Sue's Sweet Claire

This project is dear to my heart. Tiny Claire Christine was born on Valentine's Day and lives in the Northeast. I don't know Claire or her parents, and I have not seen her grandparents for many, many years, but as a transplanted teenager in Tuscaloosa Alabama, their friendship helped shape me to the person I am today. Beverage, Bauer,and Bethard. We were all in the same homeroom at Tuscaloosa High and it was Bill's invitation to Forest Lake Methodist Church and MYF that led me to a faith that has guided and sustained me through the years. I was a bridesmaid in their wedding. Bill's mother directed my wedding. Both their mothers served as mentors, strong role models and friends to me. It was the internet that helped us connect after so many years.
The little linen bib is embroidered in soft pastels from the Martha's Minis CD. The design is tiny, and I have learned that a good pair of curved scissors to clip jump threads is essential. It is also easier for me to clip the jump threads as the design stitches...when designs are tiny getting the threads while still in the hoop, with good light is so much easier. Claire's little schnauzer Fizzie is on the Arizona Red burp cloth. Claire bear came from a Husquavarna Viking CD and is embellished with a polka dot fabric.
Welcome to the world, sweet baby Claire!

So much to learn, so little time...

My newest discovery is the fact that if I can find a font in my computer, I can stitch it! I have had a world of fonts at my fingertips and have learned to access them with the help of Stuart and Marian at the Atlanta Sewing Center!

With Version 6 of the Artista Software, I have the ability to choose any font from my computer, and for Calder I chose Jokerman.
I worked in Art Canvas, typed his name and highlighted it, went to the toolbar and increased the size of the lettering, then changed the font to Jokerman. All that was left was to go to the last icon on the left side of the screen that changes your letters to stitches and WOOHOO! It shows up in stitiches back in the embroidery screen! I guess maybe I won't be using the Anniversary and Curlz fonts so much for awhile.

I liked these little caterpillars in the Martha's Minis CD, but I did not like the way that they stitched out on the birdseye diaper; it is so loose that the stitiches get a little lost. I used solvy for the lettering and it stitiched much nicer. The last thing that took me awhile to learn was to choose my ribbon...THEN choose the thread. Much easier to match that way.

I am looking forward to meeting my little red headed great nephew, Calder Alexander Trest!

New Towels at ASC!

Bright colors, curlz font, fun little flowers, ball fringe and rick rack.

ballet bags

It is a beautiful Saturday morning and the girls are on their way to ballet. They have new little bags that they are so excited about. Getting the photo was not so easy, sunshine in the eyes, bags flopping, feet dancing...it was a rowdy photo shoot, and these are the best photographs I could get.
To embroider their names on the bags I turned them inside out, used a heavier stabilizer and hooped it, sprayed it with 505, then pressed the bag down to the hoop. It was a little difficult to embroider; I had to clip the handles back and watch carefully as it stitched. Since this was a heavier fleece, I increased the pull compensation to 3.5 and increased the underlay on the font to a double zigzag in the Artista software. I used the curlz font, and they came out really cute. The letters are nice and bold and they stand up to the furry fleece. The only problem was the fact that Mae Mae says, "I go by Mae Mae" and I couldn't get the six letters in the hoop without a lot of difficulty. So in ballet, she will just have to "go by" Mae!

Happy Easter to All!

...to all my little girlies, the Gunns and the Allbrittons! I did little tea towels for their mommies to hang. They are the same pretty pink, but you would never know with the strange color photos I took. The egg design on the left is from the software; I inserted the G from the software as well. THe little Allbritton bunny is from a Martha Pullen CD. Now for the helpful hint. I DO NOT KNOW WHY, but I find myself always getting my stabilizer from my basket of scraps. I did NOT have enough to cover the entire design, but I hooped it anyway. Hence the puckers. I may just have to do away with my scrap basket, because these towels would look so much nicer without the puckers! dang it!

Easy Napkin Pillow

I have been looking at these napkins at the Atlanta Sewing Center for a few months and finally couldn't stand it any more, so I brought a couple home to make a pillow. The linen napkin has a dark brown border and dots in the upper right hand corner. I took two of them, used the Candlewick font, and seamed them together twice around the edges.

I averted a near tragedy while embroidering the G. I enlarged the G a good bit while I was still in the Artista program, and thought I should probably change the fill stitch because the satin stitch was fairly wide on parts of the letter. The step stitch looks really pretty up close, but the dots were a problem. The added stitches broke a needle and made a bird's nest under my hoop, and since I had already sent the design to the machine I didn't want to try to change the stitching again. So as each dot stitched, I watched, and after it had gone around once to complete the dot, I advanced the stitching and skipped the rest of the stitches for that dot. They are still pretty dense, but they stitched out easily after that.

I used a 16 inch pillow form to stuff it and Voila! Done!

Happy Balentimes Day!

We have a few minor

adjustments to the Easter dress. The hem of the slip is a little bit off, and in some places hangs below the dress a bit too much. It is going to take a fitting on a day when there is a little less excitement! Sweet Issa grabbed a rose off the bouquet on the dining room table in the spirit of the moment. Nothing makes this child happier than a new long dress! I was serenaded twice, once to a harmonica with an accompanying dance in fancy skirts, and once over the phone with an original composition from my Birmingham Girl. All in all a very special day.

It's a Super Bowl miracle!

I have been working on Issa's slip today. I used the pattern from the dress, and as Carol Harris suggested, I cut 3/4 of an inch off the neckline and armholes. Carol does beautiful hand stitched shell edging, but I decided to try doing it on my machine.

After I trimmed the excess fabric, I turned the edges under about an eighth of an inch and pressed it, then turned another eighth and pressed again. I used my little Clover triangle pressing iron and my old Rowenta, and both worked just fine. Then it was just a matter of slowly stitching around the edges. I used the #9 blind hem stitch on my Bernina with a W of 5.0 and L of 2.5, making sure that the right swing of the zig zag went just off the fabric. I also increased the tension a little on the top thread. It was a SuperBowl Miracle! I went around the neck and arms in short order, gave it a good press and really like the results. I will whipstitch the inch or so where the back bodice overlaps.

I did add an extension to the back bodice pieces because the pattern was drafted to be lined; I didn't want to line the bodice of the slip. I also used a strip of lightweight fusible interfacing where the buttons and buttonholes will go. This is much more fun than watching a football game!

Cool Tool

My newest project uses the Bernina cutwork tool, and even though it was time consuming and a little pricey, I think it gave a different touch to the embroidered linen towel. The Petals and Poseys CD gave clear directions, and I was able to follow what do step by step. You place the blade where the needle would normally go in your machine, and rotate the position in different numbered steps to get it to cut sections out before it goes on to embroider the rest of the design. You need the cutwork tool and a special stitch plate as well as the CD. There were several sprays of flowers to choose from; I chose one of the smaller ones then duplicated it and rotated it to give the wreath effect around the G monogram in the anniversary font.

I wonder if you could use the CD and maybe a wing needle to cut out the design since the blade is expensive. Even after using the blade I had to use my small scissors to clean up the cutout. It might not come out as even but I think it is worth a try.


I added a small grosgrain bow in the same chocolate brown as the monogram, and it will hang in my guest bathroom, where I am sure Joe will use it, wrinkle it up and hang it back up on the rack at a jaunty angle!

Quick and Easy

A quick and easy little birthday gift for Brodie. The onesie is a bright green and from Rabbit Skins. The little sail boat is from a Martha Pullen CD. The font is blackboard. Quick and easy. Simple and cute.