Designer Spotlight: Sue Daley, the English Paper Piecing Expert

Designer Spotlight: Sue Daley

Sue Daley was born and raised in Sydney, Australia. She has 37 years of patchwork experience and has spent the last 23 years running her own business, Sue Daley Designs. She specializes in English paper piecing, traditional quilt piecing, needle turn appliqué, embroidery, and fine hand quilting. Along with her pattern designs, precut paper shapes, acrylic templates, books, and accessories, she is also a fabric designer for Riley Blake Designs and Penny Rose Fabrics under the brand Millhouse Collections. Learn more about Sue on her blog.

Take a peek at Sue’s latest collection, Sweet Stems and learn a bit about English Paper Piecing!

Sweet Stems by Sue Daley

You’ll find navy, pinks, greens, and greys in Sue’s Sweet Stems collection. A beautiful palette filled with lovely florals and vines.
This line is so sweet, it comes with its own stories! Pick up the pattern, papers, and templates packets to unfold the designs of sweetwater, dragonfly, or hamlet.

Here is Sue at last month’s Missouri Star Academy event showing off some of her designs using Sweet Stems.

How fun to use florals to create a cacti pattern?!

Learn to create fun, new designs by following any of Sue’s Sew-Alongs on her blog. They are easy step-by-step guides that will be super helpful, especially if you’ve never paper pieced before!


If you’re new to paper piecing, let Sue and Jenny introduce you in this short
playlist of tricks and tips to get you started!


Sewing with Rayon: Tips and Tricks

Amy Barickman, founder of Indygo Junction has joined us for a Facebook Live Video. Watch the replay below as Amy and Misty chat about tips and tricks for sewing with rayons!

Who is Amy Barickman?

Amy is an entrepreneur in the sewing and crafting world with more than 25 years experience, but her passion for this industry began much earlier than that. Amy grew up immersed in the sewing and crafting business, as her mother owned a creative arts shop in West Des Moines, Iowa. After graduating from the University of Kansas with a degree in art and design, Amy knew she wanted to make craft and art her life’s work and that’s when she decided to start Indygo Junction, a fabric arts publishing company, that showcases the talent of leading sewing and craft designers. Over the years Amy has teamed up with innovative artists to publish over 1,500 pattern titles and write over 80 books. Amy has also released several beautiful fabric collections over the years and shares her passion for vintage fabrics and sewing at AmyBarickman.com. Amy lives just an hour away from Missouri Star and has joined us for several videos over the last few years as a guest on Man Sewing with Rob Appell as well as a tutorial with Jenny featuring denim.

With Amy’s experience in writing and creating apparel patterns, she has many helpful tips to share with us all. That’s why we asked her to join us on today’s Live Video and share her expertise on working with rayon fabrics with us.

What is Rayon Fabric?

Rayon fabric is made from cellulose making it a semisynthetic fiber. This gives it the properties of both natural and synthetic fibers. It is smooth and slippery like nylon, but feels more natural when worn, making it great for clothing in the summer and in warmer climates.

Download Amy’s Tips and Tricks for working with rayons HERE and take a look at some of the gorgeous clothing you can create with rayons below!

Indygo Junction Shift Dress

Isn’t this Indygo Essentials – Shift Dress made using Les Fleurs – Berch Floral Enamel Rayon Yardage darling?

Warm & Cozy Wrap Pattern

We adore Amy’s Warm & Cozy Wrap Pattern in the Longitude Batiks – Navy Medallion Rayon Yardage.

Button Back Shirt Pattern

If you love a comfy shirt with a fun design element, this Button Back Shirt Pattern made in Batik Rayon – Ferns Blue/Green Yardage is for you!

Turn About Tank

We’re feeling summer ready after seeing this Turn About Tank Pattern in the Longitude Batiks – Magenta Medallion Rayon Yardage.

Katelyn's Dress and Tunic

How cute is this tunic made from the Katelyn’s Dress, Tunic and Top Pattern using Longitude Batiks – Teal Floral Rayon Yardage.

We hope with the tips and tricks for sewing with rayon from Amy you’ll feel comfortable giving some of these patterns a try! Be sure to share your creations with us on social media using #msqcshowandtell.

Shop all rayon fabric at Missouri Star HERE.

Shop all of Amy’s apparel patterns HERE.

Jenny’s ‘Perfect Finishes’ Tutorial with Darlene Zimmerman

MSQC New Tutorial on the Blog!

Here are some great techniques for finishing your quilt!

I like a challenge, but there are a few things that are just beyond my reach. Climbing Mount Everest? Not likely. Winning an Olympic gold medal? Nope. Walking out of my local quilt shop empty handed? Not on your life!  But a scalloped binding? That’s an easy one!

Jenny and her dear friend, Darlene Zimmerman, show off some great finishing techniques!

This week Jenny has Darlene Zimmerman in the studio to show us how to finish a quilt with super-simple waves and scallops. Click HERE to watch!

(Psst! If you enjoy watching tutorials with our Quilting Tutorials app, take note! We’ve recently made a few improvements, so be sure to update it on your device!)

 

Watch the Latest Tutorial from Missouri Star Quilt Co!