Applique FAIL

AARRRGHHH!! I am about to just give up! This whole applique embroidery thing isn't as easy as it looks. How am I suppose to cut it close enough when its flat in the hoop??? I can't! And then when I tried to get it closer it popped out of the hoop and there is NO WAY I will ever get it back in the exact spot again.GRRRRR!!!

Breathe....

Not to mention I have wasted a cloth diaper!!!

Breathe.....

I have come up with a tentative plan.  If I mark my hoop and stablizer then I can take it out and line it back up....I think. But it needs to be exact.  I haven't been brave enough to actually try it again. That and grad school is kicking my butt in papers.  I only have a few days to get this done if I want to get this on a plane!  I might have to deal with just sending bibs. Sigh...

Second Post in Week!

The final burp cloth of the safari set....

 

 

And 3 bibs to match. DONE! 

 

Now what.... Well, I am going to try applique embroidery.  I have never done it before even though I have several designs. 

 

And I am going to hopefully start on my Flinstones quilt.  This will be my own design with some Flinstones embroidery designs I've had for years! I also have another quilt running around in my mind called Monsters in My Closet. It will have embroidery on it as well. 

 

I have a couple of commissioned projects coming up and I have to get some more things made before the Craft Fairs start up!  Oktoberfest is just over a month away! Not to mention almost all the babies I know that are being born are within month of each other. 

 

 

I guess I have to fit grad school in there too. Writing papers is not nearly as fun as sewing, but oh well.  

Happy Creating!

Almost a YEAR!

Wow!  It has been almost a year since I posted on this blog! How much has happened...most of it in the last month. I went to Swaziland...and will hopefully be going back. I finally quit that horrible job and started grad school! For money I'm going to substitute teach, sew, and create (hopefully things that will sell). What a great time to start this blog back up!

Fall means craft fairs. I have a couple of friends and my dad that are going in together to do a few this fall. First up is Oktoberfest here in Lebanon!

Meanwhile, I'm working on some bibs and burpcloths that have been special ordered. Here's the first couple...

 

Just a lion one and then matching bibs to go. Well and two papers for school. One goal this semester is to NOT PROCRASTINATE!!  This is a rather lofty goal considering by nature.

 

 

 



The Things I Do To Make A Buck...

I am a huge sports fan... I love all things Tennessee and Auburn...and Duke basketball. Why I bought crimson fabric with Elephants all over it I have no idea. But I know many Alabama fans and met a lot at the craft shows. So I decided to put that fabric to use.

I didn't go blind and I don't think my machine broke. I've had several hits on it on my eCRATER site. No buyer yet though. I have made 2 so far. I guess I'll make a few more. I have Auburn and Tennessee fabric too.... don't worry!

NOTICE!!! I have a link to my eCrater Store to the right!!! Check it out!

Well I made it through the craft fairs with dismal sales but I did sell things at all of them. I got lots of, "That's so cute!" and "You do great work!" That doesn't buy me more fabric and notions though now does it?! I have also decided to make mostly boy items for next year since that is what I mostly did sell. Thankfully there were four of us at the last two or I wouldn't have made back my booth fee! Thank you Dad, Lorraine, and Cathy! I sold more at the hospital's craft fair taking orders for embroidering burp cloths.

I did get my sewing machine back finally. I got a call on the day it was supposed to be ready and they said there was a part broken and it would be another week. I had no choice! The part that was broken is what was making my bobbin go wacky. It has been great since I got it back.... EXCEPT for when I do smaller lettering, the bobbin still comes to the top a little. Here is one of my post fixin' embroideries...

I have done a few more too. I am currently working on some University of Alabama burp cloths. It hurts my feelings to do them but I'm muddling through it! I may be so brave as to do some Florida and LSU ones too. Of course Auburn and Tennessee ones are coming!

I want to get to some quilt designing but that will have to wait till the new year I guess. I have Christmas presents to think about the next few weeks!

So it's been a while....

I really should blog more often. I know this but for some reason I can't seem to find the time. And when I do have the time I can't seem to remember.

Well, first I need to thank Lorraine Schaur for letting me put a few things in her booth at Oktoberfest in exchange for watching it a couple of hours. I made $44. I'm happy with that.

Now to get ready for the SRMC Craft Fair, Wilson County Handmade Parade, and the Elzie Patton Elementary School Craft Fair. Then if I can get enough stuff made there is another craft fair on Nov. 12.

All of this is great except for one teeny weenie problem. The embroidery part of my sewing machine has decided to be hostile. The tension is all messed up and the bobbin is showing on the topside. It'll take at least a week to get it in and fixed I think. I don't have a week to be without! Sigh. I have such great ideas waiting to go from my brain to the fabric.
I could use my mom's but I've never used it before. It looks like I'm going to have to though.
So much to do, so little time.

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Just Keep Sewing

I finally finished a quilt since my mom passed away. It's hard because when I sew I think of her. It's harder because when I run into a problem and have a question I'd always call and ask her. I think she could sew anything. I started this one at the beginning of the summer but mom only ever saw pictures of it in the beginning stages.

The idea is from Quick Quilts (Aug/Sept 2010). Here's a picture of the original.



And here I go....





I used a jelly roll of Love You by Deb Strain for Moda, a solid pink and a white on white polka dot.

I tried a couple of new techniques out in this quilt. The weaving, attaching and quilting at the same time, and raw edge binding. I still need to wash it so all the raw edges will fray.




I'm so thankful my mom taught me to sew. Her memory is in every stitch.

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