I have a (rare) weekend day off this week, and I want to spend a big chunk of time sewing on Saturday. I have spent the odd hour here and there this week getting things ready so I can be as efficient as possible. I have all the prints cut for a throw-sized quilt (my favorite size to make); just the background needs to be cut. Tomorrow evening I'll get that cut and hopefully get my quick-piecing shortcuts marked and set up, ready to go.
My leisure time is so limited right now that I will forego my usual audio book while I am sewing and think about what I want to do for fun on my next free day! I have this quilt-in-progress, and an old languishing UFO that's nearly done to finish as well. Plus, now that the weather has warmed up, I need a few hard cleaning hours in the (unheated) studio so I can move out of the dining room and back into my real workspace.
I'll also think about a meal plan for the coming week and make a grocery list, and make a (short) list of other around-the-house projects I want to finish in the next couple of weeks. I've become pretty good at being efficient with my time at home, and I'm proud of that.
How do you manage your time off? Are you frantically busy every minute, or do you take it easy, kick back and watch the world turn? Are you a planner, a plan-to-be-a-planner, or completely spontaneous? And how tidy do you keep your workspace? I think mine qualifies me for a reality show.
Have a great day, kiddoes!
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Do Re Mi
Do Re Mi!
Remember Maria Von Trapp singing "Let's start at the very beginning; the very best place to start?" in The Sound of Music? Sound advice, that.
So often, I see really intriguing, inspiring pattern designs online, but the samples are so poorly constructed that I am immediately critical and don't really take a second look.
Wednesdays, we talk technical basics.
Don't panic. The word "technical" sounds like difficult, non-fun stuff and it really isn't. Techniques are ways to apply and build your skills. The very first skill we'll talk about is taking that first stitch. Here's where you are going to have to get to know your sewing machine and make it your best buddy.
Do you have a box of thread of indeterminate age? Chuck it. Threadmaking technology has come a long way in the last few years, and bad thread makes bad seams. Experiment and find out what brand of thread your machine prefers. Same with needles. Start thinking about needles as consumable products, just like you think of fabric and thread. Needles get used up. If you're putting more than 5 or 6 hours on a needle, you're shortchanging your work. Take a good look at your bobbins. If they're cloudy or scratched, get rid of them. My Janome Horizon QC8800 prefers Guterman all purpose thread and Schmetz needles. I buy 20 bobbins a year, rotating the old ones out.
Thread your machine, put in a fresh bobbin, and grab some pressed scraps. Set your machine for a straight stitch of medium length. Line up two scraps as though you were going to sew a seam, put them under the presser foot, and lower the foot. Use an all-purpose or open toed foot, so you can see what's going on. You should take your first stitch into fabric, not air, but it should be very close--within a thread or three--of the leading edge of your seam. Place your hands on your fabric, one in front and one to the side. Use just enough pressure to guide the fabric, there will be no pulling nor pushing. Let the machine do its work as you begin to slowly sew. After 3 stitches, reverse two stitches. Then head forward at an easy, comfortable speed. This isn't a race and it isn't a contest. When you get to the very end of your seam, backstitch 3 stitches, forward stitch 2. Cut your threads, leaving enough tail so you won't have to rethread your needle when you start your next stitch. Now, take a close look at your seam. On the needle side, can you see little bumps of bobbin thread between each stitch? If so, tighten your needle tension half a step. On the bobbin side, can you see little bumps of needle thread between each stitch? If so, loosen your needle tension half a step. Don't touch your bobbin tension, or I will hunt you down and scold you soundly! Repeat this exercise until your stitch is perfectly balanced and perfectly straight, and your backstitches are directly on top of your forward stitches. When you achieve this, and it won't take long, write down your machine settings on an index card.
Then get yourself a nice glass of something cold and refreshing. You've set a high standard, and you deserve a little celebration!
See you tomorrow! Thursday we talk about Tools!
Remember Maria Von Trapp singing "Let's start at the very beginning; the very best place to start?" in The Sound of Music? Sound advice, that.
So often, I see really intriguing, inspiring pattern designs online, but the samples are so poorly constructed that I am immediately critical and don't really take a second look.
Wednesdays, we talk technical basics.
Don't panic. The word "technical" sounds like difficult, non-fun stuff and it really isn't. Techniques are ways to apply and build your skills. The very first skill we'll talk about is taking that first stitch. Here's where you are going to have to get to know your sewing machine and make it your best buddy.
Do you have a box of thread of indeterminate age? Chuck it. Threadmaking technology has come a long way in the last few years, and bad thread makes bad seams. Experiment and find out what brand of thread your machine prefers. Same with needles. Start thinking about needles as consumable products, just like you think of fabric and thread. Needles get used up. If you're putting more than 5 or 6 hours on a needle, you're shortchanging your work. Take a good look at your bobbins. If they're cloudy or scratched, get rid of them. My Janome Horizon QC8800 prefers Guterman all purpose thread and Schmetz needles. I buy 20 bobbins a year, rotating the old ones out.
Thread your machine, put in a fresh bobbin, and grab some pressed scraps. Set your machine for a straight stitch of medium length. Line up two scraps as though you were going to sew a seam, put them under the presser foot, and lower the foot. Use an all-purpose or open toed foot, so you can see what's going on. You should take your first stitch into fabric, not air, but it should be very close--within a thread or three--of the leading edge of your seam. Place your hands on your fabric, one in front and one to the side. Use just enough pressure to guide the fabric, there will be no pulling nor pushing. Let the machine do its work as you begin to slowly sew. After 3 stitches, reverse two stitches. Then head forward at an easy, comfortable speed. This isn't a race and it isn't a contest. When you get to the very end of your seam, backstitch 3 stitches, forward stitch 2. Cut your threads, leaving enough tail so you won't have to rethread your needle when you start your next stitch. Now, take a close look at your seam. On the needle side, can you see little bumps of bobbin thread between each stitch? If so, tighten your needle tension half a step. On the bobbin side, can you see little bumps of needle thread between each stitch? If so, loosen your needle tension half a step. Don't touch your bobbin tension, or I will hunt you down and scold you soundly! Repeat this exercise until your stitch is perfectly balanced and perfectly straight, and your backstitches are directly on top of your forward stitches. When you achieve this, and it won't take long, write down your machine settings on an index card.
Then get yourself a nice glass of something cold and refreshing. You've set a high standard, and you deserve a little celebration!
See you tomorrow! Thursday we talk about Tools!
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