Playing with the embroidery machine

A couple of days ago, I made a huge mess of the embroidery machine.  I got a snarl that I had to cut the fabric out of the hoop and cut the bobbin thread tornado.  I was so mad.  I just had to walk away for a bit.

Yesterday I looked at the machine and thought I don't want to clean out the clipped thread and such.  Today I decided I needed to get the machine back together and running again.  Cleaned out the thread and used the mini vacumn I bought for just this problem.  I rethreaded the machine.  DON'T vacumn the machine with thread on the machine or bobbin thread in the case.  Guess how I know.  The vac sucked the whole bobbin empty in 50 seconds, it was kinda cool. No no ... don't do that.

 ID Holders front

ID Holders Back

I have this embroidery design I bought off the web and I hadn't made it yet, I transferred the design to a disk and printed off the directions.  I read the directions and read the directions.  I seemed to be missing a step or two. Ok I grabbed a fat quarter and cut and starched. I didn't have any warm and natural, but I had fleece ends. 

In this photo, you can see the third one I made out of purple/maroon Paisley.  All I have to do is add the snaps and key rings.  I tried one method of snap, but I think it is too big.  I figured out why I didn't get the directions, the designer Renn, from Embroidery Garden, laid it out so that you turn it indise out and then flip one pocket and you're done. No hand stitching a turning hole, no extra anything.  Once I finished the first one, I was so tickled I had to wake up the napping college kid and make her look.

I then had to go back to Renn's site and see if she had one to fit my iPhone, yes so I ordered it.  I love instant download.

Traveling or Not

This week I was supposed to travel from Snowy, cold Minnesota to warm sunny South Carolina.  Except, it snowed in Georgia and South Carolina.  Sunday morning I got a recorded call that my Monday flights into and out of Atlanta were cancelled, and they were trying to rebook me.  So late Sunday night I finally got someone on the phone and cancelled the whole trip.  Which turned out to be good, because Atlanta's airport was snowed in for two days and they are still trying to get everybody back to normal.

I called today and booked our annual trip to Vegas.  I have multiple trips and multiple packets of papers, on my desk.  The ladies in Florida and Georgia at Delta were great.  But the paper thing is driving me crazy.  I Have this great plastic folder that I got from Disney one year that I keep reusing.  I tried to make one out of fabric covered  file folder.  Nope that was cheesy. I mean it works, but .... I can do better.  So I made a fabric folder.  or three.

The first one I actually made in September after the file folder problem.

I made two more today in  a sagey green. Because then the Hubby will use them on his trip to DC the end of April. I'm not going because the company I used to work for is based there and the Hubby has ideas about going to work for them again.  We promised the youngest child that we would be here through her undergraduate degree, she's got three more semesters then off to medical school. yah!!!!

I used the original plans on the file folder, but added an inch in length, because I found the first one, needed and extra bit to hold my 8.5 x 10 papers folded in half.  I decided not to add Velcro or a button, because the folder slides right into my computer bag pocket and buttons or Velcro would snag.  I top stitched the top so that holds the flap down, just right. 

I wanted to make one in a Vegas'y print but the only thing I had was some playing cards print, and I didn't have enough.  I'll have to get some more.  Vegas prints from Vegas, babbbyyy!  now comes the hard part waiting until April.

Sewing for Christmas

I never know whether to laugh or cry when I get a request for a sewing job around Christmas.  Today is the 8th of December.  I was told that that's plenty of time to do her project, for Christmas.  Sigh.   Today makes me want to close the shop, then this afternoon I got an email asking about my digitizing two logos.  One is going to be super easy, it's just letters, but I needed more information about size and font, so I sent an email back.  I did tell them that due to the holidays if he needed his job done before 10 Jan, there would be a rush charge.  I can order the shirts, that way when I get bored after Christms rush, I can do shirts.

 I need 40 more lace ornaments.  Three more tote bags, a purse and misc zipper bags.

No Cable

This morning I woke up to no Cable TV.  I tried to call the cable company, but of course I had switched my phone to them too. No Phone.  I grabbed my cell and called.  Someone cut the cable line while digging in our area. It took until 4:20pm to get the cable back up. This is my front yard. Who is digging before 5 am in the snow and cold?

I sewed all morning.  I had three machines going at once.  Of course no pictures.  But nothing is finished, so I'm not worried about it.  Tomorrow, I'll post pictures when I'm finished. 

I was running around trying to find my dongle, for my embroidery software.  I keep leaving it where I'm not!  I needed a lanyard so I could drape it around my neck as I go back and forth from my laptop, desktop and the sewing machines. I started to look around to make me a lanyard, when I noticed that the one I made for my camera was perfect.

My Camera needed a new one, this one while nice, wasn't hardy enough. I saw someone had made a camera strap with a little pocket for the camera lens cover.  I want to make one like that.  So the lanyard got detoured to my dongle.  It's perfect.

Genealogy Monday

Today was email and Genealogy Monday.  I sent about 25 emails.  I am the Director of our Family History Center and I needed to update my Patron list.  I printed it off yesterday and brought it home.  I then used my email book for a local genealogy group to update my list with emails.  I then individually emailed each person with a form letter about why I was emailing and new changes coming to Family Search.org. The ones without emails, I called.  Now I'm getting reply emails to verify their addresses and phone numbers. 

I've been on the computer all day.  I tried to sew, but I was so distracted that after marking placements for embroidering pockets I wandered out of the sewing room. 

I ordered a few things, then the daughter flounced in and told me she was going shopping. Then wanted to know what I was looking at. I flipped my Explorer shut as she walked up, can't have her see me ordering Christmas stuff. Then she picked up a catalog and proceeds to read it to me.  Yes the catalog is cool, ThinkGeek.com. But It's like when someone reads you the Comics in the Sunday paper after you read them.  Quite annoying when she's 20 almost 21.  I find all sorts of gifts in this catalog, for my twenty something kids and even the Hubby's co-workers.  A few years ago all of his co-workers got plush germs for Christmas.  I growled at the daughter and she started to walk off with my catalog. I demanded it back and told her to call me if she's coming home for dinner.  She flipping asked me if I was hot flashing and she ran up the stairs.  She forgets I know where she sleeps. 

Grrrrr Argh, The beatings will commence until morale improves. (Mine)

Scrub cap

I made this scrub cap for my Hubby's co-worker. It's a sage green, almost khahi green.  I embroidered

Paul, the big 60 in the center of the cap.  The picture was really bad, because the restaurant was dark.  I used my iPhone without a flash.  The birthday boy is on the left and Hubby is on the right.

 This morning was normal Saturday chores: laundry, grocery shopping, etc.  After I finished putting up all the groceries I headed for the sewing room.  I got the bathmat to finish the embroidery.  It was tough, the bobbin didn't like me.  Then I folded the ratty towel together and stitched the sides, leaving a section to turn it. 

At this point the Hubby wanted me to run to Target with him, he put together the fake Christmas tree and wanted a new power strip for the tree and my angel for the tree topper is old. He wanted a new tree topper.  We found a glittery star.

I trimmed the towel with my pinking shears and then turned it right sides out.  Top stitched the edges to close the opening. I really like how it turned out.  I just need to wash it and throw away the old rug in the upstairs bathroom.

I also cut out a few tote bags for Monday.  I need to run and get purple zippers for one of the totes.

Sew and Tell Friday

I love Sew and Tell Friday at AmyLouWho's site. Every Friday morning I check my email, then pop over to see what Amy has done this week.  Even when I don't have anything to post.  Finding myself checking through the day and all weekend long as sewers like us post what they worked on this week.

I have been in a slump.  I tell my husband and kids that when they feel sick, they will feel better to get up take a shower and get dressed.   There is a scene in one of my favorite Sandra Bullock movies where she's grieving for her husband and her sister shows up, climbs under the covers with her. Tells her to get up, brush her teeth and take care of her girls.  This is what I decided to do, figuratively of course. To just get up and start sewing.   Yesterday I sewed another scrub cap for the Hubby's co-worker who is turning the big 60.  I'll take a picture at the birthday dinner tonight, and post it tomorrow.

After embossing the HIS towel, I decided that both my boys needed towels for Christmas.  They are both in the Army.  Boys always need fresh towels.  When (yes when) they get deployed overseas the towels are yucky. So I embossed their names on Khahi colored towels.  Before you asked I just got them for $5 at Walmart. 

Yes my Hubby named his boys, Conan and Shon.  Each of his kids are names after Irish Kings and Queens.  It makes it hard to find things with their names on them, like pencils, key chains, etc.  But I know that because their names are unique their towels won't get lost in the laundry.   I tried to upload more photos and Blogger kept locking up, So sorry only one photo of the towels. 

Saturday I'm going to make a new bathmat for the boys bathroom and then do wash cloths for the boys. I have the machines all set up and ready to go.

When I tried to wind the bobbins, they were all weird because the spools of thread are large too large for the sidewinder. I stuck the spool inside a plastic cup to hold it from wobbling and falling on the floor.  The bobbins were still messed up. I wound the thread from bobbin 1 to bobbin 2. It worked so much better.  I had tried the pre-wound bobbins but you can't always find the right color. 

I spent most of the last two days in my sewing room and I can't believe how much better I feel.  I made a list and I'm checking it twice. Running errand became a chore, because I didn't want to shut things down, but I had to go to the dry cleaners, they are now closed over the weekend.