Discounted Classes at Craftsy this Weekend

Just saw a heads up from Crafty Gemini on Facebook yesterday about the classes on Craftsy dot com being $19.99 through Monday of this Thanksgiving weekend.  I've been wanting to join a class that was $49 and this makes it very affordable. Don't know if I can squeak in another because there is a new quilting one that looks good.  I think I have a link to Craftsy in the Blogs I Like section.  Will add it if I don't.

There are some free classes, two on bag making, one on frosting, maintaining your sewing machine, a quilting block of the month, and there may be some in workshops, but I have not checked there lately.

I was having problems watching the quilting BOM after July. They changed the format somehow and the episodes just won't load on Firefox.  The help folks suggested I turn off the HD but it would not load far enough in for me to do that.  Just kept trying to load -- forever.  The solution was to open Google Chrome and watch it there. PITA to have to change but it works and I got to see through October.  Some great techniques.  The paper piecing did not grab me until I saw the tutorial from Vanessa at Crafty Gemini (on YouTube).  I'm subscribed to her channel and saw it there and I understood it lots better the way Vanessa does it. 

I have been watching the tutorials on machine embroidery and free motion embroidery and some of the videos on YouTube are very interesting.  I am going to try it with the Singer machine I got earlier this year. Yes, I got a white plastic machine because of the stitches that are not on any of my older machines. What machine?  I picked up a Singer 9960 at Amazon.  What stitches did I need you ask?  The ones for applique.  Satin stitch does not work for everything you applique.  I've got a couple of machines that have more cute stitches and alphabets but no blanket stitch.  This machine has at least three that would work, larger alphabet sizes than what I have already, a ton (OK, 20) extra feet, an extension table, and it came with the hard cover, which was a surprise. Part of the things were extra value items and the phone number for Singer help was for the HSN Singer dedicated number. That was a surprise and it worked, too. I needed help with a thickness issue since there is no pressure foot adjustment.  The solution was to change the stitch length, lengthen it.  It worked.

Then I was at Joann's Wednesday afternoon and just happened to stop and talk with the sales person there in the Viking Husqvarna / Singer sewing machine area.  She thought that if I had the "E" card for my Viking #1 then the blanket stitch might be on it.  That is not one of the cards that came with my machine so I guess I am justified in buying the white plastic baby with all the extra feet, and things that came with it.  It is nice, quiet, and a dream to work with.  I haven't tried all the feet yet, but it was suggested that one should make a stitch book.  The instructor of the sewing threads embellishments class at Craftsy suggested making a stitch book and it is also one of the things that Bernina shows on their website on the tutorials or tips section.

Yard clean up calls.  Later, Dudes and Dudettes.

Folding Your Fabric Stash

Well, I just added another blog, and this one is on folding fabric for neat visual storage.  Comic book boards are used to help them stand up and a tutorial shows how to fold several sizes of fabric, yardage, fat quarters and smaller bits.  Very interesting and clears up a lot of clutter.  Check out the list to the right and look for cuttopieces.  Click on it to get to her blog.

It's the New Year and I'm Supposed to be Doing...

The New Year is here. I did not get my Christmas cards out, again, and am wondering if it is too late to get and send 'hope we have a wonderful year' cards instead. No resolutions made, but I'm still thinking about one. Got to get a few more calendars, pages for my organizer (had to wait for my check to get here), get to the sew and vac to get a foot for my FW and find a backing for my quilt.

Sheesh, I wimped out. I told DH I was going to finish going through my emails (I get a lot!), moderate as needed, and get to my quilting. I have to finish cutting up some more FQs to make a few more variations of blocks. Then I'm supposed to cut up the strips that frame the blocks.

(Hanging head in shame) Instead I'm putzing with the online Craftsy classes I joined about quilting and checking out the free BOM one (block of the month) and messing with the supply lists.
Then following blogs like the ones about Ryan Gosling -- what a hoot, I spent an hour following a lot of those on tumblr... The people who write those sayings on his pics are talented. I had to look up a couple of words in my dictionary.
Then I bookmarked a couple more sites that had cute needle book tutorials that tipnut.com had listed. The owl one is too cute.
Then I checked to see if there were any more of the awsome wood Singer FW table extensions listed on ebay by twice-a-treasure but nothing yet, only showing in completed right now --he sold them all, three more to the same guy. Seems the guy's wife is in a quilt guild and they like them so he has been doing the buying for them--whatta DH. I want to get one for my tan FW -- either coordinate or contrast color. I'm not keen on oak, but thought maybe if he has black walnut or something with a nice tight grain.

Maybe it is time to get off the computer and go cut up a bit...maybe. Later then.

In the MeanTime...

Things have been busy for me the past month plus.  I bothered to sign up for a quilting class at our local fabric craft store.  Nice teacher, easy going, not picky about my mistakes or slowness.  This close-to-perfection thing about quilting is just another step in the process to keep me from liking piecing.  Have I said yet that I hate piecing?  Never liked it and I still don't.  I am not inspired to be artistic.  I can copy something if I can see and handle an item.  I like clothing, crafting and home deco sewing.  Cutting fabric up into bitty pieces to make a bigger piece, iron the seams down after sewing and hoping I got it correct drives me nuts!  Did I mention that I hate ironing!  I hate ironing. 

I'm taking the class to learn about it.  I'm only part way done, as sashing needs to be done next and then borders and then binding.  If I don't have it finished before her next quilt class, the teacher will allow me to attend and pay individually for each meeting I go to for her help.  A simple four-patch is all I'm doing.  However, it is going to be larger than a twin size, and I can use the extra squares (yes, there will be extra squares -- 12 fat quarters to make 5 1/2 inch squares makes for lots of combinations)  to make a bolster or pillow cover or something.  I think the teacher felt bad for me and had me doing a random pick to make the squares, but I'm trying to coordinate the different fabrics to make them look nicer. I still have to find a backing fabric and am thinking along the lines of flannel as it is so cold for me lately.  It is raining now. 

I think my next quilt will be done with a serger.

I may keep this blog posted about my quilt making, but then maybe not.