Happy Victoria Day!

I should be sewing, but it's Victoria day weekend here in Canada. So instead of sewing I am gardening. Victoria day officially marks the start of the gardening season. And this year the weather is spectacular.

Yesterday we planted tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, parsley, basil and some yellow wax beans.

Here’s the empty garden.

A little help from my mom and dad. Mom plants, dad waters – they make a great team. If you are wondering, I did the barbeque.

 

And voila! The garden is planted. 

Look who built a little home high in our spot light. Don’t worry the light is turned off. Every year a little birdie makes it’s home here. We keep the light turned off until they leave the nest for good.

Al in all it has been a terrific weekend.

Pretty and Practical

That’s how I would describe this month’s Sew Creative Embroidery club project. Retailers just click on Retailer Login to get to your download page.

This handy Sewing Machine Mat with Pockets is the perfect accessory for  hands-on classes. You know, no matter the size of the classroom, there is very little space to spread out your sewing tools and accessories. The pockets hold scissors, snips, measuring tape, marking pens, etc. Practically everything you need. is at hand.

The pocket is embellished with needlework motifs from Redwork Needlecraft Embroidery Designs #sc070d, included with the project.

This month I have a little freebie for everyone. It’s a label with the cutest thread spool. Click here to download the embroidery design and the embroidery instructions. Enjoy!

Update on Thursday, May 10, 2012 at 5:24PM by Snez

My proof reader Patricia from Life’s A Stitch in Sault Ste fused Décor Bond to the back of her sewing machine mat before adding the batting and backing. She says "I love the way it hangs! The Décor Bond makes the mat hang nice and straight without rippling, sagging or drooping." Nice tip, thanks Patricia.

A first draft

Well last week I got myself a new camera and much to my disappointment it didn’t come with a camera bag. So, this weekend I made one. Actually this is the first draft. The basic idea works well, but there are lots of little bugs that need to be ironed out.

For one, I cut out the pattern with the tulip design upside down - oops. Then, I decided that I would use hook and loop tape (Velcro) for the closure. But because I stitched the quilt design through all three layers there was no way to stitch the hook and loop tape without it showing through to the other side. So when the bag is closed, well have a look:

As you can see the stitching on the hook and loop tape shows right through. Of course it would look better if I had used thread to match the background, but still. So, have to solve that problem.

Anyway, the camera fits perfectly inside. So, the project is a go. I just have to fix up the stuff that doesn’t work. Once I am done, I’ll try to get a little tutorial up.

A new camera and a new outfit

I finally got myself a new camera, a Fujifilm Finepix F660EXR. Not the top of the line by any stretch of the imagination, but a really nice camera. It has so many features, I think I’ll actually have to read the manual on this one.

So that’s one new thing, I also spent the day sewing for myself, which is a rarity. I’ve decided no more work on weekends, I get to sew for me from now on. And try to update my blog every once in a while. What did I make you ask?? I made the skirt and the tank top.

I picked a really lightweight fabric, so I had to interline the skirt. Interlining is when you baste the fabric and lining together and sew them as one fabric.

It’s a little extra work, but totally worth it. All you do is put the fabric and lining pieces with wrong sides together and baste several times across. I usually start with a line down the center and then work to the sides.

And here are the finished skirt and top.

 

The skirt looks like a wrap, but it’s a full skirt. The wrap is just an overlay. I really love the fit of the skirt, I think I might make one without the wrap overlay. Even though it looks like an outfit, I will likely wear the two pieces separately, I am not much on wearing prints from heat to toe.

Patchwork in-the-hoop

This bright patchwork placemat is the May 2012 embroidery club project. Retailers just click on Retailer Login to get to your download page.

You may be wondering, “where’s the embroidery?”.  The patchwork tulip and strip blocks are the embroidery. These fun blocks are pieced entirely in the hoop; your embroidery sewing machine does all the hard work.

The tulip and strip blocks are designs from Patchwork In-the-Hoop Embroidery Designs #sc069d, included with the project.