St. Patricks' Day is quickly approaching and I have some designs that will help you celebrate.  Check out the Rainbow Clouds Design above.  This will cheer you up even if you are still in the midst of winter.  This would also be precious on any of your spring time projects!

My Eat Drink and Be Irish design will tell everyone to be awesome like you!  Those Irish people do love to eat and drink and you  will never go home hungry if you have enjoyed one of their parties!

Ah the Luck of the Irish.  May it follow you throughout your journeys.  Stitch this Lucky Embroidery design and bring some of that Irish Luck your way!  Use green thread and avoid those pesky pinchers!

Invite a little love your way with the Kiss Me I'm Irish Embroidery design.  I bet you will have more fun than anyone else if you wear this to your Irish gathering!

My Rainbow Fringe design includes an applique cloud and fluffy loops of rainbow colors.  Available in a 4x4 and 5x7 size. Check out the slideshow below to see how it comes to life!

Grab these designs and stitch up some St. Patrick's Day projects! I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work!

If you have done any machine embroidery, I bet you wish your bobbin could be as big as the spool of embroidery thread. Right?  Until that day comes, you will eventually have the issue of an empty bobbin in the middle of a design.  Instead of always starting with a full bobbin, I do use partial ones.  This way I don't waste thread.  Once you get used to changing out your bobbin in the middle of a design, you will see that with a few simple steps, you can continue sewing.  Watch the short video below to see how I change mine and finish stitching a design.  I hope these tips help with your embroidery projects, you share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work.

We love a good crawfish boil in my household. It really is one of the best ways to feed a crowd of hungry people.  If you have never been to a crawfish boil, you might want to give it a try.  We don't always boil just crawfish. We will throw shrimp and crabs in the pot also.  Corn, Potatoes and mushrooms are added and they become infused with the seasonings added to the water.  The pots are usually very tall and they get plenty hot.  So in honor of the many crawfish boils I hope to be attending in my future, I am releasing my latest design.  It is an In The Hoop Hot Stuff Crawfish Pad.  The interior has Insul Bright which will help insulate from the cooking heat.  

The design requires at least a 6x10 hoop and will finish to a 6x6 size.  There are so many techniques in this design. You will do quilting, applique and chenille!  If you are not sure what chenille is, take a look at the top right corner.  The fluffy parts are actually layers of cotton fabric sewn in the hoop, trimmed and then roughed up so it gets softer and softer every time you launder it. I used all of the colors that are familiar to Louisiana fans also.  This hot pad would be a welcome hostess gift if you are attending any party or gathering.

Check out the Hot Stuff Crawfish Pad in my store here.  I also have a You Tube video that will show you all of the sew out steps below.  Get yourself a cool drink and enjoy the show.  I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work!

I am taking you on a brief tour of my studio today.  For some reason, I love systems and seeing how work flows are designed.  In my studio and my home, I frequently like to move furniture and tools around and see if I can create better solutions for living and working.  I am that weird person that likes to move everything out, clean really good, cull, separate and then put everything back in.  It is kind of like a puzzle to me. How many ways can I change something and get better results each time?  I think that is why I love digitizing embroidery designs, because they are just like puzzle solving. You can add pieces differently each round and still get to the same end result.  My work space is a challenge. It is actually supposed to be a dining room. There are windows that minimize wall space and a large cased opening that I had to creatively work around. 

I like to have a very large cutting and working table and this is certainly all that.  I have a 4x8 sheet of plywood on top of two shelving units. It sits in the middle of my room and everything has to revolve around it.  My husband has offered to "cut it down" several times, but I love it so much.  The storage containers underneath are so great for holding all of my extra fabric also. I think of all of the things I have in my studio, this is my absolute favorite.  My family likes it also.  It has proven to be a great work surface for everyone.

Having small rolling carts makes it easy to move my notions around as I want to.  I also label the drawers so I know exactly where all of those small pieces are.  A sewing studio is always going to be hard to keep clean but small drawers really help.

I have talked about this stacking case in a previous blog and I still use it for extra pins, needles, marking tools etc.  The best part is I can grab it for travel and retreats.

My heat press is situated on it's own stand.  All of the transfers, t squares and items I use with the heat press stay in this area so I don't have to look for them.

My Silhouette is on my desk close to my computer. I mounted a set of drawer pulls on the shelf so it can slide in and out. This ensures my vinyl can feed all the way through the silhouette without getting tangled.

Fabric storage is always a challenge to keep neat. I use the small collapsible fabric boxes to keep mine in order.  I separate each fabric type and try to group them by color also.  

Here is another one showing how I roll the fabric tightly.  This way I can see everything I have in stock.

Large glass jars help me keep my thread protected from the air and dust.  It is also a pretty way to showcase all of the colors I have.

There is a designated pressing area always set up and ready.  Storage underneath holds different tools and materials.

A cabinet above the pressing station holds all of my starch and pressing tools.  

A small rotating tray helps keep the smaller tools in place so I can find them easily. I also have several Ott Light lamps for task lighting.

My husband built risers to put underneath my desk.  This made it a custom area that is the perfect working height just for me.

The cabinet that holds my Happy embroidery machine also houses all items I need to use along with it.  I also keep my stabilizer to the right of the cabinet.

So here I am with my furry buddies.  They are usually in my studio also or very close by keeping me company.  My work area has taken many years to create.  I started my blog in 2015 and over these last 5 years, it has morphed several times as I have learned new skills and added tools.  I have a more detailed You tube video you can watch below that shows all of my storage ideas.  Many of them are cost effective and they don't always match. I like the purpose of something much more than the look of it. My desk for example cost about $20.00. It is beat up but very substantial and works great for my work flow. So check out the video. It is quite extensive and might give you the urge to create a space where you can "BE YOU"  Everyone deserves that.    I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work!

The Mardi Gras Season is upon us. I am sure most people have heard of this fun time of year.  If you have never visited any of the hosting cities that participate, I encourage you to try it at least one time in your life.  When I talk to people who have never been to a parade, they usually state they would be too afraid. I think there is an idea of what happens but let me put it in perspective for you.

This is what a parade route looks like in the smaller towns and cities.  The parades usually go on for a couple of weeks over many different days and nights.  The streets are closed off and families gather together.  We park our pickup trucks, haul in grills and cooking pots. Everyone brings lawn chairs and we spend the whole day together.  You will smell great cooking, eat some wonderful food and visit.  If you walk over to strangers, I bet they will offer you something to eat and drink.  You will also see your kids playing in the street. How long has it been since you saw that?  Footballs are thrown across the roads between people and everyone gets involved. After all of that happens, the floats come and you catch more goodies than you can haul out.  I guarantee everyone will sleep great after all of that activity!

So let me tell you what happens in the background while all of the parades are going on. A lot of planning has to be in place to make those parades "Roll".  There are many people who pay to join Krewes.  These people actually buy all of the items or "throws" that you catch from the floats.  There are special rules that they have to follow, costumes that must be worn including masks and they get to attend many different parties.  You can see in the pictures that the ladies  wear beautiful dresses and the members have to wear their costumes. There is also a Grand Court and young ladies that are announced to society. Another custom is the day of the Tableau or grand ball, the Krewe members ride around town in open top school buses, stop at various gatherings in parking lots, listen to music and have a great time.  If you are wondering "Shaggy" is my son's nickname.  That is another custom in the Krewes. Everyone has a nickname. He is the one line dancing in the parking lot.  Not a shy bone in his body! 

This is the logo for our Krewe.  We have been participating many seasons and if you come to the parades my husband and many of my relatives will "Throw You Something Mister!" So in honor of the Mardi Gras Season, I have several designs that you can stitch out.

Mardi Gras is also known as Carnival Time.  This design would be great to decorate pillows or try it on garments!  

If you attend any parade, you will see that everyone gets into the spirit so join them by sewing this Happy Mardi Gras design on your sweatshirts!  Here I used variegated thread but you can use Purple Green and gold which are the official Mardi Gras Colors!

Stitch this My First Mardi Gras design to let people know you are brand new to the Mardi Gras celebration!  Perfect for children and babies also!

New Orleans and Bourbon street are what everyone thinks about when you mention Mardi Gras.  This Bourbon Street Lamppost design would be great on pillows and kitchen towels.

This Fat Tuesday Logos Design is everything you need to say about Mardi Gras all wrapped up in one design! Maybe this has inspired you to attend  a parade? If you can't visit, the local news stations will always record them.  Look for videos online and have a celebration at home.  I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you have learned and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work!  PS. I'll enjoy some gumbo and a piece of King Cake for you!

It is National Embroidery Month!  I love all things embroidery and because it's the month of Love I thought a cute Heart Applique design would be just right. You can stitch this directly onto your project or create a cute patch just by changing your stabilizer! A 4x4 hoop and a little fabric is all you need!

This little design is really fun and I know you will love stitching it out. The Needle only has "eyes" for the sewing machine.  Check out the slideshow below to see how easy it is.

Look for it in my store here and celebrate National Embroidery Month along with me! I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work!