Sewing Project - Fabric Scraps - Scrappy Fabric

This fabric will amp up the look of the fold over card wallets. 

I picked a bunch of small fabric scraps in yellows, browns, and oranges.

I set my sewing machine to zigzag pattern #5 and the stitch length to just below 0 and stitch width to 4. It creates a blanket stitched look with the sewing machine.

I cut a foundation piece of thin polycotton broadcloth to 12 x 16 inches. I just placed one piece and stitched around and kept adding pieces. To have the looks the raw edge of the fabric needs to face left as I am stitching. I have started using up my spools of thread as mostly I use cones these days.  I emptied 3 bobbins during this project. Excellent. 

This piece is not trimmed.  My plan is to cut this piece into 3 pieces of 5 x 11 inches for fold over card wallets.   The process creates a new piece of scrappy fabric from fabric scraps.  Stash busting!!!

Here's a close up of the over stitching I did along the raw edges of the small pieces of fabric I used to make this new fabric.

It somewhat mimicks blanket stitch.  Choice of thread will determine whether it shows up a lot or just blends into the overall color scheme of the fabric.

I think I should have overlapped the fabric a bit more than I did.  When I made it into a wallet depending on where the fold was it was possible to have the background fabric show.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

The Heart of an Angel - Henry K. Ripplinger.  This is the seventh and final book in this series.

Henry is again facing a life and death decision.  Jenny lies in a coma but very pregnant with their child.  A little girl who has been named from the very beginning.  With complications in the pregnancy Jenny was advised to terminate it but absolutely refused.  She risked her life to give this baby a chance to live when delivered premature. With Jenny unable to respond, Henry must decide.  The father of Julean (Henry's first wife who died) a pastor was very helpful. 

The baby is delivered premature and survives and fortunately so does Jenny.

Father Engelmann is nearly finished the love story book he is writing about Henry and Jenny. He knows the end is near. 

This has been a very heart warming, encouraging, tearful at times series. A wonderful series that promotes Christian beliefs and at times quite Catholic practices.

The embroidery scissors I bought on sale when Fabricland was closing one of its stores spend time on the sewing machine.  There cutting surface tends to be at the end so not always great.

They have been relocated to the embroidery box along with the other bits and bobs which I have accumulated to support my slow stitching habit.

There was a great coupon at Michaels this week and I was thinking what high priced item could I splurge on with a 50% coupon?

I decided to buy a pair of scissors for the sewing machine.  I did buy the more expensive pair that are all steel because they remind me so much of the pair my Mom had at her sewing machine.

I miss her a lot.   I am grateful that she taught me to sew which I very much enjoy in retirement with more time on my hands.

A red sun due to forest fires in the province and further a field.

There have been some evacuations again this year.

This maybe a contributing factor to having to use allergy drops for my eyes again this year.  In general, only my eyes are affected so it is better to use a targeted solution.

My aunt and I headed to the tea house for lunch this week.

This is a place we try to visit at least once a year and more if possible.

It is run by volunteers and business had been slow so they were very happy to see us.

Of course, the fact that you can choose a real porcelain tea cup means I am all in.

I did not turn it over for a trademark but it was a lovely blue floral pattern.

The crumble was a treat all home made.  With cutting down on sugar, we still have to enjoy the simple pleasures.

2023 Sewing Machine Cover

I decided to update my sewing machine cover because the other one was just too tight.  It fit for sure but was not comfortable to put on. 

I had 2 pieces of cotton fabric I had picked up at the ReUse Center. I needed a bit more so I found 2 pieces of beige cotton which matched well enough.

With a window just behind the machine which is left open most of the summer for ventilation the machine needs a cover when I am working on a multi day project like the linen coasters I did recently. 

I started making French seams on my microfiber bags but now I just make them as a matter of course. I like the finish it provides a project.

The beige pieces where placed on both ends of the cover.

The fabric is 100% cotton - both patterned and the beige.  The beige was a small leftover. 

I sewed down the triangles of the box corners down to stiffen the ends.  I sewed tiny pleats on the corners as well to help with it standing up. It ended up a bit taller than was needed to at the end with very little thread left I added an additional hem of about 1.5 inches.  So glad I had enough thread.

Sewing Serger Set Up - Janome 234D

The serger I bought from my niece is a Janome 234D.  It came out in the early 1990's.  This one has had a good service.  I did find a free download of the manual. 

It had been threaded with Wooly Nylon and when it was serviced the technician put regular serger thread in the needles.  Once the service was complete they just cut the threads so I had to work out how to proceed. So, I purchased 2 cones of serger/overlock thread from Walmart as it seemed the smoothest of the ones I checked out. I chose grey because I am very happy with using grey on my recent shopping bags.  Seems to got with lots of colors.  Now I could move forward.

I was going to put the Serger on the shelving unit in the sewing corner but that did not work.

The shelf was not deep enough or tall enough. 

So I had to come up with a new plan.  

I moved some of the boxes and stacked them high again so I could gain some floor space.

With that done, I needed a sturdy piece of furniture to hold it.

I chose one of the end tables from the living room as a TV table with hold a tea mug and lamp but not a serger.

That took a while to sort out.

The foot pedal was next. I had placed it in a plastic bag as it was leaving black stuff behind where ever I put it down.

Upon inspection,  the old gripper material on the bottom of the pedal which just disintegrating upon contact. I rubbed it all off.

I have some gripper material from Ikea - STOPP which I had leftovers off after putting it under my rug in the kitchen.  I cut it to size and decided to use Glue Dots to attach it to the bottom on the pedal.  

We will see how it goes.

I chose to put an old linen tablecloth on my end table to keep it clean and hopefully unmarred until it can be returned to the living room.

The table is squeezed between the sewing desk on the right and the packed boxes on the left.  I had added an extension cord to the outlet now behind the boxes. Nice planning ahead.

Now I had a space and power.

I was advised by my sister who own sergers that tying the new thread to the old one makes getting the thread through the machine very easy.

You can see that I tied beautiful square knots to the ends that were left by the technician and the grey spools now sitting on the spool holders on the left hand side. 

I then put the knife away so that I could concentrate on the thread. I ran the machine until the knots appeared just ahead of the needle. I cut them off there.  

Now I had to thread both needles. The manual suggests a needle threader but you really can't get your hands back there to do that.  I got my magnifying glass out and did it the old fashioned way.

Here's my first seam with the light over locking loops of the light wooly nylon thread. The other wooly nylon is grey as well.

I think the 2 grey lines close together at the needle threads.

Everything looks good.

There is still room for me to set up my craft table which I use for cutting and layout.

The machine is up and running so I can get started on those projects.

1. ReUseable Make Up Remover pads.

2. Bags with drawstrings to laundry these remover pads.

3.Who Knows What!

Very exciting.

I probably need to sew a cover for it so that it stays dust free when not in use.  I did want it set up all the time otherwise I would not be inclined to use it as often. 

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I found this scene interesting on my walk the other day.  The sleek glass window is part of an addition to the back of the old historic building.

The brick wall of the old building was reflected in the full glass wall next to it.  This was just fine.

The on second glance I would see the white chairs in the office on the second floor in the brick wall. 

It was an interesting view of new and old and unusual all at once.

This the third book in the Kinsey Millhone series by Sue Grafton.  C is for Corpse. 

Kinsey is a wonderful character which I enjoy spending time with.  This is earlier in the series compared to books I have read which were written with her and her career having been fleshed out a bit more.

This was a small hardcover book so I think shorter in length that of the others I've read.  I have V sitting on my shelf waiting to be read.

Bobby Callahan feels he is in danger. But since his accident and head injury there are pieces of his past that gone. Meeting Kinsey at the gym he decides to hire her to get to the bottom of the mystery of who is trying to kill him.  There is a small red book that may hold a clue but Bobby do not remember who he gave it to for safe keeping. His part time job required him to spend time at an old building on the outskirts of town. It was where archived medical records were kept and a back up for the morgue so it was a bit of a creepy place.  Very shortly after Bobby hires Kinsey he dies in a car accident.  Most folks assume that all interest in the suspicions would be dropped but Kinsey means to see her job done.  

There are twists and turns but eventually the truth comes out and the reason Bobby was killed becomes clear.

My sister and my niece both have great gardens so I came home with a couple of containers of beautiful veggies and fruit.

I'm so glad that my niece's new house has yielded a much better gardening experience for her.  Things are blooming, growing and producing so she is thrilled.

The little tomatoes were delicious.  The new potatoes were enjoyed with onions, mushrooms and sour cream.

Apples were picked by my sister's friend.  She makes canned fruit compote for her breakfasts.

Love garden cucumbers.

The birthday celebration was short but wonderful with seeing people I have not seen in a while. She did not have a great variety of numbers in her stash so her Dad converted her age into Binary.  

That picture will likely raise questions when her grandchildren wonder was grandmas ever 1000 years old.

The black and white Tuxedo cake was delicious and just the right size.

I went to use my sewing machine other day and it looked like it did not work because I turned the switch and no light came on.   It took a minute to figure out it was just the light bulb. I completed the small project without the light.

Off the Fabricland to find a replacement and thank goodness I brought the old one with me because I would have assumed that it was the screw type but it was not.

Now there was the option to buy an LED version of the twist in type for twice the price of the incandescent bulb but likely will last 10 years or so.  I bought the new technology.

I finished this book this morning.  I was feeling exhausted with the driving last week, the trip out of town on Sunday and discouraging news about my place on a couple of fronts.

I just wanted to escape for a bit.

The Choice by Nicholas Sparks was a good book.  I don't like how the relationships in his books seem to whirlwind romances.   But that aside, this was a very good story.

Travis Parker and Gabby Holland are neighbours.  She is new to the town and misses her friends.  Travis steps into the gap and the rest is predictable set of events until the accident.

The question is "How far would you go to keep the hope of love alive?"  Travis make the right choice as difficult as it was for him and his children.

I would recommend the book as it raises questions which need to be pondered.

I am loving the sunflowers everywhere.  It seems to be a good year for them.

My nieces flowers in the front flower bed are 10 feet tall but with very small seed heads.  They may have been competing with the cherry tree for light

This one was taken at the community garden where they are significantly tall as well.

The honey bees were having a good time gathering food.

I expect this head will yield much food for birds later in the season.

Have a good week.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I took my first trip of the year to the Heritage Hills Wetlands yesterday.  The winds were high, the water was choppy and the streets were being cleaned so I could not leave my car parked on the street.  That meant a quick visit. 

The ducks and gulls were on the pond.  The water is very low and there are now islands of mud in the middle.   I guess it provides a safe haven for wildlife but makes for not the prettiest pictures.

I captured this adult male Mallard Duck with it's mate feeding.   I don't know if they have eggs yet.  It has been so cold that I hope not.

I will return when I can spend more that a few minutes.

I finished Memories and Stories by Aaron A. Lehman this week.  I chose the book because it had an Alberta connection.  This fellow was a teacher in our province for many year.

He came to teach in one of our communities way up north.  The accommodations were not the best but he and his wife made the best of it.  She was pregnant with their first child and it was his first year of teaching.  Being a new Dad, setting class lessons and being in a remote communities were all growth edges for this couple.

They made it through.   It is interesting to read about coming into Edmonton which is the big city.  Travelling on the train from the United States, then by bus north and being hosted by kind strangers.

His wife was a nurse so there was no lack of work for her.  They raised their family, stayed connected with their US relatives and contributed to the young people of our province.  

I'm glad I read it.

To get the machine back into it's desk I needed to take the spider plant off of it.  I wanted to hang it back up on the hookr but needed a prettier hanger than a pink shoelace to keep it in place.

I had limited resources at my disposal so I checked my yarn box and found some yellow that would match the pot.  Great!  Very skinny so I braided 2 strands together then tied on end to the spout and the other to the handle.  Added a metal ring at the center to keep the two lengths going down. 

Yes, that will work nicely.  I added a few knots to shorten it a bit 

The plant is very happy in the north window and now I can put the sewing machine back in the desk.

The sewing machine went in for servicing a couple of weeks ago and it was ready to pick up on Thursday.  A general servicing was all it needed to get the decorative stitches to work again and the pick up of the bobbin thread. I brought it home and let it sit till the weekend.  I set it up on Sunday with a project already in the planning stages.

I spend some time in the living room working on design and when I returned to the machine it was whirring, smelling and very hot.  I unplugged everything and let things cool down.  I have no idea what's up.  I was so looking forward to sewing.  It is back in the shop waiting for a diagnosis.  They assured me they would not make me wait the standard 2-3 week serving time.  We shall see.  If I have to start looking for another I will be really bummed.

I typically don't pay hard earned cash for pens.  I get free ones where ever.  I picked them up at the ReUse Center.   But I was getting really tired of trying pens in the holder and they no longer making marks.  I went through the holder and chucked all the one which no longer worked.

I took at trip to the office supply store and actually bought some pens.  I prefer blue ink to black.  I like to have a red one when I want to highlight changes or check off done items on the to do list.  The green one was a bonus.

These then to blob ink at the very beginning so they need to be brushed on scrap paper before I start writing on the good paper.  It is what it is.  

I'm glad to be able to write as soon as I pick up a pen rather than to find it does not have ink it or it has dried out.  Yes, I did check that item on my list with the red pen.

Just finished this book - Thursdays at Eight by Debbie Macomber this morning.

Four women at different stages of life and in various circumstances meet at the writing workshop.  They decide to continue meeting after the classes end.  They meet at a cafe Thursday mornings at 8am.  

They bring their hopes, trials and challenges and find support, comfort and reassurance that things will be all right amongst this group of friends. 

Made me miss my Welcome to my Kitchen friends more than ever. 

My niece was here last week to visit and see Mom before her treatment.   She brought a small DVD player so that has allowed me to get back to aerobics.  With some help from my other niece I got the TV set up to access the internet.  I have been watching a bit of new shows.   The green USB stick holds music so that I can play music on the TV and no longer need a stereo to play my CDs.  It turns out the DVD player will play my music CDs.  Great@

I am sharing with Mersad who hosts Through My Lens #334. 

Birthday Card & Gift

A birthday card for my grand niece who is celebrating a teen birthday this week. 

I started with a deep purple card which is her favorite color. I chose a pearl white layer which I embossed with Sizzix Christmas Dots embossing folder.  

I mounted with 3D foam tape the Marianne Design Creatables Lady Charleston Die cut in black card stock.  The greeting is cut from black as well with the Dee's Distinctively die. I received this die cut for a card exchange buddy.

I cut the Poppystamps Craft Die by Memory Box TILDA BUCKLE from black as well and strung a length of pink stitched grosgrain ribbon through it.  I taped the ends to the back of the layer.

This layer was adhered to the front of the card base.

 

She will be receiving my old machine as a gift which allows her to graduate to an adult machine.

Her mother, grandmother and I have shared the expense.  It has been a great machine and I wish her many years of sewing projects on it.

She comes by her love of sewing honestly with most of the women of my family partaking in the activity.

You can see the thread catcher in the bottom right hand corner in the next post.

 

Birthday Tag

I made a tag for a joint gift for my niece who has a birthday in April.

I started with the QuicKutz Sewing Machine 4x4 thinlit.  The die cuts all the pieces which needed to be assembled.  It meant cutting once for each of the 4 colors - the body of the machine from olive green, feed dog plate, pressure foot and buttons in black, the other adjustment buttons in taupe, the spool of thread in black and red.  

I placed a piece of packing tape on a hard surface and slowly placed the pieces in place sticking them to the tape.  Once all the pieces were in place I used an exacto knife to trim the excess tape from around the outside edges of the die cut.

I then cut the tag with the Tim Holtz Cabinet die one kraft embossed with the SwissDots folder and one ivory.  I used the Crop a dile to make a hole in the top.  I adhered the sewing machine die cut to the tag with 3D foam tape.

I ran a length of red twine through the hole and it's ready to be attached.

The HB diecut was received in a swap so I have no credits.

It is very cute but a lot of work which explains this is the first time I have used it.

Sewing Project - Sewing Machine Cover

The cooler weather is here and I feel like staying indoors more.  That means the sewing projects are starting to be tackled.

The first was a cover for the sewing machine when it is left up.  This should only happen when I am in a midst of a project.  There is a window just above and I was concerned about dust getting into the machine. 

I chose a fabric leftover - Sweet Peas by P&B Textiles 100% cotton.  It measures 14" W x 9" T and 5" D.  The piece of fabric was just the right size no leftovers. 

I sewed the side seams then hemmed the bottom edge.

I then created my corners but putting a seam across the width. Measured down 2.5" ran my seam then tacked down the triangle to the sides.

I found some coordinating green fabric and made a handle about 1" wide. This was sewn in the center of the top to make it easy to remove. I reinforced the stress points on the handle as well as putting a piece of the same fabric on the inside.

I am very happy with this project. 

I have applied graphite lubricant to the mechanism that brings the machine up and down and that is working much smoother. 

I have added this lubricant to the rocking chair as well and the squeak is gone.

Bernina 830 Sewing Machine & 1st Project

The new to me 1972 Bernina 830 Sewing Machine arrived yesterday thanks to my sister and brother-in-law.   I purchased it in late February through my sister then I started making the space to house it!  Then COVID hit and life changed.  I have continued to clear, de-clutter, and get rid of stuff and last week there was space for it. 

I have placed it in front of the window so that the light will be the best most of the time.   There is enough room on the right for me to access the window to open, clean or get out if I needed to.

You can see the ironing station on the right hand side.   The cutting and pinning station of the craft table is behind the desk and on the left hand side.  That makes a very good working triangle where everything is at hand but there is enough room to work.

The desk has a lifting mechanism which allows it to be stored in the desk, then the machine level to the desk top and then higher still to access the free arm feature of the machine.  It works really well and I will get some lubricant to help it work a little better.

I created Thread Bobbin storage in a Ferraro Chocolate box. I love the clear lid so I can see the contents.  I created the channel organizer with 80lb text paper.  I cut a piece 16 T x 8.25 W inches then scored it every inch.  Then it was a matter of creating the channels to hold the bobbins. I taped the edge on the right to the bottom of the box. As you can see I have expansion room.

I decided to store the sewing machine needles in the space left. 











I used the same boxes for Thread Storage.  They are deep enough to accommodate most spools. I organized the thread by first separating the polyester from the cotton. 

The ones displayed are the polyester which I have the most of.  The spools were organized by color into separate boxes. Reds and pinks, neutrals (black, white and beige), 2 boxes of blues then a box of yellow and greens.

My niece made this Needle storage tag book for my birthday.  It is tag shapes with ribbon sewn to them then protected with a clear one on top. 

The label at the top allows me to remember what I have stored there.  Sometimes you have to switch out needles but you don't want to return it to the new ones.  This system allows me to store it here until I need it again.

These small wooden boxes were made by my brother-in-law when we needed boxes for selling cards at craft sales.  I have not used them for a couple of years because I bought a large card display.  They fix perfectly in this drawer and makes use of all the space.

Small cutting tools, my rotary cutter and blades, measuring tapes, pins straight and safety.

This is the extra hook on the pole where my African Violet lives.

The light on the right hangs over the craft table.


I refurbished it's lace cover today.  I cut the lace in half so that I will have the same fabric for the other light.
I hemmed the top edge then added a white grosgrain ribbon along top of the wide hem on the bottom.  It is a single layer which allows more light to get through.

I will be getting another hanging light for the extra hook which will give me lighting on the left hand side of the sewing desk which likely will be needed when sewing at night. 

It is very exciting to have a dedicated sewing space where everything will be close at hand.  Keep an eye out for quilts in the near future.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I took a drive out of the city on Saturday morning.  I needed to take pictures of something different!  I needed to get away from people and be able to relax a bit.

I found several country roads with interesting things along their ditches.

There is water everywhere as it has rained a lot this summer. These are bulrushes were in overland flooding water in a farmers field.  The area I expect has a few but now there were lots of them.

The wind picked up a little and distorted the reflections in the water.

It was a great morning.

It's almost time to pick raspberries.



I will have to find a new place to pick them this year. 

I better get onto my research.

I have moved the cabinet in the bedroom which holds my die cutting dies.  It is now tucked away in an alcove in the corner by the window.  I took off the shelf that Dad had built onto it so I can access the contents more easily. I have put up some plastic drop sheets to keep the dust out.  I put the hinge back and have used some rare earth magnets to keep it in place.

The space for the new to me sewing machine is ready!

It will sit right under the window where there will be a lot of light.  There are electric outlets on the left and right so I can always add a light for night time.  It will align with the window frame on the left.  That will leave me enough room (18inches) to access the window.

The African Violet has been moved to the corner but it  may not stay there!  It was right in front of the window before.  I will have to see how that works with the sewing machine desk there.

There is still room for the photo frame containers on the left which may be used for extra shelving to manage quilts.

I have a lot to go through with frames and get rid of a stack of them.

This is my new photo studio!  I had a shelf at the end of my bed which just accumulated stuff so I decided to have it be my work space for photography which I like out all the time anyway.   I used the pine shelf I removed from the cabinet in this space which gives me at least 1/3rd more space for photography. 

I am working on having my photography lights, tripod and other gear near at hand but with a place to live so that it will easily be put away.

I love the extra space for set up.  I think it will be great!

I went to the St. Albert Botanic Garden on Saturday morning.  Of course, there are a ton of flowers to photograph!  6:00 am and my car was the only one in the parking lot. Yeah!  There is a walking path nearby but there is a lot of space.  It had rained the night before so I had soaked feet in no time.

I picked 4 of the yellow bloom varieties for my mosaic today.  I have the Chinese Globe Flower in my area as well, makes me think of Buttercups.  Check out the bee in full flight ready ready to land on the Cotswold Queen, beautiful yellow flower clusters with purple centers. The Martagon Lilies were gorgeous in several varieties.  This is the Nepera, lovely golden yellow petals with dots.  The other is a Tiger Lily.

The roses were in bloom, peonies were still in bloom, Jacob's Ladder, daisies, and a lot more to show off another time.

The Flickr Macro Monday challenge this week was Spiral. This is one of the shots from the hundreds I took this week. 

Check out my Flickr Photostream SMDPics to see the shot I submitted.

I am sharing with Angie who hosts Mosaic Monday #88   and Mersad who hosts Through My Lens #248 

Have a good week and be safe!