Tag: Janome

Posted on by

Chevron Table Runner free tutorial with foundation paper piecing

A piece of paper with some glue and a ruler


So St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner–let’s face it–everything is right around the corner!  I feel like I blink and the week is over ;)–anyway, you probably need some greenery in the kitchen to avoid getting pinched, right?  Well, you’re in luck (like what I did there??), because I’ve teamed up with Janome to bring you a super simple tutorial for a table runner.  If St. Patty’s Day isn’t your thing, you can easily swap out the colors for something more suiting and make it your own.  

So pictured below are a few great supplies to have on hand for foundation paper piecing.  I absolutely love my add-a-quarter ruler.  It has a little lip that you butt up against the edge of your fabric for easy trimming.  I’m also a big fan of Cristy Fincher’s glue basting tips that you can get HERE.  They screw onto the top of a regular bottle of Elmer’s school glue and are fantastic for distributing just the right amount of glue to the fabric.  And some 8.5″ x 11″ newsprint paper–you can use standard printing paper if you don’t have this on hand and don’t want to make a special trip for it.  The newsprint tears away a little easier than the heavier weight printer paper, so that’s why I prefer it.  And a glue stick!  The rest of the supplies are pretty standard sewing supplies.  

A piece of paper with some glue and a ruler
Foundation Paper Piecing Supplies

When you foundation paper piece, you sew on the printed side of the paper.  The fabric is secured by using a little glue from the glue stick to adhere it to the opposite side, and the elmer’s glue to add another piece of fabric.  Be sure you shorten your stitch length–a good rule of thumb is to shorten your stitch length to 1.5 or smaller.  This perforates the paper enough to easily tear away later.  If you don’t shorten the stitch length, you could play tug of war trying to tear the paper away once your blocks are complete!

A sewing machine is shown with the start button lit up.


Use a ruler to trim away the excess fabric and paper (you may want to use a rotary cutter that you designate for paper use for this), making sure you leave the 1/4″ seam allowance in tact!

A blue rotary cutter next to a white paper.


Visit the Janome Website for the full instructions on how to finish this sweet project!

A green and white quilt with an arrow pattern.

Enjoy the rest of your week!  I know I will–as I type this, my husband has taken our 3 month old for a walk so I can have a little break 🙂  I love her to pieces, but my lanta–sometimes it’s nice to have a minute for yourself!  Happy sewing!

Posted on by

Quilted Oven Mitt Tutorial (Free project)

A red bowl of cookies and a quilted heart shaped bag.


Yikes!!  So I’m a little late on sharing this, but it will be here for future reference 😉

A red bowl of cookies and a quilted heart shaped bag.



Do you love a fun (and quick) project for Valentine’s sewing?  Check out this sweet tutorial I teamed up with Janome to create HERE .  

This is a great project to incorporate some low volumes with a great print that you’ve been saving (I used Liberty of London), but you might now have a lot of! 

A red bowl of cookies and a quilted heart shaped bag.


The oven mitt tutorial can also be customized–you can leave out the reverse applique option for a simpler finish and enjoy your new oven mitt quicker.

A sewing machine is cutting fabric with flowers on it.
Happy belated Valentine’s Day!

Posted on by

Valentine’s Day Oven Mitt Tutorial

A red bowl of cookies and a quilted heart shaped bag.


Are you looking for a great project to showcase that one print that you may not have much of? 

A red bowl of cookies and a quilted heart shaped bag.


Check out the tutorial that I teamed up with Janome to bring you by clicking HERE!  I know that I just love Liberty of London prints, but gosh…they’re pretty proud of them, am I right?  It’s not often I spend $40+ per yard on fabric…but I will admit to purchasing a couple of “swatches” from fabric.com for a few bucks a piece.  I could almost never bring myself to sew with them, especially considering each piece that I had was less than a fat eighth…hello…!  Not many patterns allow for this!  

A pair of scissors and a quilt on the cutting mat.


So I whipped up this cute oven mitt tutorial and thought that Liberty fabric I had been hoarding for so long would be perfect for the little reverse applique window!  

A quilt with a heart on it sitting on top of a table.


It’s a great project for showcasing your favorite prints, and also for using up scraps of low volume fabrics (or any scraps, really!)

Have the happiest of Valentine’s Days and take this project into the kitchen to bake up some yummy sweets for the one you love 🙂

Posted on by

Mock Stained Glass Mini Quilt Tutorial


Happy New Year!  Well, this post is a day late and a dollar short, but it’s here 🙂
I usually post on Tuesdays, but this one got away from me!  

Sometimes winter blues can get you down (although here, in Texas, it was nearly 80 degrees yesterday and looked WAY more like spring than winter!) and it helps to have some fun and easy projects to get you through the weather.  I hope you’ll take a look at the free tutorial I teamed up with Janome to create.  It’s listed on the APQS blog and is a great free pattern for a mini quilt–or– if you prefer not to quilt it, hang it in a window that gets lots of light for a stained glass effect.  Either way, it’s a great way to add another technique to your arsenal of skills.  



Find the free tut HERE

Have a great week!

Posted on by

Free Christmas Stocking tutorial


It’s time for another free tutorial!  I got to team up with Janome again to bring you an awesome Christmas stocking tutorial 🙂

Be sure to check it out on the Janome website !

These stockings are super easy to whip up!  All you have to do is sew some strips of fabric together (jelly roll strips would be perfect!), then use the template to cut the stockings out.  You can add some decorative stitching to the seams where the fabric is joined for a little extra oompf!  Start and finish in an afternoon and make some awesome new stockings for the family 🙂  Merry Christmas!




Posted on by

Hot Pad Hostess Gift! Sewing for a hostess…



So I got to team up with Janome to offer a free tutorial for a quick and cute hostess gift!  If you aren’t the main cook in charge of Thanksgiving, but a guest at someone else’s table–you don’t want to show up empty handed!  Whip up one of these cute hot pads with a little recipe card and a cooking utensil and you’ll be sure to be invited back!  Get the free pattern at the AQS Blog !  And also–Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Posted on by

Spooky Spiderweb Trick Or Treat bag tutorial


If you’d like to make the perfect project for your special little trick-or-treater, I teamed up with Janome to bring you the perfect tutorial for a reusable treat bag!  Visit Janome’s website for the full tutorial and a quick and easy sew!  

 This is a great project with a little pop of color on the reverse side of the drawstring bag–you can use a contrasting fabric to really make it pop (or even glow in the dark fabric!)


And learn to quilt some really fun spiderwebs!  Enjoy!

Posted on by

Free Jelly Roll Quilt Tutorial!


 If you’ve been looking for a way to use up those super cute jelly rolls you’ve acquired…I have a great jelly roll tutorial for you!  It’s free, and you can find it at the American Quilter’s Society Blog, sponsored by Janome.  

Free Jelly Roll Quilt tutorial by Joanna Marsh

I whipped up this quick tutorial using L’s Modern Basics (in the warm colors) Sushi Roll.  I absolutely love this fabric collection and plan on making one of these in the cool colorway too!  

Easy piecing with Janome’s 1/4″ piecing foot

If your quarter inch seams aren’t perfect, you can take your piecing skills to the next level with a 1/4″ piecing foot that will give you perfect seams every time.  This foot is everything when it comes to piecing!!!

Up close and personal of the quilting

And then finish your top off with some fun free motion quilting!  Have fun with this free tutorial, and use up that fabric you’ve been hoarding for so long 🙂  

Posted on by

Back to school tutorial: Notebook / Planner cover


Everyone loves that time of year when it’s hotter than blue blazes outside, right?  That means summer is in full swing, and another favorite is right around the corner…THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!  Parents everywhere countdown the days to this landmark date like children do Christmas, and breathe a sigh of relief to have a bit of a break and shoo the kiddos out the door to start their education once again.

Many moms or dads may want to treat their kiddos to some personalized back to school handmade goodies, and I’m here to help with that!  

 Make some great customizable notebook (or day planner) covers by simply taking a few measurements of the kids’ existing school supplies.  My quick and easy step-by-step tutorial will help you create some great covers that will prolong the life of those school supplies and make the kids feel extra special on their first day back.  The tutorial can be found HERE so head over and check it out!  


Posted on by

Free pattern! Water resistant pool tote


 If you’re planning a trip to the pool, river, beach this summer, you’ve got to whip up this painless pool tote lined with laminated cotton.  Throw your wet towels in and you don’t have to worry about them getting water spots on the car seats or even forgetting about them in the car (hey…don’t judge…we’ve all done it!)

Water resistant pool tote

The only thing extra you might want to pick up, as far as sewing machine accessories, is a teflon foot.  Teflon feet are absolutely amazing when it comes to sewing any sort of “sticky” fabric.  So if you run your hand over it with pressure, and it doesn’t smoothly run across the fabric, a teflon foot will easily sew it!  Some great examples are glitter vinyl, regular vinyl, oilcloth, and laminated cotton.  Any fabrics that look like they have a sheen or platic-y finish.  Personally, I love to sew with weird fabrics, so I’ve had a teflon foot for a while now.  But if you don’t stray from the beaten path very often, now is the time to stray!!!  You will love the teflon foot, and have so many more interesting sewing options.  

Teflon foot for Janome

So let’s get down to the nitty gritty–This pattern was written for Janome exclusively for the Quilt views blog.  So you can grab the FREE PATTERN HERE

Hop to it and get sewing!  Make something cool this summer 🙂