Current Mood : Upset that I upset someone else, but otherwise quite pleased with m'self.
I still haven't opened poor New Malibu. It's been a busy day again. It took me a while, and a series of M's, but I finally ‘get' machine embroidery. I stayed with using the on-board designs today, making sure I knew how to use the hoop and embroidery table, and it took some time and a minor headache, but I can use the designs with no problem, even take care of problems like thread breaking or running out !
I was experimenting with M's because they're Beloved Hubby's initial. The first one, frankly, looked awful. Thread broke twice - I was using regular spool thread, it's allowed, although embroidery thread is preferred - and the tension was wrong. Second one tangled on the back and missed a bunch of stitches, but the tension was better. Third emptied the spool, but this time, I knew how to fix things, and the tension was still not right, but it looked somewhat better.
Got tired of monograms after the third M, so I switched to something else. Found the leftover - and mis-sewn ! - unbleached muslin from the dining area curtains, and got some of that hooped. Confession time - I'm pulling used dryer sheets from the collection of ‘em I have for stabilizer. Same box I started when I began sewing in '02, and we lived in that crappy apartment with the crappier laundry room. It's working OK for practice purposes, but soon, I'm gonna hafta crack open the expensive stuff.
Found a one-color cute little heart, and did that. Perfect ! For fun, I tried to put one of the included ‘frames' around it, in the shape of a shield. I was just a bit off center, but it really showed. It was still cute, though, so I folded it up and left it on Beloved's desk with a note saying he'd always have my off-center heart. It's now hanging up over his computer. (glee !)
We watched Point Break together, and he drifted off for a nap. I still wanted to embroider stuff. So I played with putting several different elements on the same ‘canvas', since the machine allows some repositioning and a few editing functions. The British-type crown came out well, so I decided to put a ‘D' under it. Well, I have to learn to record how tall patterns are, because the crown is sitting over the top of the letter. Again, it's still cute, so what the heck. Not sure what I'm gonna do with it yet. Put the same heart design on the KJ's machine cover, which is sort of a scrapbook of my sewing - it's one of the first things I sewed back in '02.
I wanted to learn how to put letters together, so I read that part. The machine is, frankly, amazing. You can string the on-board alphabet series' letters together until you run out of space, simply by typing them. And once space is maxed out, you can compress the letters together a bit to make space ! Very cool ! So I did Dearest Son's name in muslin, and it came out great. Fashioned that panel with another into a simple drawstring bag, for his laptop game controller, or Lego, or whatever. Can't wait ‘til he sees it.
Remember that Happy Meal ‘Twin Stars' digital watch that nice young lady at McD's gave me ? I cut the band off, and learned that there was a peg on the inside that kept me from simply running a wide band of elastic or fabric for a band that fit my wrist. While cleaning up to use the new sewing machine, I found the strap pieces, and decided to make a doll belt out of ‘em. It'd get ‘em out of the way, and at the time, I was dawdling a bit before the Big Embroidery Experiment. Came out great ! It's a big, wide belt, dark grey with blue stars, that fastens in front. I'll have to take some photos.
After the embroidery efforts were done, I still had the watch part. I kinda liked it, so I dug through the elastic storage - aha ! Narrow ‘rainbow' elastic, two strips, would go around the internal pin, and give me a unique band. I even detached the embroidery platform and regular-sewed it on the new machine. So I now have a funky digital watch in the shape of a blue star with a double-rainbow band, and a punk doll belt. Not bad for a giveaway HM toy !
But, no good without some bad. Evidently the person who sold me the much-delayed, badly packed, shipped-cheap Barbie Country Living Home just discovered my negative feedback. To say he/she wasn't happy with me is an understatement. Let's just say that he's/she's gonna tell eBay on me, and an f-bomb was employed in the e-mail. Also the admonition to get a life. While it's tempting to engage, I'm not even gonna respond. If eBay asks, they get the facts, but evidently, this person forgets that they waited until I asked where it was to even ship it, over a week after I paid, and they used cheaper shipping than I paid for. I have no idea what they're gonna tattle to eBay on me for, other than I hurt their feelings by reporting it like it is. Well, next time, either communicate when you're taking an eternity to mail yer stuff, or ship when you're supposed to, Dear ! (sigh)
Tomorrow, in the early AM, Beloved Hubby's going out to play AirSoft, and it'll be just me and Dearest. So I'm gonna try using the USB port to import new designs and try them out. I'll be studying the completely separate USB manual tonight, so please keep those good wishes coming !
