newest machine

  Steve and I purchased this 10 needle embroidery machine last week.  He plans on using it for a business. We have learned how to thread it, send designs to it from the computer or usb port, hoop it, communicate to it where the colors are so you don't have to rethread it each time you sew and even stitched something out on it for practice.  I think it is one of those things that once you get use to it you consider it easy to work with, but we haven't got to that point yet.   Anyway, for the last two days it kept starting to stitch and stopped saying check the upper thread or bobbin.  I finally rethreaded it from scratch starting with the bobbin and figured out the problem was the bobbin tension.  Once I fixed that it did fine.  The stitch is beautiful  I will be posting the link to my husbands  business as soon as he gets it going.   

Summer Challenges 2011

I can't believe it has been so long since I blogged on here.  Over the last month I finished some challenges though, including an applique embroidery of the little girl dressed in a kimono.  I'm not sure why I have been afraid to do an applique embroidery.  Like what is the worse thing that could happen if i messed it up.  Anyway, it ended up turning out fine.   I also made some place mats for 4th of july of the little bear with a sparkler dressed in red, white and blue.   I also made this bag out of some scraps.  It is perfect size for carrying around small knitting or crocheting projects.   The last thing I made was the patriotic apron for the holiday.   I made these in the last month since I started this blog.   I'm not sure what i'm going to do with the little girl in the kimono.  Either I'll turn it into a bag or a quilt square.

The Domestic Arts are Alive and Well

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gerit-quealy/forgotten-women-knitters-_b_841759.html

How often do those who sew, knit, crochet, embroider or whatever,  hear the words, Oh, did you make that yourself, how cute, can you make me one or my daughter one.   Of course they mean this as a compliment and that is how i take it and just say thank you.  But, I do agree with the above article,  in that making things with our hands is very time consuming, expensive and takes allot of talent and experience.  Another thing i hear frequently from this article is  that sewing, knitting, embroidery etc… is a lost art but know this isn't true.  There are so many of us out there who love and appreciate the domestic arts.   You can find us in all the internet communities such as Ravelry and stitchtalk.   These communities have helped bring the domestic arts back to life or have shown that these arts have always been alive but hidden in the living rooms, bedrooms,   kitchens and front porches of millions of  homes in America, Europe, Asia and Africa.  We are no longer hiding but able to show our talent and arts with pride and enthusiasm at exhibits, online and in our communities.

How to serge a simple bag, bankbook and even quilt

click this link to make yours http://stitchtalk.com/videos/990/99/charity-gift-bag-sewing-day-2008   I made my bag a little different by adding an inside pocket.  To do this you just have to serge a pocket together and add it under the zipper right before you serge.

http://stitchtalk.com/videos/990/118/sergers-r-ush

Here is one more neat project to make on a serger, a quilt.
http://stitchtalk.com/videos/990/116/serge-merge-a-speedy-serger qu

How to sew or serge a simple but great pillowcase. Great for beginners!

Here is a project for both beginners and advanced sewers.   I started with this pillowcase to learn how to to serge.  This pillow case is called a sausage pillowcase.  It is an actually fun way to make pillows.  I prefer using my serger for this project and use the below link still before i make a pillowcase to remind me how it is done.  Of course you can use a sewing machine for it too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLnrC9yo8tY

How to knit a pair of socks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wSFaGpmVSw

It is memorial day and I'm starting a new pair of socks.   I was trying to learn a new technique of making two socks at one time on two circular needles but it was way to confusing so I'm back to the old way again.  I posted the above link in case anyone who has never knitted socks wants to give it a try.  The starting of a sock is one of the the hardest part.   The next hardest part is making the heel.  Everything else is pretty simple once you know how to knit.

My Knitting projects 2011

When I'm not sewing, quilting or embroidering I'm knitting or crocheting.  I don't have allot of the pictures of things I've made in the past but I do have pictures of some of my most recent projects that I can share.   All of the below pictures were made winter 2010 to 2011.  I made the pair of  socks below,  but only took picture of the one when I finished the first one.   By the time I was thinking about taking a picture of the pair one of them had a hole in it.