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.  

How I use the embroidery on my machine

This is one of many projects I've done with my embroidery sewing machine.  This is for a friends daughter.  I've embroider tops, bibs, towels, pillows, jackets, sewing machine covers,  bags, cards, post cards, if it can be embroidered i'll embroider it.

  This is a sample of a post card I embroidered and quilted.  I have sent out and received probably 50 postcards.

 Here is a sample of one of the bibs I made.  I  did not remove the basting stitch before i took the picture.  Picture this bib without the green square around it.   I've made many bibs for friends babies and grand-babies.   I did not take pictures of most of them though.

I also embroider aprons for friends as home warming  or hostess gifts.   This is was embroidered on an apron I made for my son's friend.  

This is a sample of an embroidery I put on napkins I made for thanksgiving 2010.  I love putting embroideries on napkins and place mats.

I was trying to find a sample of one of the  greeting cards I made but can't find one.  If I find one I'll post it on here.

My first attempts at making garmets

This is the first top I have made that turned out.  I already mentioned one attempt I made when I serged a hole in one.   Most of the tops I've made I can't wear because I've made them too small each time.  I even made the top I serged a hole in too small.  The one above fits me.   I have kind of put garment making on hold because I want to lose some weight so that my body fits the patterns a little better.  It is hard enough making garments, but having to worry about fit makes it even harder.   When i reach my goal weight I'm going to make an entire wardrobe.  

This is a pair of pj pants I made for my hubby, Steve.  My husband loved them. If you can see them closer they are made with children's flannel fabric (little tug boats).

My first Heirloom sewing

I love heirloom sewing.  I love the look.  It is just so dainty.  I would love to have a little girl to sew for but don't.    So how do i play with heirloom sewing without a little girl.  I have to make things like the above pillow case.  I know i can make things like pillows, curtains, home decorations, slips, nighties and even some woman clothes can add a touch of heirloom sewing.   I made this pillowcase after taking a class on heirloom sewing at Husqvarna Sewing Gallery in Mentor.  Sorry,  I can't remember who the teacher was.   But, I have a great book that gives me all the information I got in that class and way more called Grandmothers Hope Chest written by Martha Campbell Pullen.    

My first quilt

This is my first quilt.  Well it is my first quilt that counts anyway.  I have worked hard to improve my skills over the last 3 years and this is one of the first things that turned out.    I took a class at the Viking Sewing Gallery in Mentor Ohio, to make this quilt.  Ester was the teacher.  

I also took a class from the same teacher on how to make bags.  See below.  The big bag class was lots of fun.

 One more class I took from Ester,  another quilt class, actually all three classes were quilt classes was this table runner.  It was interesting how easy some of the blocks are to put together.  They look so hard to do but once you learn the technique it is really easy.  

Why I'm blogging?

After buying a top of the line sewing machine three years ago I had the frightening realization I didn't know what I was doing with it or how I was suppose to begin sewing.   I loved the idea of making garments, home decorations, quilting projects, bags etc…   I wanted to be able to make beautiful things and have people ooh and ahh.  But, with each project I would realize that I have lots to learn.   I remember one of my first shirts I attempted to make.  I decided to use my serger and serged a hole right in the middle of the shirt.  This was thrown to the side and never finished, it was much too small anyway and what to do with a hole in the middle.  (I thought, when i get really good  (and lose some weight) I'll figure out how to fix this darn hole).    This type of thing happened over and over, but i kept trying.  I guess you can say this is my journey of learning how to sew, quilt, embellish, embroider, knit, crochet and even cook/bake and do any type of home making.  As I go along in this blog my plan is to give the links of how I learned to do these terrific hobbies.  I'm still learning too.  I'm no expert and would love the company of others on this journey of being a domestic goddess in our own worlds.