as the pattern evolved, the […]

  Like much of the country, over the last couple weeks, we’ve had some hot, humid weather in central New York. (I’m good with it!) I think this little leopard frog has the right idea. He seems to be enjoying his own private corner of the garden pond. As a kid, as soon as school […]

A few weeks ago, I pulled out my on-again-off-again Nearly Insane blocks (book by Liz Lois) and work on a couple blocks, in order. Block #18 has given me fits and starts, but early last week I may actually have won the battle. Here is my final answer for Block #18. The center fabric still […]