It's Sew Karren - The Sewing Blog

Apr 25, Web Shopping Confession

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:59:28 GMT

I have a confession to make. I like web shopping. I often fill my cart with all kinds of things I want for myself or for my sewing room. Fabulous materials, notions, gadgets, vintage patterns. Then I delete everything! It's fun! It's empowering! I sometimes waste an entire hour on a shopping spree only to nuke the entire contents of the cart before I leave the site. Ok, you now think I'm nuts. I, however, think it's quite clever. I've seen people walk around real stores with their carts full of stuff only to put most of it back on the rack or on the shelf before they leave. How embarrassing! Anyone seeing them immediately tags them as being either an impulse shopper to be pitied or (worse yet) as someone with a conscience! They know they can't afford to spend the money so they put stuff back! Therefore, I give in to my shopping demons in the privacy of my own home. There will be no pitiful looks coming my way. Fill that cart girl! Indulge yourself! Go Speed Shopper! Just be sure to delete everything. Or just close the web page. Even if you should get caught up in the frenzy and actually continue to the "fill in your information page", you are still safe until you hit the submit button and many times you get one last chance before all is lost. Or better yet, check the "will pay by check" option. Nothing will be shipped until they get your payment so you'll have plenty of time to come up with a good excuse when they e-mail you about your order. Or, you can go ahead and send the payment because you feel really stupid about accidently hitting the submit order button and making them go through all the trouble to get things ready for shipping. Like I did. For heirloom lace. $100 worth. Did it cure me? Of course not! I'll use every yard of it. Eventually. Now grease those wheels and give me another cart.

Mar 31, Custom Sewn Wing Sleeves?

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:30:53 GMT

Last week my husband came down the stairs with one of his radio control airplane hobby catalogs in hand and a question spewing from his mouth. Could I custom sew something for him? Oh oh. This could be trouble. I force a smile to my face and reply (very sowly) "maayyybeee." Oh oh is right. He's been looking at carrying cases (also called sleeves) for all the wings of his extremely large radio controlled gas engine airplanes. Oh joy! He thinks I can save him money if I custom make them. HA!! He's nuts!!! Let's see. First, I will have to come up with a pattern. No problem, I have tracing paper by the roll. Each wing case will need padding. Also, no problem, this stuff also comes by the roll. They will need handles. Again, no problem, I can find webbing by the yard. They need velcro for closures. Truly, no problem. They need... to be ordered from a catalog!!! By the time I figure all the measurements for the different wing sizes, buy appropriate fabrics, buy the necessary webbing, find and buy thin plastic to prevent wires from poking through the fabric, etc. etc., and actually make one of these things, I'll be adding the cost of therapy to the final bill. Make them cheaper? I don't think so! I'm ordering these things already made. If he wants me to do some custom sewing, I'll embroider his name on the outside.

Mar 7, Turn a Sweatshirt into a Cardigan

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 19:02:29 GMT

It's easy to turn a sweatshirt into a cardigan. Follow these simple instructions and let your imagination go!

Mar 6, Thinking Pink and Heirloom Sewing

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 17:22:52 GMT

I'm going to be a grandmother again and the official word is...it's another girl. I'm thrilled. I love sewing girly things and discovered heirloom sewing a couple of years ago. However, in the event that the bun in my daughter's oven was to be of the snips-and-snails and puppy-dog-tails variety, I had been looking at little boy patterns and blue fabrics. Which is why I recently ordered several back issues of Sew Beautiful Magazine. I saw some adorable items for little boys which were not too heirloomy. That's not a word, but I hope you know what I mean. I don't want any grandson of mine looking like Little Lord Fauntleroy. However, that issue is now a moot point.

It's a girl! For the next six months I get to think about ruffles and bows, ribbons and lace, delicate embroideries on delicate fabrics, and dainty prints on 100 cotton. Notice I said think. "Princess" Kaitlyn (my 4 year old granddaughter whom I adore) rarely wears such garments, even when she was a baby. They are not her style. Yes, even little ones have their own style (usually dictated by their mothers). However, I'm hoping this future granddaughter of mine will be a bit more into frilly stuff. And if not? I'll do a little dictating of my own. Really, why have all these wonderful embroidery sewing machines if you can't force a few heirlooms on someone! Happy Stitching!

Mar 5, Hand exercises for sewing

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:43:11 GMT

Hand exercises for pain free sewing. Keep your hands limber and enjoy your hobby more.

Feb 15, All White? The Christening Dilemma.

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 21:32:06 GMT

We're going to a christening and reception on Sunday. Which means I had to come up with an appropriate gift for the event and, being me, I wanted to make it. Nothing elaborate. Just something sweet and special. Like a keepsake pillow! Simple right? White pillow, white lace, appropriate embroidery and all would be well. Ha! If you know me, you know that nothing is simple when I get on a project. My creative juices flow just fine. Problem is, they flow every direction! It took me an hour just to commit to what size the pillow would be. Then I spent another two hours searching for embroidery designs that went with the vision I had in my head (which kept changing). However, the biggest challenge of the day turned out to be: all white or not? Not wanting to get tossed out on my Protestant kiester at the reception for the inappropriate use of color at a South Louisiana Catholic christening event, I researched whether all white was traditional or a mandate that even the heathen don't break. After hours of research and looking at dozens of websites dedicated to the sale of everything imaginable for christenings, baptisms and first communions, I have come to this conclusion. If an item is used during the ceremony, all white is both expected and traditional. If given or used after the ceremony, all white is still expected but not required. Therefore, since I don't like the look of all white on this particular little pillow and it is NOT being used in the ceremony, I am using pastels in the embroidery. Besides, I know my husband will catch me if they toss me out.

Feb 11, Ringing Ears, Slotted Seams and Felting

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 17:20:25 GMT

I was sitting here earlier trying to figure out why my ears wouldn't stop ringing. I kept swallowing and they weren't clearing. Then the dog started her low "I don't know what it is, but it had better not come around here" woof; which she does before she goes and hides. Now I know dogs have incredible hearing, but she couldn't possibly be hearing something inside my head! That's when I realized it was coming from behind me, from across the street. Somebody was using a high pitched electric saw. Don't laugh. When my ears start equalizing, I feel the need to clear the area for takeoff. Now, let's talk about something that will surely set your senses off. Slot seam embellishment. If you haven't seen the newest issue of Sew Beautiful magazine, pick one up. Anyone who sews, using traditional or heirloom techniques, can create beautiful embellished slot seams. Sue Pennington Stewart has written an excellent article on this sewing technique and shows how easy it is to do. Check out page 46 for creative ideas. The article focuses on garments, but this can be used on quite a number of things. (Like throw pillows and other home decor items.) I'd be willing to wager you'll be trying this out on something real soon. Also... all you people who got a fancy machine embellisher for Christmas, the same issue of the magazine mentioned above has a short article on felting and the items which were created for the article (especially the jackets) are exceptional. NOW I wish I had asked for that Babylock Embellisher when they were on sale! Of course, I could do this by hand. But if you knew what a klutz I am, you'd understand why I feel the need to avoid hand felting tools. I know I'd wind up needle punching myself. Repeatedly.

Feb 6, Quilting and Sewing Contests

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 03:49:01 GMT

Information about sewing contests, quilting contests and other fun stuff.

Jan 31, Beware the Pile with Ribbon on Towel

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 17:09:16 GMT

Ok, that should get your attention. Or not. When I was at the sewing shop last week, I noticed some wide fleur de lis ribbon had been ordered. (We LOVE fleur de lis stuff down here.) Anyway, the shop owner (male) was concerned that the yards and yards of ribbon his wife had ordered wouldn't sell and was a waste of money. Anyway, he just couldn't visualize the numerous possibilities people would find for this latest addition to the shop. So, I proceeded to show him. The shop sells hand towels to embroidery customers. So, I'm thinking, the gold ribbon with the purple fleurs will look great above the border on the purple towel, the purple with the gold fleurs equally attractive on the (LSU gold) towels. I got him to agree that having a sample or two for people to see would help sell both the ribbon and the towels and that I could whip a couple together in no time at all since adding ribbon to almost anything is super simple! Yeah right. Confession time here. I haven't put ribbon on a towel in years, let alone a super plush spa type towel. At first, I thought it was me. Geeze! Are my eyes THAT bad? Is my equilibrium off? The ribbon is NOT going on straight! I sneak a glance to the right, then to the left. Good. Nobody is watching me. Thank goodness the shop owner doesn't sew. The amount of time I was taking (along with the number of times I was taking out stitches) might have made him rethink having me on site! Even I was rethinking have me on site. At first I thought, ok, I should have pinned the ribbon in place along the stitching line instead of eyeballing the placement while I sewed. However, even with pins, the ribbon was going on at a slant rather than straight. Sometimes, it takes me a while for the light to come on. My "aha" moments are not always instantaneous. Finally it hit me. The pile was acting like a conveyor belt and moving the ribbon off line. Also, the depth of the pile meant the stitches were sinking further into the material and causing the ribbon to contract as it was being attached. Which is why I had to make an unexpected adjustment on the amount of ribbon turned under at each end. It basically "shrunk" as it was being sewn. Good thing I had cut the ribbon with extra length to begin with. In the end, the towels turned out quite spiffy and people were noticing them. That afternoon, he had a customer buy six yards of ribbon. Which means the shop owner is feeling better and his wife is feeling... let's say... victorious? I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot more ribbon in the store. Soon.

Jan 21, My How Time Flies

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 04:46:25 GMT

My daughter recently chastised me for not keeping my sewing blog up to date. Funny how roles change. Actually, I just got swept up with the holidays, family stuff, work... you know, LIFE! And boy does time fly when life events kick in. My husband and I missed a trip to see family over Thanksgiving since we were passing around a nasty stomach virus (upper and lower if you get my drift). I really believed that spraying everything with Lysol (including my spouse) would keep me from getting it. WRONG. I was soooo sick. Thanks for sharing honey! We eventually got over it and then it was Christmas time. It took us forever to finally determine when we could drive up to Shreveport to visit with my daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter in their new house. Of course by the time we nailed down the dates we could go visit, we couldn't get the dogs into their doggie hotel so we had to take them with us. Casey travels well. Dottie, however, makes me nuts. Travel seems to kick her bladder into overdrive! Thank goodness for dramamine. She travels really well once she's sound asleep. Anyway, we had a good visit even though their house was freezing cold. One reason, a low set thermostat (which I totally agree with) the other...they don't have carpeting in their house. They have lovely stamped, stained concrete. It's supposed to be a high end thing with builders and new homes. After that visit, I have determined I will NEVER have stamped, stained concrete in any house I ever live in. We weren't back home but a couple of days when I had to make an unexpected trip back to the northern part of the state to take care of my 82 year old mother for a few weeks. Miss Cleo fractured a vertebrae in her back while on a trip with other family members and needed me to stay with her while she was recuperating. At least her house has carpeting. After two and a half weeks taking care of her every need, I now have a huge respect for people who do home health care. Anyway, I took one of my machines and a box of supples, fabric, embroidery threads, stabilizers, etc. to do some personal embroidery projects while I was up there. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring any of the machine's hoops. So... I didn't do any of it. I did however, finish knitting a hot pink fuzzy neck scarf, put together TWO large jigsaw puzzles and discovered that spider solitare is addicting. Guess who got me hooked? My 82 year old mother. Catch you later and happy stitching!

Nov 12, Burps, Giggles and a No Sewing Weekend.

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 05:42:26 GMT

My granddaughter spent most of the weekend with us and I didn't even think about sewing while she was here. I was too busy entertaining and being entertained by the world of a four year old. When she couldn't remember the word syrup she called it waffle juice. When she wanted to do something she knew I would say no to, she insisted the dog told her she could do it. She informed us that she takes baths outside when it rains. We informed her that she didn't. Then there's her need be both seen and heard. Not to mention her delight in making bodily noises. Even though she politely excuses herself, she makes sure her burps are classified as genuine belches. Loud and long, followed by a fit of intense giggles. If there were a wall of fame for pre-K belchers, she'd be on it. Of course I couldn't let her have all the fun. Let me have a cold Dr. Pepper and I can rate an honorable mention myself! Which, of course, set off another round of intense giggles. By both of us. It was a fun, albeit noisy, non-sewing weekend.

Nov 6, About Sewing Machine Needles

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 04:55:10 GMT

A quick overview of sewing machine needles and the fabrics they sew on.

Nov 5, Needles and Pins

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 19:29:27 GMT

I went to the dentist this morning. It's been over two hours and my mouth, lip and lower half of my face are still numb. However, the pins and needles itchy feeling you get when the novacaine starts wearing off is beginning to really set in. My dentist is high tech. So are his fees. I'm fairly certain I personally paid for the dental chair I was laid back in for the procedure. Sewing has gotten high tech too. At least as far as the machines and software that goes with them. The good news is, you don't have to buy the most expensive machine in order to sew a great garment or other project. A solid, dependable machine that does a straight stitch and a zig zag stitch is truly more than capable of doing a great job. It's just not as much fun as sewing on a machine with lots of built in stitches and options. One thing common to both, low tech and high tech models, however, is the fact that you still have to use the right needle for the job. Do you know your sewing machine needles? They come in size 9 through 18. The different sizes are designed for different weight fabrics. As the fabric weight increases, so does the number (size) of the needle. As the fabric weight decreases, so does the number (size) of the needle. If you don't want to stock a lot of different sized needles, a 14 can be used on most fashion weight fabrics. Sewing machine needles also come with sharp points for woven fabrics and ball points for knits. You also have needles designed for regular sewing, specialty sewing and needles designed just for machine embroidery. If you are new to sewing, chances are you do not yet know your needles. Take the time to learn which ones should be used with specific fabrics. The August issue of Sew News Magazine had an excellent article by Sarah Doyle on this subject. While I'm at it, I also want to point out that sewing pins are not all the same either. You have ball point and sharp point for the same reasons mentioned above. The type you use should be determined by the fabric they are being used on. You also have the choice of short or long. Plastic heads or glass heads. As long as you remember that plastic will melt under a hot iron, and are careful when ironing something, using pins with plastic heads shouldn't be a problem. The only thing I do want to stress is, pins, if bent or dull can cause snags and damage your fabric. If your sharp isn't sharp, toss it.

Nov 3, Easy to Sew Embroidered Door Hangers

Sat, 03 Nov 2007 23:51:00 GMT

Be creative! Make your own embroidered door hangers.

Nov 2, My Embroidery Sewing Machine Hates Baby Bibs.

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 20:53:18 GMT

I'm not kidding. My machine acts up every time I put a particular terrycloth baby bib on it. Things will be going just fine. Everybody is happy. The machine will be stitching out an embroidery design and purring like a kitten at it's mother's (you know what) with no problems what-so-ever... then, the sound subtly changes. Within a few seconds, it has gone from a happy camper to one pitching a hissy fit. It has realized it is sewing on a baby bib! It turns to its own version of Psycho. It's the scene in the shower. The needle stabs, stabs, stabs. The thread gets shreaded to bits. Nasty birdsnests show up on and below the surface of the fabric. I've changed needles in case there was a burr. I've tried different stabilizers to see if there's one the machine likes better for the specific task at hand. I've made sure the top stablizer is secure. I've checked for hang-ups along the threading system as well as under and around the bobbin case. I TRY to make it happy! Nope. It just doesn't like these baby bibs! It USED to like these baby bibs. Not anymore! Maybe baby bibs remind it of the child it never had. Who knows what the heck is going on. My repair tech tells me the problem is ME. HA! I don't think so. He never tests it with BABY BIBS. It's definately the machine. It was working fine prior to the bibs and I can stitch just fine on woven fabrics, so far. This is one of the darndest stunts this machine has pulled on me yet. I guess I'll be dragging it in to the shop once again. I wonder if a few hormones mixed with the oil will straighten it out. Maybe I need to find a sewing machine THERAPIST! My machine is nuts. If it's not one thing, it's another. Maybe, my machine is going through..."the change". That might explain the crazy mood swings it seems to have. In the meantime, I'm keeping all bibs at least 10 feet away from it. Happy Stitching!

Oct 31, Princess Kaitlyn is now 4

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 02:51:28 GMT

My granddaughter just celebrated her 4th birthday on October 27th. She was born in November. However, November sporting events always get in the way, so her parties are always in October. Which makes her father and the other males in the family quite happy. I must say, the child made out like a bandit. Having three sets of grandparents isn't a bad thing when there are presents to be given. I have to say, quite proudly, that she actually said thank you after every present she ripped open. I'd like to say that I sewed something really wonderful for her, but truthfully, the only thing I did (sewing related) was to make her a Princess Kaitlyn's Room door hanger. Very easy to do. Simple machine embroidery and simple sewing. Not a pre-bought "in the hoop" design so I could be as creative as I wanted. I'll try to remember to add the directions to my projects page. She has a cousin who is a month younger named Kate. At the party, when the cake was presented, Kaitlyn started in on one corner and quite matter of factly informed Kate she could have the other corner. We came close to loosing a good bit of the cake as they were quite focused on their mission which was cake, in mouth, immediately. Actually, I'm that way with fresh, hot, still soft, chocolate chip cookies. Yep, I revert to a four year old every time. Can't get them in my mouth fast enough. Great. Now I'm thinking about chocolate. I'll catch you later... I need to raid the pantry.

Oct 21, The Craft Fair. Where High Hopes Meet Low Reality.

Sun, 21 Oct 2007 17:52:32 GMT

Well, the craft fair is over and I'm exhausted. Prior to, I had been staying up past Midnight trying to get samples and other projects ready for it. Anyway, prayers were answered... as far as the weather! We had a beautiful day. Sunny, very warm, no humidity and breezy. Perfect for being outside, as long as you had a canopy over you. We did. One of those 10x10 popup tent coverings. What a great investment. My husband was even impressed by it. So there we were, all set up nice and comfortable waiting for happy shoppers glad to be outside after two days of rainstorms. Uh-oh. Where were all the expected people? Hardly anyone came by the fair! I had high hopes of selling items made and selling services for things to be made. I was sure I would be getting so many orders for custom items that I would be busy till January. I just knew it! WRONG. Reality check! What a bummer. It seemed as if the whole neighborhood had disappeared and there was no steady stream of happy shoppers. I have a feeling people were either in Baton Rouge at huge tailgate parties prior to the LSU Game, were at the local Oyster Festival or storming the newly reopened mall for a much needed shopping fix. Oh well. Such is life! Yes, I was very disappointed. However, I'm not a crafter and have no experience with the ups and downs of craft fairs. One seasoned couple at a both across from mine said it's always a gamble at local fairs and that the people that do show up are looking for items at thrift store prices. Which is not me even though I did offer several things under ten dollars. Truthfully, the real reason I did this craft fair was to get some face time with potential future customers, so with that criteria in mind, then it was a success. However, looking at all the stuff that came back home with me sure makes it feel like a bust. Will I ever do another craft fair? Probably. I met some really nice people. Not to mention that I have a lot of stuff already made for the next one! So, what's YOUR take on church craft fairs or craft fairs in general? Are they worth it? Happy Stitching!

Oct 14, One Week Til the Craft Fair!

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 04:58:57 GMT

The St. Martha's first annual craft fair is only one week away and (of course) I need another two weeks to get everything done that I want to do. Geez, this has been a lot of work! I decided I also wanted to do some lace fleur de lis ornaments and it took me forever to digitize one with more than one "look". I'm not kidding when I say I was seeing needle punches in my sleep. Heaven help me if I ever try doing something really intricate! I'd probably wind up a babbling idiot. However, I have to tell you, I discovered Babylock makes a terrific disolve away mesh stabilizer for projects like this. I'm not kidding. When the item dries, it dries stiff. I haven't had to starch a single ornament. I had no idea it would work so well. Of course, if you want a soft lace, you'd be totally screwed. And speaking of ... this weekend the weather has been outstanding. Which means it will probably rain next weekend. And if it does, everyone who signed up for a booth will be (yep), screwed. The church has already informed us in writing that ACTS OF GOD that might interfere with said craft fair are just too bad for those renting booth space in their parking lot. There will be no refunds nor an alternative rain date should the weather not cooperate. Which means...my nightly prayer list has been expanded. Actually, I shouldn't worry. The craft fair date is the same day as the election of our state's governor along with many local political offices which means... there's gonna be a LOT of people praying for a good day too.

Oct 8, Sergers and Strange Happenings

Mon, 08 Oct 2007 02:49:53 GMT

Ok, I have to tell you, I was beginning to think my serger was celebrating Halloween early. It was behaving extremely SPOOKY. Really. I had just put on three brand new cones of MaxiLok thread and had started doing a second rolled edge when I notice I've only got two threads sewing and the rolled edge wasn't rolling. A closer look revealed that the lower looper wasn't looping. In fact, there wasn't even any thread there. It had broken where it enters the machine and was hanging from the thread guide like it had never even been touched. That's weird, it's never done this before. So, I rethread and since I have a Babylock Imagine which is self-threading (just WHOOSH! and it's done), it was no big deal. In fact, I like changing thread colors since it's so easy with this serger. Once again I start stitching and once again, after a few stitches, the thread breaks. Same looper. The thread is hanging from the guide, again. TWO MORE TIMES. Same thing. What the heck is going on? I can't see anything out of the ordinary. Everything looks fine. Not one to give up, I rethread and WHOOSH! thread comes shooting out the looper and keeps going. A cut length of thread about eight inches long had shot across the table. Ok. It's October and this is the month for spooky things. I rethread again. WHOOSH! Once again, a long piece of thread has broken off and goes sailing by. This is really strange. What the heck is going on?? Just in case it IS related to something Octoberish, I demand it to "stop doing that." Ok, there has to be something malfunctioning here - but what??? As I once again run the thread into the machine, the thread breaks off in my hand. AH HA!!! It's not my machine nor is it anything of a spooky nature. The serger thread is flawed. Big time. About every eight to twelve inches, as I put pressure on it, it breaks like it's made of paper. I must have pulled off five feet of thread before I got past the flawed areas. My sewing room trash can now looks like it's growing hair. So... if YOUR machine starts acting strangely and doing weird things this month, before you call ghostbusters, check the thread. Happy stitching!

Sep 27, Bobbin Cases and Fuzz

Thu, 27 Sep 2007 04:36:34 GMT

My beloved sewing machine is back home from the shop and stitching like a new one. A build up of fuzz was making it sick and I got a small lecture about keeping the underside of the bobbin case cleaned out. I was told I had enough fuzz built up under there to make a blanket! Ok, they were exaggerating. I DO brush inside and around the bobbin case on my machines regularly to get rid of lint and other fuzzy stuff. Unfortunately, I guess I was sending most of it UNDER the bobbin case. You know, like when people sweep dirt under the rug when they clean the floor only I wasn't doing it on purpose. I have to tell you, I was surprised and really embarrassed. When I got home, I checked under the bobbin case in my other machine. Holy cow. Good thing they didn't see what was hiding in that one! I haven't been sewing on fleece, but it sure looks like I have. This stuff must breed like some alien life form when the lights are out! Well, we will have no more of that hanky panky in MY machines. I'm keeping the lights on now (and brushing under the bobbin case). Happy stitching! And watch out for alien fuzz.

Sep 5, Recommended Sources for Embroidery Blanks

Wed, 05 Sep 2007 17:21:47 GMT

Sources for affordable machine embroidery blanks

Sep 4, Easy Sewing Projects and Patterns

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 18:58:11 GMT

Easy sewing projects are not hard to find. Buy ready made patterns or make your own!

Sep 3, What About YOU?

Mon, 03 Sep 2007 18:27:58 GMT

What about you? What are you thinking, sewing, doing?

Aug 27, Make a Fabric Covered Koozie

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 04:04:27 GMT

A fabric covered koozie is easy to sew and fun to embellish.

Aug 17, Sewing Measurements Guide

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 16:43:43 GMT

A guide to sewing measurements and converting inches to yardages.

Aug 17, Sewing Cloth Napkins

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 04:01:00 GMT

Instructions for sewing cloth napkins.

Aug 4, Fashion and Sewing Art Prints

Sat, 04 Aug 2007 14:46:51 GMT

Decorate your home or sewing room with sewing art prints. Here are some of my favorites.

Jul 15, About It's Sew Karren

Sun, 15 Jul 2007 17:16:10 GMT

Let me introduce myself! About Karren and It's Sew Karren.

Jul 10, Sewing Room Layout and Design

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 23:43:40 GMT

What makes a good sewing room layout? Some recommendations for the design and layout of your sewing room.

Jul 10, About Fabric Selveges

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 16:40:20 GMT

Check your fabric selveges before cutting your pattern. Misaligned selveges will affect your final product.

Jun 30, Personalized Sewing Labels

Sat, 30 Jun 2007 21:33:38 GMT

Let them know you made it with your own personalized sewing labels.

Jun 20, Sewing Machine Feet

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 22:33:29 GMT

There are numerous sewing machine feet (also called presser feet) available to make your sewing project easier. Do you know what they do? What you need to know about sewing machine feet.

Jun 4, Things to Do With Quilting Hoops

Mon, 04 Jun 2007 14:20:02 GMT

You bought a quilting hoop. Now what? Things to do with quilting hoops!

May 30, My Favorite Sewing and Quilting Links

Wed, 30 May 2007 12:49:56 GMT

Other interesting sites you might enjoy. Sewing and Quilting Links.

May 15, Add a Designer Touch! How to Sew Trims to Your Projects.

Tue, 15 May 2007 16:26:34 GMT

An overview on how to sew trims to garments and other sewing projects.

May 11, Favorite Louisiana Recipes and Other Treats

Fri, 11 May 2007 22:10:26 GMT

I love southern cooking. Here are some favorite Louisiana recipes as well as my favorites in general.

May 8, Sewing Decorative Stitches

Tue, 08 May 2007 22:22:39 GMT

Add flair to your sewing projects! It's easy sewing decorative stitches using your sewing machine's pre-programmed stitch options.

Apr 30, Examples of quilting hoop frames

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 15:11:08 GMT

Quilting hoop frames come in all sizes to meet every quilting need. Here are a few photo examples.

Apr 15, Recommeded Reading

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 17:54:21 GMT

Recommended reading on sewing, quilting and fashion.

Apr 10, Machine Embroidery Basics for Successful Stitching

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 00:33:25 GMT

Learn these machine embroidery basics and with practice, you can stitch like a pro.

Mar 29, Sewing Tools and Notions

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 18:11:13 GMT

Sewing tools you really need for your sewing projects.

Mar 26, Sewing Products, Notions and News

Mon, 26 Mar 2007 14:09:59 GMT

As someone who sews and quilts, I'm always looking for new sewing products, notions and interesting news.

Mar 15, Sew Healthy! Sew Smart!

Thu, 15 Mar 2007 00:13:48 GMT

Sew healthy! Take care of your back and hands and enjoy many years of sewing pleasure.

Mar 14, Home Sewing Machines

Wed, 14 Mar 2007 00:44:08 GMT

Modern home sewing machines are multifunctional and sew much fun to use.

Mar 9, Machine Quilting is Sew Easy

Fri, 09 Mar 2007 02:57:23 GMT

If you have a sewing machine, you can quilt! Discover the world of machine quilting.

Mar 9, How to Make a Quilt. Beginners Quilting Instruction.

Fri, 09 Mar 2007 02:49:36 GMT

To make a quilt, think of a sandwich! Beginners Quilting.

Mar 7, Embroidery Sewing Machines

Wed, 07 Mar 2007 22:32:43 GMT

Embroidery Sewing Machines. A great combination of two sewing hobbies.

Feb 28, Early Sewing Memories Are So Dear

Wed, 28 Feb 2007 19:51:39 GMT

My earliest sewing memories involve Grandma's old Singer sewing machine.

Feb 24, How To Sew Seams

Sat, 24 Feb 2007 22:23:57 GMT

Want to sew? Learn how to sew seams and you are on your way!

Feb 12, Know Your Fabrics - A Fabrics Glossary for the Home Sewer

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 22:22:27 GMT

A glossary of fabrics and their characteristics. Useful information for people new to sewing.