If you're a regular visitor to sew4home, you may have noticed we have quite a number of projects that feature fabrics from designer, Patty Young. To borrow a line from Chris Farley, it's because "She's AWESOME!" Patty's also been a great supporter of Sew4Home from the very beginning and is always a joy to work with. She took a few minutes out of her very busy days to share with us, and you, a few of her thoughts about home décor sewing in general, and her design style and inspiration in particular.

National Embroidery Month is a time to celebrate all the wonderful things you can do with an embroidery machine. Plus, it gives us another great excuse for trumpeting the creative freedom these machines can unleash! A home embroidery machine is something of an investment for most households. So the first question people often ask is, "Will I actually use this thing?" That answer is, "Yes!" As a matter of fact, we're willing to bet an embroidery machine will even save you money in the long run.

It's a bouquet of sweet projects to make for your valentine. We got amazing milage out of a couple charm packs from Fat Quarter Shop, used some absolutely gorgeous fabrics from Paula Prass' Woodland Delight and Summer Soirée collections, cozied up to Woolies Flannel... so soft; and we even mixed in several fun scrap projects.

Torrential rains and 35 mph winds greeted us as we arrived in Anaheim, CA on Thursday, January 21st to set up for the CHA Super Show. How rainy was it? They CLOSED Disneyland! It takes a lot to shut down the Mouse. But the dedicated sewers and crafters were undeterred, and they showed up in great numbers to the Anaheim Convention Center on both Friday and Saturday. Jacqueline Smerek (on the right) and I chatted ourselves hoarse over the two-day show, but it was worth it to expose so many new folks to the idea of making their own home décor, and to show them how Sew4Home makes it easy and fun. We took some pictures to prove we actually exist... as do all those great projects you see here every weekday. The fans who stopped by were thrilled to see our projects 'in person.'

Calling all Sew4Home fans in the Anaheim, California vicinity! We're going to be at this week's CHA Craft Super Show at the Ahaheim Convention Center. Stop by Booth 932 and say "Hi!" The show runs Friday, January 22nd and Saturday and January 23rd. We'll have many of our favorite samples on display, be giving away some freebies, and making projects live in the booth.

I'll be there along with popular Sew4Home contributor, Jacqueline Smerek. If you're in the area, come on out and see us. This is the first year the popular show has had an official "Sewing Pavillion," so we need to show our sewing pride! There'll be hundreds of booths, demos, giveaways, and more.

For more information and ticket details, visit their site.

Hope to see you there!

Liz and Jackie

Wow ... 2010 is here!! All of us at Sew4Home wish you a very Happy New Year, and offer a big "THANKS" for making our first year so exciting and successful. Whether you're one of our fantastic regular readers or you've found us for the very first time, we're glad you're here and hope you keep coming back. Let us know what you think about our projects and how your own have turned out. It takes just seconds to become a registered user so you can post comments. We selected our Top Twelve projects from the past year. It was hard, because we had a lot of fun with them all. These favorites were the ones most discussed online and by email, as well as the most picked-up and posted to other blogs and sites. Thanks again; we hope to see a lot of you in 2010, and when you return, make sure you bring a friend.

When it comes to sewing, 2010 is going to be a very different year for me. In the past, I've been haphazard about my projects and you can see it from my sewing room. I have a habit of starting things and then not quite finishing – like my friend's chair over in the corner crying out for a promised slipcover. (I think I expended all my energy just wrestling it up the stairs to my sewing room.)

The girls, age seven and nine, had traveled by themselves on a Greyhound bus to spend the holidays with us. During the three hour trip through the mountain passes, they'd looked out the window at the snow and wondered what it was going to be like. What Christmas morning would be like at their dad's new house. With their dad's new wife.

A true story of holiday sewing inspiration from Jhodi Ulrey...

It was going to be a tight Christmas for our family budget-wise. We'd had a series of expensive home and car repairs and my husband and I were determined to pay them off as quickly as possible. That meant cutting our gift-buying budget to the bone. It also meant I'd be making the two dozen or so gifts we'd be giving our extended families. I do not wear the 'DIY Crown' in our family, but they say determination is half the battle, right?

Making gifts for adults certainly takes a bit of creativity. But at least grown-ups appreciate the fact you took the time and effort to make something yourself.

Kids, on the other hand, are much tougher to make gifts for. When your young niece has asked Santa for an iPhone, she's probably not going to be too thrilled when her aunt gives her a set of monogrammed tea towels.

Rather than a napkin ring, add a little seasonal splash to your napkins with a few simple folds and some inexpensive trimmings that will fill your table with good cheer. These six festive napkins are all fast and easy to assemble.

In the last of our three-part Holiday Gift Ideas series, we have selected seven projects you still have plenty of time to make; all would be great gifts for someone special on your list. Some take only an hour or two and some an afternoon. Our tutorials are always clear and easy-to-follow for even the beginning sewer.

Moist and spicy, this pumpkin bread fills your house with a tantalizingly delicious aroma while baking. It's a great snack and disappears almost before your eyes. Yummy for breakfast with tea or coffee.

Don't be fooled by teen stereotypes, even if there's one slumped on your couch with the remote and a bag of chips. The teenage years are a time for seeking independence, for creating personal style, for wanting to be noticed for what you wear, have and use. "I made this!" is a powerful statement for a teen. It's accomplishment, pride, ingenuity, and fun; all rolled up and tied with a bow.

In the second in our three-part Holiday Gift Ideas series, we have selected another six colorful projects from our Citrus Holiday collection. You have plenty of time to make one or more of these welcome gifts before the holidays. Our tutorials are clear and easy to follow for even the beginning sewer.

Happy Halloween from the staff of Sew4Home. In honor of this very spooky day dedicated to all things sugary, we'd like to share one of our favorite fast desserts: Dirt Cake. It's made from just four ingredients, all of which are delicious on their own: chocolate pudding, milk, Oreos® and Cool Whip®. Put them all together, serve them with a trowel, and you have a Halloween dessert to die for.

The greatest thing about having a home embroidery machine is you can monogram anything! The worst thing about having a home embroidery machine is never having enough time to monogram everything! A couple quick tips: 1) don't try to monogram anything on someone; I know this sounds silly, but I do have a sad story about a time I tried to iron a pair of slacks I was wearing; and 2) KISS ... Keep It Simple and Stylish. A monogram is beautiful on its own and rarely needs much in the way of elaborate surrounding embellishment. We've put together a little collection of monogrammed samples to get you inspired and suggest some ideas for home decor, gifts, and more.

A monogram turns an ordinary household item into a treasured heirloom. There is simply nothing more personal and elegant than a monogrammed towel, napkin, handkerchief, or anything else for that matter. The monogram is the symbol of success and privilege in our collective imagination. Think of the Wall Street exec with his monogrammed cuffs, the jet-setting movie star with her matching monogrammed luggage, or the luxurious bath towel and robes in a five-star hotel. Bringing this kind of stylish luxury into our own homes – and making it affordable – is what DIY is all about. And so, we bring Monogram Week to Sew4Home to celebrate the art of this most tasteful of embroidery accent for the home.

I'm pretty sure I have kept every handmade gift I've ever received. From cute little pottery bowls made by nieces and nephews, to a beautiful fringed scarf my mother sewed, to an upholstered ottoman made by my sister and brother-in-law. They are so much more than the sum of their parts; these truly are the best gifts ever.

Once upon a time, a handmade baby gift was the norm; from crocheted booties to blankets and quilts. These charming gifts were often passed along from one generation to the next, evoking fond memories along the way. Among our seven ideas, we hope you find inspiration to create a handmade gift for a new mom in your life.

A beautifully set holiday table needn't be expensive. Our simple Citrus Holiday table is proof. We used fresh citrus fruits: lemons, limes, key limes, oranges, grapefruit, and clementines. And, since everyone has their own accumulation of holiday decor, S4H editor, Liz Johnson and I decided to take the Citrus Holiday challenge and use ONLY our own personal collections to decorate the dining room.

When we finished the Patio Party tutorials, S4H Chief Editor, Liz Johnson said, "hey, there are some nice gift ideas here." We all agreed! Who doesn't struggle to find the perfect gift for the person and occasion? I don’t know how many times I’ve gone gift shopping only to come home frustrated and empty handed because not one of the thousands of things I looked at struck me as a gift I’d be excited to give (or could afford). There went three hours I'll never get back. Setting aside that same amount of time to sew not only gives me the opportunity put creative skills to work, but it also allows me make something I know will be personal and appreciated.

Is it really true that less is more? In most things I'd say "No." If I pay for five yards of fabric but only get three, I'm not going to be happy.

However, in home decor sewing it's easy to add a few too many "details" to whatever you're making. This little bit of wisdom is available in just about any book on interior design. I, of course, had to learn it the hard way at a school auction.

Dining every night with a cloth napkin isn't just for landed gentry and restaurant critics. It can be a fun and practical tradition for your family. At the same time you'll save a few bucks and reduce the amount of paper products headed for the landfill. It's something European families have been doing for decades.

We all know too much collecting can be hazardous to your health. I read one time about a man who kept an extensive collection of National Geographics in his attic. It got so big that one day it fell through the ceiling, smothering him. My collecting habit has never gotten that bad. But I'm willing to admit I'm a recovering fabric junkie.