Category Archives: quilting

Welcome back! We’re sew excited to see you all for our March Sew Fun 2022 in the stores! So you don’t miss it, be sure to check it out at your store on: Tuesday, March 15th at Aurora from 10a-12p, 2p-4p, or 6p-8p Wednesday, March 16th at Littleton from 10a-12p, 2p-4p, or 6p-8p...

Special events always get us excited here at Rocky Mountain Sewing & Vacuum! From an in-person two day event to even more specialty classes, we have something for everyone! Here are the March Events at RMSV to look forward to in 2022. OESD Sew Happy 2 Day Event OESD always has such amazing...

We were so excited to see you in the stores this month! For the month of February, we were so happy to see everyone’s smiling faces in the store for Sew Fun! Tracy had lots of fun projects to show us and it was great to see what projects you were working on! If you […]

At Rocky Mountain Sewing and Vacuum, we love to hold special events and classes for our customers! Here are some February events to look forward to in 2022. HandiQuilter Longarm Lecture Demo This event is a brand new style of event and we are so excited to host it in our Aurora store! We will...

The right thread choice is so important to the quality and enjoyment of your sewing, quilting, and embroidery! Yet, with so many types out there, which one is best for your current project? I have used 40wt thread, usually polyester for much of my sewing needs. However, with my latest project, a...

“ette” is often used to form nouns meaning a smaller form of something. For this blog, the something is Bernina Sewing Machines, and the “ette” is the line of bernette machines that we are proud to carry at Rocky Mountain Sewing and Vacuum. These small, but...

Sometimes it’s hard to imagine how something that seems perfect can be improved! Well, the engineers at Brother have succeeded making perfect better with the new Brother Luminaire XP2. Sewing technology has just gone from light years ahead to light years beyond. Brilliant new quilting...

Imagine a sewing machine compact enough to whisk away to a sewing class, or fit in your bookshelf. Now, imagine this same machine is chock-full of features designed to meet the high demands of the PFAFF® sewer. The PFAFF® passport™ 3.0 is specially designed for small spaces, as well as going...

I’m back this week as the February Sew Fun presenter, and tried to whip up some interesting projects for you to see. I tried a new new techniques for me, and am pretty happy with the results. I hope you can come to one of our February Sew Fun sessions and check them out. Glorious...

We are kicking off the new year with something we have never done before. For our January Sew Fun sessions, join us for a special spotlight on four different designers. Not only will we have many samples from the designers, we’ll also have some samples stitched out by our presenter as...

The holiday season is upon us, but it’s not too late to work on projects that make our homes a place of welcome for family and friends. So, our presenter is putting the final touches on her November Sew Fun projects for our Sew Fun sessions next week that will help you do that with...

Brrr! I don’t think I’m ready for winter, but I guess winter has its own ideas. Well, at least with this cold weather, I’m ready to stay home and do some sewing. Even more fun than that, though, will be to drop down into town, and help out with the Embellish Makers lecture/demo...

Can you believe it’s that time again? Time sure flies when you’re having fun! It’s already been a month since our last Sew Fun, and it’s time for the August Sew Fun sessions. Our Sew Fun presenter has some great projects to show you this week. Poppins Bag Wouldn’t...

Summer is here! Can you feel it? Well if it’s getting too hot for you outside, attend one of our July Sew Fun sessions. Come in out of the heat to see some cool projects. I have some wonderful projects to share, along with some embellishment techniques, that I’m sure you’ll...

Unicorns do exist! Meet the BERNINA 770 QE & 570 QE Tula Pink special editions sewing/embroidery machines. These beauties are one-of-a-kind delights. They are customized with features like rainbow, oil slick finishes and the exclusive Tula Pink designed faceplate. Of course, they come with...

Ah, June! A time for weddings, graduations, and thankfully warmer weather for other fun events. And, of course, for June Sew Fun at Rocky Mountain Sewing and Vacuum. This month our Sew Fun presenter has a whole slate of projects to show you that we know you are going to love. Home of the Brave...

I’m waiting on the May flowers that the April showers are supposed to bring. But first, it has to quit snowing! Despite the recent snows, a sure sign spring is in the air, is the beautiful spring colors our Sew Fun presenter has incorporated into some of her projects for May Sew Fun....

Golly, our event center was really hopping in April! Check out a couple short video montages from the All Stars with Angela Wolf and the OESD Spree Party. I just love the event center, and I think the folks who have attended one or more of our events there will agree. The layout and facilities...

Hola from Costa Rico! I have been on a “birding” tour in Costa Rico, and, believe it or not, did not bring my sewing machine. I did, though, bring my computer — there’s only so much “off the grid” I can take. So I thought I’d provide some links to a few...

February is a great month for those who love to sew. It’s cold and snowy out, so what better way to spend the day at one or more of our February events at RMSV . Super Sale Kicks Off February Events Ok, I’m from Louisiana and a New Orleans Saints fan, so you can probably...

I had a great time last weekend helping out at our Handi Quilter event at the Aurora store. Our students were able to work on the Handi Quilter Amara and were taught by Handi Quilter national educator,  Denise Best. I think all of our attendees had a good time and learned a lot from our...

Happy New Year! We’re so happy to be starting a new year with such a great Sew Fun sessions lined up. We start the year off with a bang, as usual, and here’s a sneak peak at January Sew Fun. Bargello Quilts Create the mesmerizing optical illusion of graceful movement, waves, and...

Ladies and Gentlemen, we’re once again challenging you! It’s time to start the 2019 UFO Challenge! We had so many requests to do the UFO challenge again, we are going to do it. We’ll try to make it a little simpler, but of course, you have to do the real work. How many will you...

Wow, you have to really admire and appreciate the good folks at the Aurora store. They are in the midst of the Anita Goodesign event this weekend, and will turn around and get ready for October Sew Fun on Tuesday! Hardly time to catch their breath in between. Come welcome our new presenter,...

Back at the July Sew Fun, Lisa demonstrated paper piecing using the “Add a Quarter” ruler. There is a block in the Alaska quilt I am making that suggests using paper piecing. So, I thought I’d try that technique, use the ruler, and write about it. The idea behind paper piecing...

In my previous blog, The Brother Luminaire. Part 1: Light Years Ahead, I showed you some of the new features of the Brother Luminaire XP1. These included the new StitchVision technology and Innoveye improvements. Now, I want to take you on a tour of the My Design Center and embroidery...

We’re Baaackkk! We just got back from the Brother Convention and have so much to share with you. Be sure to sign up and attend the What’s New Party. But first, it’s time for August Sew Fun! Here’s a preview of a couple of the projects we’ll be seeing. Wedge Quilt...

How many hours do you spend cutting fabric for quilts? How much time do you spend picking out and buying fabrics that go together? If the answer is “a lot”, then consider pre-cut fabric! So what are pre-cuts? If you are relatively new to the world of quilting, then you are in for a...

One of my UFOs is a quilt with different scenes from Alaska. Each block has a different quilting block as feature, along with an appliqué. The block for the bear has sixteen 1¼” finished (1¾” unfinished) squares made from half-square triangles. Now, I am really new to piece quilting,...

Summer seems to be finally here! How can we fit in all our UFO projects, classes and June special events when the hiking trails, lakes, and parks are calling? Well, I recommend we do a little of everything! Take a hike, then stop by the Colorado Springs Store and sew a jelly roll! Go boating...

Wow! Time sure flies when you’re sewing. Seems like it was just last week I traveled around to all of the Rocky Mountain Sewing and Vacuum stores to check out April Sew Fun sessions. I can’t believe it’s time for the May Sew Fun sessions already. Here, I thought, I had another...

First it was the Creative Icon, and now PFAFF has introduced the Performance Icon for the sewing enthusiast. The PFAFF Performance Icon sewing machine represents everything you’ve come to value from PFAFF. This machine provides a comprehensive and innovative sewing experience that truly...

If we’re lucky, April will bring some showers, but it most certainly will bring  fabulous Sew Fun sessions to your local Rocky Mountain Sewing and Vacuum store. We hope you can join us for April Sew Fun, and that you’re bringing an OFU (Object Finished Up) for Show and Tell. Here’s a...

Thinking about purchasing a long arm quilting machine? Have you taken a look at the Bernina Q series? These long arm machines are simple enough for the beginning quilter, yet robust enough for the professional. On April 26, 2018 at our Aurora store, you can use the BERNINA Q20 sit down machine...

A mitered corner is one in which the corners meet in a 45-degree angle. What does that mean? Take a look at a picture frame or window frame and you will see a mitered corner.  I like the look of a mitered quilt border around the edge of some of my quilts.  The miter is formed […]

I am making a quilt for my granddaughter and wanted one of the quilt blocks to be a floral peacock from the Anita Goodesign Floral Animals collection. Since I am making the quilt blocks in the hoop, I also wanted machine stippling around the peacock.  The Brother Dream Machine2 makes it a snap...

We are proud to announce that we have added another brand of sewing and embroidery machines to our line-up. Introducing, Janome sewing machines! These machines are available at our Aurora and Colorado Springs stores. Janome’s origins started in the United States as “New Home”...

If you are like me, you probably have a stack of unfinished projects, “fondly” known as Unfinished Objects or UFOs.  Whether you ran out of time, didn’t have the right materials, or just got sick of the thing, unfinished projects pile up easily. They also take up a lot of...

Frame your quilt with a little extra pop of color with flange binding. Use two different fabrics for your binding, and create binding with a little peek of another fabric for your quilting project. This technique uses two fabric strips sewn together to make the binding strip. Look at some of the...

November Sew Fun is coming up this week. The third Wednesday is the 15th, so the sessions start on Tuesday, the 14th. Please join us for a look at some great projects that our Sew Fun presenter has in store for us.  Here’s a glimpse at a couple of the books that will be featured...

We are so proud at Rocky Mountain Sewing and Vacuum to be able to sponsor some great educational workshops. We currently are hosting Handi Quilter educator, Jane Hauprich, at our Littleton store for some hands-on training on quilting with a longarm machine.  There is still an opportunity to...

Whew! We just are getting done with the Anita’s University event and it’s time to host October Sew Fun! Rob sure does keep us hopping! As usual, our Sew Fun presenter is ready with a variety of interesting projects this month. I’ve included descriptions of a couple of the projects on...

Knock, Knock. Who’s there? Anita. Anita who? Anita Goodesign!   We all need good embroidery designs and designs from Anita Goodesign are simply fabulous. What better way to sample their designs than to attend Anita’s University?  We hope you will attend this two-day event at the...

Do you have a favorite photograph (or two) that you’d like to incorporate in a quilt? Do you want to embroider one of the Anita Goodesign collections that use printed fabric? If so, you could buy sheets of paper-backed printable fabric. or you can make your own with a fabric of your...

In my previous blog, In a Bind About Binding: Three Ways to Cut Fabric Binding Strips, I described three ways to cut fabric to create binding. Bias binding came out as the “binding champion” in terms of functionality (can be sewn on a curve) and durability (more threads on the fold...

In Forrest Gump, Bubba Blue told us all about shrimp (there’s pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp….). Along those lines, you know, there’s quilt binding, hot pad binding, baby bib binding,  sleeve binding,  neckline binding, wide binding, narrow...

In my last blog,“Ready, Set, Sew! A Jelly Roll Race Colorado Springs”, I explained how to create a Jelly Roll Race quilt from a 40-strip jelly roll. Using the standard 40-strip jelly roll,  you will get a quilt that is 50″ x 64″ without any additional border. If, however,...

July 1 at the Colorado Springs Rocky Mountain Sewing and Vacuum store was the scene of a sewing frenzy! Participants competed against each other and the clock in a Jelly Roll Race. What is a Jelly Roll Race? A standard Jelly Roll Race produces a quilt top that is approximately 50″ x 64″. It uses...

The PFAFF® Creative Icon is  the most high-precision, high-performance sewing and embroidery machine the German-born brand has ever designed and engineered. It was unveiled on July 7, 2017 and will be released for sale October 2, 2017. The newest, most advanced, PFAFF Creative Icon combines the...

Ah, summer! As a person who lived for over 40 years in the deep south, I can tell you that summers in Colorado are glorious! However, even in summer, I love to be in my sewing room thinking about, or working on, the next project. Rocky Mountain Sewing and Vacuum loves the summer, too. We cram...

Get ready for the Rocky Mountain Quilt, Craft & Sewing Festival, July 6-8, 2017.  At the Rocky Mountain Quilt, Craft & Sewing Festival, you will find a wide variety of sewing, quilting, needle-art and craft supply exhibits from many quality companies.  Please join us at the festival at...

Our June Sew Fun events kick off at our Aurora store on Tuesday, June 20.  As always, our Sew Fun presenters have whipped up a variety of projects to share with you. This month’s projects include using precuts to stitch beautiful quilts, and a cute pattern that uses leather to accent a...

Denver Quilt Craft and Sewing Expo Denver Quilt Craft and Sewing Expo and Festival is NEXT weekend!!!!  Set the date – March 30th thru April 1st.   3 whole days focused on quilting, crafting, sewing and needle arts. A retreat for some, an adventure to others –  this expo is a must...

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!! Irish Quilting and Needlework – What better to feature in a Sewing Blog on St. Patrick’s day than a little trivia on Irish quilting and other needle arts.  Make sure to look for this week’s Blog Readers only coupon, too. Also see the section on...

Quilt Batting – the often overlooked, very important, hidden section of a quilt. (Don’t forget to look for this week’s Blog Readers only coupon on quilting supplies!)  As both a sewing enthusiast and instructor, I am frequently bombarded with questions about quilt...