Always happens when you're getting just a bit too confident...

 

Current Mood : Mild frustration.

 

Thinking back, I was about due for another machine embroidery failure. I was getting kind of cocky about things....

 

Beloved Hubby and I got to share a busy day. He was home working for most of it, in the Shop, and I was getting things ready for the refrigerator magnet art project at Dearest Son's school. We ran up for Subway for lunch, and Beloved proposed a quick trip to Target - he'd broken another set of Mp3 ear-buds. In the Dollar Spot, there were magnetic Disney Princess note pads, but I didn't get any, and I'm as surprised as you. I stood there for a minute, trying to figure why sheets of disposable Belle or Cinderella-decorated paper was bothering me, but it didn't hit until later.

 

Back in the day (pause for collective sigh), any DP images to be found were in coloring books or other Little Golden Book-type media. And good images were hoarded amongst kids, especially little girls. Heck, we kept our Barbie clothes brochures darn near hidden away, so they wouldn't vanish ! Wasn't such a thing as Princess notepaper, and most ‘scratch pads' had little to no printing on them. Now the DP phenom is so omnipresent, magnetic notepads are a good idea. Just about everything is disposable, even when funds are tight, so scratch pads are nearly as fancy as formal notecards, like anyone uses them anymore. It was an odd thing to realize that.

 

We got my rice crackers, and I've been good about not consuming the whole container in one day. Last time I had rice crackers, I got terribly tummy-sick, and I really don't wanna repeat the experience. Even though I don't know if it was due to that binge or something else, I'm unwilling to take the risk. Just the other day, I felt severely nauseous, and it'd been weeks since my last Target visit. I try to hold down the binges to one a month.

 

Anyway, between Subway (Club sandwich ! Yum !) for lunch, the fridge magnet thing in the afternoon, and Chinese for dinner, I've been good about the crackers. However, they're calling to me now, since it's midnight. Darn things. So. We found the Crystal Sweeper Lego set Dearest has pined for over the last couple weeks, and snagged it.

 

The fridge magnet project went very well, and gorgeous magnets were sent home with their new, proud owners. One little boy sort of attached himself to me, and talked nonstop. Hard-to-hear stuff, but he desperately needed someone to listen, so I did. It was a combination of ‘Gramma called CPS when Daddy went back to drugs, and Mommy divorced him, but Gramma was trying to get Mom in trouble, not Daddy. I miss him, and he cries a lot' and ‘Dearest Son say says he has (insert gizmo) - I have a bigger, better, shinier one. In fact, I have three', with some ‘I'm getting an X-Box once the power gets turned back on, and we get the TV out of the pawnshop' mixed in for good measure. Between the contradictory fibbing (right after he says they don't have internet anymore, his three laptops are all online all the time) and the "I'm better than everyone in this class, that's why no one plays with me" (yes, he said precisely that) , I didn't know whether to hug him or tell him to please give me some space for just a few minutes. The teacher tried to get him to sit at his desk, but that only lasted for a minute or two - soon as she was engaged, he was right back. I really feel for the kid, he clearly has too much going on around him.

 

He even tried to walk out with Dearest and me to Molly - their teacher had to get someone to take him to where he's normally picked up, since he wouldn't go willingly. I wished I could do more for him, but after over two hours of nonstop heart-rendering and occasionally insulting chatter, I was ready for a quiet room and a nice jacket with really long sleeves. Beloved understood, and directed me to a nap while he and Dearest put the Lego Power Miner set together. I thought of how fortunate we are as I crashed.

 

Got to help Beloved with the overgrown lawn - by picking up a few dozen branches and odd garbage that seems to spontaneously appear in the yard as he mowed. Between the wind and the 7-11 next door, we get lots of trash that was never ours. And, I finally sat down to stitch out the Wall-E Eve design. I confess, I wasn't near as precise as I could have been when I hooped up that t-shirt remnant. But heck, I'd worked with knits before, and I was using the new good stabilizer, not the used dryer sheets. I was confident. No problem.

 

Um, big problem. For some reason, the Eve design stitches out part of the left side, then goes to the far right, and starts stitching from there. I evidently didn't have the fabric hooped tightly enough, and a pinch, a pucker, a pleat of fabric between the stitches soon developed. And got bigger as I watched. *&^%4. I stopped the stitching and removed it. No way to fix it - if the design started, say, from the left and continued on to the other side, any loose fabric would pucker outside the design. Not in the middle of it. No, this pleat was too big and too messy to finish the character.

 

So I read up some more, and cut fresh stabilizer and found the blue rag remnant I'd used before. I had that in there good and tight, it thumped like a drum, and was on grain. I reduced Brody's upper tension a bit, and double checked the threading and bobbin race, all good. And the exact same thing happened again ! This time, I actually cut the fabric pleat off the stitch-out, reworked some of the design over the blank spot, and continued on. It still looks bad, but at least I got to finish it.

 

About the only thing I haven't tried is hooping the stabilizer, then using a spray adhesive to attach the shirt to it. The shirt doesn't get hooped this way, so I'm not sure how good the stitch-out will be, but it's recommended. So, next time either Hancock Fabrics or Hobby Lobby have a good notions coupon, I'll pick up a can. Stuff's $13. for an eight ounce can at regular price. I also wrote the design seller, asking for any tips she may have. I wonder if she ever worked it on a knit before. According to the design sheet, the stitch-out was tested on a woven cotton. Oh, well. All else fails, I'll stitch Eve out on cotton, and make a patch out of her. For that textured 3-D effect all the kids like on their T-shirts !

 

Next week, I return to my lazy, no volunteering ways...

 

Current Mood : Successful !

 

Busy day, so I'm glad it's over. I actually lost sleep last night ‘cause I was worried I'd forget to do something. I got it all done, even though sometimes it was a squeeze and that slooooow train didn't help much, but at day's end (yaaay !) it was a good one, and I got a lot done.

 

Dearest Son wanted me to go to ‘Muffins for Moms' this morning, a sweet gesture from his school. So he got to ride in with me today, instead of take the bus. For a kid who thrives on routine, he really enjoyed today's break from it ! His teacher thanked me again for the flowers and the badges - I was glad to hear that she liked them.

 

I was barely back home before I was cooking up two and a half pounds of rotini for pasta salads. Teacher Appreciation lunch. I think it came out pretty well - it's the first non-family ‘vat' cooking I've ever done. It was very gratifying to see the surprisingly large spread put together for the teachers, all by parents and families. Last year, they took up a collection for sandwiches. Either way, we spent about $10.

 

Once home I had a small surprise - the stitch backing I'd ordered was already here ! Ten yards of it, brand-new on the bolt. You know me, I'll make it last ‘til it rots !

 

I kinda lazed the early afternoon away, and napped. Made the "#1 Bus Driver" and "#1 Bus Monitor" designs for them today, for their end-of-year candy jars. I should get them stitched out and ready to go next week. While it's nice to have a fairly simple last-minute gift out, it's also a good idea to make it up as early as possible ! I also organized the stitch print-outs a bit better, and it was nice to see what I've made already.

 

I was deciding which designs to ditch out of Brody's memory, to make way for the new ones, when I saw the clock again. That was only design that I had so many problems with, I tossed it out rather than try to save it. Well, as far as I knew, it wasn't the design's fault, it was my screwed-up, stripped-out, bad-tensioned hoop. But it taught me how to skip stops, and I still liked the design itself, even though it was bigger than I thought. I'd originally wanted it for Barbie backdrops.

 

Then it hit me. Timey Tell ! Her entire theme was clocks, so why not make it for her ? Like the crab appliqué dress I made for Debbie, I could easily stitch up something pretty for Timey, and finally get that clock worked up, so it wasn't a constant reminder of a crashing fail. So I stitched it again this evening. And it's a heavy, dense one. Took about an hour and a half, with maybe, oh, 150 jump threads to cut. Ten colors - that used four of the new markdown spools, and a never-used one from when we went on that initial supply spree right after Brody arrived. The registration (how the different stitches meet) isn't as tight as I thought, but it wasn't bad at all. And I have a fun project for the weekend. Now all I have to do is find a telephone motif for Hi, Dottie ! Princess Dorrie is probably getting at least one of these ‘D's.

 

Got to test out the thread rack, too. I only knocked it over once, and with the heavy mini-king spools, it tends to tip. So I chocked it on one side with the pin keeper/tool holder on the sewing table, and with a prototypical Barbie brush on the other. Very nice. Kept everything in perfect order, and it was easy to see what was next. So that 50c has been a good investment.

 

Sorted out the small wad of fabric over by Brody. Some tiny scraps, some partially used yardages, the cut-up scrapped clothes. Now they're all bundled up and ready for use. One of the scraps is a shirt back - the front was badly stained, and the whole thing was too small for Dearest - that I hope to practice Wall-E's EVE on tomorrow. But tomorrow's a busy day, too, so I never know.

 

This is sort of funny. When I first got the hang of doing appliqué with Brody, I was thrilled - all those tiny scraps would finally get used ! Um, actually, Brody has generated more scraps, from trimming the finished items into whatever use they end up having. (sigh) But at least I'm using fabric... when I'm not out buying it !

GoodWill was FUN today !

 

Current Mood : Sleepy

Spent on books : $3.78

Spent on star : 54c

Spent on embroidery supplies : 54c

 

We were gifted with a gloriously beautiful afternoon, after more overnight rain and a foggy, humid morning. The sunlight is like honey poured all over everything, and everyone's lawns are waaay overgrown.

 

Since I'm kinda booked tomorrow and Friday, I decided to run whatever errands needed to be done today. Needed glue for the craft project, so that was first, then I hit Dollar Tree - snagged a cool Disney ‘Cats and Dogs' coloring book for Dearest Son, along with four brand-new t-shirts for me to embroider on ! I love getting him brand-new clothes for a buck, and these looked great. He has green, blue, orange, and grey now. No adult sizes, except ‘small' and ‘extra small'. Oh, well.

 

Beloved Hubby and I got to have breakfast together, but it used the last of the bread and eggs. No problem - those were both actually on ‘Customer Appreciation' sale at the grocery in the strip. Also got some orange soda and some odds and ends.

 

But I really had fun at GoodWill. Scored four new books ($3.50), a new thread rack (50c), and a hand-sized wooden star with a tiny matching shelf mounted to the front (also 50c). It'd display a thimble quite nicely ! I was gonna paint it, but the back is stamped ‘Japan', which is rare these days. It might be fairly old. So I just added it to the Wall o' Stars outside the Lab, as-is.

 

The thread rack is pictured above. Actually, I'm not sure what it's supposed to be. Even the cashier asked me what it was. I don't know what it was made to do, but I know what it'll be doing - holding thread spools in the order I need ‘em when I'm embroidering. The chopstick pictured with it was used to replace the missing pin, using the new glue. It'll hold ‘em straight up, or at a 45-degree angle. Since many of the designs I have use ten colors or less, this is just about perfect. And it can double as a railing in doll pictures, with clever editing and support ! You can hardly tell which pin was replaced. The rest of the chopped-up chopstick went back to the cup where it had been resting, to continue its as-needed job of holding washed baggies open to dry. Yes, I even get the most out of take-out chopsticks...

 

The books were all great finds. I got the 19^th Uncle John's Bathroom Reader, a manga volume for Beloved, Wicked Women  by Fay Weldon, and a 1963 version of The McCall's Sewing Book. The illustrations are beyond cool. It was the most expensive of today's GWill finds at $1.49, but still a bargain - the published price was $6.95 ! I'm not sure why, but sometimes I find older books are easier to understand than the latest-and-greatest. Especially on the basics. Let's face it, they didn't have to explain machine embroidery or how to use 147 different stitches in 1963 ! Although that Necchi cam machine I had seemed to have that many, if not more...

 

Well, anyway. Hope your day had some sun in it - and maybe a few new (or new to you !) books in it !

Quite possibly the silliest thing I've ever made, yet I'm proud of it.

 

Current Mood : a bit buzzed on jellybeans...

 

It's still blasted raining. And the chance of rain doesn't drop below 30 percent for the rest of the week. (sigh) And I was so hoping monsoon season was over, and I'd not had a major attack...

 

Anyway. Got together all the unused stitch-outs and found that they fit in the Barbie Tupperware box I got from last week's thrift store jaunt. Remember the one trial that had my name on it twice - where the needle fell out while I was sewing, twice ? I refashioned that into a drinking straw keeper for my purse. Fast food joints always short us on straws around here, and Dearest Son can barely stand a Big Kids Meal orange soda without one. And it's not like that fabric was doing anything else anyway. It folds over at the top and stays down via Velcro ^TM, and is mostly just a tube sewn shut at one end. I added a ribbon so it won't pick up any dreaded Purse Dirt. Needed some practice with knits anyway, and wanted to see if that skill had deteriorated as badly as my zippers one had. Nope. Stitched up nice once the thread settled down. For some reason, it tangled up a bit, but it soon calmed. And I now have the silliest thing ever, a knit bag made expressly for the singular purpose of keeping drinking straws clean and handy. At least it wasn't something I paid for - although I don't imagine even Dollar Tree could get a buck for one of these. And who knows - I may expand into making little bags for toothpicks next...

 

Reason the photo looks funny is because I blanked Beloved Hubby's name out, for security reasons. What can I say, I'm paranoid.

 

I'm not the only one makin' stuff around here. Beloved made Dearest a great bedside wall shelf, perfect for his lamp, rarely-used alarm clock, a small beverage, and a book or six. He loves it. As soon as he gets the paint, it'll match Dearest's bed, as he requested. Only took him about an hour, too. He does the most amazing work with stuff around the Shop.

 

Dearest said his teacher liked the flowers and wore the badge, so I'm thinking she's happy with them. I've already been confirmed for ‘Muffins for Moms' and delivering a pasta salad for lunch Thursday, and doing a craft project Friday. While I'm out tomorrow, I have to pick up some glue and test the project. Glass marble refrigerator magnets. Wish us luck !

 

Not much else going on, so I'm cleanin' the kitchen and ending the day early. Hope yours was drier - I sank up to my ankles in mud when I took out the trash this afternoon. Backyard's a swamp, too. (sigh) I don't know how folk in Seattle deal with it all the time. 

And it came with an extra pack of crayons, too !

 

Current Mood : Pleased with me !

Spent on fabric : $14.82

Spent on thread : $17.01

Spent on machine embroidery supplies : $20.16

 

Current Image Notes : Beloved Hubby snagged this for me tonight. He said he was proud of me for working the Sophie Sew tutorials, and wanted me to have some fun stuff to trace. Squeeee ! He got the set, he said, because it was cheaper than just two of the enclosed books !

 

Well, today, I was several times reminded that I can plan all I want, but I am NOT the one in charge of things ! Finished the pin-back ‘Grammar Police' badge last night, using the spray adhesive that Beloved uses at work - not the designed-for-craftwork stuff. It was quite easy to work with, and I had about 20 seconds to get it all positioned correctly before it began to set up. Of course, it isn't until I compare the fridge one to the badge one that I remember - I didn't Fray-Check the edges on the new one ! It darkens the edges and looks like I used more colors than I did. So I did that, and left it to set up overnight. Works great. I like that stuff ! But I know it'd gum up Brody's needle, so it's best left in the laundry or on the back porch, nowhere near the Lab !

 

Scurried up to Mal-Wart and brought back a gorgeous bouquet along with the week's groceries. Found a matching jewel-tone ribbon in the stash, and arranged the flowers in the vase to the best of my limited abilities. Punched a star-shaped hole in the envelope containing a short ‘thank you' note and the "Grammar Police" badge set, and ran the ribbon through the envelope. Bagged the pretzels and antibacterial wipes we normally contribute at the start of every month, and was off again. Lest you think better of me than I deserve, I kept a sprig of deep wine-colored carnations for Beloved and the eucalyptus for our kitchen !

 

Unfortunately, Dearest Son's teacher was ill today. So I have to wait ‘til tomorrow (hopefully) to see if she likes it all. Darn !

 

But it was a really nice day. M-W had evidently assembled the new thread display without further incidents, and it was smaller but otherwise identical to the one at Hobby Lobby. Looks like they're ditching embroidery thread, since there was no place for it in the new rack. On the plus side, it meant that they marked down what was left to $2.50 for the big mini-king spools, so I snagged the few remaining colors I wanted. It was only six of ‘em this time ! I also got the variegated brown/gold/orange spool that's identical to that green one you've seen so much of, it was down to 75c. It'll be great for stitching out leaf designs for Autumn. They also had some glow-in-the-dark thread left, but I haven't touched the two spools of it I already have from a Hancock Fabrics markdown, so I passed. I basically got all I wanted, especially since someone else snagged all the bobbin thread !

 

I also found a pretty blue floral remnant for $1.76, and got it, just ‘cause. Got our groceries and ran the errands - and put laundry away. Well, shoot. The iron-on interfacing I put behind the green Disney D on that t-shirt came off in the wash. So much for using that as a makeshift embroidery cover. Decided to hit Hancock Fabrics, since I hadn't been there in weeks, and they might just have the stuff, I simply didn't know to look for it earlier.

 

Nope. The manager knew what I was asking for, but they never carried it. No Hancock's would. Oh, well. I already had Beloved's OK to order it online, I just wanted to go local if I could first. Save on shipping, too. But I was happy I went - they had the Wall-E fabric back in stock ! It's so cute ! I got enough to make Dearest a pair of shorts to go with the shirt I'm gonna embroider - as soon as I get the stitch cover. It'll probably be here Friday or Monday. AllStitch.com is really good. 

 

And (sigh) I found a remnant I really liked, a blue cotton with circles like atoms, and the blue fades from dawn to midnight. I'm gonna use it for my Brody cover ! And with that, I came home and ordered the stitch cover and just sat. Worked today's Sophie Sew tutorial, and relaxed. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's tutorial - it's about how to join elements together into a single design. Finally, I'll be able to use some of these alphabets without extensive measuring and hoping !

 

Because of that - and those coloring books ! - I haven't been downloading as many freebies. For one, I already have too much to ever use, and I want space for my own creations ! So I gotta agree with Beloved, I'm kinda proud of me, too !

 

Jack was not impressed with Debbie or her crab...

 

Current Mood: Rain-sleepy

 

I returned the favor today and got up early - so Beloved Hubby had plenty of time to enjoy his breakfast in bed before heading off to work. Yeah, it ranks that he has to work today, especially when the paint store screwed up. But, as he put it, we have a tutor to start paying next month, and I have to see my doctor for prescription refills, and there's stuff everyone wants, so he may as well get the money while the money-getting's good.

 

I've decided that Sunday's about the best day to do the family laundry. The day care center's empty, so it doesn't matter what I'm wearing back there, and while I'm usually running around doing other things, laundry isn't really time intensive. So I can start early and get it done in small bursts. It's my intention to never have another Mt. Clean Laundry on the loveseat again !

 

There's eight Sophie Sew tutorials, so I worked two today and took notes. If I work one a day all week, I'll be done next Sunday, and I can maybe make my own simple designs. Heck, half the ones on those four sites - a freebie every ten/twelve minutes ! - don't seem at all complicated. I pulled up and cropped a page from Dearest's Christmas Wall-E coloring book to experiment with, and it was fun !

 

Last night, Beloved and I went out for a bit, mostly to Hastings. He found a new manga volume he wanted, and I remembered yesterday was Free Comic Book Day, and picked up two that were available for Dearest. I also found a copy of Stuart Little : The Art, the Artists, and the Story Behind the Amazing Movie on clearance for $3. Has a script, preliminary sketches, interviews, the works. Dearest has barely put it down all day.

 

Well, as is usual, I went to make something to give to someone else, something that I've already made once with no problems, and WHAM ! I call down the wrath of the Craft Powers upon me. Happens every time. I sit down to make a doll dress, or stitch out a new design for the first time, whatever, and mentally shrug, thinking that even if it's a total disaster, it'll be on cheap fabric, and the experience is what I'm really after, so I don't really try very hard with things like grainlines and straight centering, etc. And it comes out beautiful. So I decide to do it again, and I try to be precise and do my best, but it's a skip through h#ll the whole way. Goes double if I'm making the second one to give to someone. Drives me nuts.

 

Sat down to stitch the second Grammar Police badge, since Teacher Appreciation week begins tomorrow, and I'll be dropping off flowers anyway. Mal-Wart flowers, but heck. I thought it'd be cute to tuck them into the ‘Thanks for teaching our precious kids' card tied to the vase. Didn't wanna wait ‘til tomorrow, that'd really be pushing it. And I had just about everything go wrong.

 

What's weird is, ya can't tell on the stitched-out badge. All the snarls and picks and broken threads and such don't show at all. This one's gonna be the pin, but I'm taking a break. It took me ten minutes and a consult with the manual before I could get the embroidery foot back on - and I forgot to do the badge back eyelet holes for the pin while the right foot for that was on there. (sigh) This is why I'm takin' a break...

 

Anyway, after dinner and Dearest's bath, I'm gonna put the pieces together on it. Gonna use the spray adhesive on the deck, since it finally stopped raining for six hours in a row.

Rain and the Return of the All-American Crab !

 

Current Mood : Still sleepy, actually. 

Spent on Craft Supplies : $4.52

Spent on Fabric : $2.25

 

Ah, what a good day today was ! Of course, it can be argued that any day ya get $35. worth of stuff for less than $7.50 is probably a good day - but it sure didn't start out that way.

 

I was up late, which is usual for Friday nights. Darn DC got into my unattended leftover Chinese - and then the hairball didn't even eat it ! Of course, I couldn't, not when I had no idea what he'd cat-handled, so I was kinda ticked. You'll be surprised at what had my attention. I was working on doll clothes ! And this was a tricky project.

 

Of all the stuff I've embroidered, only one item got thrown out. Nearly everything else has been used - as bags, décor, fridge magnets, something. But what to do with that really early attempt at appliqué - the crab with the loose fabric, cut with oversize scissors so it's not precise, and sewn with the wrong colors in the wrong sequence - I didn't want to toss it. Sure, it's not my best effort, but I wanted to keep it. After all, you can't see how far you've come if you don't look back once in a while.

 

So I thought, hey, doll clothes ! I can use the crab as the shirt design, and use the appliqué fabric as a skirt for a cute dress. But that's where the challenge began. The All-American Crab was on a scrap of fabric, not a lot there. Finding a doll big enough for the design, but small enough so that the fabric fit was gonna be fun.

 

Crabbie turned out to be too big for Timey Tell and Hi Dottie's chests, but there wasn't near enough fabric for anything but a second-stage appliqué for the My Size Barbie girls. Luckily, I had a new doll size in between - those of my two Battat/Our Generation AG clones, Debbie and Jenny ! Crabbie fit them, and I had just barely enough fabric around him for a shirt front. A few minutes of digging found some scraps big enough for the back pieces, but if there hadn't been enough, I'd have just used the appliqué fabric for that, too. I got a yard of it still.

 

Found a simple, sleeveless bateau neckline shirt in Doll Shop Deluxe, and using their installed American Girl size, printed it out on the backs of some unfiled Dearest Son school papers. And got to work. Two hours later, I had a cute little dress that didn't fluff out as much as I'd wanted, but it was still pretty good. But I was passing out, so I packed it in for the night.

 

Today, after breakfast in bed from a worried Beloved Hubby who said I was wheezing in my sleep, I got to it. Skirt matched up perfectly in back, and I just used Velcro to close it. I knew I'd never finish if I went with snaps. And I was happy.

 

Unfortunately, it was still raining. Lightning and thunder pouring down since 4am raining. So much for hitting yard sales. I was beginning to doubt for a break in the clouds to run to Hobby Lobby. But it did clear up for a couple hours, and I hit it. Got the magnets I needed with the coupon and the half-yard of pretty fabric I liked from the other day while it was still on sale, and after being cut off twice by folks with overloaded carts as I carried my two small items to newly-opened registers, I was ready to go home.

 

It occurred to me to check that $10. Kohl's card they send me every year. When does that expire ? Today. Lucky ! So I made a quick stop and scored the last Wall-E t-shirt they had, amazingly in Dearest's size. Didn't find anything I liked - what little they had in my size was on sale, half-off and still $20. Oh, well. Picked up a markdown bag of Easter Jelly Belly jellybeans to use up the rest of the card, and I was outta there. Really great jellybeans. Still, I have no idea who would pay $8. for 9oz of them.

 

And I got home before the rain. Not sure where Sharon has vanished to - I left a message, but she's out somewhere. Now, I have maybe three more stitch-outs that aren't in use yet...

Shameful secret... free inside !

 

Current Mood : Gleeful !

Spent on Barbie stuff : 54c

Spent on DPrincess stuff : $5.62

Spent on embroidery supplies : $6.08

Spent on shells : $1.08

 

Current Image Notes : Here's my eyelet practice, on a scrap of Pelleon Peltex. You can see how I'll be attaching the pin to the badges, and my many attempts to figure out how to get that eyelet right on target. When there's a dark dot in the middle, I did it - when it's off to the side or nowhere to be seen, I didn't. Eventually, I figured out that if I centered the mark on part of the sole plate and towards the back of the ‘N' foot, it was accurate.

 

Today, I learned eyelets ! Brody will sew a perfectly circular eyelet - like for belts and such - in a 7mm, 6mm, or 5mm pre-set. An awl or the embroidery scissors can trim the middle, and instant neatly reinforced hole ! You just put the needle down, and press the button, and he does it all from there ! Wow. I was thinking yesterday that it's all well and good to hand-sew the pin bar to the Peltex... but what if I sandwich the pin back between the badge and the Peltex, and cut little holes for the pin parts to poke through ? It'd definitely hold...and it hit me. When I was reading Brody's manual, I saw his ‘eyelet' setting. Wouldn't that be perfect ? Before attaching the Peltex to the badge, sew the eyelet holes - and maybe a ‘Made by Dorrie' patch ! - push the pin in, and finish attaching, and it'll look professional and super-cool !

 

But first, I had to experiment. I've not really done any ‘basic' sewing with Brody, except for a few stitches when he first came out of the box. I think the free-embroidery foot's been off him twice before today. So this was exciting - and fun !

 

Beloved Hubby found the partial can of spray adhesive, so I can experiment with that this weekend, too. I found several cans of various brands at Hobby Lobby the other day, and it seems that most spray adhesives for embroidery are for temporary bonding, not permanent. And they're geared to not gum up the needle, always a concern. However, for the way I do fridge magnets and badges, the sewing's complete by the time I reach for the Peltex. So I can use it without worry - long as I'm outside. I hear the fumes are memorable.

 

Well, this morning, after reading the weather's forecast of a zero percent chance of rain before noon, I figured I'd best get going if I was doing much today. Harbor Freight had good magnets, but I'd spend $3. for the 20 I needed for Dearest Son's next craft project. Over at Hobby Lobby, I could get 54 magnets for a buck more with that frequently-used 40% off coupon, and that'd last me for months ! So I decided to wait for Saturday and go to HL then - since there's a yard sale in the area then, too.

 

Dollar Tree was fun - I got two boxes of baggies, one sandwich-size, one snack-size, for 50c each, another package of Disney Princess pencils (I couldn't resist when I saw the orange Jasmine one !), a pack of two huge plastic hair claws for holding clothes out of the way while they're being embroidered, and a small basket of shells. I can't resist them. I love to have them on a desk where I can admire the colors, no matter how sun-bleached or barnacle-ridden they are, I love seashells. There was a cowrie as big as a baby's fist in this one ! $4. well-spent, in my opinion ! And, of course, by the time I left, it was raining. (sigh) Wish I could be wrong at my job 50% of the time - and still have a job !

 

Hit GoodWill anyway, and found a small Lego Star Wars set Dearest already had, but years ago, so he went after it like new. He's played with it ever since he got home from school. All I found for me was a Tupperware sandwich keeper with the Barbie signature and some flowers. It looks never-used. Not entirely sure what I'll do with it yet, but it's very pretty. Kind of a pearly pink color, with a bit of shimmer to it.

 

And I confess. While I was at the grocery store in the same strip, I picked up tomorrow's breakfast - and an issue of Disney Princess magazine. Yes, it's definitely for the under-10 set, but there were several images I liked, including one of a more mature looking Ariel than we're used to. That's pretty much what sold it, right there. Although the ‘Prince Phillip and Aurora Have a Picnic' poster is cute, too...

 

While I was waiting for Dearest's bus, we must've had a power outage. The light was on in the bathroom - it does that - my alarm clock was blinking, and my computer and the DSL modem and router were completely off. Thank Everything I'm in the habit of turning off and unplugging Brody whenever I'm gonna be away for more than ten minutes ! Nothing's damaged, but it's certainly annoying.

 

Rent got paid today, and I had a few bucks to have fun with over the weekend. So I spent $5. on four Barbie designs - the current ‘signature', the 80s 3-D Barbie logo, a Barbie on skates, and one with her and Ken in evening wear. I have plans for all four pieces ! Possibly the skater and daters came from coloring books, they have that sort of ‘look' to them.

I made a bird ! And another D, but those are getting old, fast.

 

Current Mood : Pleased with Self

Spent on crafts : $3.23

Spent on dolls : 50c

Getting the vacuum back after a warranty-paid repair : priceless

 

Well, today I ran out of excuses. After picking up our warranty-repaired Hoover vacuum and hitting a yard sale (more later), I decided to visit Hobby Lobby - heck, there was still more than $15. in Checking, so it wouldn't hurt ! I've dawdled around until my 40% off Hancock Fabrics coupon has expired, but I could still use the website print-out one for HL. There were sales to check out, and there was just one little thing keeping me from trying to embroider on honest-to-goodness us clothes.

 

Cloud cover. I'm not sure if that's the brand name or nickname, but basically, it's a lightweight iron-on that goes over the backside of embroidery, to keep threads and stabilizers from scratching and irritating bare skin. I wasn't able to find any locally, and I know Dearest Son's skin is hyper-sensitive, so that was my excuse - if I did embroider anything, he wouldn't wear it due to the itch factor.

 

You can order the stuff from various embroidery supply websites - but shipping invariably doubled the price. And I don't think we have enough clothes to justify buying ten yards of the stuff. I wanted to find something local. But first, I looked at the Clearance rack, checked out the half-off travel mugs and snow globes you can add your own images and such to, picked out three or four miniature dress forms I'd love to have in Home Décor (and put them all back), found the pin backs I wanted for the ‘Grammar Police' badges, checked out magnets. The only problem with Hobby Lobby's magnets is that they either barely hold an eighth of a sheet of paper up without falling off your fridge, or you need a jackhammer and a prybar to lift it. Prices were good, though. Still, I wanna check Harbor Freight tomorrow, since they're often reasonable on small stuff like that.

 

Got to the fabric section and poked around some. Found some iron-on interfacing that was very soft. $2.79/yd, Pelleon. Everything else was either non-iron-on or stiff. Figured I'd use my coupon to get a half yard on the way out, but first, I had to check the remnant section ! Saw a gorgeous tiny pink hibiscus flower print that'd look sooo good on dolls. But when I did the math, I soon realized that the yard in the pack was the same price as a yard minus the often-issued 40% off coupon would be... and I really didn't need a whole yard. So I decided to wait, snag a half-yard later. Basically, I just enjoyed looking at it all. And waaaay down in the bottom of the remnant bin was... fusible interfacing ! Not sure why, but here was a yard of Pelleon fusible interfacing, listing the regular price as $1.99. But with the remnant discount, it was just $1.19 ! Whee !

 

I used the coupon on the pinbacks, so I got both it and the interfacing for $3.23, pretty much exactly what the pinbacks would have been without a discount. So it's like the ersatz cloud cover was free. But that really meant I was out of excuses when it came to decorating clothes. It was time for me to take a breath and just do it.

 

So I did. After lunch, when Beloved Hubby went back to work, I decided to put another green striped Disney D on an older white t-shirt. I didn't fuss around much with centering the design, just folded the shirt and marked the middle front with a pin, and aligned the hoop with that. Cut out some of the new cut-away stabilizer, and curled the shirt around the hoop, so it wouldn't get in the way. EmbroideryLibrary.com had a great idea - use hair claws or those old banana clips to hold the material away from the hoop, so it doesn't get in the way and throw off stitches. I can look for those at Dollar Tree and thrift stores. 

 

It stitched up beautifully, and isn't too bad - next time, I'd like the design up a bit higher, and it's not as straight as it could be, but for a first effort, I'm pleased. I cut away the excess stabilizer and tried it on... and in ten minutes, the threads and such were buggin' me. So I got out my ‘free' interfacing, and read the directions. I like Pelleon. Every product in their lineup that I've used have been well-made and dependable, as well as reasonably priced. But I hate how they give instructions for ten different products on the same plastic strip insert ! The Peltex was the same way - it had directions for three different kinds, and I wasn't sure after reading them which one I had. Same thing today - the plastic directions strip offered tips on this kind going with that fabric, and how many seconds each needed to be pressed to work. Um, I bought this as a remnant. Aside from Pelleon Fusible Interfacing, I have no idea which texture or weight I have. Well, again, nothing for it but to do it, so I went right down the middle and used those directions.

 

Worked. My skin barely registers the interfacing, but it does show through a bit on the thin white shirt. Oh, well. It doesn't itch anymore, so that's all to the good. I hope to wash it a couple times after I wear it, see how it holds up. I'd show a picture, but it's just like the last striped D, just on white knit instead of a beige-y woven cotton.  And that's one more crossed off the ‘Schedule of Efforts' list ! All that's left is trying the wash-away stabilizer again, embroidering some doll clothes, and finally working up those Sophie Sews tutorials !

 

With that success flush in my head, once Dearest was home, I took a nap ! Then I made a bird. Yup, the one up there. Very simple pattern, directions and all print out on one page. I like how he sits unaided, but if I wanted to use a hair claw as feet, he'd fit in the clasp part just right. His tail started to fray while I was stuffing him, and at first, I thought I'd just turn that to the inside. But then it looked like feathers to me, so I frayed it more. I think the next time I work this one up - there's lots of people I can give the bird to ! - I'll make the tail a bit longer so I can fray it further, and not stuff it so full.

 

I found it on this page - scroll about halfway down, and you can see what they're supposed to look like ! ->

 

http://thelongthread.com/?page_id=2465 

 

Lots more good ideas and patterns there. But if ya wanna, you can go straight to the printable PDF, and save a copy for later.

 

http://www.spoolsewing.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/birdpattern1-1.pdf

 

Beloved Hubby's working late tonight - as he has all week - so I'm not sure if I'm gonna laze the evening away with Dearest Son, or sew another bird or something.

 

Oh, and the yard sale today was OK - they had one of those rack and bin toy organizers for $7. that was tempting, but I have no idea where we'd put it. So all I got was a pair of princess slippers - pink with yellow crowns around the ankle and embroidered ‘jewel'  necklaces at the toes - that'll fit the My Size Barbie girls for 50c. According to the soles, they were from Old Navy. I may venture forth for more sales tomorrow, if it doesn't rain, but I have lots of sewing to do this weekend.

 

It's gonna be a busy one. I'm gonna put two new designs on Brody - one small enough for doll clothes, and another Free-Standing Lace one, probably the sewing machine freebie I snagged. I'm hoping to get those worked up and I have at least two more ‘Grammar Police' badges, possibly more. Our old friend Sharon may be coming by Saturday, and I know she'll want one !

 

Gonna wear my ‘new' shirt tomorrow. Wonder if anyone will notice ?

 

Edited to add : if you decide to try your hand at The Bird, you only need to cut one bird body (on fold) and one bird belly. It's a bit confusing since the pieces read 'cut from fabric 1' on the body and 'cut from fabric 2' on the belly. They just mean use two separate contrasting fabrics, not cut one body and two bellies. I swear, you'd think I was an English major, the way I can misread simple directions ! I always over-think simple things...

 

Now with STRIPES !

 

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 !