January 1, 2016
Happy New Year!
If you’re on Instagram, you’ve probably seen many of these #2015bestnine; they’re so much fun! I just googled and found a site that generated my most liked Instagram posts for me. It was a great way to have a quick look back through my projects.
I don’t usually do New Year’s resolutions, but this year I decided on one: I’d really like to focus on learning new sewing skills by trying some different things. Don’t worry, I’ll still make plenty of bags! I’m thinking of taking a few more Craftsy classes* and signing up for Creative Bug*, plus trying some different designers’ patterns and this WILL be the year I try garment sewing.
Do you have any New Year’s resolutions this year? Sewing, or otherwise? I’d love to hear them! Leave me a comment if you want to share.
December 31, 2015
January 2016
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A brand new Canadian Online fabric shop has just opened up! I haven’t tried it out yet (it literally opened 2 days ago). To celebrate the opening, they’re offering 15% off with code launch29, valid through February 12, 2016. There is a rewards program and flat rate shipping too. http://www.zoeyandbean.com/
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I’ve really been trying to ramp up my sewing library lately, and look what I found! All these great books on sale, and all eligible for free shipping in Canada!
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Free shipping with minimum orders too!
December 23, 2015
Handmade Holiday
First up is this Noodlehead Caravan Tote with a Hazel Hedgehog quilt block I made as a teacher gift. I used Joel Dewberry’s Nottinghill and Essex Linen (from Fabric Spark), and kept the lining really simple for a quicker sew.
December 13, 2015
2016 Bag of the Month Club
Last year I received the Bag of the Month Club as a Christmas gift, and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. It turned out to be one of my favourite gifts ever! I looked forward to the first of the month to find out what the next bag pattern would be, and was never disappointed. Some of the designers were new to me, and it was so much fun getting to know some different styles of patterns.
Details
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Giveaway Winner
This discount is valid for the entire month of December!
December 12, 2015
What a Bunch of … Thread!
Mild Bunching
Thread bunching under your fabric?
Makes you want to curse out loud and take a hammer to your machine sometimes, huh? Before you rip your best friend apart, try these easy solutions. They will clear up the majority of problems lickety split!
1. Hold your thread tails and apply a little tension toward the back as you start to sew. Or you can start by taking two stitches with your handwheel before applying the power. (Especially if you start in reverse.)
2. I know this seems obvious but we sometimes forget. Make sure your presser foot is down. Also, don’t start your stitching over lumpy areas. The foot has to be flat. (If you absolutely must start on a hump, there are tricks for dealing with that, but that’s a whole other post.)
3. Rethread your machine. And be sure the presser foot is up and your take-up lever is fully in the up position when you do it.
4. Check to make sure your bobbin is threaded correctly. Some machines unwind the bobbin in a “p” and some unwind in a “q”.
5. Dump all the dollar store and bargain bin thread. Make a display out of any vintage thread you might be tempted to use. Then go and get yourself some good quality thread. Please! Cheap thread will wreak havoc on your machine and your sanity. It has to do with the loose fibres, plus the twist and torque of the strands as they unwind. We’ll skip the physics lesson, but for the sake of all sewing, get good thread! If there’s one thing a frugal fibre artist is not allowed to scrimp on, it’s the fibre.
6. Check your upper thread tension. Your bobbin thread might be bunching because your upper tension is too low.
7. Are you using the correct size of thread and needle for your project? (Another point that requires its own separate post to cover.)
8. Still bunching? Ok, now you can start futzing about with your bobbin tension, but be careful that you don’t lose that tiny screw or you will be screwed…
Note: The post has only one sad little photo because I am hopeless at photography and on the verge of tossing my camera over the balcony (again). Before that happens, I’m putting down the apparatus and starting Wine Time.
Tags: bobbin, bunching, presser feet, tension, thread, thread nest
December 8, 2015
December Sales
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creativebug has a great promo going on right now. Get together with a friend and get yourselves a whole year of online learning!
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Want even more classes?! All classes, kits and supplies are on sale at Craftsy.
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December 7, 2015
Pattern Tester Fail
A sewing friend on the other side of the continent just told me she applied to be a tester for some pattern designers, and that reminded me…
It was about, oh, 18 months ago, I got it into my head that I would like to test a pattern. So I joined a pattern testing group on Facebook. Experience not required.
Sweet, talented Angie Hebert, a new designer at Beaser Bags took me on to test the Timeless Take Along Wristlet and key fob, at her own peril. The sample photos looked great and I would get a free pattern for giving my opinion (which I usually give for free.) I wish someone had told me that I would have to follow the instructions exactly.
By the time I was done with adding this here, subtracting that there, substituting another thing, the poor wristlet had been hacked to death and my photos were useless to Angie. Not only because I had done everything ass backwards, but because my photography sucks. (Yes, it sucks badly!) Don’t believe me? Look! Just look!
But I digress… Seams that unless I’m in school and writing an exam, I don’t follow directions very well. Not because I can’t, but because it’s much more enticing to make it up as I go, take detours, go on tangents, and generally get lost in things. (Ah the freedom of accepting one’s oddities.) Now, what’s a girl to do if she can’t/won’t follow a pattern or recipe or GPS directions? She accepts her fate and just goes straight for the hack. That’s all.
I also must apologize to poor Angie for demolishing her lovely pattern, which despite my best attempts at sabotage turned out beautifully. The pockets are the perfect size and the pieces fit together effortlessly. If you want to see the real deal, check her out on Craftsy at Beaser Bags. Sorry, Angie! At least Clark gave my efforts the paws up.
What’s my point? Point is, embrace the thing that makes you weird. If you can’t paint inside the lines, paint outside, or better yet, erase the lines and just paint. If you can’t touch your toes, then reach for the sky. And in this case, if you can’t follow the pattern, hack it! Hack it with all your might. I pretty much failed this testing test, but I passed hacking with flying colours.
And on that note, I’m out!