Soft small pieces of fabric sewn with a few straight or decorative stitches embellished with some lengths of satin ribbon and tiny laces can become a thoughtful gift for a new baby. Handmade baby gifts are a delightful treasure and always greatly appreciated by new parents.

The bandana has become an iconic summer fabric favorite. Like its Americana counterpart - blue jeans, it has withstood the test of time. Bandanas are thrift-store, dollar-store, discount-darlings readily available, inexpensive and able to add instant whimsical appeal to clothing and home décor.

Pillowcase dresses are a quick and easy way to sew a charming sleeveless summer dress for a little girl. Delightfully nostalgic a pillowcase dress, especially if embroidered or printed with a lovely design or with a scalloped edge, can be a charming way to use a lovingly saved heirloom.

Whether doll size, little girl or adult size, a shirred sleeveless sundress is the ultimate in summer lounging attire. A shirred bodice is a timeless look for a summer sundress, casual yet elegant. Stitching with elastic thread creates the stretch in the fabric that can accommodate many body types.

While coming up with a unique and thoughtful gift for Father’s Day may be a challenge, especially for the dad who seems to have everything, consider a few simple sewing projects that may bring a smile on the face of that awesome guy.

Stabilizers are generally non-woven textiles placed inside or under fabric pieces during construction to provide support and stability to the garment when stitching, particulary during embroidery. Stabilizers are different than iron-on or sew-on interfacings which also provide fabric support.

A home sewer’s printed tissue sewing pattern is like a printed paper road map; the directions on getting from one place to another are all tantalizingly provided, but it’s up to the reader to interpret and make sense of how to get from point A (You Are Here) to point B (Unfamiliar There).

The result of our human endeavors should be to provide the best of all possible worlds for us as individuals, our families, our societies, our nations, and the environment both now and into the future. As we sew today, consider sewing sustainably with just a few considerations for what that means.

The ubiquitous zipper that opens and closes our garments, upholstery items, coats, purses, handbags, sporting goods, camping gear and more, effortlessly at that, has a long history dating back to the 1850s. Sewing a zipper in clothing needn’t be a sewer's lament.

Among a sewer’s collection of sewing tools, notions, fabric, threads and needles none is more important, save the sewing machine itself, than an iron. It may be hard to think of the humble iron as a sewing tool yet its heat and steam capabilities are key to producing exceptional sewing results.