Hi Reader,

What is your go-to solution when you hit a roadblock, get frustrated, and are to the point of a meltdown?

Do you tend to

• push through even if you are ugly crying while you do it, or
• step away from the situation, do something completely different, and attack the problem later?

My personality leans more toward the first solution, and over the years I have experienced many meltdowns.

However, I've learned when I force myself to take a step back from the frustration and focus on a different activity for even a short time, I am always able to come back and overcome the roadblock quicker than if I had pushed through. And happier too.

Sewing can be both a grief causer and a savior.

When you find yourself getting frustrated as you are growing your sewing skills, learning how to use a new machine, do a new technique, or just making silly mistakes, I encourage you to take a break and do something else.

Let the sewing problem percolate in the back of your brain as you give your attention to the new activity.

When you come back to the sewing obstacle, you will be able to approach it with a clear mind and enjoy problem-solving rather than letting it tear you down.

If you're doing something else (not related to sewing) and find yourself needing to step back from the trying situation, have some easy sewing projects prepped and ready to go.

When you can jump right into a project without even thinking about it, you will experience the healing power of sewing. It will soothe your soul, quiet your mind, and prepare you to tackle that irritating problem with a new perspective.

Corner Bookmarks

A quick and easy sewing project is corner bookmarks.

I made a couple for my niece's boyfriend out of fabric scraps from a another project I had done for him.

The bookmarks were fun to make but since most of my own reading is done on a Kindle, I didn't think I needed any.

Then I realized these bookmarks would be a great way to mark the project pages in sewing and quilting books!

Each corner bookmark takes just 3 small squares so this project is not a scrapbuster.

However, you may find some great scrapbusting projects in your sewing library and you can save the pages with these scrappy corner bookmarks.

I made a video showing you how to make them. Click HERE to watch.

Beginners - this is a great project because you get to use many foundational sewing skills:

• ​Rotary cutting (scissors work fine for the bookmarks)
• ​Sewing straight lines​
• ​Pivoting corners​
• ​Pushing out corners​

Scraps and HS Triangles

Don't you find it inspiring to read and watch others online who are sharing how they approach a situation you are experiencing in your own life?

You never know what will spark an idea causing you to tweak or completely change the way you do something.

Since I hosted the Conquer Your Fabrics Scrap Summit in November 2023, I have found myself drawn to other quilters and sewists who are using scraps.

I love seeing their projects and organizing solutions. I'm always searching for ways to improve my own systems.

In January, I signed up and started receiving email newsletters from Amy Lollis (amylollisdesigns.com).

She had just started a scrap challenge and I was looking forward to seeing her approach to scraps.

She has some great ideas but it was weeks 4 and 5 of her challenge, that caught my eye.

Week 4 was about using crumbs to make half-square triangles.​

In the week 5 post, Amy shared an image that showed 20 different ways to arrange the half-square triangles.

Curious about the first 3 weeks of her challenge? You'll find links in the Week 4 blog post.

RP News

In 2020 when I decided to turn my blog into a business, Rebecca Page Patterns played an important part in my transition from teaching elementary students in person to teaching sewing to adults online.

I taught 8 classes in 6 of her summits which gave me the confidence to host my own summit in November 2023.

In May 2023 it was announced that Rebecca Page (the person) sold her part of the pattern company to her co-founder and the company name would change to You.Make.

On February 28, 2024, I received a weekly email from an organization I belong to, Craft Industry Alliance. In the email there was a linked article titled Rebecca Page ReBrands Then Quietly Shuts Down.

To say I was shocked would be an understatement. A link I tried a couple of weeks ago didn't work, but I figured it was a temporary glitch. I had no idea the company shut down and quickly clicked on the link to read the article.

My business got its start from the Rebecca Page summits, and many of my initial email subscribers attended her summits. You may be one of them.

In the last section of the article, it mentions You.Make. currently has an active Etsy shop and there is a link to it. Etsy messages are the only way the current owner is communicating with customers.

I don't know anything more than what was in the article. If you were a customer of Rebecca Page, I thought it was important you had this information.

That's all for now. Until next time...

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