Michele Newell Michele says: I had intended for this post to teach you how to actually sew using your sewing machine, but when my fingers hit the keyboard I was struck with a huge realization. In writing these posts about machine sewing, I had glossed over one of the most important features of your machine: the stitches. … Read more
Michele says: Though I don’t mention it often, I suffer from several chronic illnesses. They limit my life choices, and have caused my career goals to slide from surgeon to virologist to chef. Ultimately, my disabilities chose my career for me; I ended up becoming a foodie housewife. I was incredibly depressed and upset at … Read more
Heather says: see the end for a note Michele says: Now that September is nigh, relief from the insanity of summer is in sight. Kids go back to school, vacations cease, and life gets back to normal until the seemingly just around the corner winter holiday season. Assuming you’re not Jewish, that is. And … Read more
Michele says: I’m not a fan of summer; it’s hot, sticky, and—for someone as pale as I—sunburny. I spend most of the summer indoors, hoping for a cloudy day. For reasons probably related to my aversion to summer, I long ago decided that August is, in fact, autumn. And what does autumn mean? Soup, of … Read more
Michele says: Now that you have your shiny new sewing machine all picked out and ordered, it’s time to learn how to use that crazy looking thing. Unfortunately, learning is the least fun part of using a sewing machine. I’ll do my best to make it painless, but we need to take a second before … Read more
Michele says: If you’ve ever made your own creamy salad dressings from scratch, you may have been shocked by the inclusion of up to a cup of store-bought, chemical filled mayonnaise. Since when does a “from scratch” recipe call for “sauce from a jar”? Moreover, can a salad dressing, potato salad, or tuna sandwich qualify … Read more
Michele says: Have you ever tried to Google something, only to quickly realize that you don’t know which words to enter in the search box? Now, how many of you have taken it a step further and went ahead and searched for, say, “strawberry thing attached to a pincushion”? No judgment. I and many others, … Read more
Michele says: Now that our hand sewing skills are more or less on the same page, it’s time for you to make a very important choice. You can be content with hand sewing and call it a day, or you can take the plunge into the world of sewing machines. For the many who have … Read more
Michele says: Now that we’ve completed our first sewing project, it’s almost time to move on to the next big step in sewing: the sewing machine. Before we do, though, we’re going to get back to the most basic of basics and learn how to reattach a button in under five minutes. But what do … Read more
Michele says: If you had to summarize summer in three words, which words would you choose? Swimming, picnics, and ice cream? Vacations, thunderstorms, and fireflies? Bikinis, bonfires, and s’mores? How about red, white, and blue? To me, summer never fails to feel like one big patriotic party, and the colors of the season seem to … Read more