In 1958 sewing was enjoying such popularity that nationally syndicated financial columnist Sylvia Porter took up the subject in her column, Your Money’s Worth. more

Happy new year. This is the year to keep the fleece. The General Assembly of the United Nations has designated 2009 as the International Year of Natural Fibres. The resolution was adopted Nov. 25, … more

This is a story about a button. It’s not a true story. It has nothing at all to do with fact. I made up it to entertain myself and you, dear readers ... more

Mitten, mitten, who’s got the mitten? Well, at the moment, I do. In fact, I have nine pairs of mittens to my knitting credit, with a pair of gloves yet to knit. more

The Maine Indian Basketmakers Sale and Demonstration is the basket event of the year, as the handwork and artistry of the Maliseet, Micmac, Passamaquoddy and Penobscot take center stage. Having the opportunity to home in on the delicate scent of sweet grass used in Indian basket making and to view basket artistry at its best are only two of the many reasons to attend the event. more

It’s a truth universally acknowledged (to paraphrase Jane Austen) that those who knit, sew and stitch, will, as often as possible, add needlework books to their already bulging libraries. more

Caps are a wardrobe necessity, especially in winter, but here in Maine knitted or crocheted caps can be worn at least three seasons of the year. They keep heads warm and make a fashion statement, too. more

When I knit, I never laugh. I frown when the yarn tangles. I say, “Hmmm,” crossly under my breath when I encounter pattern directions that “don’t compute” in my brain. Still, I sit contentedly, despite knots in my yarn and snags in directions, knitting whatever it is I’m knitting — mittens at the moment and tiny socks. But I don’t laugh. more

Think red. That’s what Betsy Doherty of Brooklin wants knitters and crocheters to do as they fashion scarves for the Heartscarves project, designed to bolster the spirits of women with heart disease. more

The Irish tradition of lace making staggers the imagination. This was not needlework for the faint of heart. It took a great deal of time, infinite skill, keen eyesight, fine dexterity and great patience to create. more

Women who sew and have a yen for domestic elegance, a la Francais, will find much to delight them in the book, “French General Home Sewn: 30 Projects for Every Room in the House” by Kaari Meng. more

The National NeedleArts Association conducted a survey, “The State of Specialty Needle Arts” in 2007 to determine what’s going on in the world of needlecraft. It was the third such study the … more

Happy haunting.”“Let the ghoul times roll.” These are just two of the greetings you’ll find at Web sites offering ideas and instructions for making Halloween costumes and decorations. more

Stitching a fine seam is something Dana Lippitt of Bangor and Kathy Cook of Amherst do with ease. They create the period clothing they wear at local museum functions or as reenactors of historic eras. more

The fact is, most of us need to work. No matter where we work, thermostats are likely to be turned down this winter to keep fuel budgets in check. No doubt we’ll experience cold hands. Time to plan ahead and think about wearing mitts, at work and at home. more

When the Wednesday Spinners get together, as they have since 1975, they are participating in Maine’s fiber economy, a farm-based industry, with roots in the rock, that raises fiber animals such as sheep and alpacas, and produces yarn spun from the fleece of those animals. more

The current buzzword among those who buy fabric and sew at home is “sew green.” This is code for using textiles made of natural and renewable plant and animal fibers grown without pesticides, manufactured in a way that produces a minimum of polluting waste products and leaves a smaller carbon footprint on good old Mother Earth. more

Fall is the time to gather in the fruits of one’s labor. Nowhere in this many-splendored season is there a better time or place to celebrate that concept than at the Common Ground Country Fair, Friday through Sunday, Sept. 19-21, at the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association fairgrounds in Unity. more

I hate to say this — it’s not too soon to be thinking about keeping warm this winter. more

It’s time to go back to school — Fiber College, that is — where “students” can “major” in knitting, felting, weaving, embroidery, spinning, quilting, basket making, rug hooking and related arts. more