My Television experience on the show Uncommon Threads with host Alison Whitlock.Leora Raikin, African Folklore Embroiderywww.aflembroidery.cominfo@aflembroidery.com(818) 999-6094Click here to view clips from the HGTV show. Back to Our RootsDuring summer I spent seven weeks in South Africa, regroupin... [More]

As promised here's a mini tutorial on how to use PE-Design Lite in combination with our Pre-Design Studio program. It's getting the best of two worlds: create filled areas using the AutoPunch function in PE Lite on the basis of an image made with Pre-Design Studio and create bean stitch line... [More]

OK, Everybody, If you have followed this blog from the beginning, and have been making quilt block as we go, you should now have enough block to make into a quilt. “How do I do that?” someone says.  Well, that’s the purpose of this blog.  Let’s put those little bugg... [More]

When I first looked at Ken Parson’s Compositions, I was confused by it, not because it was difficult [More]

Here we are coming up on Valentines Day, coincidentally Bill’s and my half year anniversary. Coincidentally because we first met on the 14th of August and, when we decided to marry, set the date at one year from our first meeting. There wasn’t any thought about Valentines Day and it was ... [More]

Some embroidery items are more breathtaking than others.  I don’t remember where or when I got [More]

Mary and I are so excited about coming to Florida for the Community Circle Event the last weekend in March!!  What perfect timing.  It's been a bitter cold winter here in Iowa -- and I am really looking forward to FLORIDA.It is always a joy for me to present my seminar, "Life Is N... [More]

Only a couple of weeks to go before I meet you all at the Community Circle Event in Orlando Florida. I will meet you all, right? You just have to come: in two days you will learn more than you could learn in two years on your own. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then lecture demos are worth ... [More]

Greetings to the Community Circle participants and those of you who are still thinking about attending! Rita and I, the Midwest YaYa Sisters, are eager to come to Florida for this event. Both of us are looking out our windows at lots of snow. Here in northern Minnesota we've set some records fo... [More]

At Sylvia, we pay attention to detail and quality.  Period.  So if we plan on spending quite a bit of time and money on the hardware we use, the dowels necessary to hold tight the joints of the cabinets, and even the lift for the sewing machine, it only makes sense to use quality construct... [More]

Hi there, all of you Ann the Gran readers.  Welcome back to LaRueSews-quilts.  This is a bright and sunny day in east central, Alabama.  It is, however a bit chilly outside.  But I guess that’s better than cold, cloudy and rainy.I have said before, and I’d like to say... [More]

Hi, from Texas! I'm James Raymer, Vice President of Dalco Home Sew. I am excited and honored to be part of your “Community Circle.” I can still remember when I first met Ann. Ann and I were invited to a retreat at Myrtle Beach. This being my first show I was in awe of meeting a real... [More]

There are a lot of good things about working for myself at home. I can come and go as I please. I can work in my pajamas. There’s no commute. There are some downsides. I work on the week-ends and in the middle of the night. The work is always there; I can’t walk away from it. But the big... [More]

Is this the most magnificent swan you have ever seen? Free Standing Lace (FSL) is a technique uniqu [More]

It’s interesting how you can have a great idea during a very busy day and then when you sit down to write….you draw a blank. I am hoping that I remember what that great idea was before I get to the end of this blog.  In the meanwhile today was one of those busy days at work that yo... [More]

The weather in New Jersey this week is snowy and really cold and to some folks that may not seem so wonderous but when we had an unexpected family gathering in New York last week it made one little girl happy.  My 16 year old niece was visiting from Ocala, Fl and she had never seen snow in her ... [More]

In beginning this blog, I realized that I need to back track and talk about something I left out some time ago. You really need to straighten the fabric before you begin any project.  That doesn’t include quilting alone.  It includes any kind of sewing.  Because of the nature of... [More]

Packing our bags...It's official, we booked our flights and made hotel reservations: we will be teaching / demoing at the upcoming AnnTheGran Community Circle event on March 27 and 28, 2009 in Orlando!And what a great coincidence it is that we will be at the AnnTheGran event, in the "roots&... [More]

We’re trying to pare down here at the old homestead. I have no idea where all this stuff came from but it’s gotta go! Okay, I know where it came from . . . . Live in the same house for 47 years and stuff piles up. Plus, Bill has a habit that I’ve heard that a lot of men have: Somet... [More]

Until now, I’ve talked about the things we use in our furniture such as the hardware, the sewing machine lift, and even the dowels and glue we use to put it all together.  But that comes after the cabinet comes off the drawing board and proceeds to construction.   Other than things... [More]

  Special Offer - This Week Only- Buy Catalog Xpress and Get Alphabet Xpress Free! Click Her [More]

I hope everyone had a really great Christmas/Chanukah/holiday season.  As well the happiest New Year since January 1, 2008. ;o) Before I began this blog, I checked with the folks at AnnTheGran to be sure you all want me to continue with my ramblings.  Since this is the first time for me in... [More]

Happy New Year!Can you imagine? A new year, again? It feels like it's only a few months ago since we all watched the fireworks going from New Zealand / Australia / Europe and finally USA to welcome the new Millennium! And now all of a sudden we're in 2009...Time is one of the things in life ... [More]

Quality Made Sylvia Sewing Furniture Our commitment to quality extends to, what some might consider, even the most mundane items.  I’m talking about the hardware we use in all of Sylvia’s sewing furniture.  In the past few blog posts, I’ve talked about how we assemble o... [More]

Long about New Year's Eve I was hearing a lot of mumbling and grumbling about 2008, talking heads saying that thank goodness 2008 is over. Well, yes, the economic messiness of the last couple of months of 2008 was bad thing and embarking on a brand spanking new 2009 is a good thing, even though ... [More]

I have been thinking about doing embroidery on lingerie for some time now.  I might be doing so [More]

     Individual characters (letters, numbers and punctuation marks) from my alph [More]

I am sure that each of you are just like me and you are running around trying to get as much accomplished before the year ends as you can.  Whether it is trying to get the last-minute gifts made or find the perfect gift, they would often look better if they were personalized, wouldn’t the... [More]

Battenburg (Battenberg) lace has also been known as Renaissance lace.  Created by using loops o [More]

Greetings everyone! Can you believe it?  The end of the journey and all the gifts you're making are nearly complete, right?!?  Now I am quite sure there are some of you who actually DO have your gifts finished, neatly wrapped, and waiting under the tree for the lucky recipie... [More]

If thread is the life blood of embroidery, then messed up thread will be the headache for your whole [More]

I do follow a blog on Hoarding - https://hoardinghomesolutions.com - that I find to have some g [More]

If you are a fan of YouTube (I am a fanatic - hopelessly beyond a fan), there are thousands times th [More]

I had written another blog which pointed out some things that are best done with the professional st [More]

I did a "embroidery words/terms" blog recently and I remember that I had been embroidering for a lon [More]

Moms and dads are jumping up and down. Neighbors are throwing parties. Kids are getting new supplies [More]

Looking through my previous blogs, I checked`my Lingerie Blog and remembered that there are some int [More]

Since I began doing these Unique & Simple Tricks, I have had a lot of new ideas and creative tip [More]

I do love doing my blog. Some of them were wonderful hits and some - not so much. I am listing three [More]

I started doing this blog in May, 2008. Can you believe that?  Well I can't so I went back on M [More]

I had a tip in a previous Blog about getting those bed skirts to stay put and here is my next bed ma [More]

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I have been thinking about some of the ways that embroidery can have a "Renaissance" that YOU can be [More]

Following the Christmas season of making, January is typically when we try to get our sewing rooms b [More]

Here Are 10 Creative Ways To Re-Use Your Old Amazon BoxesIf you follow me on social media, you may [More]

With the hustle and bustle of the holidays comes a time for family, friends and even strangers. To s [More]

I have been noticing that multiple digitizers are noting that some of their designs do not have "jum [More]

If you are new to my blog, here are some of my previous Halloween Freebies. Check out the hints in t [More]

I really love the Bean Stitch, it is mostly ignored in favor of using a Satin Stitch. Well, it is ti [More]

I have been thinking about doing this blog for about 3 years - but, what is the hurry??These are tru [More]

When summer hits Phoenix, it hits hard. . . We have been having an 'intense heat warning.' I don't k [More]

The Avid Embroiderer Presents - Creating a Healthier Environment and a Freebie with as much joy as you can handle. [More]

I am in a decorating mood and saw a 3D picture on a wall in a magazine. The photo was of a plain pie [More]

Note: This is from a very old Blog that a reader commented upon. Very few people will see the post b [More]

The Christmas tree has been put away(finally), the lights rolled up, the wreaths wrapped and hung in [More]

I do subscribe to HGTV's Magazine. I really love the whole magazine, especially the "High/Low List" [More]

We love to give and receive baked goods any time of the year.  They are so appreciated at a tim [More]

I have been reading that the English alphabet, as we know it, is nearing obsolescence for many reaso [More]

A while back I shared some projects we were working on for my granddaughters’ bedroom.  Well, a [More]

I’ll bet you can think of a million different uses for these darling little baskets and, since they [More]