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.
