20 Years and Counting

design, fabric, general crafts, inspiration, just a thought, needlework, quilting, sewing

Happy New Year friends. It’s going to be a big year for us as we celebrate our 20th anniversary in May. There will be special events, new products, new online tutorials, new classes, new publications and lots of new fabric throughout the year as we mark this important milestone. Many of you have cheered us on since the beginning and we’d love to hear what’s of interest to you.

Mostly we want to help you find time and space in your life to make things that bring joy to you and your loved ones. It doesn’t matter to us if it’s modern. It doesn’t matter if it’s made with our patterns. It doesn’t matter if it wins ribbons or gets accepted to prestigious shows. What we know for certain is that the art of making things is an inherently optimistic pursuit. Who couldn’t use a little optimism at the start of a new year? Regardless of how the rest of your day or year has gone, there’s a wonder in our eyes and minds when we’re making things. We need more of that.

So as we start this first day of 2019, join us in committing to a year of great making. Let’s clear space in our homes, our minds and our days to make whatever brings you joy for even 30 minutes per week. Even daydreaming about projects counts! Let’s make 2019 the year we take a cold, hard look at the barriers that get in our way of making and commit to removing those obstacles. We’ll do our best to share our tips throughout the year for everything from taming your stash to helping you figure out what to do with all of those UFOs. Let us know on our Instagram and Facebook pages as well as in the comments below, how we can help you to have a great year of sewing, quilting and making. Fresh starts. New possibilities. Ready, set, go!

Hari Kuyo

design, just a thought, needlework, quilting, sewing, tools

February 8 marks the Hari Kuyo Buddhist and Shinto Festival in Japan that began 400 years ago. Hari Kuyo refers to the festival that celebrates broken needles and sewing. Typically women dress in kimono and take their broken pins and needles to their local temple where they place them in a block of tofu. Many believe that while sewing life’s sorrows can creep into the needles. Burying the old needles in tofu softens them and allows the sorrows to be transported to the gods and away from the sewist. Hari Kuyo is also an opportunity to pray for better sewing skills.

I love the idea of showing gratitude for our tools and for acknowledging that our tools develop an emotional patina through extended use. For those of us who aren’t able to attend the Hari Kuyo Festival, how about taking a moment to give thanks for the tools that help us create and make beautiful things? And while you’re at it, this is probably a good time to change your rotary cutter blade and get rid of those bent pins and broken needles that have served you well.

Sewing with Nancy DVD Giveaway!

by Weeks, design, experiences, needlework, sewing

Like you, I have watched Sewing with Nancy over the years and admired Nancy Zieman’s skills and down-to-earth personality. We met Nancy several years ago and have found her to be a warm and generous person as well. I drove Bill crazy while reading Seams Unlikely, Nancy’s autobiography. I kept saying, “You’re never going to believe this!” followed by reading aloud the part of the book that surprised me. It is an extraordinarily inspiring read. Your heart will break for her at times and you’ll find yourself gasping, “Oh my goodness…” a lot. Mostly you will get a glimpse of how a woman in small-town Wisconsin started an iconic TV show and overcame hurdle after hurdle after hurdle all while giving birth, adopting a child and managing a growing business.

So when Nancy emailed last spring asking if we would be guests on Sewing with Nancy, we were thrilled and decided to publish Magic Inch Quilts in conjunction with our appearance on the show. Sewing with Nancy is a well-oiled machine staffed with highly competent people who have worked with Nancy for decades. We talked through the content of the episodes and planned out with Nancy the step-outs and sequence of the projects. She’s quick, decisive and very thorough because she knows exactly what the viewer needs to see to understand the concept without wasting a minute.

Sewing with Nancy airs at different times across North America. While some watched our episodes in December, others told me they just saw one just last weekend. If you missed them, head over to NancyZieman.com where you’ll be able to see both episodes and find a treasure trove of All Things Nancy. If you’d like to win a copy of the DVD of both episodes, leave a comment below telling us what you’ve learned from Nancy over the years. We’ll randomly draw a winner on Tuesday, February 7. [Note: given that the DVD is formatted for US DVD players, we will only ship the DVD to a US address. Thanks for your understanding.]