Singer Featherweight, tote and workstation 2 in 1

 Ну вот я её и сделала! Tutorial is here!
А как долго собиралась! То заказы, то путешествия, то квилт-шоу всяческие, то просто домашние дела.. А ведь собиралась с тех самых пор, как мне мой драгоценный муж вот так взял, нашёл и купил маленькую, портативную машинку Singer Featherweight, которая, кстати говоря, почти одного возраста с ним, а чем старше, тем. как известно, драгоценнее!

 Да, у неё есть конечно ящик-чемоданчик для переноски, но мне нужно было что-то такое, чтобы вот так вытащить, поставить и сразу начать шить, ну чтоб всё при ней, всё на месте. А когда закончил, опять же вжик-вжик и поехала!

Быстро сказка сказывается да не скоро дело делается,- это точно! Я уже, конечно, написала почти с полсотни всяческих tutorials (типа мастер-классов, но всё же не совсем), и самое главное это не составить схему и описать, сколько продумать все детали и их функциональность в действии. Обычно я всё делаю как для себя, ни с кем не сверяюсь, ни с кем не советуюсь и ничего не подсматриваю. Мне нужно сделать так, чтобы мне самой это нравилось и чтобы я сама смогла воспользоваться этой шпаргалкой в любое время, если понадобится опять сделать это на бис.

 Как-то и тканьки подходящие подсобрались, и мысли сложились в кучу, и попалось свободное  время на писанину, фотосессию и сбор воедино.

 Ну нравится, не могу отрицать! Одно удовольствие: прочный нейлон снаружи, молнии по углам, тканька с машинками внутри, ручки не пристроченные, а в петлях, чтобы свободно можно было подвытянуть их спереди и чтоб между ног не болтались, когда шьёшь.

 Короче, я довольна! И, судя по ажиотажу, не я одна! Один магазинчик, который занимается продажей и сервисом таких машинок, даже заключили со мной договор, что будут перечислять мне ежемесячно проценты от продаж! Клёво!

Следующий проект скоро! Тоже для неё родимой!

Ну да, у меня же есть свой YouTube канал, и там можно посмотреть как эта штука выглядит в действии - вооооот здесь!

Подписывайтесь и ставьте лайки, за что буду премного благодарна! И до новых встреч в эфире!

Happy sewing!

Natalie Quiltessa

How to use bobbin winder for the larger size spools

Did you know, you can use your bobbin winder on the sewing machine to wind more thread on the regular size spool?

It's always cheaper to buy anything in bulk or in larger amounts. 

When I buy large size of Sulky, Aurifil, Kingtut or Superior threads, yes, I always win in price, but it's not not always convenient having a big spool, especially when you travelling, go for a class or guild meetings.

It also applies to serger or coverlock, when I need 4 spools of the same color at a time, but I have only one available (or 2-3, still not enough!), you would like this tip to know how to rewind it. 

Just buy sticky Velcro circles 

and punch the whole in the center.

Attach one to the bobbin and one to the empty spool.

Ready!

Just hold the top of the spool, when winding, to prevent it from wobbling.

Enjoy!

Natalie Quiltessa

How to know instantly which needle is in your sewing machine right now? Best tip ever!

I never have trouble organizing my needles, since I arranged them in this perfect size fit pill box:

But I don't always remember which needle I had last in my sewing machine!

You might like this tip I found recently on Facebook, but.... what if you have more than one machine?  To tell the truth I was not really satisfied with that idea, especially when using more than one machine, with separate storage for additional needles! I also have several sewing bags, which are always ready to grab and go sewing, depends on the project I am working on; those bags are "furnished" with special clear vinyl bags to keep additional sewing needles there!  That means I  keep my needles somewhere separately from my sewing machine. When I want to find out which needle case was used last time, I need to leave my sewing space, to find one of those needle cases. Waste of time to me! And the worst part of it is when I finally find that needle case with some kind of marking in it (toothpick, paper clip or nail polished on the old needle - additional steps again, steeling my time), then I realize, that the needle I want is already in my sewing machine! Such a waste! Most of the time I just need to be sure there is a needle, which I need at the moment, without taking it out and looking for the magnifying glass, if I forgot when/if I changed it last time.

So, after making multiple researches, I still couldn't find a good tip which would work fine to me. Sorry if I missed something! But finally I came up with my own decision. Maybe a little time consuming in the beginning, to get it done, but since it's there, it will work forever!

So.....

With this tip you will always know which needle you had last in your sewing machine(s)! 

 Finally, I came up with this solution!

I printed the type of the needles I use most of the time and their size numbers on a shipping label stickers, so I can adhere it to my machine and easily remove, if needed.

Now I wrapped around the lid on the top of my machine, where the labels already attached, with clear elastic 3/8" width, pulled both ends to make it tight enough and joined them with a stapler.

Now I need to make some markers, so I can move them and anchor every time when I change my needle. Safety pins would work fine for this purpose, and I also decided to decorate them with tiny silk flowers. It will look pretty and also will make it easier to visualize where exactly your anchor is.

I sewed them first to the pin, then put a little drop of Gorilla glue on it. This glue has a tendency to create a little bubbles and small rubbery ball when dried off, - it will prevent the pin from unnecessary sliding.  

Now lock these flower pins on the elastic and anchor them accordingly to the needle in use right now!

It really works on my several sewing machines so far!

Flowers and pins can be easily substituted with any flat tabs, for example, cut off piece of plastic or vinyl, cut two slots and insert the strap in it.

Hopefully you can also use this tip and save some time for doing more things you love!

Please, leave a comment if you like it, or have a better idea, or know how to improve this tip!

Enjoy!

Happy sewing!

Natalie Quiltessa

How to sew on vinyl and leather. Great tips!

1) Use a Teflon-Foot. They sell one for every brand of machine. It’s usually a zig-zag presser foot that has a Teflon coating on bottom that allows things like vinyl and leather to slide right on through your machine. Heck, Baby Lock even makes one for their sergers! If you don’t have a Teflon foot, some people put cellophane tape on the sole of their foot- not quite as nice and neat- but it can work in a pinch.

2) Use this machine hack that includes mutilating a Supreme Slider. You can find it in my Quiltess.com store. If you don’t want to buy a Supreme Slider, you can put tissue paper underneath your project. I don’t really like doing this, because then I have to tear it away from my seam and it can dull your needle a bit. What you can do is tape the tissue paper to the bed of your machine, and then the vinyl won’t stick on the area of the bed to right or left of the needle, and you can just pay attention to the area around the feed dogs. The tissue paper basically acts as a barrier between the machine and the vinyl.

3) Use a longer stitch length. This doesn’t reduce drag per se, but it does help to preserve the integrity of your vinyl. Vinyl is plastic, it is a bonded, man made fabric- it’s not woven or knitted fibers and it won’t heal. So, if you puncture it with a needle very closely, you’ll perforate it and it could tear. Use a stitch length of at least 3 or 3.5

4) Don’t use a leather needle on vinyl! This is another piece of advice that the TV show gave. A leather needle has a blade-like tip that creates a large slit. This is great for leather, but on vinyl, it can create weak points. Use a “sharp” or “microtex” needle to create the smallest hole possible, while still piercing the fabric effectively.

5) Use strong polyester thread. Vinyl can sort of “cut your thread” as your garment or project wears, so use something like Mettler Metrosene thread. It’s strong and durable and will withstand the stress of holding vinyl together in a garment.

(Source)

Tutorial for the Shell pouch shown is on Craftsy.

ps. I disagree with the statement from that article about NOT using baby powder, which can also be helpful if you just put a tiny amount of it on your fingers and rub the sewing plate. The only warning - do not sprinkle it on the sewing machine, just rub a little bit with your finger and it will reduce the stubbornness of leather or vinyl on the metal plate. Common sense! 

Happy sewing!

Natalie Quiltessa

Mini sewing machine music box

Find it in my Quiltess.com store

Watch my video here.

Happy sewing!

Natalie Quiltessa

How to use your sewing feet, video tutorials. Part 1.

How to use a Ruffler foot - video is here.

How to use a Gathering foot - video is here.

How to use a Hemmer foot - video is here.

How to use a Blind Hem foot - video is here.

How to use a Cording foot - video is here.

How to use a Double piping foot - video is here.

How to use Bias binding or Tape Stitching foot - video is here.

How to use a Felling (Flat Felled) foot - video is here.

How to use a Satin Stitch foot - video is here.

How to use a Flower Stitch foot - video is here.

Miniature sewing machine

Just finished quilting, attached sleeve and label.

Cynthia England design - Stitch in time pattern.
The size of this miniature is 20" x 16". It consists of more than 500 pieces stitched all from the back. It's not applique! This method called picture piecing by Cynthia England.

You can see it in real at our local quilt show next week "Quilts in Boro 2015!"

Please come and vote for your favorite quilts! No judgement, only viewers choice!

Thanks for sharing with your friends too!

35 hours of piecing

Just finished piecing! It took me 35 hours to put together 579 pieces of 18 colors of different fabrics. How did I calculate? It was written on the pattern, each block consists of 20-40 pieces, total - 21 block to sew together. It's hard to distinguish blocks. isn't it?
The size of it 19 1/4" x 15 1/4". Sometimes I can hear the questions: Is it a painting? Is it applique? No, this is all pieced. Here's the picture of the back, gazillion of stitches!  Does it look complicated? Nah, if you can sew straight stitch, you can do this too, believe me! Just all straight stitches on  this miniature quilt (to be!).

Now need some more time to quilt it and frame.
Thanks again to Cynthia England for design!

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Are you right handed or left handed? Or ambidextrous?

Left handed people make up 10% of the population, but, frankly, it seems like society has forgotten about them. Right-handed gadgets, awkwardly designed desks, cooking tools that fit comfortably in your right hand (now that’s just wrong!).. 
What causes someone to become a southpaw? Scientists aren’t exactly sure, but research points to a complex collaboration between genes and environment. While no exact set of “leftie genes” have been discovered, people who dominantly use their left hands do have more left-handed family members. And researchers have found different brain wirings in righties vs. lefties.

Read more facts about left-handed people here.

Also, left handed people are more likely to go into the arts. I am curious if sewing and quilting considered to be art?

Here is an interesting set of questions to determine which hand is dominant.

We all, of course, know in which hand we hold a pen, but how far does this bias extend throughout your body? Are you left-eared? Left eyed? Here is a simple test you can apply to yourself.

1. Imagine the centre of your back is itching. Which hand do you scratch it with?
2. Interlock your fingers. Which thumb is uppermost?
3. Imagine you are applauding. Start clapping your hands. Which hand is uppermost?
4. Wink at an imaginary friend straight in front of you. Which eye does the winking?
5. Put your hands behind your back, one holding the other. Which hand is doing the holding?
6. Someone in front of you is shouting but you cannot hear the words. Cup your ear to hear better. Which ear do you cup?
7. Count to three on your fingers, using the forefinger of the other hand. Which forefinger do you use?
8. Tilt your head over on to one shoulder. Which shoulder does it touch?
9. Fixate a small distant object with your eyes and point directly at it with your forefinger. Now close one eye. Now change eyes. Which eye was open when the fingertip remained in line with the small object? (When the other eye, the non-dominant one, is open and the dominant eye is closed, the finger will appear to move to one side of the object.)
10. Fold your arms. Which forearm is uppermost?

If you have always considered yourself to be right or left-handed you will probably now have discovered that your body is less than total in its devotion to its favored side. If you are right-handed the chances are that you were not able to be 'right' 10 times.
(Source)


Do you know that some roller cutters are designed for both, left and right handed? Compare these two cutters: left one is designed only for right-handed, but yellow one has two buttons. Your choice!

Can you see the difference it these two wooden pressers? They are also designed for left or right handed. 

You can find this roller cutter in my store here and wooden iron here.

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