by GillyMac | Oct 10, 2020 | Teens
I have always loved teaching my teen classes and wanted to extend the opportunities to sew to a much wider teen audience. Earlier this year I created a small library of video tutorials aimed at young sewists. The videos are all completely free and there are already 6...
by GillyMac | Sep 26, 2020 | Classes, Patchwork, Quilting
The best way to describe sewing using foundation piecing is sewing by numbers. Sewing takes place on pre-printed or drawn paper which is eventually torn away. The fabric pieces are placed underneath the paper and sewing is completed following the lines on the paper....
by GillyMac | Sep 14, 2020 | Beginners, GillyMac Community, Tutorial
Did you know that September is Sewing Month in the USA, a tradition started by Ronald Reagan in 1982? Thinking it was a shame in the UK there was nothing like this, I decided to create my own annual Sewing Machine Discovery Week which this year will from 21st-25th...
by GillyMac | Sep 7, 2020 | Classes, Quilting
I have recently rewritten my Quilting with Rulers Class. When considering my own use of rulers, it was a ‘penny dropping moment’ when I realised that I favoured a straight ruler and one curved ruler for 90% of my own ruler work. Why would I teach anything else? Using...
by GillyMac | Aug 18, 2020 | GillyMac Doodle Challenge, Quilting
Doodling is a fabulous way to learn free-motion quilt designs. Just with pen and paper, you can start your free motion quilting journey. Over the past three years, the GillyMac Doodle Challenge has provided over 400 participants access to an inspiring set of 80...
by GillyMac | Jul 27, 2020 | blog, Patchwork, Quilting, Tutorial
Have you ever been put off making a quilt because it will be too big to quilt? Or maybe your quilting confidence is much higher when the piece you are tackling is smaller. For either of these problems, Quilt-As-You-Go is the answer! Quilt-As-You-Go (QAYG) is a...
by GillyMac | Jul 13, 2020 | Dressmaking, GillyMac Community, Teens
Fast fashion is here to stay, certainly for the short term, but with the latest UK news about textile factories in Leicester, it is time to pause and consider what we could all do to stop the abuse of factory workers – not just in the UK, but across the World. As an...
by GillyMac | Jun 22, 2020 | Beginners, blog, GillyMac Community, Patchwork, Quilting
Whilst searching through my stash of fabrics looking for something for a children class I found a number of drab and unappealing fabrics that I knew I would never use. For me, fabric can be like clothes, sometimes you fall out of love with them, wonder why you ever...
by GillyMac | Jun 15, 2020 | Uncategorised
The ability to sew accurately relies on being able to place the sewing needle exactly where you want it to go every single time. This sounds easy, but even the cleverest of sewing machines need the operator to guide them. The seven tips below are simple and obvious...
by GillyMac | May 16, 2020 | blog, Classes, general, GillyMac Community
It has now been two months since I moved my business online. It has been a crazy couple of months and now I am getting on top of the additional work – some planned some not – it is a good time to share what I have learned. The thing I love most about my business is...
