Tag: Husqvarna Viking 500

Misadventures of MolliAnn Moos, a novel, in last stages of rewrite

I was heartbroken to have to choose between CHA and an opportunity to hunker down and finish my novel. While I will miss my dear crafty friends (especially the Mixology Girls) I was offered a beautiful getaway in Boulder for the next several weeks where I will have the peace, quiet and inspirational surroundings to complete the final revisions of the book before it is released to the wolves of the editing world.

I brought my sewing machine and a pile of fabric as my only respite from the rewrite. That’s not to say I don’t love the process of writing (most the time)~I just know there will be times my brain will need a break and my crafty hands will be hankering to make something. My plan is to create bags from canvases I painted several years ago. I’ll be reporting on both things as they progress

DIY 354: Organize Sewing Treads in a Printer's Tray

This printer’s tray has been knocking around in a closet for years now. Seriously, I am surprised I still have it. It was a gift from my mom when I was about 12. I kept all my miniature glass menagerie in it until I started high school. Well, let me tell you how happy I finally found a use for it. And a “pretty” use at that.

Keep your treads handy:

  1. Buy a printers tray (search “antique printers tray” on Ebay or Craig’s List in your area) or a shallow shelf. Honestly, even this Bamboo Flatware tray at Target would work great.
  2. Hang it on the wall near your sewing table. Not only is it handy, you can see all the colors better than when they are in a drawer and it’s pretty too!
  3. Fill it up! I find the more colors I have the more creative I get with my sewing. I use a lot of the special stitches on my Viking sewing machine now and everyone is amazed. Really, the secret is knowing what I have and what my machine can do…but I don’t tell them that. 😉

Until tomorrow~Sarah

DIY 355: Organize Bobbins On Bamboo Skewers

I have been sewing a lot lately, and it is my tendency to trade up the colored thread on a minute-by-minute basis. You know~those of you out there who wonder about storing bobbins~that the more you handle bobbins the more tangled, lost and aggravating they become. Well, I have finally found a solution I want to share.

Keep Bobbins Neat and Organized On Bamboo Skewers:

Buy a bag of skewers at the supermarket and color a few (if you care to~I do!) from tip to tip with a permanent marker. I prefer about 5 bobbins per skewer.
Measure and wrap in tape "stopper"
Next you'll want to put a tape "stopper" to hold the bobbins toward the top of the skewer. Here I have my prescribed five bobbins on and tape stuck to mark where to begin.
Twirl the tape on until the mass is larger than the bobbin hole. This will stop the bobbins from sliding down to the bottom and falling off.
Once the bobbins are all on the skewers trim any loose threads. (Do this every time the threads get out of hand~it's that easy!)
Finally, put all the skewered bobbins in a narrow necked bottle and place on your sewing table. You'll be amazed how much simpler bobbin changing will be!

One last thing: I discovered I can take all my bobbins with me. Simply grab the whole shebang and lay them in your traveling case. A rubber band gently wound around the skewer tips can keep them from flying off. Happy sewing, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Until tomorrow~Sarah

Sewing vinyl fun and easy (bags and more bags)

I got lucky last month when my mom gave me her like-new Viking 500, preferring her 30-year-old Viking 6000. I have never owned my own sewing machine, preferring to beg and borrow from friends. I could never justify spending the hundreds or thousands of dollars they cost to buy since I wasn’t sewing everyday. Well how about that: when there’s one in the house, I end up sewing every day!

I began sewing with a vengeance a week ago when I got my hands on several pieces of vinyl. The stuff cuts like butter (love butter) and since it doesn’t fray I can leave a raw edge. The possibilities of a raw edge are endless, and I started by punching three holes in the side pocket of this bag I whipped out in an afternoon.

The inside I lined with ironing board cloth (the silver stuff) which makes it look all the more urban. There’s a pocket on the back side, too.

I am sewing coin purses as well, trying to figure out the best way to put in the zipper. Mom told me I started the hard way with zippers by going small, but I love a challenge and I am here to tell you putting a four inch zipper into these little bags has me scratching my head sometimes. No one seems to notice, but for me they aren’t perfect just yet.

I started selling them at Made (a super cute bungalow-turned-shop in downtown Phoenix), as well as my other little creations. Cyndi and I will be running a set of workshops at Made this summer. As soon as I have our schedule and the projects I’ll post the info.