Her Name is Navona

Newsletter readers may recall that Scooter crossed the Rainbow Bridge in December of last year. He stayed with us until he was 13 and a half years old, and we were grateful for every minute with him. Among the hundreds of condolence emails was a recommendation for RPSM from Carolyn Griffin "when you're ready." I … Continue reading Her Name is Navona

I Chopped Up My Quilt!

You're probably thinking it was an accident. Nope. It was intentional. Let me explain. I started the quilt in the picture just before our daughter graduated from high school. I was making her official graduation quilt (which I did finish on time), but as is often the case, I reasoned that if one quilt was … Continue reading I Chopped Up My Quilt!

Free Valami Face Mask Pattern

For those who want to make the superior fitting and very comfortable Valami face mask and didn't get a chance to snag the free pattern while it lived on the Valami website, click below to download it. The pattern (version 2.0) was last updated in June 2020. valami-mask-pattern-v2.0Download The pattern has clickable links to my … Continue reading Free Valami Face Mask Pattern

The Drawer in the Hall

One link led to another and I found myself on a real estate website with a search box. On a whim, I entered the address of the house where I grew up. We lived on Marlow Street from the time of my earliest childhood memories until the summer before I started 4th grade. It was … Continue reading The Drawer in the Hall

Locker Hooking Tutorial: Make a Rug From Recycled Men’s Shirts

This tutorial is for quilters---who have sewing machines, thread, hand scissors, and rotary cutting tools---and know how to use them. Most of the photographs can be clicked to enlarge them. Back arrow to return to the text. Step 1: Fabric Procurement & Preparation Head for your local Goodwill, Salvation Army, Purple Heart, second hand, resale … Continue reading Locker Hooking Tutorial: Make a Rug From Recycled Men’s Shirts

Old Dogs, New Tricks

I'm developing a new workshop called Beautiful Basic Binding for Beginners. I know; that's a lot of B's. Apparently I'm into alliteration. In preparation for my "guinea pig" class this spring I needed samples. I had originally thought of putting some really nice bindings on pre-quilted muslin squares (ick) but I just couldn't bear to … Continue reading Old Dogs, New Tricks

Baby Watch

Grandmotherhood awaits! As a quilter, I think it's appropriate that I'm "on pins and needles," don't you? At this moment, we are Due Date Minus THREE Days. We're having a baby! No idea if it's a boy or a girl, we're just praying for healthy with the full complement of fingers and toes. Sweet anticipation. … Continue reading Baby Watch

Scooter’s Close Call & The Turkey That Got Away

Hi! Scooter here. I know you've missed me and I have important news. So last week Mom and Dad went to see Maizie in Ann Arbor. She is my niece dog. (I am Uncle Scooter.) I had to stay home. Anyway, I'm not sure when or how I did this, but I flipped or scrunched, … Continue reading Scooter’s Close Call & The Turkey That Got Away

5 Things Will Help You Become A Better Quilter

January is always a good time to reflect, take stock, set goals, and look forward. So is October, in case you're reading this in a month that isn't January. For traveling quilt teachers, however, January is the beginning of the new teaching season, so I'm taking advantage of the rollover to 2014 to think about … Continue reading 5 Things Will Help You Become A Better Quilter

7 Great iPhone Tricks

I'm a fan. I love my iPhone. I text, check email, take pictures, edit movies, use it to MapQuest from point A to point B, and, oh yeah, I make calls on it too. Here are my favorite tricks: 1. Flashing Light You probably know how to assign ringtones and get your phone to vibrate, … Continue reading 7 Great iPhone Tricks