And Sew It Goes

  • Quilting Memories

    That same old quilt—though only a throw—still had a lot of life left in it. I repurposed it by adapting a quilt design I’d seen at a quilt show and made a handmade throw for my daughter and her husband. As you can see, the design reflects their love of Paris.  The quilt is a…

  • Upcycling: From Old Quilts to New Ornaments 

    I have one of my parents’  well-worn quilts. Although my mother bought it rather than sewed it, it holds memories of their home and their lives. I studied it carefully, wondering how best to honor both the quilt and them. I had two choices: let it end up in a landfill as it continued to…

  • Learning to Sew Again

    When I found myself staring down the throat of my “golden” years, I decided to start sewing again. I’d always enjoyed it but rarely had the time—working life took over. I bought a new machine since my old one, nearly forty years old, needed servicing every time I tried to use it. I began teaching…

  • Keep Learning

    As I listened to a podcast this week, one idea made me sit up and pay attention: you can’t stay young unless you challenge yourself to keep learning. We arrive in this world knowing nothing, and we learn everything—every single thing—through trial and error: talking, crawling, walking, hopping, drawing, writing, reading, and on and on.…

  • The Hands, Auguste Rodin Sometimes inspiration doesn’t arrive with fanfare—it returns quietly, inviting us to notice what we’ve set aside or forgotten. Lately, I’ve found myself returning to familiar ideas, projects, and long-loved practices.  “I invent nothing, I rediscover.” – Auguste Rodin I am in a period of discovery and rediscovery. I like to think…

  • Wonder

    As a person who loves words- reading them, writing them, hearing their sounds- reading about the art of writing as inspired by Maggie Smith is always joyous. You may have come to read this blog with the expectation of learning more about sewing and making. Writing is making. It’s about bringing words together in new…

  • Following the Open Road

    For the past two years, my friend and I have taken road trips that feed our creativity and inspire new sewing projects. We’ve traveled as far west as Missouri and as far north as Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, returning to the East Coast with a car full of fabric, patterns, and ideas waiting to take shape.…

  • Sewing: An Act of Defiance

    Sewing: An Act of Defiance

    Sewing, for me, was an act of defiance. My mother sewed and had an old Singer machine she used regularly. When I asked her to teach me, her answer was clear and firm: “No.” To this day, I’m not sure if that was because she didn’t think she’d do a good job, didn’t want me…

  • Quilting, Making, Creating

    Quilting, Making, Creating

    Image: Quilters, Tuacahn Amphitheater 1996  Back in the 80s (1980s, that is), I was lucky enough to see the musical Quilters. It told the stories of pioneer women through the quilts they made—each block a piece of their lives. The show was based on the book The Quilters: Women and Domestic Art by Patricia Cooper…

  • Quilting: A Rich History

    Quilting: A Rich History

    I do not claim to be a historian of quilts, though my interest and appreciation run decades long. I am a noticer of quilts throughout time. The first quilts that probably drew my attention were those sewn by the Amish. Truly, Amish quilts are made of simple geometry and rich solid colors, much like their…