BERNINA on Thursday

Thursday was my day in the Q room, that's long arm and short arm. What great machines!!!The dream of creating a machine simple enough for a beginner to master and robust enough for the professional is embodied in the BERNINA Q 20 and Q 24 Longarm machines. View the You tube video.

The perfect fabric for play!

And I played!!!

 

BERNINA, Auroria IL

Arrived in Chicago last night, safe and sound. Our class at the BERNINA Creative Center starts with show and tell.

Tomorrow I'm Off to BERNINA

As a BERNINA Ambassador, I was invited to Aurora Illinois and the home of BERNINA of America.

Jeanne C Delpit

Manager of National Events

BERNINA of America

What a treat!
It is my opportunity to sit in a classroom and learn all kinds of wonderful things! Stay tuned.

Show your love at a small business near you!

 

I love to have so many quilt shops withing easy reach. I support as many of them as I can. Running Stitch Fabrics is a happy, friendly quilt shop right in my town! I was greeted by my current favorite fabric Moda's Grunge. Alice stocks lot of it! I indulged!!!

213 1st Ave S, Kent WA 98032
Phone: 253-277-2248

Small Business Saturday

Block of the Month by Jason Yenter - Jewels of the Universe

I thought I would get a head start on Small Business Friday. So earlier this week, a friend and went to The Quilt Barn, she wanted to go to pick up her block of the month. Me? I just went for a fabric fix. If you need (?) any batik fabric The Quilt Barn is the place to go! I don't know how many bolts they have, but oodles and oodles!

2102 E Main, Suite 102
Puyallup, WA 98372
ph: 253-845-1532-1532













One shop just wasn't enough so we checked out Keepsake Cottage Fabrics in Country Village. I love the way they display their fabric!

Phone: (425) 486-3483
    818 238th Street S.E.
    Bothell, WA 98021

 

Thanksgiving - Wishing you a family and friend filled holiday

Santa Claus' arrival at the Macy's parade's finale marks the start of the Christmas season.

Prayers of thanks and special thanksgiving ceremonies are common among almost all religions after harvests and at other times. The Thanksgiving holiday's history in North America is rooted in English traditions dating from the Protestant Reformation. It also has aspects of a harvest festival, even though the harvest in New England occurs well before the late-November date on which the modern Thanksgiving holiday is celebrated.

Machine Neeldes

I like to learn new things, sometimes 'new' is new to me, sometimes it is something I forgot. I recently ran into some needle info I thought I would share with you.

 

Colonial English Needles

I like nice tools. They just make sewing so much more fun. One of the things I have learned along the way is; all needles are not created equal. Years ago I found the perfect needle in my stash of stuff. It cut threads, was impossible to thread. For a while I thought it was me, maybe I was just having a bad day? Then I realize the it was one I inherited from my mother. Now I must confess, my Mom died over 30 years ago, so the needle was old! 

I now use Colonial Needles.  Their needles are sold under the Colonial, John James, Richard Hemming, S. Thomas and Roxanne brands. Be sure to check out their web site for some great information.

Ask for them at your local quilt shop!

All About Hand Sewing Needles

Selecting a suitable needle can make the difference between an easy job well done and a hard one that lacks finesse. The needle chosen should be compatible with the thread you wish to use. Hand sewing needles are classified by type and size, each designed for a specific use. Choose the type of needle according to the job it will be doing, and the size of the needle according to the thread it will be pulling through the fabric. The finer the fabric, the sharper and more slender the needle should be.

Melody's TIP: The smaller the size number, the longer and thicker the needle.

There are many types of needles to choose from;

·        Betweens or quilting needles are very short, round-eyed needles. Use them to make fine, short, sturdy stitches.

·        Sharps are all-purpose medium length needles with small rounded eyes used for applique and general sewing.

·        Straw and milliner needles are long and slender with small, rounded eyes. These slender needles are used for applique.

·        Chenille needles are short, thick needles with long, oval eyes and sharp points. The longer eye allows multiple strands of embroidery floss, pearl cotton & silk ribbon to be threaded easily. For silk ribbon embroidery these needles are used to make stitches that pierce the fabric.

·        Tapestry needles are short and thick with large eyes and blunt points. The long oval eye carries silk ribbon and other bulkier threads easily. These blunt needles are often used for wrapped stitches seen in silk ribbon embroidery.

·        Embroidery needles are medium length with long oval eyes. They have two advantages; a long eye for easy threading and a very sharp point that will pierce close-woven fabrics.

·        Beading needles are extremely long and fine with a small round eye; generally used for beading due to their flexibility.

TYPE	NEEDLE SIZE	THREADS	SUGGESTED USES
Betweens	10	hand quilting	quilting
	9	cotton sewing size 50 (standard)	general sewing
(large eye)	8	#8 pearl cotton	quilting
	10	size B or D nymo	beading
Sharps	11	cotton sewing size 30 (machine embroidery)	applique
	11	cotton sewing size 50 (standard)	general sewing
Straw	10	cotton sewing size 30 (machine embroidery)	applique
Chenille	24	six strands of floss	embroidery or tying
and Tapestry	22	4 mm silk ribbon	silk ribbon embroidery
	20	#3 pearl cotton	embroidery or tying
	18	7 mm silk ribbon	silk ribbon embroidery
Embroidery	9	two strands of floss	embroidery
	8	#8 pearl cotton	embroidery
	6	#5 pearl cotton	embroidery
Beading	16	size B nymo	beading

Threading that small eye can be frustrating. Here are some helpful pointers:

·        Wet the eye of the needle not the thread.

·        The eye of the needle is made by a stamping process that leaves the opening on one side of the eye larger that the other side. Thread from the ‘larger’ side.

·        Thread a supply of needles in the morning while your eyes are fresh.

·        Have someone else thread a supply of needles for you.

·        When all else fails buy a good needle threader.

Purses

Some how I missed posting these great purses started at Quilt Festival in Houston.

Parisienne Rose

My creation, Parisienne Rose, captures the romance and excitement you would expect to see at a glittering ball in one of Europe’s capital cities, or perhaps gracing a shop window along the Champs d’Elise, enticing delighted passers-by to take a closer look.See it along with other BERNINA garments in this retrospective.

 

Veterans Day

Veterans Day originated as “Armistice Day” on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and Nov. 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938. Veterans Day is not to be confused with Memorial Day–a common misunderstanding, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Memorial Day (the fourth Monday in May) honors American service members who died in service to their country or as a result of injuries incurred during battle, while Veterans Day pays tribute to all American veterans–living or dead–but especially gives thanks to living veterans who served their country honorably during war or peacetime.

Stitching Thread - Two at a Time

Stitching with a double needle can have some really wonderful effects. Double needles sit two on a crossbar and are designed to be inserted into the machine at one time and sew the corresponding number of rows simultaneously. Double needles are sized both according to the millimeters between the needles and by the size of the needles. Keep in mind that when you use a double needle the stitching on the back is a zigzag because you have only the one bobbin catching both top threads.

Not very interesting - but there is 12 wt cotton on top &  poly in the bobbin - 4.0/100 needle

WAY better,Yellow 12 wt, 30 wt orange, yellow embroidery thread in the bobbin, 4.0/100 needle, tension @2.0.