E-patterns or online sewing patterns are convenient for a home sewer, often offered free or low-cost. However, a small stack of standard size 8.5 by 11 inch computer printing paper, printing ink, a reliable home printer and much clear tape for assembling a printed e-pattern are cost considerations.

In an almost perfect marriage of practical function and elegant efficiency - the sewing machine and its machine sewing companion, the serger, combine to give the home sewer the best of all possible sewing worlds.

Together the sewer’s stitch and the weaver’s cloth results in more than the sum of its parts; culture is passed on, traditions preserved, the sewer’s skills remains intact. Textiles and their manipulation by sewing tell the story of the ages and reveal the very real and beautiful fabric of our lives

Applique designs, those smaller pieces of fabric overlaid onto a larger fabric background, are often seen on quilts however they can be used as whimsical decorations on clothing, elegant patterns on curtains or artistic expressions on throw pillows, totes and fabric purses.

The stiff, cuffed dungarees of the past used by cattlemen and miners, the 1950s and 60s youth subculture that adopted denim jeans in defiance, the bell-bottoms of the 70s and onto today’s boot-cut and skinny fashionably ripped jeans, these popular slacks experience never-ending fashion adjustments.

Unless the private unfettered view when looking out from a window is one of contemplative serenity - a serene pastoral scene, perhaps rippling waves at the edge of a pristine lake or of majestic snow-covered mountains, most windows benefit from some type of covering or enhancement.

Personalizing or claiming ownership of an item by an identifying mark has a long history with beginnings obscured in antiquity. Adding a monogram emblem originally was a way to claim an artwork, imprint a coin, identify an organization or guild, proclaim status, or certify a document’s authorship.

Easy to make and cost-effective, a front door wreath beckons 'welcome' to visitors. A home facade is instantly updated with lively color and a nod to the change of seasons. Placed on a mantel, a wreath is a time-honored festive focal point.

With the sun's advancing warmth as promise of impending springtime, fabrics sporting prints of softened blues, pinks and lavenders call to sewers at this time as much as new delightful bold geometric prints to help wake us from our recent winter languor. Try a few easy springtime sewing projects!

"Oh, spring has sprung, the grass is riz, wonder where the flowers is?" This lovely rhyme reminds that winter stubbornly clings to northern climes amid fleeting hope for the first warmth of spring. No matter, fabric stores and online sellers let us know that spring is here with gorgeous fabrics.