by GillyMac | Oct 14, 2025 | Beginners, Quilting, Sewing Made Simple, Tutorial
Ruler Quilting is simply using rulers to guide the free motion action of your sewing machine. It is critical that you use a ruler foot and a ruler produced for ruler quilting, or you will damage your sewing machine. This equipment can be as little as £40-50 to get...
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 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...
by GillyMac | Jan 12, 2022 | blog, general, Sewing Made Simple
Over the past couple of months, I have enjoyed experimenting with a Wing Needle. Let me share with you what I have learnt. What is A Wing Needle? At a 100/16, a Wing needle is a larger needle that we typically use for everyday sewing. Its shape is similar to a...
by GillyMac | Jan 5, 2022 | blog, Patchwork, Sewing Made Simple, Tutorial
Of the many things I made in 2021, this table runner is my favourite. Apart from many other qualities, it is an exercise in achieving perfect points. This runner and the accompanying Snowy Days Quilt were the projects in last Autumn’s Virtual Retreat; however,...
by GillyMac | Mar 24, 2021 | Beginners, blog, Patchwork, Quilting, Sewing Made Simple
I am frequently asked ‘how much does it cost to start sewing?’. The amount of equipment and tools on the market is vast and can be confusing. In this post, I have boiled down what you need to just the bare essentials. There is always more to add, but let us start with...
by GillyMac | Mar 17, 2021 | Beginners, Patchwork, Quilting, Sewing Made Simple
Breaking thread is super annoying. It happens for many reasons, none of which are any less irritating. Here are my top tips. Start from number one and work through them until it is solved. Get a cup of tea and settle down to fix the problem. When I am stressed, I can...
