Appleton Dance

by Linda Theil Yesterday we had a fun and exciting haiku poetry class with Emerson, Jake, Sawyer, Alisa, and Angie. We used the Zoom video conferencing app/software to share our poetry lesson online. I wrote the class outline and Alisa created a PowerPoint presentation that I shared as a separate window in the Zoom meeting. Below is a screen shot of our Zoom classroom. A PDF file of our haiku lesson is online at "Haiku Lesson in Poetry by Linda Theil" . The class is designed to last from 20-30 minutes. We used the recording feature in the Zoom program to record the entire class. The linked poem in our cover shot at the top of this page is a tanka Alisa and I wrote for our haiku class. The art in the photo is by Emerson. We used the Over design app to highlight work by all the poets in yesterday's class. Jake Alisa Angie Sawyer Emerson Update October 7, 2025: Here is the video on YouTube of our Zoom Haiku Class: Resources: Ha...

Alisa wrote: As I was finishing up the baby quilt I made in January 2020 I found out that a good friend was becoming a first-time Grandma to a little boy.  It seemed like a no-brainer to use the same fabric collection to make another tiny quilt as a gift. I used a leftover charm pack, Delfina Single Scoops by Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts for Andover Fabric and ordered up yardage of Confetti Blue Moon , Spots Navy and Ladybug Ivory  from the same collection to have on hand for the borders, backing and binding. I didn't really have a plan in mind for the quilt, so I started by dividing the charm pack into color groups - light blue, medium blue, dark blue, tan and cream and made a bunch of half-square triangles using the lightest color as the constant in all of the blocks. Once I had 64 of these blocks I started trying out different designs on my design board.  I tortured both quilter and non-quilter friends with requests for feedback.  Decisions wer...

by Linda Theil If you love totes, purses, bags, wallets, and accessories of every kind, you will love Spencer Ogg -- an online resource for bag-making patterns and materials. Diane Spencer Ogg is a genius bag designer, pattern maker, sewing blogger, and Bluprint tutor with a YouTube channel, sewing blog, and bag-making emporium at Spencer Ogg  online. Her work is perfection: well-organized and professionally presented. I recently joined the Spencer Ogg Bag Sewing Group on FaceBook just in time to learn about a clever, new bag Diane designed to use as a container for sharing neighborly gifts during the coronavirus shutdown. Readers may access a free tutorial and information about how to "Sew a Doorstep Care Pod: on the Spencer Ogg  weblog  and  YouTube  channel. The Spencer Ogg Doorstep Care Pod is about 13x12-inches; but for my pod, I made a moderate adjustment in size to accommodate the pattern of a Stonehenge #3957 panel by Sunshine Cott...

by Linda Theil I wanted to make Zoe a little backpack for her second birthday, but I didn't have a pattern, so I looked up "toddler backpack pattern" on Google and came up with quite a few video options. The one I liked best was "DIY Toddler Backpack" by ForeSee Love on YouTube. The little backpack at 9x11-inches was just the right size; and the presenter did a superb job of organizing her instructions, filming beautifully, and delivering in an engaging and articulate manner. I followed the video instructions in general, but made a few changes in fabrication. I made two hand-holds instead of attaching adjustable straps. I installed the zipper by inserting the zipper between two pieces of outer fabric and two pieces of lining fabric and installing the entire assembly as part of the gusset, instead of inserting the zipper in a slit in the gusset as described in the video. I thought my installation would be a little more sturdy. I made the outer ...

by Linda Theil Since the "summer tote" I made using the June Tailor Quilt As You Go preprinted batting turned out to be one of my favorite totes; I thought it would be fun to make a quilt-as-you-go tote with pockets on the outside. I love the CAPSULES "Stargazer" fabric line from Art Gallery Fabrics Studio , and had in my stash a fat-quarter bundle along with a yard each of two of my favorite prints from that collection. For the quilt backing/tote lining, I used a multicolored print from Contempo's "Daily Zen" line from Benartex. The June Tailor preprinted batting for various totes, placemats, bibs, and mug rugs is available at fabric stores and online. Several videos of the quilt-as-you-go technique are available on YouTube, and more tips and techniques are available in the weblog post for my original tote at "Summer tote using preprinted batting"  . I learned how to make the quilt-as-you-go pocket from a YouTube tutorial for ...