Janome Maker Carolyn Norman from Diary of a Sewing Fanatic is taking inspiration from the runways and The Met Gala and created a wonderful tutorial for you to make your own look to walk the runway or where ever you want to feel stylish! 

I sew on a Janome 9450QCP which is a Quilter's sewing machine.  However, as a garment sewist, the machine has so many quilting features I adore.  This month I decided to explore the 9450QCP's quilting abilities by making a patchwork dress. For Fall 2022, several designers have shared patchwork and quilted garments in their collections which inspired this dress.

First materials ~

Most quilters use quilting cotton for their quilts. While the designers I was inspired by used silk in their garments, I decided to go with denim which is a more practical solution for my lifestyle. Also, there's such an interest in sustainable sewing in the sewing community right now, I took this opportunity to make my dress primarily from scrap pieces and remnants leftover from other makes.

Pattern ~

I used the Style Arc Jema Panel Dress as my starting point. However, any simple tunic or shift dress pattern would work to recreate this look. I also chose to highlight one patchwork section of the fabrics used in this dress, as well as the piecing the pattern suggests.

Construction ~

Basically sewed this dress using the quarter-inch foot and the straight stitch plate to insure that my seams were exactly a quarter inch. Cause I'm not a precise sewist so I need all of the help I can get! 

I took one section of the pattern and measured out six blocks...

Then I added 1/4" seam allowances all the way around...

Pieced those sections together first before making the rest of the dress...

A few close-ups of the patchwork on the dress...

As with a quilt, I added a lining to cover the patchwork seams of the dress...

To finish the neckline I inserted piping that was applied using the piping foot and the topstitching was done with the quarter-inch foot.

Otherwise, this was a straight sew.  Okay, okay not really. I tore the dress front apart and recut some of the blocks three times to get a patchwork mix that I liked. I think that's also something quilters experience when trying to get the block to look right!

Anyway here are few pictures of the finished garment...

The 9450QCP made sewing the patchwork so easy! Having the enhanced lighting, the extra space to move my dress around, and all of the sewing feet to make each task simple to do is why I love the machine so much!

Add some seasonal charm to your season by adding some lovely pillows to your home decor with a fantastic pattern by Janome Maker Fran Gulick from Cotton+Joy!  Today's project is the first of 4 lovely patterns she has designed just for you! 

Hola! I am Fran Gulick, a Chilean quilter living in Spokane, WA, and a Janome Maker. Quick projects like table toppers and pillows are my favorite way to take care of the holiday sewing itch without spending a ton of money and without the time commitment of larger projects like a full quilt. They are always fun and fast to make, and can make great gifts too!

That’s why I am so excited to share with you four pillow projects you can swap when a new season/holiday arrives throughout the year. Whether you are a quilter with experience or a beginner, you will love these quick and fun projects! 

First up is the Scrappy Fall pillow! This is the pillow that inspired all of the projects. A couple of years ago I made a fall quilt using my Solstice Lights pattern and it’s one of my favorite quilts to use. I’ve been staring at the leftover scraps in my scrap bins ever since and I finally decided to use some of them to make a pillow cover. Download your free PDF Scrappy Fall Pillow Pattern HERE! 

So I gathered up my scraps and grabbed a matching fat quarter from my stash for the background and got to sewing. I wish I had taken more pictures of the process but this is one of those projects that comes together so quickly, I didn’t even have time to, haha. I did the math, cut, pieced, quilted, and bound this beaut in one afternoon!

For quilting, I decided to go with a classic grid quilting with black thread. I used my Hera marker to mark my lines about 3” apart and then got to quilting on my Janome 9450. 

This is my first time adding binding to a pillow cover, and I have to say I am a big fan! I love how it adds a little something to this otherwise pretty minimalist pillow cover.

I hope you enjoyed this project and don’t forget to come back for future seasonal/holiday pillow projects!