Owl & Drum's Sew Very Modern

It's always an exciting time whenever the new collections from Cotton + Steel debut. Customers eagerly await the time when they can head to their local quilt shops and see the beautiful fabrics up close. And store owners always love to offer great new designs from a company with a terrific aesthetic and sense of style.  Well, happily, it's that time again! This week we are featuring Rashida Coleman-Hale's newest Cotton + Steel collection. It's called Lagoon - and it's fab! Rashida used her immense imagination and creativity to develop a fictional tropical jungle, complete with lush colors and whimsical...

Whether you are a quilter, sewist or crafter, you probably use a rotary cutter. Rotary cutters help with accuracy, speed and efficiency. Plus, they're just so handy! In fact, your creative world was probably turned upside down when you first used one - and it's hard now to imagine a time when we all had to rely solely on scissors. So, as we use our rotary cutters in most projects, it's time to share some of the basics of rotary cutter care and use: Keep it sharp. Your rotary blade should always feel like its gliding through butter. Whenever you feel...

You may have been noticing a lot of blue clothing items on the store shelves these days. They look kind of like denim but they are much more lightweight. What you are seeing is one of the hottest trends in the fashion and fabric markets - cotton chambray. Originating in the early 19th century, chambray gets its name from a small town in northern France called Cambrai. Originally made from linen, it is now more commonly made of cotton. Usually constructed in blue hues, chambrays consist of a white yarn in the weft and a colored yarn in the warp....

As simple as it sounds, sewing a straight line can take time and practice. While most sewing machines will have seam allowance lines these lines can be short and often hard to see. Our solution? Washi tape!  First, you will want to find a bright, fun and cheery printed washi tape or masking tape. Second, determine your seam allowance. Next, cut off a piece of tape that is around 2-3 inches. Following the seam allowance guide on your machine, lay the piece of tape along that line. Make sure the tape is as straight as possible - this will now...

If you've been sewing for any length of time you know how important it is to backstitch at the beginning and end of each seam to reinforce the stitches so they don't come undone. Well, here's a little tip to make your backstitch serve you well by preventing the machine from eating your fabric:   When you start a seam, place the fabric under the presser foot so that the needle is about a half an inch in from the back edge of the fabric, and backstitch to the edge of the fabric before stitching forward, rather than starting right at the edge. By...