Zero sewing this week.

I did zero sewing, but I got the new computer Monday at 9 am, as I was packing up my bag to leave for Embroidery club in Grand Rapids (MN). Yes I'm a crazy woman who drove 1 1/2 in a minor snow storm to attend Emboridery club. I had a couple of ladies ask about my purse. It's a bag I made this summer from a Quilts and More pattern called pick-a-pocket.














I was using the teal one, but a modified version. The pattern had a bunch of seam come together in the bottom, which caused bunching. So I modified it to eliminate the bottom seam and changed the pockets to move the seams. Then I had to change the straps. Mine has snap clips so I can change the straps for longer or shorter ones.

I made a wristlet in the cranberry/pink one and gave both to my father-in-law's significant other, Karen. I was showing off my embroidery machines and she ooohed over the cranberry/ pink. Since it was a first draft, I gave it to her. She loves it. The next one needs to have more firmness and more pockets, I always need more pockets. LOL

I think I have everything copied and installed on the new laptop, except I had to delete the Norton Antivirus, because it kept interferring with the embroidery software. Today was copying files to the external hard drive and then from there to the new laptop. While I made hotel reservations for an upcoming trip to Denver. Tonight is going to be about adding fonts to my windows fonts so I can add them into my 4D embroidery software.

Well time to go and cook dinner, broiled chicken and noodles, with a salad.

Friday Sew and Tell

Sewing for Sarah. Love this new Embroidery designer, she's my kind of girl.

This is one of her In the Hoop designs. It's a crayon purse done totally in the 5 x 7 hoop of my embroidery machine. Love it. It took only 10 minutes. Because while the design says 10 color changes, the color changes are really only there as stops. So you hoop a cutaway stabilizer and lay a piece of your cute kid fabric over the stabilizer and sew step one, then you place the second fabric and it stitches the pocket down, then the third stitch is for the crayon dividers. the fourth color is for the back pocket placement.

Then you place the pocket fabric and it stitches it in place. NOTE: Tape down the top edge of the pocket so the embroidery foot doesn't get caught in the pocket. I used blue tape across the fold. then you stitch the ribbon placement, place the ribbon, twice once for each side (color 6-9). Ten you pin the ribbon in the center of the bag, I tucked it in the pocket. Place your final fabric and stitch the last outline. Unhoop, trim the corners and seams, turn and slip stitch the bottom shut. Add crayons and a 4 x 6 notebook and off your little one goes. I need to run to the dollar store and get crayons and notebooks.

I think I'm going to make a bunch of these for church and give them away. I may send some to my brother, Sheriff's deputy to have in the squad cars and maybe the Women's shelter. I can use up all the odds and ends of fabric I have and inherited from my Mom.

Holding up and behind the purse is my scraps, thread clippings bowl. I bought it years ago at a goodwill store. Under the purse is the next crayon bag, love the colorful frogs, ready to cut out. I bought more designs from Sewing with Sarah, will have to try them out.

See what AmyLouWho is showing off for Sew and Tell Friday.

Christmas ornaments in January

Christmas ornaments in January is in self defense, I need 150 small gifts for the nurses, lab techs, dental assistants, basically anyone who wanders by my husband. If I can stitch out 15 good ones, it's going to take me 10 hoopings, but I always get one this is not quite right. So If I don't start now, I'll never get them done. Plus then He wants to send a set of six to the In-Laws and friends, which can add up. This last Christmas I mailed 20 small boxes. So that is another 120 ornaments. Oh yah don't forget the ladies at Church. I want to make lace bookmarkers. That is our next lesson in the software at the dealership. Probably 20 of those, plus my nail lady, the ladies at my favorite fabric store (Ben Franklin) and the Embroidery club, etc. I'm looking at 35 hoopings or more. If I do one a week, I'll be ready, by December 1st. Laugh out Loud.

Yesterday was crazy, In the middle of cutting out rolls, right after I took the picture. I use a round cookie cutter, the handle broke, so I decided to use it without the handle, and sliced through my thumb. I bleed everywhere. I put the dough, both cutout and to be rolled out in the fridge. I was going to bake them this afternoon anyway. I made the kids (in their twenties) cook dinner. When we opened the fridge to get the cheese, etc the dough had risen and risen in the bowl. I have monster rolls, and ended up with 5 pans, instead of 4.

Oh I ordered the new computer, It ships on 28 January. Yah me. Now the Hubby thinks my desktop needs replacing. He's great, but my business account needs a little investing. I need to get my store reopened. I just got a job digitizing by email. Whoo Hoo me.

Well I better go shave my legs for the dinner party and de-flour me (shower). What am I going to wear? Do you think I have time to run out and buy a new outfit? Crap nope, only got an hour.

Friday Sew and Tell

I made rolls for a dinner party tomorrow. I always get asked to bring the famous potato rolls. A friend gave me the recipe and said that very few people will every make these, because it takes 3 hours to make a batch. Since we moved to Minnesota, I've been making these for holidays and potlucks. If you email me, or leave a comment with your email I'll email you the recipe.

But between laundry, baking and paying bills, I sewed out more lace ornaments for next Christmas. My hubby likes to give small Christmas gifts to all his coworkers. One year it was mood changing rings, or small nail polish. Because I am Diabetic, I don't make cookies or candy to give away. Hubby also works on an Indian Reservation and lots of the Natives are Diabetic.

So for Christmas 2010, we are going to give the small lace ornaments. I found them on Embroidery Library and got them in an after Christams sale. Using my software I placed 15 white ornaments in a 5 x 7 hoop. I also did that for the green ornaments and the red ones. This way I don't have to change threads. I hoop two layers of "Wet and Gone" stablizer, and just sew straight on that. Then I wash it away, in a basin of warm water, then lay them out to dry on a flour sack towel.

You can just see the white ornaments being stitched. I stitch these out while I'm doing other things, because I can set it up and go, put rolls in the oven or check on the laundry without to much worry.

My computer likes to go to visit the computer guys

My computer actually like to visit the computer repair guys. This morning I tried the computer again and the plaid screen again. So I packed it up and off to my meetings. I stopped at the computer guys first. The laptop booted up just fine, again. I have that feeling like when your car5 makes a weird noise, but the mechanic can't get the vehicle to replicate the noise. But the computer geek told me that because it happened before, I need to backup everyday, because someday it will just die.

Oh by the way, it can't be fixed, because the laptop is 4 (yes 4) years old. So I think I need to order the new computer tomorrow. Tonight is date night and the Hubby called he'll honk in the drive way in 35 minutes. It reminds me of high school, when the date doesn't want to run into my step-father.

I spent my day at the Family History Center, teaching 6 different people how to use our computer system. I'm the new Director. whoo hoo, the lady in charge. My students came about every 30 minutes to an hour. I kinda planned that.

I have to backup the designs I made over the weekend, before the laptop decides to give up the ghost. I'll post pictures, tomorrow.

Killed my computer

I think I killed my computer. I think I may have loved it to death. On Monday, 28 Dec, I wanted to work on digitizing. Turning on my computer because a nightmare. I didn't get the black screen of death, but a screen filled with little red squares, kinda like a funky plaid. I could still make out the Windows logo as the computer booted. I could just make out the click here on the Owners button and the Shut down computer button in the lower left. I shut it down and took great deep calming breaths. In a panic, because I never fixed my desktop so I could run my embroidery software, since I got the laptop working. I tried several times to start the computer. with no success.

I packed up the computer, power cords in hand I drove into town and tried to stay calm. When was the last time I ran a backup? I got to the computer shop and the very young man, looked 14. I told him what happened and he says let me see. I turned it on and a miracle happened, not red plaid. So why am I telling you this, because it happened again today. Tomorrow, I'm going to take my computer for a ride to a meeting I have in town and see if my computer just needs to go for a ride, or if I need to go to the computer place after my meeting. I think I just need a new video card. I did backup my computer two weeks ago as soon as I got home, but the designs I did the last four days might be toast.

My wonderful, lovely husband says order a new laptop, it's a business expense. Isn't he wonderful. So if the laptop repair is outrageous, this is what I want.

Say hello to the

HP Touch Smart

TX2Z series.

I have a tablet by HP currently.

I love the tablet features and the "cool laptop" response I get when I pull it out and twist it to set up.

Sew and Tell Fridays

I finished a ton of stuff for other people, for the business. Mainly locals wanting one item or small stuff, like stockings embroidered with names, a tree skirt and a few stocking caps. I also did a jacket. But for me, I made a few lace ornaments to give away. I think next Christmas I need to close the shop earlier, or make my stuff earlier. I got asked the day before Christmas Eve if I would embroider 10 stockings. I turned her down, but told her to call me after the new year and I would give her a good discount for non-seasonal (Hint: non-rush) embroidery. She said she would call me.

I did a bunch of digitizing today waiting for deliveries. We bought a new bed and dressers for the three bedrooms upstairs. My kids are rough on furniture. I wanted real wood. if the oldest boy breaks anything, hes been told he is paying for the replacement of my choice. He has broken sofas (3) tables (2), bed (2) and two dressers. I also told him if he yanks the doorknob off his door, I will not fix it. He regularly has to tighten the knob. He's gotten pretty good at that, not the slamming the door part, but fixing it.

Okay blogger is giving me fits about uploading and linking my pictures, and I got a notice that IE needs to close because of an error. I'll write more tomorrow.