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Puyallup Sew Expo is Feb 28 to March 3, 2013

Tuesday, February 19th, 2013

Did you know the nation’s largest event for sewing enthusiasts takes place right here in the Pacific Northwest? The Sewing and Stitchery Expo is a non-profit educational event that features inspirational seminars daily, hands-on workshops, style shows and vendors from all over the country with booths that specialize in the latest in fabrics, tools, and supplies! This year Sew Expo will be taking place February 28 – March 3rd at the Puyallup Fairgrounds. In addition to all the daily happenings, special guests, such as, Nancy Zieman, Mary Mulari, and the “Hot Fusing Chicks” will be flying in to make special appearances . Nancy and Mary will be presenting their second “Kick it Up a Stitch” and if you joined them last year, you know how much fun time with them can be! in addition, television host Ellen March, will be conducting a live audition for her television show “Sew it All”!

Be sure to check out Sew Expo’s website for all the details you need to know about the show. You can download a registration brochure which features all the seminar and class descriptions. Additionally you can register for the daily seminars on the Expo website. You can purchase Sew Expo tickets at all Quality Sewing locations while supplies last. Pre-sale tickets are only $10.00, they will be $12.00 the day of. The Sew Expo website also features an updated blog and some fun links including:

Pillowcase Patrol As a part of the “Million Pillowcase Project”, the 2013 Sewing & Stitchery Expo will be a collection point for handmade pillowcases. Create cheerful pillowcases for the children who are undergoing treatment at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital. Check out the Expo web site to download your free pillowcase pattern. Expo collected more than 5,000 pillowcases last year. How many more can we give this year?

Be Sure to Visit the Quality Sewing Booths – This year we will have an exciting notions and threads booth in the Pavilion. We have been shopping and negotiating with our various vendors for several months to bring you an amazing array of hot buys! We have combed our stores for close-outs and one-of-a-kind items that will all be priced to sell fast. We will also feature the new items that Nancy Zieman and Sue Hausmann will show in their seminars, all at special Expo prices.

We have many sewing experts on-hand this year and this will be a great opportunity to meet them. Across from the notions booth in the Pavilion, we have multi-needle embroidery expert George Moore and special guests long arm quilting expert Denise Applegate-Schober. Be sure to visit Simon Haskins, all the way here from Australia, over in the Showplex building. He will be showing his amazing techniques and designs along with his brand new designs that have just been released. In the Showplex, you will also find our main booth which will be filled with awesome special on machines and Floriani products. Across from our main booth, we will have special guest Ed Moore, the lead designer for Koala Cabinets. This event is not to be missed as it only happens once a year! View our 2013 Sew Expo Buyers Guide that showcases some of the fabulous deals to be had at this year’s event.

Tags: Ellen March, Jenny Haskins, long arm quilting, Mary Mulari, Nancy Zieman, sew expo, sewing classes, sewing seminars, Simon Haskins, Sue Hausman
Posted in Community Service, Crafting, Events, How To Guides, Machine Embroidery, New Products, Projects and Techniques, Quilting, Resources, Sewing, Sewing Celebrities, Sewing Studio, Show and Tell, Tips & Tricks | 1 Comment »

Easter Weekend Sewing Projects Roundup

Friday, April 6th, 2012

Well, it’s Easter weekend, so just as I did for Valentine’s Day, I’ve compiled some of my favorite free tutorials and patterns for Easter sewing projects! Take a look at these and let them inspire you:

What are your sewing projects for this year’s Easter? Share in the comments please, or email a photograph to info@qualitysewing.com or post it on our Facebook wall. And if you try any of these projects, please let us know how they turned out!

Happy Easter Sewing!
~Chris

Tags: easter
Posted in Fast Projects & Gifts, How To Guides, Projects and Techniques | No Comments »

Valentine Weekend Sewing Projects Roundup

Friday, February 10th, 2012

This weekend is the last weekend before Valentine’s Day. Have you already started your Valentine Sewing Project? If you’re looking for some tutorials, we’ve collected eighteen projects here to get you inspired:

What are your sewing projects for this year’s Valentine’s Day? Share in the comments please, or email a photograph to info@qualitysewing.com or post it on our Facebook wall. And if you try any of these projects, please let us know how they turned out!

Happy Valentine’s Sewing!
~Chris

Tags: valentine's day
Posted in Fast Projects & Gifts, How To Guides, Projects and Techniques | 1 Comment »

Snowed-In Fleece Projects Roundup

Friday, January 20th, 2012

Well, if you’re here in the Pacific Northwest with us, then you know that we all got hit pretty hard with an ice-and-snow storm this week. A lot of us were snowed in and unable to get to work or school or the store. But one good thing about being snowed in is that it gives you plenty of time for sewing projects!

The below-freezing weather got me thinking about ways to stay warm, and fleece of course is an excellent material to keep cozy during short winter days and long winter nights. So I scoured the web for some great, free fleece sewing tutorials, and I’ve collected some of my favorites here.

Kids always love to play in the snow, so here are some great ways to keep little ones warm:

Fleece Mittens

This project by the From an Igloo website is very easy, and uses elastic to keep the mittens snug on little hands. You can make several pairs of these in a very short amount of time (because we all know how easily mittens can go missing).

Go to the Fleece Mittens tutorial

Here are two fleece hat tutorials to keep little heads warm out there:

Fleece Football Hat

From the Make It and Love It website is this comes this wonderful football hat that is deceptively simple to make. It’ll keep the little guy’s ears all tucked in and warm.

Go to the Fleece Football Hat tutorial

Warm Winter Hat Tutorial

This tutorial, also found at the From an Igloo website, is great because it is easily customizable to fit the personality of the wearer, boy or girl. Upsize it a little bit to make a fleece hat for grownups!

Go to the Warm Winter Hat tutorial

Easy-Peasy Bunched Fleece Scarf

Also great for grownups is this extremely easy bunched scarf tutorial from the Just Another Hang Up website. It’s so quick to make and uses so little material that it costs next to nothing!

Go to the Easy Peasy Fleece Scarf tutorial

Men’s Fleece Hoodie

Guys need to stay warm, too, so this Fleece Hoodie tutorial from Craftstylish is perfect. And you don’t even need a pattern—just a T-shirt that fits him and maybe another hoodie to get the shape of the hood right.

Go to the Men’s Fleece Hoodie tutorial

Even if you’re not going to be spending much time outside in the cold, there are still some great things you can make:

Wearable Fleece Baby Blanket

This project, also from Make It and Love It, is like a sleeping bag with arm-holes for a baby! It keeps him nice and warm but still lets him get around.

Go to the Wearable Fleece Baby Blanket tutorial

Clean-Cornered Fleece Blanket

For a more grown-up blanket, this tutorial from The Distracted Domestic can teach you how to make a fleece blanket of any size with nice, clean, sharp corners every time! You’ll be surprised at how easy it is.

Go to the Clean-Cornered Fleece Blanket tutorial

Fleece Monster Pillow

And finally, just for fun comes this adorable Fleece Monster Pillow tutorial from Bernina’s We All Sew website.

Go to the Fleece Monster Pillow tutorial

Even though it looks like the weather is clearing and all all the ice and snow is leaving us, these all still make excellent weekend projects.

Do you have any favorite fleece projects? Leave a comment and tell us all about it. If you try any of these projects, please email a photograph to info@qualitysewing.com or post it on our Facebook wall.

Happy Sewing,
Chris

Tags: Fleece
Posted in Fast Projects & Gifts, How To Guides, Projects and Techniques, Sewing | 1 Comment »

Participate in National Tie One On Day: Sew an Apron!

Wednesday, November 16th, 2011

What is National Tie One On Day? It’s a grassroots effort to help those in your community who are a little less fortunate this Thanksgiving season.

Here’s how to participate: On the day before Thanksgiving, Wednesday the 23rd this year, make or buy some sort of baked good: a loaf of tasty bread, muffins, a pie, etc. Wrap it up in an apron and tuck in a nice note. Tie on your own apron (hence “Tie One On”), then walk out your front door and personally give it to someone in your community—next door, up the street, downstairs—and if you’re feeling particularly giving you could do this multiple times to multiple people!

The whole point of Tie On Day is to put the “give” back into Thanksgiving. It’s a wonderful way to bring your local community closer together by sharing your good fortune in the form of food and an apron. Who wouldn’t love some baked goods and a new apron?

If you don’t have a spare apron handy to give away, you can always make one. It’s very easy to sew an apron, and giving a hand-made gift is much more personal and rewarding than giving someone something you bought from a store.

I’ve found many free tutorials on how to sew your own aprons. Here are some of my favorites:

Dish Towel Apron

From Martha Stewart.
This is an extremely easy and satisfying apron made from two dish towels. There are even a couple of pockets in the front. An added bonus is that dish towels are usually already hemmed, so it saves you a ton of work!

Speedy T-Shirt into Apron

From Instructables.
Most everybody has old T-shirts lying around, and this is a great way to re-purpose one into a bib-less apron. You can sew a pocket onto it using scraps of fabric!

Men’s Apron

From Needle Book.
In case your recipient isn’t quite into pretty or frilly aprons, here’s a great tutorial on how to make an apron that is more man-appropriate.

If none of these apron designs are to your liking, Tipnut.com has compiled a list of 50 Free Apron Tutorials, so there’s bound to be something there for you!

You can find out more about National Tie One On Day at the official website: National Tie One On Day at Apron Memories. It’s a great opportunity to put your sewing machine to use for a good cause.

Happy Sewing,
Chris

Posted in Community Service, Projects and Techniques, Sewing | No Comments »

Trace ‘n Create Free Project Round-Up

Monday, November 7th, 2011

How many of you have used Clover’s Trace ‘n Create templates? If you’re not familiar with these great templates, they were designed by sewing guru Nancy Zieman. There are templates avialable for a multitude of different projects and they take all of the guesswork and uncertainty out of cutting the fabrics for your project. Simply place the templates on your fabric, choose your size, make a few quick marks, and then cut each piece of fabric perfectly every time! Be sure to check out the brand new template just released last week at Quilt Market – Trace ‘n Create Tablet Keeper.

Here is a round-up of Free Projects that you can make with the Trace ‘n Create Templates :

Dresden Trace ‘n Create Christmas Tree Skirt Project

Create a simple and lovely tree skirt by super-sizing a Dresden-style quilt pattern and leaving the center open for a tree trunk!

Download the full instructions here

Get the Dresden Trace ‘n Create Quilt Template here!

Easy Dresden Holiday Wall Quilt

With a little sewing savvy and super-sized quilt blocks, you can create a wall quilt or table topper for the holidays! Using Clover’s Trace ‘n Create Quilt Templates–the Dresden Collection, a few of your favorite cotton quilting prints and in couple of evenings, you’ll create a sensational showpiece!

Download the full instructions here

Get the Dresden Trace ‘n Create Quilt Template here!

Lone Star Table Topper

Create a dramatic patchwork table topper with only two — yes, two — quilt blocks. Using the Trace ‘n Create Quilt Template Lone Star, create a 36″ Lone Star block and four sections of the 12″ Lone Star block. Add borders, a flannel backing, and binding, and you’ll have a quilted masterpieces that says, “Wow!”

Download the full instructions here.

Get the Lone Star Trace ‘n Create Template here.

Grandmother’s One-Patch Flower Garden Table Runner

Create a traditional-looking Grandmother’s Flower Garden Table Runner with one template and no Y-Seams!

Download the full instructions here.

Get the Grandmother’s One-Patch Trace ‘n Create Quilt Template here.

Trace ‘n Create Tablet Keeper Inspirations & Ideas

Get inspired about the new Trace ‘n Create Tablet Keeper templates with this pamphlet that includes such ideas as:

• Up-Cycling and Re-Purposing Jackets, Jeans, Ties, and more.
• Create a Textured-Surface Tablet Cover with Faux Chenille.
• Create a Pieced-Surface Tablet Cover with leftover fabric.
• Create an Ensemble: Handbag with Matching Notebook Cover using the Trace ‘n Create Florida Handbag Template.

Download the inspiration & idea sheet here.

Get the Trace ‘n Create Tablet Keeper Templates here!

You can read all about Nancy’s adventures at the Quilt Market on her blog.

Let us know if you decide to try any of these ideas this holiday season. We always love seeing photographs of your finished projects (or even your works-in-progress).

Happy Sewing,
Chris

Tags: Clover, Nancy Zieman, trace n' create quilt template
Posted in How To Guides, Projects and Techniques | 1 Comment »

Garden Fresh Quilt Pattern: Free Download

Tuesday, November 1st, 2011

Garden Fresh Quilt from Fons & Porter

I was watching a rebroadcast of a Fons and Porter Love of Quilting show (Episode 1506: Garden Fresh) recently. Currently this episode is available to watch only on Public Television. The guest on the show was Gail Kessler, who designs fabrics for Andover Fabrics.

It was very interesting to hear how the designing of fabric is approached. One thing that I found very fascinating is that when Andover creates a panel, it consistently has a 24″ repeat. This being the case, the repeat of each panel must fill the area (selvage to selvage and the full 24″) and elements in a panel are not always symmetrical. Gail’s tip for using elements (or cheater blocks) from a panel is to trim them so that they are visually pleasing and not necessarily exact by measurement.

Herself a quilter, another thing that Gail strives for when she is designing a border print fabric is to give each 4 full repeats of the striped border across the yardage. This way only one modest length of the fabric is needed to be purchased in order to create all of the borders on the quilt. Don’t you agree that it is very frustrating to need to purchase a great amount of yardage in order to get the proper amount of a border strip to complete your project?

Since the show was originally from April of 2010, the likelihood that this same fabric would still be available to purchase is probably pretty slim. However, the free pattern, Garden Fresh, from Fons and Porter is a real keeper!

Download the Pattern Here!

Hope you enjoy
Reva

Tags: fabric, Fons and Porter, Gail Kessler, KBTC, Love of Quilting
Posted in Projects and Techniques, Sewing | No Comments »

Quick & Easy Halloween Tutorial Round-Up

Thursday, October 27th, 2011

Halloween is on Monday! If (like some of us) you’re a little behind on making costumes for you or your family, don’t worry; I’ve scoured the web and here I present a handful of simple project tutorials that you can easily complete over the weekend!

For Little Girls: Elphoba Witch Hat

From Momtastic comes this tutorial for how to make a delightful little girl’s witch hat that has some lovely floret details on it to set it apart from all those store-bought witch hats.

Head over to Momtastic and read the whole tutorial here.

For Little Boys: Easy Halloween Cape Tutorial

This cape tutorial from Plaid Apple is very easy; you can probably complete a cape in just a few minutes. It can also be modified to be either a superhero cape or a vampire cape with a collar.

Check out this tutorial over at the Plaid Apple website.

Grown-Up Witch Tutu Skirt Tutorial

From the How I Keep Sane Blog is this nifty tutorial on how to make a custom tulle tutu. You can use dark colors for a witch costume or bright colors for a fairy costume, or any color combination you can imagine! Pair with some decorative tights to complete the look.

You can also easily scale this down to make it for a little girl (try pairing it with the witch hat tutorial for a complete costume). Find the whole tutorial over at the How I Keep Sane Blog.

Grown-Up Beekeeper Costume

From the inimitable Martha Stewart comes this is a great costume for dad. Just use some painter’s coveralls and work gloves you can get at a hardware store (see, he gets to go shopping at a hardware store for Halloween—he’ll love it) and a few other easy accessories, and you’ve got a simple and comfortable costume!

Head over to Martha Stewart’s website for the full tutorial.

Easy Doggie Costumes

Don’t forget your four-legged friends this Halloween! Lark Crafts has a handful of easy dog costume tutorials, all based on doggie t-shirts.

You can download the whole tutorial here!

Home Decor: Bat Mobile

Don’t forget to dress up your home for Halloween, too. The Sew4Home website has this super-easy tutorial that will have bats hanging from your home in no time!

Read the full tutorial over at the Sew4Home website.

Just for Fun: Mustache on a Stick!

I just couldn’t resist this one: Martha Stewart shows you how to create a Mustache on a Stick!

Here’s the full tutorial on Martha Stewart’s website.

Pacific Fabrics Round-Up

In case you missed Pacific Fabrics’ email newsletter (or if you don’t subscribe to it yet), here is a round-up of downloadable projects that they have:

Spooky Felt Silverware Holders – Download PDF

Tricks, Tips & Treats for Halloween - Download PDF

Rustic Pumpkin Table Runner – Download PDF

Spider Pop Party Favors – Download PDF
Happy Scarecrow Pencil Topper – Download PDF

And there you have it. Hope everyone has a happy (and safe) Halloween! If you’re sewing anything this year, please feel free to tell us about it in the comments, or even email us a photo or two that you’d like us to share with everyone, or post them directly on our Facebook page!

Happy Sewing,
Chris

Tags: Halloween
Posted in Fast Projects & Gifts, Home Decor, How To Guides, Projects and Techniques | 2 Comments »

Free Project: Needle Carrying Case

Wednesday, September 14th, 2011

As seen in the September Sew Fun Presentation: This soft case is for all of those needles you take out of your machine and want to use again, but don’t want to put back in the package because they aren’t “new” anymore. It has a printed grid so you can store and find exactly what you are looking for when you need it. The cover of this case can be a plain piece of fabric, a favorite embroidery, or something you embellish anyway you choose.

Supplies:

• Cover fabric – 9” × 12”
• Batting, 9” × 12” low-loft like Warm & Natural or equivalent
• Printed grid – Enclosed PDF file printed on Printed Treasures or equivalent 8.5” × 11”

Exterior of the Carrying Case

Directions:

Print the grid on Printed Treasures, let dry, remove the paper (heat with an iron if the paper sticks and peel warm) rinse and set ink with an iron. Please follow the manufacturer’s directions for the brand of printable fabric you choose to use.

Embroider or otherwise embellish the cover fabric. I used a mylar sewing machine design from the Purely Gates collection Swirly Sewing Designs to do my sample. You could also use some of your machine’s programmed stitches for this project. Keep in mind this project is only half of a page in size when complete, so plan your design accordingly.

Place the cover fabric right side down on the table. Layer in the batting, and on top put the printed grid page right side up.

Inside Carrying Case with Needles

I stitched once down the center on a grid line about where it will fold in half to secure the pieces. Baste around the outside edge, trim and bind with your favorite binding method. I used Bias tape on my sample.

Now that it is complete, you can fill it with needles according to the appropriate type and size. I also keep a brightly colored pin as a place holder in the grid of the size needle I currently have in my machine that way I always know which needle I’m sewing with.

Happy Sewing,
Gail M.

DOWNLOAD THE PDF HERE!

Tags: Needle Carrying Case, Needles
Posted in Fast Projects & Gifts, How To Guides, Projects and Techniques | 2 Comments »

Do You Dream of Designing? Project Runway Starts Thursday

Sunday, July 24th, 2011

Don’t you just love the feeling of using your creativity to make something spectacular? This time of the year I sure can used ajump start to my creative process. Well just in time, it’s Project Runway to the rescue.

I just love the thought of being given a random challenge and seeing what one will come up with. Not that I my sense of style always agrees with what the designers on Project Runway comes up with, but the show does hold a full pallet of inspiration and ideas for projects that I am planning and working on. It sure has me looking at life around me with a whole different perspective.

The challenges remind me of the classes that we have in our stores. Have you ever noticed how each person in a class can make the same project but they all look so different when they add their own fabric choices and personality. I just love seeing what is created in a class!

This years season looks promising with a group of contestants that have such a wide variety of personalities and styles. We will also get to see designers who’s ages range from 21 to 57, one is even Snohomish and two are from Portland.

I have found a ton of information about the designers and have gotten a glimpse into what they are like by going to the Project Runway info page on LifeTime. Here you can even see what their work spaces look like. If you have Comcast, I did find that all of the video clips are “OnDemand” under “Tv Series”.

The new season of Project Runway starts this Thursday, July 28th @ 9pm on Life Time.

If you are not able to watch the series at the scheduled time, it is usually re-aired during the following week. Also in the past, LifeTime has posted the current episode on it’s website within a couple of days and is available for a short time period.

This is a great way to share an experience with the younger ones in your life and may even ignite a spark of interest in sewing. Even though my family does not share the same interest in sewing and design that I have, it has been fun to interact with my husband and two teenagers through this show while listening to their opinions on what each show presents. Also, my best girlfriend lives in California and this show can always give us something fun to talk about! So consider “watching” the show with your friends, kids, grandkids, or nieces/nephews. If you are not able to watch it together in the same room, compare thoughts with each other via texting, email, or Facebook. You just might be amazed at how much a simple TV show and Social Media may open up dialog and actually give you one more thing in common with someone you care about.

Join me in watching! We can all watch it together and chat about it on the Quality Sewing Facebook page.

I will meet you there!

Reva

Posted in Events, How To Guides, Projects and Techniques, Resources, Sewing, Sewing Celebrities, Show and Tell, Tips & Tricks | No Comments »

Projects and Techniques

Dresden Trace ‘n Create Christmas Tree Skirt Project

Easy Dresden Holiday Wall Quilt

Lone Star Table Topper

Grandmother’s One-Patch Flower Garden Table Runner

Trace ‘n Create Tablet Keeper Inspirations & Ideas

For Little Girls: Elphoba Witch Hat

For Little Boys: Easy Halloween Cape Tutorial

Grown-Up Witch Tutu Skirt Tutorial

Grown-Up Beekeeper Costume

Easy Doggie Costumes

Home Decor: Bat Mobile

Just for Fun: Mustache on a Stick!

Pacific Fabrics Round-Up

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