Ringing in the New Year with Changes

Sorry to be wearing out the use of this image.. but it indeed one of my favorites and I only get to trot it out once per year!

I love the plucky " can-do" face on the young homemaker knowing that she WILL put her house right for the New year no matter what a mess it has become.  With her spirit in mind I am going to be folding my Fresh Thread posts back into my personal Domestic Anarchy blog 

 The reason for this are complex but not worth a whole like a cyber paper and in the end I like the plucky retro housewife am doing my best to put my house right in the new year and part of that has to do with reclaiming my time for myself and my family.  I do hope that you will join me over at Domestic Anarchy and wish you all the best in the new year!

As a small technical note I wil leave this blog open for a bit as I change over all my business contacts but if there are design feebies that you want get them now since I don't know how long it will take me to get them all posted back up!



And Now a Word From Our Sponsor.....

Wow... over a whole month of not posting!.. What can I say.. the holidays swallowed me up and have just now spit me back out!  But with a quick assessment of things I am happy to say that I am launching into the New Year with lots of ideas, classes and fun for 2011!

For all of my Chattanooga area sewing peeps you can find me teaching at Chattanooga Sewing a couple of times in the new few months with other dates as I post them.

Want to learn the ins and outs of In-the hoop applique?   Love cupcakes?.. then bring them together with my in the hoop class. Jan 19th at 5:30

Have a 6needle machine and want to learn how to get more out of it?

Feb 5th is the time to get all of your questions answered and learn some tricks that will make your machine sing!

New to quilting.. love batik?.. need a table runner?

Feb 16th.. be there!

New baby in your life or need a shower gift to wow the mother to be?  Want to learn how to work with Minky but quake in your boots just thinking about it? March 5th..

Interested?.. have questions?

Contact  Chattanooga Sewing Machine Center for more details and class sign up!

423-899-3664

Or drop me a note in the comments section!

I Play With Fabric

I play with fabric... honestly I think maybe you could have a form of therapy that is all about unfolding and refolding fat quarters in a slow even pace... when I am stressed.. this totally zones me out and brings my breathing back into a normal range..

Too much life and not enough quilting of late.. it makes Maddie a cranky girl!

Here is to hoping that tomorrow is holding lots of thread and stitches!

Book Lovers... take note!

 Please note that you can find the books I am putting up for sale in the ~Bookcase~ on the Fresh Thread sister site... the Longarm Virgin. Click HERE to find out what is new!  



M is for Mailbox!

And Amy you need to check yours since you are the winner of the newest copy of

 Creative Machine Embroidery magazine!

So leave a comment and drop me a note so I can get it into the mail to you this week!

It's a Giveaway!

It's been way too long and I think you all would agree!

So it's time for a little giveaway!

To celebrate my new article in

Creative Machine Embroidery Magazine

I have a copy to give to you!

Even better it comes packaged with a bonus CD with CME Fashion Numbers

So it's all good!

( Please note that it will be the Nov/Dec issue not the one pictured here.. it seems that I can't get an image of that issue to upload right now... geesh I love technology!)

So..  if you want it just leave a comment below and I pick from the comments next Monday.. since I think that a little good news like winning a magazine would be a nice offset to the usual "joy" of Monday!

On the road again.....

Ok... it seems like I just got home and I am on my way back out again... my, this makes me sound like SUCH a jetsetter..NOT.   This time it's the whole fam-damily and we are going to Tybee Island off the coast of GA for a Marine biology camp.  I am running around here like a chicken with my head lopped off trying to get ready and get the house ready for the housesitter.. I mean.. reeeaaaallllly?  Cleaning my house to go on vacation.. where is the mercy?

The week has been good but fast!... ran into an adorable blog reader at one of my local fabric haunts... she is new to embroidery and cute as a button.. she does hair ( yep I am talking about you!).. I need to go see her and see what she can do with mine!

I started a new quilted piece... not really a quilt so much as a piece of art that will be quilted.. not sure about showing it off here but it will be over on my Longarm Virgin Blog at some point.

I am teaching next week at Chattanooga Sewing... so if you dream of "blinging" up your embroidery  this is the class to learn it all!  We will be Hotifixing ourselves silly.. and I think there is room for one more in the class... so if you want to come play call Chattanooga Sewing and  get that last spot!

I finally saw my new article in Creative Machine Embroidery magazine and  saw my photo in the front!.. yikes.. looks like I am storing nuts for Winter in those cheeks!

I hope to have a holiday/winter type free file up real soon.

Happy trails!

It's on the stands - Twinkle Toes

As I mentioned last week my new article/project is in Creative Machine Embroidery this month and you can now find the issue on the stands at your favorite local book store. With a copy of the magazine you can have the instructions and access to the free files but I thought I would show you how I use my Twinkle Toes.

I have a lot of Mary Jane style shoes.. some low and flat and some higher than then sky. Each pair just screams out for a bit of flash and more comfort never hurts!

So get a copy of the magazine and join the fun!



Monogram That!

Tis the Season already!

Machines at Fresh Thread are running full tilt with holiday orders that are already coming into the studio. Many of these items are big and bulky so best handled by a 6 needle machine. It's not that many of the home machines don't have the power it's that they don't have the room to get items under the head of the machine or a way to support the remaining weight of the item.

But even with the big machine drag can be an issue so supporting the item being monogrammed is very important!  Here you see me using my  ~ Monogram That~ Support system that takes the weight off the frame and supports flexible movement of the item so that it follows the movement of the hoop.  Monogram That! can also be used with home machines  helping you monogram items that you never thought possible!

~Monogram That!~ is currently in pre-production and if you are interested in getting your hands on one or learning more just drop me a line or watch here for further details.

Hello and Goodbye!

Hello to everyone from Creative Machine Embroidery Magazine! I am so happy you have dropped by!  I did not even know that the latest issue on was on the stands until I started getting e-mails. I hear that there might be an upload problem with the files and will do my best to get that sorted out but once I hand the files over it's a bit out of my hands but I feel certain we will get it all worked out.  Please note that you will need a JUMBO frame to make the Twinkle Toes project. Due to it's nature the project cannot be split.

I am on my way to Utah tomorrow morning " bright and squirrely" as my dad used to say.  I will be at the loverly Handi-Quilter HQ for a a couple of days soaking in all there is to be had on the subject of HQ longarms.  I am quite excited about this and will be posting updates to my FB page so if you want pop over there and find the Fresh Thread page and join up so you can keep up with the fun!

We interupt this blog for an awful cold

Maybe having an awful cold would be easier if I had cool tissue like this!

or

Maybe not.

In any case I must get better since I fly out on Sunday for Utah to spend 3 days soaking up all that the Handi Quilter company has to offer!

I will be posting updates to my Facebook page if anyone is interested.

Until then... please pass the tissue

Midwest Modern with eyelets!

Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a fussy sort of person, I might have some vintage doilies but they are not sitting on my chair backs they are appliqued to my jeans and my life is pretty casual. So when pondering the eyelet kit that is a possible accessory for my Bernina 830 I had a hard time of thinking of a lot of uses for it in my life. After all I am not doing any heirloom sewing right now and I am not the "dainty nightie" sort of gal.  ( This of course begs many questions but we are just NOT going there!)

But..but.... it's SOOOOO cool and it makes BEAUTIUL full- lush eyelets..but then I was not in need of a lot of full-lush eyelets but something did start brewing in my head.  As I saw the circles for what they were.. design opportunity! In my head they were the large fluffy top of Spring Alliums.. those huge purple ball flowers that look like they were created by dr Suess???  Bold lines, interesting shape.. circles.. potential.  So I started sketching.. and came up with idea. 

Using the eyelets in a loose casual way  I was able to achieve a modern clean look that works perfectly on a t-shirt  to wear with jeans.

Please note that I had to do some fast working with these eyelets to get them to NOT be full and lush.. I wanted to be true to the look of a wind-blown plant, scraggly and  a bit disheveled but still beautiful in the way only nature can get away with!

The stem and  star burst area of this design are run in the embroidery machine and then then eyelets are added using the Bernina Eyelet kit ( #82/92)

If you would be interested in doing this yourself please drop me a note here on the blog and I will see about getting it posted up to share!

Just a few more days!

Just a quick reminder that Septembers Free Files will be going away at the end of this week so if you want them you had better download them now!

Scroll down a couple of posts for more details and download links!

Tip Tip Hurray!

It has been a while since I have offered up a tip but I hope this little gem makes up for it.

When making clothing I often cut the fabric when I have time and then sew as I have time. This works well except I often forget what I need to do and which part is what. To solve that problem I have stepped back into the past and pulled out a little used office supply,

Gummed Reinforced Circles

 These little gems are are small , get sticky when you wet them and hold tight to the fabric letting you mark details and make tiny little notes to keep you on schedule!

Try it!

Walking Foot woes and some clarification

I have had a couple of questions about the Retro-Fit kit for the Bernina Walking foot guide issue that some 830 owners have with their machines. 

 To answer these  questions:

YES!.. you can buy this stuff yourself.. please do!.. it's rubber tubing, often used for mower gas lines.  Just find the right size at your handy dandy hardware store and you are in business.

Does everyone need this?  NO!.. if your waking foot and it's guide and bracket fit on your machine you don't need it.. so don' buy it!

Why did you make this kit?  I created the retrofit to solve my problem, I let people know how I did it but some people did not want to have to hunt down the tubing, thus I made the little kits ( find the link on the right side of the page. )

How do I make this little kit work?.. ah.. glad you asked... how about you take a peek at this webacast for more details!  ( yep.. camera was tipped funny... sorry about that!)

Dreams Come in All Sizes

I am so glad you all have liked the new Freebie file!  Remember it's up just for the next week for free!  But so many of you needed other sizes and I hear you!...

 So.. for you 5x7 people how about a dream that looks like this???

And dont' worry 4x4 folks... your litle dream is just as sweet!

to download the 5x7 click HERE

To download the 4x click HERE

And remember... add those hand stitches... you will be charmed and delighted!

Finally a Freebie!!!!

Well that took WAY longer than I ever dreamed...  you know..life..yadda yadda

BUT!.. I think you are really going to like this.

Enjoy a totally modern take on machine embroidery with this new design. Just right for an accent pillow or as a free-hearted touch on the back of a jean jacket! Sized for the larger 7x11 hoop this file stitches out quickly but is greatly enhanced by the careful addition of hand done running stitches to echo the machine work. This simple addition raises the bar on the project from a simple embroidery to something you are going to want to really show off. After stitching simply use DMC pearl cotton to add simple running stitches to accent the tree and the swish. If you desire also add a small eye to the bird, it’s just that simple!

The sample shown was stitched on pre quilted fabric for a fast project but don’t be afraid to use this design on other fabrics. I think it would look wonderful on a dark denim!

This design is yours free for the next week. Enjoy! 

You can download the design here!   CLICK HERE

Where is Maddie?

Right here!

CLICK

Dear Friends, I will be closing down my yahoo page for Fresh Thread due to some technical issues.. please feel free to join me over at Facebook where it will be MUCH easier for me to manage things :)

Finding inspiration

There are days when I would not be surprised if my head just exploded with all the inspiration I see around me each day! So many ideas and so little time to get them on the fabric!

Today I was looking at this sweet piece of Fabric

It's part of the Farmdale collection by Alexander Henry and it just SCREAMS  Fall, but in a fresh/retro way that steals my heart.  It reminds of a some fabric in the depths of my childhood.. very cool!

From that...

I did this!

This one was just a test but I was quite charmed by it and think  I will get it posted up here for everyone to enjoy very soon.

What do you think... do you like it??

I am still refining the technique  since I don't want to see the cross hatch color running on the edges.. of course this effect is easy to pull off in print ( see fabric sample above)  and more more complex when it comes to fabric! :)

I am thinking of doing it on some new Fall grocery bags..cute..no?

Jumping out of the Hoop

I am a woman of great contradiction.. and that can be a bit confusing at times and at others the combination of my love of technology and love of handwork come together is a way that really rocks my world. 

Anyone who knows me knows I am obsessed with  DMC Pearl Cotton  Honestly there should be a 12 step program for me, it's just that bad.   I own every color... and that is a LOT of Pearl cotton, but it makes me oh so happy.  I love to stitch with the stuff and use it everywhere that anyone else would just x-stitch floss. 

 Now to combine it with all my pretty machine embroidery threads is a dream come true! I have spent many a happy moment of late adding  hand stitches to a new group of embroidery designs. Adding little hand touches is a fast refreshing way to freshen up your embroidery that anyone has time for!

It's just a couple of stitches but wow... what a punch it gives any project!

I can't wait to share this with you!!!