I have always loved sewing since I was a little girl at about 10 and started making Barbie clothes on my Mother's treadle Singer sewing machine. Actually this machine was originally my great grandmother. My uncle had installed a motor on the machine but I was not allowed to use the motor until I was a little older. Mom made almost all the clothes for herself, my sister and myself on this machine. I remember standing in the middle of the kitchen table so Mom could use the hem guide to hem our dresses. When the dresses were done we would spin in the living room to see how far out the skirt would go. That was of course after we sometimes found a wayward pin in the waistline. Not only was Mom an inspiration for my sewing but also my Aunt Kate. If Mom didn't have a solution to a problem with a pattern, Aunt Kate surely did. And then there was my friend's Mom, Mrs. Muir who lived up the street that was always helpful when I needed it. They all encouraged me to keep sewing and I continued to use the old Singer machine. When I got my first full time job, I bought my own new sewing machine. It was a Pfaff cabinet model and I bought it at Witherill's from Mr. Thorne. And, this machine went in reverse! I soon upgraded to a Pfaff free arm machine and then to a Pfaff 1471. I am fortunate to have three beautiful daughters and I can't begin to tell you how many hours are on that 1471 making them clothes from infancy right up to adulthood. Play clothes, dress, coats, 1st Communion dresses, dozens of Halloween costumes - even in high school and prom dresses. For many years I did little sewing and missed what I call "my therapy". There is nothing more relaxing to me than to spend an evening sewing. So, last Spring I bought a used machine. I said, I don't want a fancy one - I don't do embroidery but the 2170 fit the bill for the features I wanted and it did embroidery. Well, I was soon taking classes at Knecht's and have found a love of machine embroidery. I was jealous of the other sewers with their Creative Visions and soon upgraded to one. I am having so much fun with this machine and have found a whole new world of sewing in embroidery. I thought that I would share some of my projects as I go along. I don't profess to be and expert seamstress but I love sewing and I love sharing these with you. Hope you enjoy them too! Thanks for looking.

REMEMBER THAT YOU CAN CLICK ON ANY PICTURE FOR A LARGER IMAGE!

Tuesday, July 13, 2010


I was asked to make an adult bib - we'll all be there one day - . I've made other ones but red sauce stains the material or it may soak through and not do it's job. I was looking for the new laminated fabrics but couldn't find a design that I liked - and it's $20.00 a yard. I was at JoAnn's and the ladies there told me about a vinyl Heat and Bond. It is so cool! The vinyl has a paper backing that you peel off. The vinyl is lightly tacky. Lay the tacky side on the fabric, cover with the paper you peeled off and lightly iron with a medium iron. It came out really nice. It's a pretty light vinyl so that the finished item is still pretty soft - not stiff and hard. I put a self bias binding around the neck to make it more comfortable. I also put a pocket along the bottom of the bib to catch anything that might slide down the vinyl. The vinyl was about $10.00 for 2 yards - 17" wide. I was able to make 2 bibs from one package. It is lined with the same fabric but you could mix it up. This bib used 1/2 yard of fabric for one side. I loved this fabric. It's a black and white gingham with red cherries. It reminded me of a 50's tablecloth and thought that it was perfect for a bib. This would be a great way to make baby bibs in any material!
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