by GillyMac | Jan 2, 2025 | blog, Classes, Dressmaking, general, GillyMac Community, Improv Sewing, Patchwork, Quilting, Sewing Made Simple, Teens
2024 was a busy and exciting year at GillyMac. Working with Janome, the WI Learning Hub, and being involved in filming later in the year stretched the business in different directions. The core of GillyMac remains the weekly classes and sewists who transit through...
by GillyMac | Apr 20, 2022 | Uncategorised
As we move towards Me-Made-May and warmer times, I am itching to make something new. I have recently seen some great fabrics on the market, which only fuel my need to find time to make clothes. It can be daunting to decide which pattern to try, and it is always good...
by GillyMac | Apr 20, 2022 | Beginners, blog, free, general, GillyMac Community, Sewing Made Simple, Tutorial
Last month the gorgeous participants in the GillyMac Junior Sewing Bee made bunny cushions. The pattern was such a success, I created instructions for the GillyMac Club and thought I would share it here. The pattern covers the cushion top. If you need help making a...
by GillyMac | Apr 6, 2022 | Beginners, blog, Doodles, free, GillyMac Doodle Challenge, Quilting, Sewing Made Simple, Tutorial
In this short video tutorial, I show you how to quilt out the designs from last week and how to a simple “invisible’ line can add interest to bounce back feathers. You will find the templates to practise with below the...
by GillyMac | Apr 1, 2022 | blog, free, GillyMac Doodle Challenge, Quilting, Sewing Made Simple, Tutorial
In today’s short tutorial we will cover how to draw out basic bounce-back feathers. To aid you, I have created the templates below for you to use to...
by GillyMac | Mar 2, 2022 | blog, general, Patchwork, Quilting, Sewing Made Simple, Tutorial
I rarely create facings for my work, but I resolve to do it more frequently because it looks great every time I do. Quilt facings are a different way to finish an edge. Typically for quilts, we add a binding to cover raw edges, and for garments, we have hems. It is...
by GillyMac | Feb 23, 2022 | Beginners, blog, Quilting, Sewing Made Simple, Tutorial
When we start sewing, we don’t always think about how we will tackle the quilting part of a project, leading to us growing a pile of projects waiting to be quilted “when we are ready”. I started my sewing journey properly in 2012, and it is not so long ago that I...
by GillyMac | Feb 9, 2022 | blog, free, GillyMac Community, Patchwork, Quilting, Sewing Made Simple, Tutorial
February is such a funny month. The excitement of Christmas and New Year has died down, and it’s like the day after a party with nothing fun to do. Well, it’s not long until we see signs of Spring, so until then, I have curated a group of free sewing...
by GillyMac | Feb 2, 2022 | blog, general, GillyMac Community, Sewing Made Simple
I have run several weekly adult and teen sewing groups for some years. Fortunately, the groups switched seamlessly to online during 2020 and the first part of 2021. Over time, each group has taken on its vibe. So much so that I can tell what a group will enjoy working...
by GillyMac | Jan 26, 2022 | Beginners, blog, general, Sewing Made Simple, Tutorial
Like many of us, when we start to sew, we are often too excited or impatient to properly investigate our machines. A great product is dependent on more than just sewing accuracy. We must also trace out any paper pattern precisely and cut it out perfectly before we...
