Athena's Wisdom

October 26, 2026

After building sites for my own projects, for family projects, and for a few wonderfully patient clients, here is what I know: the hardest part of a website is not the website. It is everything around it. The words. The…

October 12, 2026

Anyone who tells you building your own website is easy has never asked me where my homepage went. I know exactly where it went. It went to a page that says "coming soon" and has remained there for moral support. I have…

September 30, 2026

I spent twenty minutes this morning writing a social media post about a website. Twenty minutes. I rewrote it six times, changed the emoji three times, and then deleted the whole thing because it sounded like a robot…

June 9, 2018

I’m a farmer’s daughter! That was my start. I did go on to become a computer programmer and spent several years as a computer programmer as well as always remaining a geek, but I will always be a farmer’s daughter. For…

December 30, 2017

Thanks to my mother and my husband, I got a new desk for my office. I’m pretty excited! The old desk was all open with no drawers and the computer space was completely open. The new desk has drawers, a place for my…

November 1, 2017

I decided to compare my Matilda Jane ruffles to my own Athena Designs ruffles. In the picture there are two pairs of Matilda Jane Ruffles and one pair of the ruffles I make. I do like Matilda Jane – but they are so…

August 15, 2017

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July 14, 2017

Once in a while I receive something vintage from a friend or family member to repair. One of the first decisions, and most important is how much I can stick to the time period. The quilt top I was given was torn in many…

June 19, 2017

I’ll admit it! I’ve bought McClothes before. I go out shopping and end up at Walmart or somewhere with a rack of cheap clothes and see some cute things that HAVE to have! I don’t try them on, I just get the size that…

May 27, 2017

There are many types of fabric – woven, jersey and cotton lycra are the three I’m going to mention. Woven doesn’t have quite the stretch that the others have, whereas jersey has stretch in one direction and cotton lycra…

May 21, 2017

Every so often I make a costume by special request (or for myself). The red is a costume in process that my son wanted for a cosplay convention – to dress as a character from Pokémon. – Pokémon and Dr. Who are both big…

May 13, 2017

Inside Seams To add to the quality and make our items last longer we cover many of the seams with topstitching. The topstitching not only smooth’s out the stitch that is completed with a serger, but also holds down the…

May 7, 2017

Lace Ruffles are a new twist to double ruffles! Bottom Ruffle Lace: One version of these ruffles includes a top ruffle of the matching pants knit and the bottom ruffle is made up of ruffle fabric. The lace has a rolled…

April 29, 2017

This month is autism awareness month… Autism to me is really just seeing the world in a different way. Of course autism is a whole spectrum, meaning that there are people who function at all parts of the spectrum…

April 25, 2017

One of the fun things to try with an embroidery machine is In The Hoop Projects. You can find them on Etsy labeled as ITH. These are patterns that while sewed are all put together in the machine step by step. Generally…

April 9, 2017

I made this and love it! This is inspired by one of my favorite shows! I was looking for the perfect teacher gift and this fit the bill perfectly. I was able to make this with iron on cut on the cricut and a bag. I’ve…

April 1, 2017

Much of the fabric I use comes on big cardboard tubes. The tubes are fairly heavy and it seems I’m always trying to figure out a use for them other than just putting them directly in the recycle bin. I also have gotten…

March 25, 2017

I love my embroidery machine! I’ve been playing with it. My new favorite is making napkins with a breast cancer theme that I’m going to share soon! I’m trying to get them perfected… Right now I’ve been using two woven…

March 18, 2017

Every color seems to have multiple shades. Red is definitely not an exception! Red comes in tomato red, rose, burgundy, wine, red, and more! Like the versions of black, I have to sometimes put some of the shades next to…

March 14, 2017

My husband helped me put together a wonderful cutting table the other day. The table is put together using 4 – 3 by 3 cubbies. Originally the cubbies were all pushed together, but when putting the light table together…

December 3, 2016

My husband loves bike riding…. So I am in the process of creating a bike short pattern….. I decided to use fabric I had around that I wouldn’t use for anything else – and have started creating the pattern. What do you…

January 25, 2016

Nylon Cuffing is Tubular, made of nylon and is a rib knit. – Available here Wine Rib Knit with Burgundy French Terry in the background Wine Rib Knit is on the left. Wine Cuffing on the left, Burgundy Cotton Lycra on the…

December 8, 2015

This is Cotton/Lycra Blend Fabric 92/8% Cotton/Lycra, 58/60 in. wide. This lightweight stretch cotton/lycra jersey knit fabric features a smooth hand and about a 75% four way stretch for added comfort and ease. Washing…

December 8, 2015

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December 8, 2015

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December 8, 2015

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December 8, 2015

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December 7, 2015

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December 7, 2015

My children love to ham it up for pictures – Kris though doesn’t like wearing shorts! So the best I could do for this was get a picture without his face showing. I did get a picture with him wearing a Koala bear hat…

December 7, 2015

This weekend I thought I’d use up a little extra fabric (leftover). This is the mint and heather gray using the Patterns for Pirates Layer Me Up T-Shirt pattern . For me I think I needed it to be a little larger size…

December 7, 2015

These fun pants are great for when you want something MORE than plain straight pants but just aren’t a ruffle type of girl. I love mine for those days when I want a modern business style pair of pants with a little…

December 7, 2015

I love the Eggplant color! To me it’s a deep purple almost heather-ed with black. To tell on some colors the difference in colors the best way is to put them side by side and eggplant vs. purple is no different. Until I…

December 7, 2015

The following is the post that was going to be posted this week, but do to un-forseen issues. I am posting it and offering a discount on all Michael Miller Fabric to clear it out of the store. I will post in the next…

December 7, 2015

I decided with summer approaching it’s time to try out some swimsuit patterns. My first try was Create Kids Couture Tankini! Due to some issues with the pattern for the bottoms I’m still in the process of making my suit…

December 7, 2015

There are a lot of colors that even to me look really similar. Until you put them side by side you can’t tell which is which. To me – seafoam and mint look to be the closest match. I do love the items that are made from…

December 7, 2015

I had the pleasure of testing this pattern by Greenstyle Creations. It is a new modification on a previous pattern released from Greenstyle Creations. To test this pattern I used the gray and yellow 1/2 inch stripe knit…

December 7, 2015

I just added the Women’s EYMM and More Patterns to my collection and LOVE them! I’ll be sewing up examples of each pattern – by examples read nice comfy copies for ME! If anyone would like to custom order a top or some…

December 7, 2015

Now for the better geeky fabric! This one is in limited supply. I was originally in love with the Michael Miller Lab Animals and Atoms, but I’ve fallen out of love with Michael Miller quickly. 🙂 So I have to share our…

December 7, 2015

I made the embroidery design and t-shirt for my mother and Aunt Linda for Relay for Life a year ago. (Vermillion County Illinois) Of course my favorite to see was ‘Yes they are fake, my real ones tried to kill me’! I’ve…

December 7, 2015

With winter approaching the weather is getting colder. I LOVE french terry for pants that are a little heavier. Personally I’m a size 18 and I have a couple pair in french terry that are Matilda Jane, but they are a…

July 6, 2015

Custom Made with a Cotton Lycra Blend Fabric (Available in Custom colors). I love wearing my pair out and about for running errands or for around the house for a coffee break when friends drop in! They are loose fitting…