And Sew It Goes

Tag: challenge

  • Practice Does Not Always Make Perfect

    Have you ever practiced something, thinking you had it down, only to find it didn’t work when you needed it most? Circles are doing that to me at this very moment.  I bought circle templates and even read the directions. I practiced making a couple of circles and had amazing results. Now, when I need…

  • What is a Stitch Worth?

    Last week I spent a bit of time drooling over sewing machines. Not my own of course, but the machines in the fabric store that has many models with a variety of bells and whistles. There are the basic machines that sew. Imagine that? Then there are the next-step-up machines that are electronic and pre-programmed…

  • Directions

    I have an amazing sense of direction. I can find my way almost anywhere, especially if I’ve been there once before. I rarely need to use Google Maps to guide me, unless I’m in unfamiliar territory. This has been true my entire life. And when paper maps were a ‘thing’ I rarely used one. In…

  • Lifelong Learning

    I love to learn. I always have, though I’ve not necessarily wanted to learn what was being taught in school. Heresy from a lifelong educator.  Years in schools with children who are eager learners and those who are not proves this time and again. When we want to learn something nothing will stop us. When…

  • Lessons Learned

    After returning from the Gee’s Bend Quilting Retreat in late March, I was excited about the possibilities ahead. I imagined quilts made with methods I had never tried before and the fun that I could have. The one piece of quilting advice I keep thinking about is ‘don’t think.’ Easier said than done! That is…

  • Gee’s Bend Here I Come

    As I’ve returned to sewing and quilting I’ve spent time imagining what might lie ahead. Some things have gone according to plan, other times I’ve been surprised.  I know I can  sew and follow a pattern. I’ve got that hands down. I love to learn and what is most exciting is learning something new. I…

  • Precision and Practice

    What better way to encourage and use math skills than through sewing? The precision of math is lovely. The precision of my sewing, however, varies. Sometimes my seams wander. Other times, a template slips and the pieces I thought were cut to perfection are anything but. It keeps me humble. No matter how carefully I…

  • Balancing Color & Style, A Creative Challenge

    When my nieces each asked me to make quilts for their daughters, I was more than happy to say yes. Through this process, I learned something important: there has to be something in each  project for me, too. Selfish? Maybe. Sensible? Absolutely. I worked with the color palettes they gave me based on their children’s…

  • 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.…