Guest Designer Interview – Daisi Toegel
Designer: Daisi Toegel
Website: https://flowersew.com/
Instagram: @daisitoegel
---------------------------
Tell us about yourself. Where are you from? What is your community like?
Hi, I'm Daisi! I was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and I moved to the US in 2015. I live with my husband, 3 cats, and a hamster.
When did you learn to sew? Do you have advice for someone who hasn’t sewn before?
I learned to sew by myself back in 2016, I used to only sew bags (all types) and in 2020 I started making quilts. My advice is to take it slow, watch videos and follow blogs for tutorials is key, repeat the process over and over until you’re comfortable. Learning takes time, repetition and patience.
You’re an EverSewn and Maywood Maker. What does that entail? Where can we find out more about these endeavors?
I am an EverSewn and Maywood Maker, and also a Michael Miller Fabrics and Cotton Cuts Brand Ambassador. All these programs are wonderful opportunities to not only work with different types of fabrics and tools needed for my daily basis tasks while sewing, but also to get to promote my own work through them. I am also a magazine contributor, meaning, I design quilt patterns for magazines as well, and for this and the other programs I participate you can check on the “Press” section on my website www.flowersew.com.
Do you specialize in a specific look or technique?
I do not follow any trends or style, I sew to be happy, which means I will make only and exclusively something that will agree with my standards, my choices, and what I support. In general, colorful projects are what I call “my style” and they can be modern or traditional, most times it’s in between.
Do you consider yourself a modern quilter or more a traditional one?
I am in between, if I like a project or if I am inspired by something, I will create it as I go, without following tendencies.
You have tutorials for both hand and machine stitching. Which do you prefer to do the most? Link to tutorial page: https://flowersew.com/tutorials/
I prefer to work on machine stitching for the simple fact that it is quicker, because I am always very very busy. On the other hand, in the “almost” same proportion (most evenings after my daily work sewing), I enjoy hand stitching like hand quilting or English paper piecing for relaxation.
You have so many patterns and tutorials for pillows. Why do you like to make them? Can you give us a few tips on how to achieve a professional look when making pillows?
I’ve fallen in love with making quilted pillows about a year ago. I was looking for a fun and quick project to work on and I was also interested in adding to my home décor, besides the many quilts I have kept for myself, so I made my first pillowcase and I can’t stop. From April this year through Summer 2022, I am releasing 6 Mini Quilt patterns that include instructions and sizes for pillowcase as well. Making pillows requires much less effort than making a quilt, it’s generally one block, quick to make, and simple. In my opinion, the quilting itself and binding make the pillowcase look professional, so being more detailed on those will make your pillowcase stand out!
What are some reasons quilters should try hand quilting their projects? Link to tutorial: https://flowersew.com/hand-quilted-mini-pillow/
Hand quilting is a special touch to any project, the main reason is to add more of a personal detail by being something that not only takes much longer to make but also more attention and care. I also believe many times we artists know what project should be hand quilted, it may be a specific reason or the project itself looks like it would be more beautiful if it was hand quilted. It depends.
What weight thread do you like to use for machine sewing as well as for handwork?
I always use 60wt for piecing and 50wt or 40wt for quilting and for hand quilting I use 28wt and hand sewing (English Paper Piecing) 50wt.
Besides sewing, what are some of the other crafts you’re interested in? Is there one you avoid like the plague?
I love watercolors, I’ve been painting since 2016 as well but much less often nowadays, I also love lettering. I don’t believe there are any crafts I would avoid or not be willing to try.
How do you store the supplies you use for sewing, such as tools, thread, patterns, or notions like buttons and trims?
I have a medium size sewing room, and all my fabrics are kept in IKEA glass door cabinets. My immediate notions, such as scissors, pen, bobbin nest, rulers, pins, etc. are on the wall near my sewing table on an IKEA Pegboard. I also have a glass door cabinet for general stuff such as thread spools, cutting machine, secondary sewing machine, batting etc., and on the outer side of this cabinet, I have a long thread spool rack attached.
How do you spend a day – or week – when you need to take some time off?
My husband and I love traveling, and our favorite type of vacation is Cruising, we’ve been to a few, and we have other ones booked also. On a general day though we like to stay at home and enjoy our cats or take day trips to cute little towns around New Jersey close to where we live, and also Pennsylvania.
What makes you laugh out loud?
My husband trying to speak Portuguese (my first language), it’s absolutely cute and funny at the same time!
Hop over to Daisi's Tea Towel project here.