Cute little bag

 I'm blessed to have several friends I meet with, send texts a few times each week and we get together once a month or so at a nice restaurant to catch up with each other.  Now that I've given these out, one to each of my friends, I can share this nice project.

I made each of them a Bitsy Box.  The pattern is by Ticklegrass Designs.  The Bitsy Box is a 2"x2" little bag that is perfect for storing Wonder Clips.  In fact, I filled the little thing with about 50 Wonder Clips before I gave them out.

If you're looking for a nice project to give as gifts, this one fits the bill.  They come together quickly due to their small size and are easy!

Embroidery Machine Upgrade

 I decided to upgrade to another embroidery machine with a larger hoop size.  I bought a Janome Memory Craft 500E embroidery only machine.  I've been getting to know it the last couple days and I really like this machine!  The largest hoop size is 8"x 11".  I have a couple projects to work on after the Christmas rush is over and both have larger embroidery designs in them.  Here is one of the designs, a double hooping creates this design:

I also worked on two quilt labels for a customer and I am very impressed with the quality of the stitching.  I made a good decision getting this machine.

 

Update: January 10, 2025

I finished the top!  Here's the photo... it still needs to be longarmed.  I am getting back into the swing of things after taking a 4 week break from my longarming business.  I do this every year after the Christmas rush is over and I spend the time piecing and sewing for myself.  I'm impressed with the digitizing on this design.  It doesn't look like it was machine embroidered, it actually has a hand embroidered look.  The person who digitized it didn't use a running stitch but rather a tiny zigzag like stitch.  The name of the kit is Snow Happens.

Under my needle

 Winter has finally arrived in NC.  On this cold Sunday this is under my needle.  I began it last night and plan to finish it and 2 other small quilts today!  The pantograph on this quilt is called Bossa Nova and it's a favorite of mine.  

This is one of the other quilts I need to finish for a customer.  It has a travel theme and I'm stitching campers on it using my robotics.

How to avoid twisted binding

This video has a very good tip for joining the binding.  She folds the binding over at one point and this tip has certainly helped me.   I used to end up with twisted binding about 50% of the time, but with this folding idea, no more twisted binding!

Under my needle

 I have a customer quilt on the frame tonight, I'm working late.   On the wall are 2 quilt tops I made over the summer.  I haven't had time to longarm my own tops lately but I'll have more time after the Christmas rush is over.

Quilt Retreat Packing List

 I am headed to a quilt retreat next month in the North Carolina mountains.  I made a checklist for myself and thought I would share it with you!  

It's a free download, click here!

Ode to Sewing Machines #46

 Many of you follow my "Ode to the Sewing Machine" posts.  We've all seen the ads on craigslist, ebay and elsewhere.  The clueless sellers give those of us who sew a belly laugh, or two!  Here's installment #46!  

That's a new way to thread a machine!

All you need is $150 and a tetanus shot for this pile of junk.

Ewww!  No wonder it's been listed for 9 months with no takers, even for $10.

Dye has bled on your quilt - what now?

When a quilt with red, black, purple or dark blue fabric has bleeding of colors it can ruin a perfectly good quilt.  Synthrapol is a solution to fixing the problem!  

The first thing I'd like to do is have you watch a youtube video by Rob from Man Sewing. 

This video teaches how Synthrapol works, and it's important to learn this before 

you try using Synthrapol the first time.

Note: I have you starting the video in the middle.

Synthrapol is a neutral detergent.. The neutral pH means it is good for taking care of the excess dyes.  All laundry detergents and dishwashing detergents, such as Dawn, are high pH and as a result you need multiple cycles of washing to get all the excess dyes out. They don't work all that well, frankly.

Rob gave very good information about how to use Synthrapol.  (The first half of the video talks about how to use Retayne, it's good information too!)  But he doesn't give information on how to remove excess dyes from a big 'ol quilt.

For a top loading washer:  

Add the quilt and the Synthrapol.  Use one teaspoon for every gallon of water... 1/2 cup (4 ounces) will go into 20 gallons, which is the typical amount a washer holds.
The water in the washer must be hot, raise the temperature of your hot water heater temporarily so it's plenty hot.  Let it run through a cycle, agitation is important here... and use a warm water rinse. A second warm water rinse wouldn't hurt.

Check the fabrics to make sure the dye was removed.  Do not dry the quilt in the dryer until all the excess dye has been removed.  If you still see excess dye, simply repeat the wash cycle again.

For a front loading washer:

Because of the small amount of water used in a front loader, a front loading washer is not recommended.  You should go to a laundry mat in that case, or visit someone who has a top loader.

Note: this post was originally posted in 2019.  It's being repeated now since it's good information!