For many of you out there, childhood memories of "shiny-like" fabrics around the home probably revolve around upholstered chairs (that made you sweat if you sat too long), tablecloths (often with a blurry gingham pattern printed on them), appliance covers (that one with the giant, scary chicken on it that covered the toaster), etc. They were usually horrible colors and/or patterns, and certainly lackluster in design. However, they were durable and easy to clean (great when kids were involved!). Today, you'll find many of your favorite fabric designers are beginning to offer a portion of their current collections in a laminated substrate. These new offerings are a far cry from those we remember. They're pretty and pliable... but they'll probably still make you sweat if you sit on them too long!

Most of the time, sewing is all about soft things, from beautiful fabrics to cushy pillow inserts. However, every so often, something hard comes along. It's not there to torment you, it's a way to inject an interesting new texture into the mix.This week, we experimented with two of Simplicity's unique metal trims from their Project Runway collection. You'll see the eye-popping results in Wednesday's and Thursday's projects. Today, you'll learn tips to make working with these trims easier, as well as techniques to give you the most professional finish.

One of the very first people we profiled in our Creative People We Love series was Ms. Heather Jones. Ours is a long lasting love! When we originally met Heather, we knew her as the beauty and brains behind Olive & Ollie, a site specializing in some of the most adorable children's clothing we'd ever seen. And although O&O is still a creative outlet for Heather, most recently, she has been making quite a name for herself in the world of Modern Quilting: winning numerous contests, getting ready to debut her own line of Modern Quilting patterns, becoming a member of the Riley Blake Design Team, and just last week, doing another guest appearance on Quilting Arts TV. We feel very, very special and lucky that Heather found the time to create today's awesome Guest Tutorial on one of her specialties: Straight Line Quilting. Enjoy... and be watching this woman; there are certainly more amazing things to come!

One of the common areas of sewing frustration, especially if you're new, is the corner. Those pesky four corners create any square or rectangular item, like the home décor standard: the pillow! In reality, any time you sew two pieces together then turn them right side out, that turned-out seam becomes the clean, finished edge you ( and everyone else) will see. The number one goal when sewing a corner is to be precise. You must stop and pivot at the exact point where the seam allowances on the two sides intersect. This precision stitching, when combined with proper trimming of the excess fabric from the seam allowance, will create a beautiful sharp point and smooth edge every time.