Current Mood : Still Sleepy !
It hit me last night, right after I posted yesterday's entry. The pin-backs I have are yer typical jewelry findings, nothin' special. They have holes in the back ‘not part of the closure' part to make it easier to glue to something... but that didn't work yesterday, even with Super Glue. But I can sew the pin back to the Peltex, then iron it to the badge or whatever else. It'll hold securely, it won't peel off, weaken with age or heat, or get loose later. I knew there had to be a better way !
Not sure if you remember, but as yard sale season was coming to a close last year, I bought a lenticular Disney Princess waste basket and lotion pump, but I wasn't sure why. Sure, $2. was dirt-cheap - especially since we shelled $7 for my tin DP Lab trash can, and that was on markdown - and the idea that anyone's gonna play with a trash can to see the moving pictures of Belle and Cinderella was funny to blog about. But I really didn't have a use for the can. The lotion pump turned out to have liquid soap in it, and it's in the kitchen, in daily use.
Anyway. When I cleaned up in there, I had a bunch of wrapped-as-tubes stabilizers lying around, and new Peltex and cut-away waiting to be stored. It all fit perfectly in the DP waste basket. Since the expensive Peltex didn't come with a nice tube case like most of the other stabilizers, the bare end is covered up with a Ziplock bag, so it'll stay dust-free.
And here's a great tip I got, and it works ! I couldn't figure out why sometimes the first stitches in an embroidery design - or the first few of a new color - were very loose. Sometimes it would even birdnest on me. Turns out I wasn't threading Brody correctly. Or KJ, for that matter. Always thread with the presser foot up, on either mechanical or electronic sewing machines. With the foot up, the thread passes easily into the tension discs / dial. When sewing starts and the foot does down, the tension discs then grab the thread and it's at the right tension. Life is good.
Threading with the presser foot down means that the discs aren't holding the thread correctly, so there's often no tension at all for those first few stitches. Since the tension dial / discs controls both upper and bobbin threads, this means a lot of thread feeds from the bobbin and gets caught up while the top thread has to go a few stitches before proper tension's achieved. Hence, the birdnesting. I can't believe it's so simple. But ever since I tried threading both machines with the presser foot up, there's been no bobbin birdnesting, no loose upper stitches, and no problems. It's always good when you start off well. So, presser feet up !
That tip came from a newsletter I got from one of the first websites I found when I got Brody, back when I was signing up for every ‘tips and hints' e-mail I could find. Most of it's crap sales stuff, like ‘new sets' or discount notifications, but I've gleaned a few good tips from most. I can always unsub later.
We had pouring, ditch-filling, daffodil-flattening, lightning all around rain today. Those poor horses didn't know what to do. They all barely fit inside, and with horse politics, most didn't want to be cooped up together, so they all chose to be soaked outside. Yet each one seemed to radiate patient suffering. Beloved Hubby picked me up for a wonderful lunch together - I really felt cherished and loved. He always knows just what I need, even (or especially !) when I don't !
It was really hard to stay awake before lunch, with the rain pattering a lullaby and the clouds keeping things at a sort of enthusiastic twilight. After a tasty, but rather heavy meal, it was darn near impossible. I'd already done my housework for the day... so I cut out and ironed the ‘new' patterns I bought yesterday, so I wouldn't crash. And for the first time, buying a pattern second-hand bit me in the butt.
The sewing machine cover one - McC 5017 - was missing everything cat-themed. And only those pieces. But, after studying the directions, the cat appliqué was very simple, and the cat-head pincushion is even easier. Could easily duplicate ‘em. The patchwork cover is much the same as the cat one, and the hanging organizer's complete, so I'm not out anything. Still, it's bad form to donate an incomplete pattern. I wrote on the cover and directions which pieces were AWOL, in case I decide to donate it later.
At least they're usable now. The accessory case pattern is complete, so that was good news. But I found it easier to just loaf on the sofa after they were done, rather than go sew. And our vacuum is fixed ! I called Monday, and after a half-hour hold, was told they were waiting on parts - for mine and four others from the same company. Our hose, and unfortunately, only our hose arrived today, so it's ready for pick-up. If the weather's decent, I can go get it tomorrow. DFIL still has our Bonnie truck.
While waiting for the bus, I dragged out a dry chair and finished taking apart the last of the wrecked outgrown clothes that can only be salvaged - two button-down shirts, a sweatshirt, and a t-shirt. Most had some sort of tarry paint on them that Dearest found and proceeded to get all over himself. And the stoop, and the bench, and the sidewalk. He's smart, though, and quickly changed clothes and hid the evidence. Then did it again at least twice more before I found and disposed of the paint. He sometimes changes clothes because he's hot or cold, so I don't think much of it when I know that's not the shirt he went to school in. I found the items when I cleaned his room a couple weeks back. Nothin' for it but salvage buttons, fabric, and rags. I can at least make a small pillow out of that wrecked SpongeBob button-down shirt, and I got some fabric bits to experiment with, along with twelve buttons and a big handful of rags.
And that's been today's rainy-day stuff. Hope your day was bright and pretty !
