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!

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Cutwork Linen Dresser Scarf or Table Runner


 From fun and fast to  fussy and slow.   We use to call these dresser scarves.  Now they are called table runners.  They were on every dresser in our home when I was growing up.  My mother loved these especially the ones with the light brown stitching thread that were Maderia.  She had them every shape and size and some were white with light blue stitching. 

 This cutwork design is from the Secrets of Embroidery website in the Oh Sew New shop and is called Victorian Rose:

 http://www.secretsof.com/content/3778

It took many hours of stitching to get this done.  For those not familiar,  It is done on an embroidery machine.  You place water soluble stabilizer which looks like a light weight fabric in the hoop and place the fabric on top.  The machine stitches an outline where the holes are.   Then, you trim the fabric from inside that outline without cutting the stabilizer.  The machine then finishes the design in a satin stitch around all those holes. Because there is still stabilizer under the holes, the machine can stitch those bars across the holes to hold them together.  When it's all done, you wash the fabric and the stabilizer dissolves away leaving the holes. Each end is done in three hoopings on my Pfaff Creative Sensation.  Using the precise positioning utility, I was able to snug each design right up to the next one with no gaps between them.  Three hoopings down each side and then another three on the other end.  The challenge was to have it the same width when I got to the other end after doing the sides so there was no gap or crowding.

 I love it and wait to get more linen and do some more.




 These little doilies were each done in one hooping.  I was experimenting with colors.  The round ones are only about six inches in diameter. Aren't they cute?

This a sample of a project to come!

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