Guest Post - The Right Tools Make All The Difference!

Hey, y'all, Karin here again, doing what I do best - hijacking Kelly's blog giving Kelly a hand while she is recovering.

 (just for the description....no one was hurt in the making of this blog post :)

The title of this post could just as easily have been "The Towels From H E double hockey sticks" but, it's not my blog, and I didn't want to offend any of  Kelly's dear readers and friends.  Be forewarned, this quick, short and easy project was anything but, and definitely proved the adage that the using right tool for the job makes the job a whole lot easier.

I had some Christmas fabric that I wanted to add to the bottom of the towels and I choose  this design from Embroidery Library.   I wanted to make the stars gold and the ornaments red...easy-peasy, right?

 (haha, little did I know...do you sense a trend here?)

(Photo Credit)

Well, you see all those little loopies and swirlies in the original design?  Can you imagine trying to remove even tearaway paper stabilizer from all those tiny stitches?  Darned near impossible, so tearaway is out.  I could use water soluble, but even after a good rinse, that often leaves the towel stiff until it's run through the washer and I didn't plan on doing that prior to gifting.  I don't like leaving cutaway stabilizer on towels that are to be used, so that was out too.  What's left?  Floriani Heat N Gone, of course!  It's very similar to water soluble, but it gets removed with a simple pass of a hot iron instead of water.  Perfect!

 So here we are, all hooped up, and ready to stitch.  I've got my towel and one layer of Heat N Gone hooped together, nice and tight.   I think puckers in machine embroidery are BAAAAD.

 I fast-forwarded a few stitches to see where I was going first, and it turned out my needle was at the top left star.  Perfect, as I wanted to make the stars gold.  You can hardly see it in the next picture, but I managed to get the first star gold, stop the machine, change thread and bobbin to red and continue stitching.  Easy right?  Haha, she says.

Apparently I wasn't paying super close attention (I might have actually dozed off...just sayin) and lo and behold, the needle went right into stitching the second star before I knew it.  It was almost half done before I was able to stop the machine.  Oh, but once it stopped, boy did I have a mess situation in my hoop.

 First I tried removing stitches with my trusty Seam-Fix seam ripper (I call that reverse stitching, and it's a stitch I use more than I care to admit.)  This wasn't your ordinary run stitch, though..oh no...it was double stitched to make it thick and visible.  The seam ripper just wasn't cutting the mustard; surely there was a better tool in the arsenal.....

 How about if I try my Famore Angled Tweezers?

 Yup, that's the right tool for this job!  Those little pointy tips were able to get under that thread and pull it right up for me to snip off.

Remember, though, I'm only a few minutes into this project and already I've made a mistake that cost me extra time and trouble.  What happened to easy and quick?  Surely I'll pick up the pace once I remove these stitches....after all, I've only got a short time to sew up 4 towels and this design is supposed to take 19 minutes to sew out.  Oh wait, they didn't count on me changing colors so I have to add  more time.... 

It will be a cinch to swipe the Heat and Gone with my iron and remove all the stabilizer.  Quick and easy..love that.  Once again, the right tool makes the job go easy.

Here is the design all stitched out.  You can see  the Heat N Gone - it's the shiny part.

 And, once again, those angled Famore tweezers came in handy to remove a couple of red underlay stitches that were peeping out from underneath the green swirls.  Again, the right tool makes the job quick and easy.  Thank you Kelly!

 

 By now, I've got about an hour invested in this 19 minute stitchout.....ugh...and I've got 3 more to go.  Ummmm...maybe not.  I decided that I will do ONE more towel with this design (gotta have a matching pair, right?) and I'll cut one more piece of Heat N Gone then wrap it up and put it away.

I fiddled with trying to get that roll back into the wrapper, but you know that didn't happen.  At least, not the way I wanted it to fit.  Hugo's Amazing Tape to the rescue!  I just wrapped the cellophane wrapper around the roll of stabilizer, wrapped a short piece of tape around it and called it done.  I know I can rely on it sticking to itself without sticking to anything else or leaving any gunky residue, and when I'm ready to use the stabilizer again, a lift of one corner and it peels right off.

 And where do I keep all my stabilizer rolls you may ask?  My sweet daughter gifted me one of those upright, hanging shoe holders and I just didn't have the heart to tell her I didn't have that many pairs of shoes...so I just put it away for a while.  I just hung it on one of those over-the-door hooks, and there ya go!  Might not be its intended use, but it sure works for me!  (right tool, remember?)

Why two hooks over the door?  Wait until you see the front.

 Here's what's hanging on the FRONT of the door...I had a $10 coupon for Kohl's last year, and this baby cost $9.99, so, basically, it was free and it was ME, so I just *had* to have it!  The "IN" sign turns around to show "OUT" when I'm not in the room.  Handy when Driver has to come looking for me and makes me smile every time I see it!  I leave it (and my other Halloween decoration: cobwebs) up all year..much easier that way.

 Brake's over, back to stitching....I've got another 19 minute stitchout, and then 2 more towels, whose design was still to be determined.   I got smart on the second towel and decided to fast-forward my stitching so that I could stitch both gold stars at one time without having to switch colors in the middle.  Quick, smart, and easy, eh?  Haha, I thought so too...little did I know.

 Here we are, both stars stitched nicely, so let's switch back to red, and go do the ornaments.

 Annnnnd, what have we here?????  Arrrrrgh.  I turned my back to review my fabric (do you ever second guess yourself?) and look what happened!  I'd forgotten the stitching order, and I stitched RED right over top of my (previously stitched) GOLD star!  Arrrrrrgh.  See, I told you, the towels from H E double hockey sticks!

 Well, use your imagination here....and trust me when I tell you that my Famore Angled tweezers saved my butt design once again.  And here are the two towels, only 3 hours or so later all ready for their fabric trim.  Good thing I picked such an easy and quick design right? 

 Here they are after their fabric trims have been added.  Good enough to gift, thanks to all the right tools from IHAN!

 Here are the other two towels I made.  Notice the design I chose?  Yup, it's a regular, solid and dense design.  With approximately 3 times the number of stitches as the airy tree design.  And these took about the same time to stitch out, and noooo, I didn't make ANY mistakes on these, and all I had to do was change the thread at each color stop and add the trim and fabric.

This design is also from Embroidery Library, and it stitched out without a hitch.  So now my towels are all ready to wrap up and fly to Alabama, with a few days to spare.  Thank Goodness!

(actual stitching results)

Thanks for sharing all the trials and tribulations of my "Towels From H E double hockey sticks."  I'm glad they're done, that's for sure!  And I'm super glad Kelly and IHAN have all the tools I need to make my "job" easier and quicker, not to mention take care of all those self-created issues.  These wonderful tools make GREAT stocking stuffers, so be sure to drop some hints around the house and see what turns up in YOUR stocking!

Thanks for reading!
Karin

Redesigning Perfect? Famore Cutlery Has

Just because I think all Famore Scissors are PERFECT doesn't mean the company isn't going to go and change something on me.

When I tried to re-order the Famore 6 inch Large Ring Comfort Handle Razor Edge Scissors I noticed they were out of stock.  WHAT?  Out of stock?  These scissors are a great seller and I really like the pair I have.

I called up Mr. Scissor Man, aka Brint, and asked him personally, "what have you done with my scissors?"

I learned the handles were re-designed to be slightly larger and a wee bit flexible for comfort.  Hmmmm...and I thought the previous design was GREAT!  (Personally, I never do understand why people update things.  After all, what is wrong with my 1970's hair do?)

The "re-designed" Famore 6 inch Large Ring Comfort Handle Razor Edge Scissors arrived in the mail yesterday and I had to give them some exercise.

Just as I suspected!  They still have the same sharp edges, cut excellently and have the same blue handles.  Did the handles have a scosche more room?  Yup they did.  OK, well....I guess the nuances of new handles have escaped me...OR... I've always been focused on the clean cuts I get with these scissors. 

 

Conveniently enough I just so happen to have an opinion on these redesigned handles.   Imagine that!

The scissors are still razor sharp and give excellent crisp cut edges and the handles are and were comfortable for my hand....and since they went to all that trouble....why didn't they make them with screaming red handles instead?  After all, I like the color red better than blue :)

I'm finished now...zipped lips on this subject.

On to posting a few pix I have taken recently:

 My girlfriend, Nancy, wore the cutest jeans...check out the mylar machine embroidery she put on the outside leg of her pants.  So stinkin' fun!  I need some fun pants.

Speaking of fun...another friend, Diane, took a class with Patsy Thompson and look what she made:

a lovely and cheerful tote

the back view and I just love it.

 

Lovely interior with lots of pockets....I'm jealous!

It's not like I can just hop up and go to classes and stitch with my buddies these days....AND.... I have been taking a few minutes to attempt some holiday gifts.

The girl who hates puckers....made a tea towel that has puckers :(

See what happens when I get the itch to make something and don't have access to all my supplies?  I knew better but just yearned to hear that machine hum along. 

I know someone else who developed the itch and I'll publish her post tomorrow.

Until then.....keep smiling and I will too!

Kelly

They Caught My Attention

I've seen a few things lately that have really grabbed my attention and I thought I'd share them today.  In no particular order:

Photo Credit

Have you ever visited Jessica Jones, How About Orange blog?  It is one of my favorites and it was one of the first blogs that I fell in love with.  Her blog is clean, bright and inviting as well as lots of fun.  If you have not visited I highly suggest you click on the link above and check out her posts as well as some of her pages.

The pages Jessica has on her blog are:

DIY Tutorials- My favorite is the Stitched Fabric Notecard.
Free Downloads -One of my favorites is the Halloween Fonts.
Useful Resources - Check out Free Vector Frames and Ornaments
Time Wasters - Absolutely my favorite is the Conduct Your Own Beatbox Group...ROFL- LOVE IT!

On Jessica's FAQ page - Definitely a grabber is the following sentence:

What's your favorite adjective?
Fun.

This girl definitely knows how to have fun and I have fun every time I visit her blog.

Alex Veronelli from Aurifil Threads, is in my opinion, the KING of Social Media in the Quilting Industry.  I've always enjoyed Aurifil's Facebook page and recently I saw that there is a  Hey Girl slogan campaign challenge going on and I thought everyone should take a chance at winning some Aurifil Thread and a MODA Fabric surprise pack. 

Ya'all know there is nothing that stands in the way of my wanting to WIN Aurifil Thread right?  RIGHT!!!   I didn't read about the number of entries that were allowed so I sent all 7 that  popped into my head the other night.  Here are my entries:

If you LOVE Aurifil Thread than I suggest that you CLICK HERE and read about how you can enter the challenge.

Last but definitely not least is the Ellison Lane Blog written by Jennifer Mathis.  I subscribe by e-mail to Jennifer's blog and I've been enjoying her posts.  She is a designer and generously offers several free tutorials on her blog.  When I first saw her tutorial on a Guys Survival Kit Tutorial I immediately bookmarked the page because it is so difficult to come up with hand made gifts for me. 

Look what showed up in my e-mail today:

 Christmas Tree Table Runner Tutorial

Jennifer is hosting a Holiday Hostess Series that includes several fun tutorials as well as an opportunity to win some great prizes.  CLICK HERE to see the tutorial above and look into her Holiday Hostess Series.

Before I close I do want to remind everyone that I have MJ's Bag Tag Tutorial here on the IHAN® blog and the Bag Tags also make wonderful holiday gifts.  

These are just a few examples of the Bag Tags.

I hope I have shared something with you today that made you smile!

Kelly

Yes, I Am Spoiled With Anita Goodesigns

I am no expert when it comes to Machine Embroidery or for that matter Quilting.   I don't need to be when I am surrounded by wonderful women who have achieved excellence in Machine Embroidery and Quilting.  This is not to say that I'm not knowledgeable, because I am....but expert, nope, not me.

Knowing that the holidays are right around the corner, I started making gifts for my co-workers teachers....and of course the bus driver, the secretaries and I can't leave out the school counselor!  Yes, I have a lot of gifts to make.   I have a secret to share for making amazing gifts quickly....its called Machine Embroidery! 

Another secret is excellently digitized designs by Anita Goodesign.   I was introduced to Anita Goodesign by  my friends in the Machine Embroidery Guild a few years ago.  When I saw how wonderful the designs stitched out I knew these designs would be a great addition to IHAN®.

 Nutcrackers by Anita Goodesign

I am making these pillows for some of the teachers and I thought I'd take you along on the journey with me.

The instructions are so well written that even I can follow them.  Each and every step is supported with excellent directions and photos.  The instructions suggested that I add some fusible interfacing to the back of my fabric because of the dense stitching.  Next I used Floriani No Show Mesh Cutaway as the stabilizer and hooped all layers.  Nice and taunt so I would not have any puckering.  I'm not a fan of puckering! 

Above you can see the stippling stitches and the base of the Nutcracker being stitched.   I chose white thread on white fabric because I wanted the Nutcracker to be the focus but I could have just as easily used another color.

Anita Goodesign has been using Floriani Thread in their designs and conveniently enough, I happen to love  Floriani Embroidery Thread so this is excellent!   TIP:  You can always share your embroidery thread with another machine embroiderer.  Who says you can't split the cost of all of your ME supplies with a friend...that cuts down on your inventory of stabilizers and thread.  Just a money saving idea.

 

The Nutcrackers pants are being stitched in this photo.  Wouldn't you think the stitches would start out uniform?  You are seeing the under stitches being laid down.  Wait until you see how beautifully the pants turn out.

Beautiful ay?  Yes indeed.

Now the jacket is stitching....

Ta Da....and a Nutcracker is born :)

In this close up you can really see the beautiful detailing of the digitizing and the rich texture the Floriani thread brings. 

Given I can't get to my fabric stash I am not able to put the side panels on just yet.  Wheelchairs and stairs just don't go together.  However, I do have an example from Christmas Classics that I finished before my ankle was broken.

 

These two pillows will be given to teachers/school staff as gifts this holiday season. 

You can make pillows, quilts, wall hangings, table runners, placemats, coasters,  embellish clothing....anything goes and you know you can't go wrong with the quality digitizing by Anita Goodesign. 

Yes, I am trying to tempt you....and in my effort to do so, I've also taken $30.00 off the price of the Christmas Classics and  $15.00 on the Nutcracker designs.  All Anita Goodesigns ship for FREE at IHAN® (United States Only) so what are you waiting for? 

As far as I can calculate, that leaves you plenty of money for at least one wild fabric shopping spree and lunch or some more money to tuck back into your mattress :)

Smiles,
Kelly