I put a Curse on You, You evil Fabric Sale you!

Joann’s last sale featured some basic sewing supplies I was running low on, so I decided to take a journey to the sale. Before we left, the husband handed me an emailed coupon for 20% off my purchase including all regular and sales prices. Excited at the thought of saving even more on the supplies I needed, we headed for the store.

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When we got to the store, my list of needed supplies was quickly put in my pocket as the first rack of fabric was all leftover holiday prints 60% off. 60% off was a great price but then add my 20% off on top of that and I was in sale heaven! I quickly filled the cart with bolts and bolts of wonderful fabric which included holiday Snoopy and Mickey Mouse in both cottons and fleeces. After the cart was too heavy to push, I made my way to the cutting tables to have it cut.

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On the way to the cutting tables, I passed the licensed prints, at 40% off for the sale. You can do the math, 40% sale plus 20% coupon. How much more can I fit in the cart? How much more can I fit in the trunk of the car? How much more can I fit in the stash? Without answering these important questions, several more bolts of precious fabric made its way to the cutting table with me.

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After spending a fair amount of time at the cutting table, the husband, who is a real trooper, reminded me of the list of supplies that we really came for. It did not take long to pick those up and then we were off to the registers.

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After ringing up my piles of fabric and needed supplies, the young man behind the register handed me a coupon for 30% my total purchases for next week. The husband about burst into tears and I started to plan my trip to Joann’s next week to shop the sales again.

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And yes I do have to keep reminding the husband that if the apocalypse happens in the near future that I will always be able to trade fabric for food. If it wasn’t for that, I’m unsure he would let me continue to purchase more and more fabric for the stash.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

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Christmas time around the world and for the different religious beliefs means lots of different things to lots of different people. But in my experience, everyone does similar things around the holiday’s no matter where you live or what you believe.

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It usually involves traveling somewhere to spend time with friends, family and loved ones. Church, School and Work Holiday celebrations and parties. Enjoying all of the yummy foods and treats that seem to be everywhere you look this time of year. Looking at all the pretty lights and decorations. Trying to figure out that perfect gift for that perfect someone.

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I’m normally very busy at work during the holiday season so I don’t have a lot of time for Christmas sewing or crafts but I do what I can, when I can.

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For past Christmas seasons I have made new Holiday Table Runners, Tablecloths, Place mats and Napkins for the big family Christmas dinner at my house. One year I made a bunch of Toll Painted Snowmen as party gifts for one of our Christmas Parties. And other years I have made a new Christmas Shirt or Sweater to wear around the Holidays. One year I even made a festive Holiday Apron, so that I could wear it while I was making the several hundred Frosted Sugar Cookies I make every year to give away.

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This year I enjoyed making a few fun creations from the Christmas Things to Stitch and Sew book and it was also fun to follow along on Nancy Zieman’s 12 days of Christmas Blog Posts.

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What fun Christmas sewing and crafts did you get done this year? Share your thoughts in the comments! I’d love to hear about it!

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Wishing you all a Happy and Joyous Holiday Season and Peace on Earth and Goodwill toward Men and Women!

No Longer a Toy

When I decided to make the penguin a hat and scarf, I did not know what a job that was going to be. I picked the color forest green to make the hat and scarf. The hat crocheted up quickly and easily, but I was not happy with the end result. The scarf was not as easy. I followed the directions from the pattern, but did not like how wide the scarf was turning out, so I decided to half the count. As I crocheted, I was not happy with this either, so I decided that a color change might help, but that turned in to a disaster. A 3 stitch row was too small for a color change. There was no where to hide the knots or the loose ends. I had a mess. I tried several different methods of changing yarns. I read tutorials on the internet, and watched videos on YouTube to try and make the color change work, but to no avail. It was time for me to go to work, so a little flustered, I left my failed attempts laying on the sewing room table.

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When I got home from work, the husband had heard my frustration, and had stopped at lunch and bought me a skein of variegated yarn. He had picked out the color called cherry chip. He thought this would make a great hat and scarf. Excited about the color, I quickly crocheted a new hat for the penguin. This time, though, I crocheted 4 extra rounds at the bottom of the hat, 3 the same size as the last row, and decreased by a couple of stitches on the last row. I then folded the 4 rows up so that it looked more like a stocking cap. This gave the hat the finishing touch that the first hat did not have, changing it from a clown’s hat to a stocking cap.

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Next came the crocheting of the scarf. With the yarn changing colors for me, I chained the length I wanted for the scarf and then single crocheted 3 rows. The scarf turn out beautifully. I then put the fringe on each end to complete the scarf. The husband had chosen the color well. The cherry chip yarn made a wonderful hat and scarf for the penguin. In fact, I like the colors so much, I am going to go buy more cherry chip variegated yarn and make me something to wear with it.

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The only problem now to me is that the hat and the scarf changed the penguin from a toy into a decoration. Without the hat and scarf, I could see a child playing with the penguin. Now, with the hat and scarf, I see the penguin sitting on someone’s desk. So, now what do I do with him? He was on his way to one of the nieces or nephews or maybe even the neighbor girl, but now whose desk should he sit on?  So, the penguin is still in need of a home. Does anyone want to provided  a home for a penguin with a new hat and scarf?

The Penguin That Flew

I know penguins can’t really fly, but this one sure did. This penguin’s parts were crocheted during our layover on the trip back from Disney World. I only had black yarn with me, but I was able to crochet all of the black parts which made it quick to finish up the remaining white and yellow pieces when we got home.

The pattern for this penguin came from Lion Brand Yarn’s web site. It is one of their free designs. The pattern was very easy to follow and written well, but I am sure yet if I like it or not because this penguin ended up with such a fat body. Maybe I am just so use to all the ninja I had been making, and because their bodies were smaller than their heads on most of them. I did change the construction of the penguin just slightly from what the pattern said. I only stuffed his wings a little and sewed them flat to his body rather than stuffing them fully as the pattern instructed and sewing them so they stood out from the body. I do like the fact that this penguin can stand by himself. I did like that about the design.

This pattern also came with the the instructions for a hat and scarf for the penguin. I have not decided if I want to make them for him yet.

I have named this penguin Tubby and I have placed him on my sewing table for now. Tubby does not have a home yet, but I will need to find him one soon. I have too many things on my sewing table as is. But I will tell you, the more I stare at him the cuter he becomes and I have decided to make him a hat and a scarf now.

My Sewing Machines – Part 1: The Beginning

Someone asked in one of my previous posts comments what current equipment I was using was in my sewing studio. I thought about this awhile and I decided that it would be better to delve into this question a little deeper and not only answer the question of what I currently use but why I currently use it. It will also give a good overview for anyone considering purchasing their own embroidery machine and the many joys, pitfalls, and costs of ownership of this type of equipment.

This information will be broken into several parts and posted over the next several weeks. It is a lot of information to get typed up and will be a lot of information for the reader to digest. I hope it is helpful to some of my readers.

This will probably be more information than you wanted to know, but as long as I’m telling the story, I thought the beginning was a good place to start.

My mother taught me to sew starting at age 8 through a series of 4-H projects. If you don’t know what 4-H is you can check it out here. As a kid with very little interest in sewing, it was no fun and I struggled through the projects. As I was doing the projects I thought to myself, my mom is an excellent seamstress, so why did I have to learn? Couldn’t she just sew it for me? I also knew that I was going to be a professional when I got older and of course, I would never have to sew for myself. I would be able to pay someone to do that for me. It sounds like famous last words doesn’t it? I was young and naive of course! Every year before the new school year started, my mom would sit us down with the pattern book and we would pick out a school wardrobe for that year and she would start sewing. Mom would do her best to try and get us involved in this sewing, but it was easier to say, “No Mom, you just do it and I will fix dinner”, or do the laundry or whatever else so I didn’t have to sew anything myself.

It was my first trip to a big and tall store that got me sewing. My husband and I had just married and we were going to school, and poorer than church mice, and he needed dress shirts for work. I did not even have a sewing machine at the time or really know what to do with one, but after laying out that kind of money for a few of his dress shirts, I decided I wanted, no make that NEEDED to be a seamstress.

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My husband purchased me my first machine as a Christmas gift that year. It was not the smallest Brother sewing machine they made at the time, but it was the next step up from the bottom of the line model. I was so excited to get it! A few days later my mother in law called and said she was getting rid of her serger and sewing box and asked if I would like them. Yes! The serger was a three spool, and any thing was better than what I had which was nothing. Sergers also cost a lot more than a sewing machine did at the time so I was very grateful to have one. Her sewing box was filled with many notions, pins, needles, bias tape, buttons, etc. so I was on my way. At the time all of my sewing equipment was stored in the living room coat closet of our tiny apartment but I made do with what I had.

The next big help for me in my sewing endeavors was a part time job I got at the $2 fabric store. I got the job just for the extra money, telling them that my sewing skills were not very good, but they hired me anyway. I loved the job and enjoyed cutting fabric all day and talking to the customers about what they were going to make with their purchases. The other ladies that I worked with at the store were all so helpful and gave me great sewing advice too.  The store had inexpensive fabric and the employees got a discount on everything and thus became the start of my fabric stash. The store also gave free fabric and notions to make projects for the store to display. After being displayed in the store for 30 days, the display projects were yours to take home and keep. I made all kinds of fun stuff for the store displays that I would have never spent my own money on.

Once our schooling ended and we started our full time jobs we moved to a bigger apartment. With that my sewing equipment was moved to a larger closet in the spare bedroom. My ingenious husband got me a folding table that looked like an ironing board that fit in the closet. With my sewing machine on one side and the serger on the other, plus shelves on the side, my first sewing room was born.

While out Christmas shopping one day, we saw a demo of the Viking Huskylock 1001L sergers from Husqvarna and I was in love with the 4th and 5th spools, differential feed, auto thread tensioning, and all the other great new features it had over my old 3 spool model. After listening to the lady’s sales pitch, we told her we would love one but just could not afford the machine at just under $3000. She told us if I did not mind a used one, that after the demo was over, she was instructed to sell the demo models at a discount, and would sell me one for less than the regular price. I was thrilled this and agreed to purchase the demo model for just under $2000 with very little use on it. It is the same serger I am still using today. Over the years, I have looked at the new models of sergers as they came out and debated about an upgrade, but decided against it since the only feature that I would gain is the cover lock stitch.

Serger and sewing machine technologies don’t seem to move very quickly forward as it turns out.

Speaking of sergers there are two types of sergers you can purchase. There is the $200 kind at discount store like Wal-mart or the $1500+ kind at a sewing machine shop. If you are a casual sewer the $200 models will probably work for you for occasional use, but if you are serious about sewing your money will be better spent on the more expensive models as they are built better, work better and will last you for a long time. My Viking serger I mentioned above it over 20 years old now and I haven’t had a single problem with it in all those years.

I continued to use my little Brother sewing machine to sew curtains, sleepers, pants, shirts, bedspreads, comforters, etc. for many years until the arrival of the embroidery machines.

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Stay Tuned for next weeks post: My Sewing Machines – Part 2: The Embroidery Machines

New Jackets for Christmas

What do you get the person who has everything they want for Christmas?

That is the question my mother faces each year as she hunts for Christmas presents for her kids. Every year we tell her not to get us anything and we will still love her, but she insists on giving something. So, in trying to help my mom think of gift ideas for my sister and her husband, my sister suggested that Mom make them new fleece jackets. Mom thought this was a great idea and I volunteered to add some finishing touches to them once they were done. On my Mom’s last visit to see my sister, they picked out the fleece, then Mom got busy sewing and then mailed me the jackets. That is when the fun began for me!

 

 

 

 

I wish I had been with Mom and my sister when they picked the color for sister’s husband’s jacket. It was decided long ago that Mickey Mouse would go on his jacket. My plan was to put just a plain Mickey Mouse on the back of the jacket, but when I saw the color of the jacket and knowing that 60% of Mickey is black, I figured when I got done with the embroidering all you were going to see was a pink face, red pants and gold shoes. I searched my designs for a Mickey with more color, but did not find one I liked. I have several designs of Mickey with Donald Duck or Pluto, but they would not work either. Finally, after explaining the problem to my husband, he came up with the idea of framing Mickey. You would definatly be able to see a big yellow dot on the dark gray jacket. So, I chose a classic Mickey instead of a current Mickey design so he would have a white face. I also really dig the front and back designs of Mickey especially with the surprised look on Mickey’s face. With the aid of my husband’s digitizing skills, the designs for the Mickey jacket were ready to stitch. The Snoopy designs were far easier to pick. I knew I wanted the whole gang on the back. With the new Dakota designs, it was easy to pick just the right one. I also knew that I wanted just a plan basic Snoopy on the front so that was an easy pick too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next the stitching started. I had to hoop the jackets with a top stabilizer due to the fleece being so fuzzy, but my regular water soluble stabilizer is cut the for a 4 inch hoop, so I had to use a package of Ultra Solvy (extremely stable, as the package said) that I had picked up. I have never worked with this heavy of a stabilizer, top or bottom before and this made hooping interesting. By the time I had a bottom stabilizer, fleece jacket, and heavy top stabilizer, I could hardly get the hoop to snap together. Once again though, with my husband’s help,  I got the jackets hooped and moved on. The stitching went pretty smoothly. I took my time because I wanted the jackets to turn out well. It was a lot of fun stitching the jackets, but they took a long, long time to stitch. It was about 5 hours for the hooping and stitching front and back for both jackets. After the 3rd bobbin on the back Mickey design, I knew a lot of stitches had been sewn. I thought the heavy top stabilizer would give me grief while stitching, but it did a good job at stabilizing and I am glad that I used it. It held in there with all those needle punches. The problem with the heavy top stabilizer came after the sewing at removal time. When I use my light web top stabilizer, I can pull most of it off  and then use a small amount of water of dissolve the edges. Using this Ultra Solvy I cut as much of it away as I could, then soaked the jackets in cold water, rinsed them and sent them to the washing machine. I really did not want to wash my sister’s Christmas present just in case anything happened in the washing and drying cycle, but I had little choice with the Ultra Solvy. Luckily though they make it through just fine and polar fleece really does not shrink.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am happy with the end result on both jackets. Mom did a great job with sewing them and I like the designs that I put on the jackets. I shipped the jackets to my sister in a box marked “Don’t open until Christmas”. I am excited for my sister to see the end results, but I refrained from posting this until I was sure she had opened the package since I did not want to spoil any Christmas surprises. She gets to open it early because they are going out of town to see the their latest grandson. One more little nephew to sew for! I am jealous though that my sister is getting the Snoopy jacket. I wanted it after it was finished and turned out so well! Oh well, maybe next year I will have Mom make a new fleece jacket for me!

Easier Said Than Done

That quote would be in reference to me trying to make a rice bag for the first time.

One of my friends asked me to make her a rice bag. Her old one was thread bare and the insides had turned to powder. I decided to make her one as a Christmas gift. I figured that a rice bag would not take alot of time to make nor be that difficult.  The first step was to call Mom for a little bit of instructions. Mom said, “Sew the towel together, fill  and lay level with rice, divided with a yard stick, sew your seams.” This all sounded simple enough, but, oh boy, was I wrong! 

 

I bought a couple of towels at Walmart and sewed them together. Next, I filled the towel bag with rice and leveled it out on my cutting table. I then divided the rice in the bag with a sawing motion of the yard stick and lifted the bag at the crease. The rice ran to the far end of each side of the bag. So far so good. With that I went to the sewing machine and that is when the troubles began. When I laid the bag down to sew the seam, the rice of course ran back to the center seam. I pushed it out of the way as I sewed but had a hard time keeping every thing straight so ended up with a crooked seam. I thought about unpicking this seam but decided this was my first try and so did not unpick it. I went back to the cutting table, leveled the rice out in the bag and used the yard stick again to make the next seam. This seam was even harder to sew because the rice was even closer to the seam, and once again I sewed a very crooked seam. I kept going this way and fighting the rice until the second to the last seam where there was no longer any room to move the rice out of the way. That is went the needle breaking started. I broke 3 needles on that seam. Dry rice is pretty hard and when the needle would hit it they just snapped in two. On the last seam, I broke 2 more needles and called it quits. Actually, I threw the rice bag on the floor and started to yell at it. I decided I was not supposed to make a rice bag even if it sounded so easy, and even if the neighbor kid had made several as a school project. 

 

After I calmed down and I looked at the rice bag on the floor, I decided I would not be beaten by a silly rice bag. My first problem was that I had too much rice in the bag. My second problem was that I needed a better way to control the rice during sewing. So, with that I grabbed another towel and went to work. This time I started by sewing vertical columns in the towel. Then through trial and error I found that 1/3 cup of rice in each column filled a 4″ square nicely. After adding 1/3 cup to each column, I returned to the sewing machine and sewed a seam across the columns. This worked so much better. I had solved my two problems. I was dealing with less rice at a time, giving me more control over the rice. After sewing the seam, I filled each remaining column with another 1/3 cup of rice and then sewed a seam across the columns again. I continued this until the top  column. And thus had completed a nice evenly sewed rice bag. So, I guess my friend will get a rice bag for Christmas this year after all! Which is a good thing ’cause I think the only thing Santa was bringing her was Coal!

Sleeper Frenzy

 

With the announcement of more babies on the way, came the opportunity to make more sleepers. I started by digging though my stash and finding this blue terry. The sewing went smoothly and I like the end results of working with terry cloth, but it is sure messy. I had to keep the vacuum by my sewing machine. After sewing a little, I would vacuum the machines, the floor and me, but the little thread are here to stay. I have picked a ton of  little loops of thread off other pieces of fabric in the room. I have not resorted to getting out the lint brush yet, but I keep dabbing things with pieces of scotch tape. I was able to minimize the spread to the sewing room though, hooray. I did not pick the color of the zipper or ribbing until after the embroidery was done. This made the creative process more exciting as the sleepers came together.

 

 

 

 

The Bronco sleeper is for my newest little nephew who will be here in December. His dad is a huge Bronco fan. I made the sleeper with the white pieces so I had somewhere to embroidery the stallion. As I sewed the sleeper together, I thought to myself that this is my least favorite sleeper I have ever made. Yet, as the embroidery design stitched on the sleeper, together with the help of the zipper and the little feeties, the sleeper took on its own cuteness and I like it much better now. I hope that the new nephew’s dad likes it too.

 

 

 

 

 

The red and white Christmas sleeper is for the new nephew too. I have been holding this fabric and embroidery design for many years waiting for a Christmas baby. I debated greatly about the size of this sleeper. Should I make the sleeper 1 inch bigger so he can wear it on his 1 year old Christmas or smaller for his first Christmas?  The latter won and the sleeper is 1 inch shorter than the pattern so it will fit this year. I hope his parent’s like is as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am still quite happy with my revised stripe sleeper pattern. The stripes seem to be matching up. If I altered any part, it would be the width of the arm at the shoulder. I will have to give this some thought though for fear of messing up the stripes again.