Special Deals...

Craftsy is having some great deals on their products.  Check them out!

1.  Craftsy is having a one day only sale on the Great Courses and Start Up Classes.  That's up to 85% off.

2.  BluPrint for $1 for one month.  If you sign up for a subscription, you will get 50% off Craftsy purchases through the end of the year.

You can also click on the links at the right.

Happy Stitching!

(Please note that these are affiliate links.  I will get a small commission if anything is purchased at no cost to you.  Thank you!)

Serger Solutions Class...

A just finished the Serger Solutions: Trouble Shooting Techniques class at Craftsy/Bluprint.  This was a real eye opener for me.  I currently own a Juki MO-1000 4/3/2 serger.  When I purchased it a couple of years ago, I thought that I wouldn't have any difficulty not having a computerized machine.  I was wrong.  I have never owned a serger where I had to determine the setting on the differential feed.  Yes, this is my third serger but I went from Bernette Funlock 4/3 serger without differential to a Husqvarna Huskylock 936.  The 936 had everything. Oh, you could change the setting but when you selected the fabric type and/or stitch, it automatically changed the settings for you.  Yeah, I was a bit spoiled.

I need to play with my serger a little more.  I feel like I have a better understanding of the differential feed and will be able to correct some issues I've been having with it when sewing knit fabrics.  Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of other things to learn in this particular class.  I will be watching/listening again as there is a ton of information and I have no doubt that it will take a bit for all of it to sink in.

The link above is directly to the class at Craftsy.  However, you can also watch it on Bluprint.  Here's the link - 7 day FREE trial on Bluprint.

Happy Stitching!

Go Binge!

Yep, go binge watch your favorite subjects with a  7 day FREE trial on Bluprint. 

Want to learn more about your serger?  Gotcha covered from beginner to advanced plus troubleshooting.  Want to know more about quilting?  From techniques to project, there is lots to watch. 

Really, I could go on and on.  Right now, I'm watching serger videos. 

Happy Stitching!
(contains affiliate links)

Steals & Deals..

Looking for bargains?  Check out Craftsy Steals & Deals (affiliate link).  From thread to quilt kits, fabric, yarn, and more.

Have fun looking.  I have.

Happy Stitching!

Goodies Have Arrived...

Did you participate in the Crafty Black Friday event?  I did go shopping and got some lovely little items:

1.

Collins Fine Line Blue Water Erase Pens -  I had just tossed the ones I had as they weren't functioning any more.  That is a win-win.

2.

Everyday Table Runner Holiday kit -  I love decorating for the holidays and to add something new every year.  Hopefully this will get completed before Thanksgiving.

3.

Package of Pellon Shape Flex.  This is always good to have in the stash.

4.

Clover Antique Yarn Threader.  This is definitely not a necessary item but it is so pretty.  I do like like have pretty equipment and this will come in handy when I finish things that I have knitted.


Did you get any goodies at the Craftsy sale?  I tried really hard to not spend much but I did spent a little more than I had intended.

Happy Stitching!
(all links are affiliate links)

Black Friday Sale...

Black Friday sale in August?  You bet.  Hop over to Crafty's Black Friday sale via this link or use the last ad banner on the right.

I'm anxiously waiting for my order to arrive.  I hope the new kit is good one.  I also purchased several new tools.  Yeah, just too much fun.

The Black Friday sale is August 3, 2018 through August 6, 2018.  Have fun looking!

Happy Stitching!
(affiliate links included)

Steals and Deals...

Do you ever check out Craftsy's Steals Deals section?  I have purchased some really nice kits in this section.  Yarn is always a draw for me. I notice that there was super bulky yarn on sale.  Think baby blankets.  That's a always a nice gift.  I see there is some DK superwash also. I don't know if I should invest in more yarn right now as I thinking I've got yarn for at least 4 sweaters.  But a girl can dream, right?

There is plenty of fabric in the Steals & Deals section, also.   From strips to kits, there is a huge selection.  Yes, I'm drooling over several kits.  There is one that I may get.  It is a table runner and listed as advanced.   Don't forget about the stash builders. The stash builders I was looking at are around $5.00/yard.  That is indeed a bargain.

Well, I did end up finding a couple of things that I want to purchase.  I show them later.  Do check out Steals & Deals.  You might just find the perfect gift for yourself or someone you love.

Happy Stitching!
(affiliate links are included in this post)

Bluprint...

Have you checked the new version of Craftsy Unlimited yet?  It's called Bluprint.

I've been poking around this morning to see what is different from Craftsy Unlimited.  For starters, the Great Courses are included.  The first thing I started watching was fitness course.  Next, there is a section called Home Decorating and Entertaining.  I found this class Getting Started with Upholstery (craftsy link).  I'm working on a project right now that this class might be helpful with.

I have no doubt that I will find many more classes that I either hadn't noticed before or is new content for the new site.  So, hope over and check out the new site and try a 7 day FREE trial on Bluprint.  Remember if you to get a subscription during the free trial you can get either 33% off the first three months or $20 off an annual subscription.

Happy Sewing!  (or maybe it should be Exploring!)

(All links are affiliate links)

Craftsy Supply Sale....

Craftsy is having a sale on their supplies through July 15th.  Check it out - Craftsy sale.  Okay, I'm off to see what else I can find for myself.

Happy Stitching!

Craftsy Class....Next Level Knits: Techniques for Structure and Style....

I've been trying to get the most from my Craftsy Unlimited subscription and I just finished the  "Next Level Knits: Techniques for Structure and Style" by Pam W. Howard (affiliate links) . This was an interesting class. It is rare that I don't learn something from this sort of class. It did take several sessions to watch it and I do wish that I had had a garment to work on while doing it but I can do it later.

Things that I liked:

1.  She shows construction of a knit garment using a sewing machine.  I really like this because not everyone has the budget or space for multiple machines.  You really only need a sewing machine.  The other machines are just conveniences.

2.  I saw a few techniques that will get carried over to my own sewing.  What are those techniques?

• The elastic waistband technique that she demonstrated.  In my opinion, that technique alone is worth the price of the class.
• The fitting technique that was demonstrated was fairly good one. 
• The method of transferring the changes was good.  
• The discussion and demonstration of lining and underlining was good.

Things that I didn't like:

1.  I didn't like her method of preventing tunneling using a twin needle.  Admittedly, I have not tried it.  However, trying it is definitely the only way to know how well it works.  Until then, I will continue to use my own method of preventing tunneling.

I enjoyed this class enough that I will be investigating additional classes by Pam Howard.  I'll let you know which ones when they have been completed.

Have you taken this particular class with Pam Howard?  What did you think?  Did you enjoy the class?  Have you been using any of the techniques discussed? Have you taken any other classes by her and how were they?

Happy Sewing!

Knitting...Finished A UFO

This past weekend found me trying to get the sewing area organized better.  I've been here 6 months now and have yet to find a good organization for this room.  I just have too much stuff.  My knitting stuff doesn't really have a home in the sewing room.  I really need to get this figured out.  I suppose I'm trying to keep too much stuff in the room itself instead of taking advantage of the nice storage unit.  So back to knitting, I was going through my knitting supplies and a scarf project that was almost finished.   It is one of those no pattern one skein items.  I know I was working on this when I was taking the Improve Your Knitting: Alternative Methods & Styles class at Craftsy.   So, after two short sessions while watching TV here is my little scarf:

This is a simple 2K2P rib and I really like the texture.  This view is unblocked and I need to decide if I'm going to block it or not.  Maybe I can find time next week if I decide to do it.

One thing that I can say about my knitting stash is that it has grown project by project even though I had not intended to have such a large backlog of knitting.  I love looking at the Crafty knitting clearance because you never know what you're going to find and I have found a lot.  I have at least 6 projects that need to be completed.

Happy Stitching!

(affiliate links included)

Stitchin', Stitchin', Stitchin'....

I have completed a sampler for the Swing Skirt:

You can really tell much by the picture but I think you can click on it and get a better idea of the colors used.  The fabric is teal and aqua with the stencil done in a grey.  Starting in the upper right hand corner the thread colors played with are:  the two petals diagonal from the right hand corner are navy, the two leaves below and to the right are done in a charcoal grey, the next petal to the left is outlined in light grey, the next petal is outlined in black, the large leaf/petal on the left in outlined in light grey, the next petal/leave diagonal from the left corner is outlined in lack with the final petal in the middle top outlined in black.

I am leaning toward the black or the navy for the outlining.  What do you think?

I haven't gotten my stencil ready to stencil the skirt panels yet.  I still have to work out the whole transfer bit to the felt.  I had the local printer print the stencil for me but I don't really want to cut it as I may want to use it again.

I definitely need to invest in a smaller pair of scissors.  I used my regular shears to snip out the appliques and it was not easy.  It would also probably be a bit neater with smaller blades.

This sample is for the Craftsy The Swing Skirt: Techniques & Construction class. 

Have you tried this style of construction?

Happy Stitching!

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I Have Not Been Knitting....

Oh, my knitting supplies are sitting out like I'm knitting but I haven't touched anything since last Wednesday when I went to the knitting group.  It was so much fun to sit around and chat with other women.  I had very carefully finished my swatch while at the knitting group but in reading the instructions, the swatch was suppose to be in pattern.  Okay, that makes sense but I wish I had noticed it before finishing the original swatch.  So, I started over.  I can't seem to keep the pattern going.  So, I'm going to start over again.

In the meantime, I have been working on The Swing Skirt: Techniques & Construction class.  I have watched the class all the way through and will return to the various sections as I work on my skirt.  The skirt by the way is now cut out.  I'm now working on how to get my stencil ready to stencil.  There are a few additional decisions that need to be made.  I still need to decision what color of thread I'm going to use in the applique.

I also fell off the Craftsy purchase wagon and purchased more Craftsy fun:  Sewing Bras: Construction & Fit and Simple Knitting Techniques for Super Fit.  I've always been curious about sewing bras so I thought that this would be a good introduction to that type of sewing.  The Knitting Techniques class just falls into the knitting interest.

So much to do and so little time.

Happy Stitching!

(includes affiliate links)

New Knitting Kit....

Oh, yes, I fell for one of the Craftsy knitting kits - Niazuma Sweater:

I really like the slight V with the extra details on the front and the sides. I received the Powder Blue color yarn. I'm hoping the raglan isn't a mistake. 

Off to see if I have the correct needles and other supplies.

Happy Stitching!
(affiliate links included)

The Adventure Begins.....

Ever since I discovered Alabama Chanin, I have been in love with the look -- all the embroidery and embellishment.  I have purchased all the books and read each one.  However, I have never had the courage to attempt something in this style.  Folks, this is changing!  In December, I purchased "The Swing Skirt Techniques & Construction" class at Craftsy.  I am going to do this and with luck, in the end it will fit.  The class includes the pattern and the stencil.

Today, I decided to start my journey by doing a couple of samples.  I copied the following stencil from the Alabama Stitch Book:

It is the Bloomers allover stencil.  This will allow me to create a sample which I can test the felt that I'm using and practice the technique with a spray can of fabric paint (Tulip Color Shot).  I have no idea how this is going to turn out but I'm hoping that it will be fun.  Now, I just need to locate some excess jersey to play with.  I know that there is some in the stash because I saw it not long ago.

The felt is an unknown.  It was something that I found in the stash that seemed like it might be stiff enough to handle the stenciling. The only thing I know about it is that it is wool.  There is a big difference in wool felt and felted wool.  Time will tell if this little stencil will hold up.  If it doesn't, does anyone know when I can purchase stencil plastic at a good price?  I don't believe that I have a lot of resources locally but I am near a very large university and there might be something available there.

Here's the jersey samples from my scraps:

Here's my first attempt:

I didn't exactly follow directions which stated to do this in light coats.  I did one rather heavy coat and decided that I liked the color saturation.   At first glance, the stencil is holding up.  Here's after 30 min:

I'm completely happy with the color of the paint.  However, the design itself is a little smeared.  The felt definitely lifted a bit when spraying it.  This will be good enough to practice.  I can say with confidence that if I had done this on the actual project, there would have been tears.

I was very surprised at how quick I was able to get this outlined.  Granted it isn't large but still it was done in about an hour. Of course, that gives you an idea of how long a whole garment would take to complete.  I used regular sewing thread for the sample.  The recommended thread would be much more noticeable.

I checked the back when finished to see how I had done grabbing both layers of fabric.  I thought it looked pretty good.

Here is the finished product.  I'm happy with my very first sample of this technique. In real life, I would never have combined these two colors but I like the way it looks.  Maybe I will try a t-shirt before starting the skirt to practice a little bit.  What do you think?

A slightly different view of the sample.  I realized that I had not trimmed enough away on the applique.  I think it looks a wee bit better.

Have you tried any of the techniques in Alabama Chanin books?  How did it turn out for you?  What paint did you use?  What technique did you use to apply the stencil?   As you can, see I have a ton of questions.


Happy Stitching!

Let's Knit!.....

Knit, knit, knit....I've been doing a fair amount of knitting since the first of the year but not on projects.  I've been working on changing how I knit.  I have always knitted with the yarn on the left which most people would call continental but I'm not sure that is what I was doing.  I really wanted to sped up my knitting a little bit so I can work on larger projects.  So, I decided to take the Craftsy class called "Knit Faster with Continental Knitting".  It has taken me since Christmas to feel slightly comfortable.  The class has you using circular needles which more or less forces you to hold both needles in your hands.  Something I'm not use to doing at all because normally I would prop the left needle on my leg.  I have practiced, practiced, practiced and practiced a little more.  I still can not hold the thread and make the stitch exactly as instructed but I am picking the stitch which is much faster than the left handed throwing that I was doing.  The tension is looking good.  I'm not sure that the continental purling is faster than what I was doing but I keep on practicing.  The purl tension is looking good, too.  Maybe I'm ready to try a project.

Remember the hats that I knitted at Christmas?  I still have one more hat to make.  So, I'm going to attempt to make it with my "new" knitting style.  If it doesn't work out, I will pull it out and knit the way I have always knitted.  I'm hoping that it works out.

Have you tried continental knitting?  Did it work out for you?

Happy Stitching!