I often wonder why there are so many different kinds of scissors on the market and decided to do a little digging for the history of scissors. All too often the things we use daily are taken for granted. We don’t stop to ask how they first came about or when. The first known scissor appeared in ancient Egypt around 1500 BC. This was a  spring scissor made of two bronze blades connected at the handles by a thin, flexible strip of curved bronze which held the blades in alignment to…

Summer is connected to warm days and sunny adventures in my memory — peaceful times spent with friends and often alone in quiet places thinking about the complexities of life. Of course what was complex about the life of a 7-year-old in the summer? It was all bare feet, playing in the woods, riding bikes with friends till someone’s mother told us all to go home for supper. There were cookies and lemonade with “gramma” and “grampa,” swimming in the creek. Oh how precious our childhoods were but it isn’t…

Life has been hectic since Quilt Market and most days I wouldn’t know if I were coming or going without the help of post-it-notes and gentle reminders from Carol Porter and Bill Gardner! A big thanks to them for always having my back. Time moves too quickly and once I post an entry I think of a zillion things I forgot to share. During the blogs on crochet lace I started two receiving blankets for the new baby our Graphics Designer, Leslie, was expecting. I finished the blue one and…

It’s been a busy few weeks! After spending a few days at Nancy’s Notions Sewing Weekend in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, I was home two days before heading to Salt Lake City for the International Spring Quilt Market. As always, though, it was worth the trip … or trips! What a treat it was to leave the cold soggy Northwest and head to sunny and warm Beaver Dam for the weekend.  It’s always a blessing to spend time there with the customers who flock to this high-energy weekend of learning and…

The Ball Point Awl is used for making a hole by carefully stretching the fabric without thread breakage, but I use it for just about everything. I love this little awl! It’s awesome for pulling threads out when I can’t find my seam ripper, and it doubles as a stiletto when I need to guide the ends of my sewing through the machine. Turning corners is much easier with the help of this little tool.  If you don’t have one, you should! My grandmother-in-law was from Sweden and loved to do cut work…

One of the members of my Laid Back Ladies of the Block quilt group shared a picture of this adorable and creative scarf  made by her 16-year-old granddaughter Wendy Keneipp. Wendy had learned the basics of crochet and decided to design her own scarf for friends. Awesome!! That’s  a sign of a true needle worker! I look forward to seeing future designs from this talented young woman.

Oh my, I have been crocheting so much I had to find the Icy Hot for those stressed arm muscles. Crocheting is a very repetitive process and one doesn’t realize the stress put on the muscles in the arm and hand … even the shoulder. So, take a break every so often and make sure you’re using Clover’s Soft Touch Crochet Hook. I finished one of the receiving blankets I mentioned earlier and am well on my way to finishing a second. The picture below shows the blanket made with plisse. The…

Oh my gosh did I have fun working with the Hairpin lace from the early 1900s and will continue to work on patterns. I’ll share my progress as they come together. This week I’m working on crocheted lace from the old magazines. Lace trimmings were very important and popular during the early 1900s If women wanted lace trimmings they had to make them. I’m constantly amazed at the creativity of these women in creating their own designs. One of my favorite projects to make for new babies is a receiving blanket with crocheted edgings. After hemming…

Oh boy! Reading through the needlecraft magazines from the 1900s I found one from 1908 … wow! There is so much history in these magazines I feel very fortunate to have them and be able to look through these treasures whenever I wish. I do fear I may have permanent damage to the eyes, though! Maybe with a few days rest the vision will return to normal. The lace work throughout the magazines captured my heart as crocheted lace is my favorite to make. Hairpin lace, referred to as Maltese Lace in…

I was blessed several years ago with a gift of 20 Needlework “magazines” from the 1920s. I lovingly take them down from time to time and look through them,providing me a respite from the fast pace of my daily life. Can you see the date on this magazine?  December 1915 !  Wow … talk about a trip through the past. Each edition is a real adventure. While recently spending some time with my treasured magazines I came across several articles about hairpin lace and how to join them for different projects. Two articles caught my attention and…