The Intrepid Seamster

Bernina 830

I’m smitten like a kitten with new mittens!

My new machine came home Saturday. If anyone needs me, I’ll be in the sewing room.

We’re nearly out of the “aughts”, and it feels as if we just got over worring about y2K! I can’t be the only one surprised by the arrival of January?

Ready for the New Year

The whole year’s worth of In Stitches 2009 sewing club has been planned, but won’t be announced just yet. That’s a weasily way of saying I reserve the right to change my mind! The first quarter is pretty much set in stone though, so here’s a little preview.

The first meeting of the year, held on February 26, 2009 (10:00 a.m. or 7:00 p.m.) is titled Scrap Eating Table Runner. This is an easy-to-make table runner designed to just eat up those scraps and stash fabrics that are cluttering your sewing room.

No meeting will be held in March, and then the April class will feature a project called Broken Heart Quilt. Your heart will definitely NOT be broken when you finish this unique little quilt! It is also a great stash reduction project (notice a theme developing here?). This meeting will be on April 23, 2009 (10:00 a.m. or 7:00 p.m.).

If you are in Southern California and would like to join in the fun, please call AAA Sewing & Vacuum Center (310) 791-1190 for details and to sign up.

Missed the peeps!

One year ago I stepped away from teaching a monthly program at several Southern California sewing machine shops. Simply called Sewing Club, this program consisted of a lecture/demo presentation featuring a different sewing theme each month. This involved a great deal of preparation including developing a class plan, purchasing materials, sewing up at least one sample, acquiring and cutting fabrics for demonstrations, writing and editing student handouts, printing handouts, and planning the actual presentation. To say nothing of the commute on the charming California freeways. After 23 (!) years I was so burned out I vowed never to teach sewing club again.

The first couple of months after resigning were heaven. There were no looming deadlines, no cold stab of fear that I may never again have another good idea for a program, no heavy suitcase to pack and lug around. But I missed the people. My peeps! The show and tell, which we called Bring and Brag, the laughing, and catching up on personal news were the things that made all the hard work worthwhile.

So, I’ve decided to start teaching again. I’ve already made a long list of new program ideas, and can’t wait to get started! Since I made a vow never to teach Sewing Club again, this new program will be called In Stitches. A waffle, I know, but it’ll do. In Stitches will be offered the 4th Thursdays of each month (March through November 2008) at AAA Sewing Center in Torrance, California. You’ll find a link to that web site in the side bar to the right. There will be two meeting times each month: 10:00 a.m to Noon, or 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Maybe I’ll see you there?

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So many choices…

Many embroiderers face the challenge of sewing out high stitch count and dense embroidery designs with trepidation. Professionally digitized designs, which are often very dense and multi-layered, are beautiful and hard to resist. Yet, when it comes time to sew them out you often encounter thread loops, disturbing noises as the needle attempts to penetrate dense areas, broken needles and other trials.

Often, the first instinct is to choose a larger needle to help the machine penetrate the problem areas. This is actually the opposite of the correct solution! The next time you encounter this problem, try a finer needle. The smaller needle will slide into the dense embroidery with less strain than a heavier one! Size 80/12 needles are the most frequently used for embroidery, so try a 75/11 or 70/10 the next time you encounter this problem.

Many of the same needle choices you make with regular sewing apply to automatic machine embroidery, as well. For instance, you would use a sharp needle for woven fabrics, and a ball pointed needle for knits. A larger needle is best with heavier weight fabric, and a smaller needle for lighter weight fabric. Beyond these considerations, there are some special characteristics of needles designed specifically for embroidery that you may find useful.

Machine needles designed for embroidery usually have a slightly larger eye than standard needles. This allows the more delicate embroidery threads to flow through with less friction and heat. That translates to less thread breakage and more beautiful stitches. There are also titanium embroidery needles on the market now. They are much more durable than standard needles. The manufacturers claim that they will last 10 times as long as standard needles. I’m not sure of that number, but they do last a great deal longer than standard needles in my experience. They are also more slippery than standard needles, which makes them a good choice when using sticky-type stabilizers. They do cost more than standard needles, but if you calculate the cost per hour they come out ahead.

Time after time I see students using the same old needle for multiple embroideries. Do you know that the lifespan of a standard needle is 6 to 8 hours of running time? A worn needle can cause stitch faults and weaken fabric. When sewing clothing, you should start with a fresh needle for each garment and an average garment has 20,000 stitches. It is not at all unusual for an embroidery design to have well over 50,000 stitches! Do yourself and your project a favor – change that needle!

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