Featherweight 221 Sewing Machine Cover

I must share this fabulous featherweight sewing machine cover designed and made by Kathleen Perow. She may have followed my pattern, but absolutely gave it her personal touch. The word "Bloom" fits just perfect! I wanted to share her lovely cover with you. Always nice to see the pattern choices of others.

Don't you agree the fabric and her fussy cutting just makes it POP!
I do love the colors and it will definately brighten up her sewing room. I had to share her finished photo since it is just beautiful. Thanks so much for your talents, Kathleen, and sharing ideas with others!

Happy Stitching!
Charlene

The pattern is available at www.thesewbox.com. Sizes are given for the 221 and the 301. Easy adaptation for larger sewing machines.

Time for Making Christmas Gifts and Crafts

This is the time of the year I do treasure the most - thinking of gifts to make for family and friends. There are so many sites with free designs, patterns, and ideas I thought I would share some I have found. Hoping you will find the right gifts to make for your loved ones to enjoy the holidays.

(at this moment in time each link works - as with the internet that could change momentarily - enjoy)

• Holiday Decorations and Gifts
• Crocheted Snowman - just like my mom used to make for the tree!
• Christmas Napkin Rings
• All People quilt - Crafts, Quilts, Sewing

Machine Embroidery Sites - I especially love those that are "in-the-hoop"; designs are for sale but there are some free ones available

• Embroidery.com
• Moosebstitchin
• Embroidery Library
• Ann the Gran
  

Need some blanks for your machine embroidery? I usually use All About Blanks. What other sites have you used?

Gifts in a Jar - a wonderful way to share some recipes

• Organized Christmas
• Heart4Home - this is a mega site for recipes! Want some Jambalaya Mix? Yummmm....
• Cooking Cache - another nice LONGGG list
• Budget 101 - how to layer and present your gifts in a jar, great ideas; other ideas for frugal living and stretching the budget!
• All Free Crafts - another mega site!

Free Crafts and Projects

• Craft Bits
• Family Crafts / Crafts for Kids
• Craft ideas

Hope you can find something to make your holidays bright and your money go far!

Happy Stitching,
Charlene

Singer Sewing Machine Stamp

What fun! Stamping little red Singer "S" all over!
Found several vintage stamps from Singer. Grabbed the red ink pad and stamping away. I am sure I will find something REALLY constructive to do with it - decorate personal cards, stationary, and such - but right now just playing around!

Found two of these lovely items, and keeping one for my own personal fun! Other is listed for sale on the web site. Just click on the Singer stamp!

Happy stitching!
Charlene

Serging a Quilt

Finishing the edges of my quilt was never so easy and quick! I wanted an edge I could add some embroidery to, and a little more interest to both sides.

For this quilt I cut my strips 7 inches wide, folded in half lengthwise, and serged to all four sides. This gave me a nice space for some additional embroidery along the quilt edge and spiced up the back side of the quilt! Finished in less than 1/2 with the serger.

This was a panel quilt and wanted a little more interest and texture to the front. The big bear blocks were easy to focus on. As I was quilting, I tucked additional batting under the top to simulate trapunto quilting. Quilting around the bear face block gives me a raised area where I can now add some hand sewing for details.

Now for some embroidery, additional lace, and a bit of hand sewing and will be finished!

Always fun to just experiment and see what happens!

Happy Sewing & Quilting!
Charlene

pearl and piping foot/attachment

With this foot I am thinking lace, double piping, beading and piping - the possibilities are just endless. Amazingly, just slide the strand of beads under the groove, set your zigzag width as wide as the beading. As you zigzag, the stitch falls perfectly right between each bead! Lovely, easy, and FAST!

The groove will take up to 1/4" cord or beading. If you use nylon monofilament thread, the stitching won't show (I used dark pink so you could see where they are).

Slide the beading into the groove for beads or even rhinestones. You can also add your piping in one sewing pass. Just choose the right size of cording.

I did release the pressure of my machine to eliminate a little bit of puckering. Helps the beading slide through easier.

Remember to do a practice piece for the zigzag stitch. A denser stitch gave more color in between each of the beads. Not a bad look for setting off the beads.

Add decorative cording by just sewing over with a zigzag stitch, again using the nylon monofilament will let the beautiful cording stand out!

Some initial pics while practicing - more later when I begin to incorporate into some designs and projects! Just plain fun. If you have a zigzag, and love to add some BLING, then this is a certain foot for you to get.



This is the snap-on foot specific to my Baby Lock, but they have quite a few other brands for your machines. Got this one from my fav quilting store - Seams Sew Easy Quilt Shop (www.ssefabrics.com).

Happy Stitching!
Charlene

Hemstitching and Wing Needle

Home from the Houston Fall Quilt Market and what a fabulous time! Just the chance to meet some of you was the absolute best!! I certainly appreciate all who stopped me and chatted sewing for a while. Hope you had a safe trip home.

After all the "catch-up" was finished, got to the sewing room to just drool over the lovely fabrics and gadgets I found during the Shopping Spree. Talk about fun and so much to see!

Started playing with the Wing needle again on my Baby Lock. The hemstitching possibilities are just boundless! Thought I would try there before I played with the Vintage Singers and my "new-to-me" vintage Dressmaker. Fun to just settle in and see what variations the needle would do with the different stitches. Now working on some crocheted edgings, letting the Wing needle do my holes.

Fuller instructions later, but for now just some of my stitching.

Keep sewing and using those attachments!
Happy Stitching!
Charlene

Houston Fall Quilt Market

What a fabulous event! I met so many great and interesting people and loved every minute. Dedicated quilters and sewers from all around the world and such long days each one put in! Friday was my session and of course the "not-to-miss" shopping spree! Long day but accumulated fabric, gadgets, and friends. Met many from various sewing sites, and that was precious to me. The demo Sunday was a ton of fun for me as it was up-close and personal. I was able to really show how to use several attachments, answer specific questions, and meet fabulous fellow sewers. Thank you to everyone who dropped by the session and and the demo. I enjoyed every minute I spent with you.

I wish I could have visited at lunch time with my TreadleOn friend! Thank you for the offer. Aren't sewers the best people you can meet?

Thanks to F+W Media (Krause Pubs) for running everything so smoothly. You can visit all their crafty books at www.mycraftivity.com.

Pics of the session, "my newly accumulated stash" of fabric and notions, and some of the demo.

Thank you everyone!

Happy Stitching,
Charlene

Vintage Feed Sacks

Not all playing, but also some researching on one of my newest collections - feed sacks and older pattern books. Strange how we can begin to fall in love with so many things; yet this brings back memories! Everything was saved and used, nothing thrown away if they could use in some way. Even the string was pulled (nice chain stitch) from the feed sacks and used in crochet. Now, I should really call them cotton bags, as there were feed sacks with chicken feed, and also various sizes for flour, sugar, salt, meal, and the feed bags. I have found a nice vintage booklet giving some ideas of what to sew and how many sacks of which type you needed.

Want to sew a laundry bag? It took 2 bags that were 30x34. This could be two flour sacks (50 lbs each). A small waist apron took 3 bags, size 36x39. This could be 3 flour bags of 100 lbs each.

Just a few of my samples, but to collect them all would be a lifetime. There were thousands of patterns eventually made. Now, I just have to decide to cut into them.....

Happy Stitching!
Charlene

Galveston, TX

What a beautiful place and such strong people. To be hit so hard by hurricane IKE about a year ago, they are coming back strong. Met so many friendly and helpful people during our short stay there. Ocean - gorgeous!

Now in Houston camped at Trader's Village and the first session at the Houston Fall Quilt Market is tomorrow. I believe my session starts at 4:55. Hope too many of you aren't weary and on brain overload at that time! Drop by and say a giant, HI!".

Mississippi State Park

A lovely way to travel by RV! So much of the country to see and everyplace is different. Did drive about 14 hours yesterday, and made great progress to Houston! Tremendous down pouring of rain much of the time, but well worth it when stopping for the night in one of Mississippi's State parks. Tall straightly trees, huge lake, and the deer were all out! We counted over 18 in this herd.

Tomorrow brings brighter skies and warmer weather. Next state is Louisiana and then Texas. Hope to see you in Houston!

Happy Stitching,
Charlene