Saturday September 4, 2010
September is when sewing machines start to come out from being untouched all summer. Halloween costumes, quilting new blankets and sewing for Thanksgiving and Christmas bring the tried and true sewing machines back on top of the table. Email and forum tell me that many people do not have the manual for their sewing machine. Manuals are the backbone of ironing out problems with the sewing machine and maintaining the machine so it will function for many, many years.
Almost all questions about sewing machine problems, start with, it was fine when I put it away. Trouble shooting the problem is a process of elimination. Threading, sewing machine needles and more can all play into the machine making you ready throw it out the window. My advice... don't do it... windows are expensive and odds are it's a very simple to fix problem. If worse comes to worse and you do need a new machine, you wouldn't want the price of a new window to take away from what you could spend. It's much better to take a deep breath and use the resources available to find the problem.
Friday September 3, 2010
I've read about baked potato sacks and have always thought that it just didn't add up... turns out I was right. All the directions out there that use pre-quilted fabric, embroidery, polyester... even cotton batting are a fire hazard. If you have made, or plan on making baked potato sacks for gift giving please be sure to read this article.
The Warm Company has created a new "Warm Tater" batting just for this purpose. I did not find this batting locally or at Joann's.com but it's a new product. I'm sure as word of the product spreads so will the availability of the product. It may even be a worthy investment for those quilts that I read about on Facebook being warmed in microwaves .. not that I am endorsing warming a blanket of any form in a microwave. If warming all fabrics was a safe proposition we wouldn't have burn tests to find the content of fabric... we wouldn't use flames to singe the ends of webbing strips when we make bags... Bottom line... think twice before you heat up fabrics with intense heat sources.
Friday September 3, 2010
If many minds weren't better than just one, there wouldn't be so many opportunities for every one to chime in with opinions and their experiences. The About Sewing Forum is a prime example. I definitely sew a LOT but that doesn't mean I've sewn everything that can be sewn... I can usually figure out a problem but it's much better if the answer comes from someone who has actually done a project. Sometimes you just need an opinion... or many opinions to help make a decision. The forum is a great place for questions and answers. I would love to have everyone chime in and share the experiences or ideas on the forum.
Talk Back:
Wednesday September 1, 2010
I love re-usable grocery bags but I just can not seem to remember to bring them in the store with me. Some of the stores even offer you a nickle for every bag of your own that you use. A local bakery thrift store no longer has plastic bags... either bring your own bag, buy a fabric bag or juggle the items. I end up taking the items out to the car and packing the bags that are in the car.
What I need is reusable bags that are always with me... ones that fit in my pocketbook even with all the junk that's in there. This week I took the bull by the horns and came up with my perfect solution. I came up with a fabric grocery bag that is the same design as the plastic bags, but it folds up compactly and has a snap closure to keep it folded. Now as soon as I empty the bags, I can fold them back up and put them in the bottom of my pocketbook so they are at hand when I need them.
