I pleased to announce the debut of the newest It's Sew Easy TV series! ​ This season It’s Sew Easy is taking things step by step, helping you build skills in many areas of sewing.
Watch Angela Wolf make an on-trend tunic over the course of the season. In addition, you’ll see great gift items, like a pashmina wrap, or glasses case. There are also doll clothes, and fleece coats with strict attention to detail.
 
There’s even a special quilt feature, with starter blocks made into interesting projects outside of standard quilts.

I had the privilege of taping a total of seven segments this time around. CLICK HERE and you'll see that I put together an entire page with instructions and bonus offerings for each of these segments so they're easy for you to access. 

A mix of wearables, home decor, and great items for gift giving make up the seven shows. 

Visit www.itsseweasytv.com to see what's new for the entire series. Be sure to look at the tabs at top of the Home page. You'll find links to important information, including TV listings for your local area.

The entire collection is available in a boxed set of DVDs so you can watch whenever you wish.

Here is a summary of season 1700 and a list of all the instructors you'll see on these 13 shows.

​1701 Trends
Angela Wolf introduces a trendy top, perfect for every occasion, size and style – sew along with eight different lessons this season on a specific element of the top. Kay Whitt sews a cross body bag, and Ebony Love creates this season’s first quilt block
 
1702   Material Girls
Angela Wolf, Ellen March and Ebony Love have some great fabrics choices as they take you through three projects step by step.
 
1703 Dress Up
Joanne Banko makes an original pashmina wrap using trim and embroidery, Meg Healey turns a one-piece dress into two, and June Mellinger whips up version #1 of flying geese.
 
1704 Step Up
Angela Wolf continues the tunic sew along, Reen Wilcoxson provides a tutorial for in the hoop designs, and June Mellinger makes a tablet cover with her flying geese block.
 
1705 Top Details
Michelle Paganini creates unique patches, Caroline Critchfield has a clever sleeve technique, and Sarah Thomas makes flying geese via foundation piecing. 
 
1706 Shape Up
Angela carries tabs on the sleeves of the Sew Along top. Emily Thompson sews an easy circle skirt, and Sarah Thomas creates projects from the flying geese blocks.
 
1707 Size
Emily Thompson shows tricks for doll clothes, Michelle Paganini returns with a tutorial on how to turn an XL men’s t-shirt into a fashion shirt that fits you, and June Mellinger is back with a new block.
 
1708 The Eyes Have It!
Angela adds a cuff trim, Joanne Banko makes a glasses case for guys, and Kay Whitt adds a sunglass pocket to a tote.
 
1709 Decorative Details
Joanne Banko shares trim ideas and more for pillows, Jennifer Stern talks top-stitching, and June Mellinger makes a fabric tray.
 
1710 Step by Step Garments
Angela Wolf shows and alternate neckline and Joanne Banko tailors a trendy fleece jacket.
 
1711 Quilt Along
Angela Wolf adding the hem to the top, Joanne Banko has coasters form the sewing and embroidery side of the machine, and Ebony Love has her version of the flying geese.
 
1712 More Quilting
Joanne Banko uses the serger for a fast and easy quilt as you go technique, Emily Thompson shows paper piecing the easy way, and Caroline Critchfield has a binding technique for any size quilt.
 
1713 Lace Details
Angela Wolf adds lace to the top, Joanne Banko demonstrates stitch stacking, and Rebecca Kemp Brent shows a different way to add lace to a sleeve.

I hope you enjoy each and every segment! I'd love to know where you watch It's Sew Easy and what day and time you see the show. Feel free to let me know in the comments below.

I wanted to share my latest published piece, give you a little bit of background on the article, and share a few of my favorite pillow making tips.

It all started when Denise Holguin, managing Editor of Designs in Machine Embroidery magazine, asked me to contribute to their "For the Love of Embroidery issue." Basically, the idea was to showcase a project that would answer the "Why do you embroider" question. In other words, if you had to answer that question in a flash, what would you say or show as a shining example?

My initial verbal response is a short, sweet statement of why I sew, embroider, and craft at all. The fun and satisfaction of making something and exploring your creative side is exhilarating! In essence, "When you sew, you can have WHAT you want, exactly WHEN you want it, and have it HOW you want it too!" This statement applies not only to embroidery but to any category of sewing. 

With this in mind, I set about to design a project worthy of the pages that fill my favorite magazine. My enthusiasm was huge but my time slot was short. You see, my sewing space was full of projects to be completed for the next series of It's Sew Easy TV. To say that I was swimming in a sea of unfinished projects was an understatement. I opted for the featured pillow project for two main reasons. First, it was do-able in the time allowed and second, it really did answer the What, When, and How in my previous exclamation. Something as basic as a pillow is in fact a shining example of an embroidered object that is unique and beautiful. Finding a perfectly sized pillow with the right design, for the right price, in the perfect color in the world of ready-mades would be virtually impossible. I could think of many other projects that represent why I love machine embroidery but a pillow it would be! 

Let me give you a few more details about the pillow itself, along with some Pillow Pointers you may enjoy. Well suited for use on a patio, to find this fabric you can click on the Fabric.com *affiliate link below and type Richloom Solarium Outdoor fabric.

The color is called Rave Coral. I found this fabric to be very impressive! It was easy to sew and almost had the look of heavy linen. Designed to withstand sunlight and resist water, it's perfect for decks, patios, pools, etc., but just as nice indoors too. The Koi fish is embroidered on plain white duck cloth which of course is not water resistant. That could be remedied by treating the completed embroidery with a waterproofing spray, or a spray like Fabric Guard 303® which is recommended by Sunbrella® for waterproof restoration.

Fabric aside, the idea for framing the fish is yet another way to use one of my favorite Brother features, the built-in frame pattern option. 

Over the years, I've used this feature in enough different ways to fill a book! ​Size will vary with the available hoop size and the decorative stitch patterns vary slightly too, but this is an option built-in to all Brother machines from entry level to the top of the line. You could consider tracing a shape of your own if you don't possess this feature. 

The article details each step you need to follow to make the pillow from start to finish. My embroidery was stitched on the Brother 6 needle PR670E using the 8" X 12" hoop and a design built into the machine.

In keeping with the outdoor theme the pillow features a simple closure at the back with bright colored KAM Snaps. I hope this project inspires you to make a pillow using your own design ideas. this easy framing technique can showcase any design you choose. Are you ready for a few pillow pointers? CLICK HERE for a free Pillow Pointers Tip Sheet.

​As always, I'd love to hear from you if you have any comments or questions :-) And please . . . let me hear your answer to the ​answer the "Why do you embroider" question. If you had to answer that question in a flash, what would you say or show as a shining example?