My 1st Embroidery Project

 If you had read my blog a few posts ago, you know that I recently purchased my aunt's White 3300 embroidery machine. I didn't get much of a chance to use it when I first got it due to orders I had to fill (definitely NOT complaining about that!), so this past weekend I was determined to make time to play with the new "toy".

Well, things were not as easy as I thought they would be. My first tries were not good to say the least. And whatever could go wrong, did. First needles were breaking. Then the thread was getting bunched up under my fabric. Then it would skip stitches. Then it would get loopy on top. I was beyond frustrated by Sunday afternoon. I thought I would never learn how to operate this "easy for the beginner embroiderer" machine.

Well, we did figure out some things we were doing wrong. First thing was I had the fabric in the hoop wrong. That could explain the broken needles. Next thing we discovered was that you have to have the pressure foot up when you thread your upper thread otherwise it won't go between the tension plates. That could explain the loopy, skipped stitches.  Next thing was you have to use a lightweight cotton/polyester thread for your bobbin. That could explain the bunching thread underneath the fabric.

Now you may ask yourself why I didn't read the manual. I did. But some of these things were not in it. They were on the video that came with the machine. The video that I had wanted to watch over the weekend but Mike didn't hook the VCR up so I could watch it. I watched the video yesterday--when he finally hooked up the VCR. Wow, that sure would've been helpful to watch BEFORE I decided to try this "easy for beginning embroiderers" machine out.

Regardless, we finally did figure it out and I am happy to say that I made my first project with it. Now mind you, I still have to figure out a few things, like how to center designs, but all in all, I think it came out ok.

 These cute little animal designs are on the machine already. I made two of each design.  The backs are the same fabric as the lining of the bag. I plan to make four different sets of these little match games. I have designs picked out (that are also on the machine) for boys, girls, and one for either/or.  The decorative stitching on the game pieces I did with my sewing machine (ahhh so nice to work with after The Beast). So, anyway, that's my first project. I am hoping that from here on out I won't have so many problems again. Crossing my fingers!

Creative Contest

Oh my have I been remiss on blogging!! Shame on me! I wish I could say it was because I've been SO busy filling orders, but alas that is not the case :( As a matter of fact, this is the slowest season I've had since my first year selling online. I'm not sure whether it's the economy or if I need to revamp my Sassy store.

I think after the New Year, I may try a little revamping and see what happens. Maybe more aprons for little girls (other than my art aprons). Maybe I'll even try my hand at making baby booties. I think I also might need to make more items for older children since other than my art aprons and monster dolls, most of my items are for babies and toddlers.

That being said, I have decided to have a little contest. Let's see how creative you can be! Here's how it'll work. You give me an idea of what new item(s) I can make and carry in my Sassy store and if I like the idea(s) enough, I'll make the item and give you the first one! Who knows--if I like several of the ideas, there could either be several winners or you can win more than one item! Sound like fun? Just post each idea separately (so I don't get confused or miss any ideas in the shuffle). I'll choose a winner(s) on Dec. 17th. That gives you a little over a week to come up with some ideas. So--get your thinking caps on moms and let 'er rip!

It's All Relative

I have been a very busy bee these past two weeks thanks to some of my, um, lovely relatives.  You see, I am the only crafter in my family. I do have a niece who does a little crochet but she's just started and doesn't have a lot of time to stitch since she has two (very adorable if I must say so myself) little ones. While my younger nieces like craft kits, they are a bit young yet to actually be "crafty" if you know what I mean. So, this basically means that I'm the only one who seriously crafts. Because of this, I am often receiving requests. I'm not complaining. As a matter of fact, these requests have made me put my crafty cap (that's sort of like a thinking cap, only for crafting) on. Which I don't mind a bit--as a matter of fact, I rather like it. Mostly because it challenges me and let's face it, life would be a bit boring if you weren't challenged now and again.

 Last week, I had one of my teenage nieces ask if I could make her a book bag.  She didn't want anything fancy (thank goodness), just something simple to carry a binder and a book or two. Oh, and maybe a pocket for pens and pencils. I must say, this project was by far the easiest request I've had thus far. It came out so well that I asked her two sisters if they also wanted one. Naturally they said yes and told me what fabric they wanted (Chinese dragons and Scooby Doo). I made all but Scooby (have to order fabric when my niece tells me which one--she is soooo slow) and sent them pictures and they love them--which of course makes me feel great. 

The next request (just yesterday as a matter of fact) was from one of my older nieces. Her little boy needed a small pillow for school and she couldn't find one anywhere. All she seemed to find were baby birth announcement pillows. She saw a picture of a monkey pillow I had posted on my FB page (I had made it for Mike's great nephew for Christmas) and asked if I could make one of a frog or turtle. I didn't think that would be too complicated since all I'd have to do is change the face a little. So I did. Another quick and relatively easy project.

 Well of course I couldn't make one for Tyler and not make one for his little sister Kayden because that certainly wouldn't be fair. So I decided to try and make a bunny. I think I need to round my ears a bit more because it looks more like a kitty to me, but she's not going to know the difference.

 So far, those are the only requests I've received. Oh--I take that back. When my niece saw the frog pillow, she asked if I could make a blanket to go with it. It never ends. But that makes me happy.

Art Aprons

I decided to take a break from my Christmas crafting (yes, that’s right, I said “Christmas”) to try something new for my shop. I hadn’t listed anything new yet this year and thought that I really needed to do that. So, I perused my ideas list and decided to try my hand at making art aprons for kids.

Normally when I start a new project, I get a bit excited and nervous at the same time. Excited because I love to create. Nervous because there is always that fear that things won’t work out how I would like and I will be forced to give up. Not that I’m a quitter! It takes quite a few tries at something before I will actually give up on it. Mostly because I’m stubborn and I. MUST. WIN.

With this in mind, I was quite surprised at how fun and easy these aprons were to make! So fun in fact, that I’ve made three of them in the past two days (all three are listed in my shop) which is pretty good for me since I’m usually a one- project-a-day kind of person.Oh, and not only were they fun, but they were a great way to use the HUNDREDS of fat quarters I have in my stash J Ok, that last was a bit of an exaggeration, but you know what I mean!

Why I Love Charm Packs

I love charm squares. What are charm squares? They are precut coordinating squares of fabric (usually 3-5” squares) that come in 20-80 piece packs. Why do I love them? There are several reasons. For one, they are convenient. They are the perfect size for smaller projects. Being precut also means that some of the prep work has already been done—mainly the measuring and cutting of fabric. They’re also all the exact same size. Which means better uniformity in projects.

I also like the fact that they come in such wonderful prints, from babies to florals. You can also find them in cottons, flannels, or even home décor fabrics. You can make anything from quilts to totes with them. I have used them for sachets, coasters, totes, purses, and baby toys (I’m not a quilter). I’m sure in the future I will find even more projects in which to use them.

I also like the value factor. They usually cost $5 per pack and up (my quilt shop usually sells them from $6-$8). It all depends how many charms are in the pack and the designer. Let’s say for example, you purchased a pack of 40 charms for $8 and you wanted to make coasters with them. You could make 20 coasters (since they are usually coordinating fabrics, you have a front and back piece). You have spent 40 cents per coaster (not counting your interfacing). Now is that a bargain or what!

So the next time you visit your local quilt shop, take a gander at what charm packs they may have. You may be surprised at the variety and what you can make with them. You don’t even have to be a quilter to love them!

Project Basket Finished

So, here's what I do. I cut up several projects, put them in ziplocs, and throw them in a basket I have sitting on my cutting table. That way, I can just grab and go. Well, recently (ok a month or more ago) I had decided to use up all my scraps for whatever projects I could. So, I cut a TON of small items (notepad holders, tissue cozies, glasses cases, checkbook covers, cup cozies, coasters, and card wallets) and put them all in ziplocs according to what they were.

At any rate, I finally finished them all!! Yay me! So now I can finish up the rest of my Christmas gifts I hadn't gotten to yet lol. I know that sounds funny, but rather then sending gifts last year, I decided to wait until I went down south for my yearly visit and take them with me. I usually don't go down for Christmas (weather) so I never get to see anyone open their presents from me.

So, the other night, I finished up my SIL's present. I had already made her a purse but I needed to make a matching checkbook cover, cell phone case, and notepad holder. Well, the notepad holder is Tigger because she collects Tigger things (which I understand because I collect Mickey) and I always try to make her something with Tigger.

Today I hope to make a purse for my niece. This is the first time I'll be making this particular purse so I hope it turns out well. The fabric she picked is SO pretty too! I'm rather excited to see how it will turn out.

So there are lots of new things to look at in both my Artfire and Etsy stores!

WIP (works in progress)

Just an update on what I'm working on. Firstly, I have a diaper bag I'm in the process of making for my niece for a friend of hers. I'm very late with this project. She wanted it by the middle of this month and I just started it this weekend. I was just so busy with my new job, etc that I hadn't had time time to get to it. But I did manage to get it cut out, prepped, and got some of it sewn together. I had to get more fabric for the lining (did that yesterday) so I plan on definitely working on it this weekend.

I'm also planning on making reversible holiday coasters for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I had some really cute fabrics for those. I managed to get them cut out today while watching "Wife Swap" on TV this afternoon. There will be four different coasters (12 of each one). I hope these sell well as they're so cute when finished! I plan on putting some on my etsy site and maybe sending some to my other niece's massage shop.

I did manage to get a package sent to my niece's massage shop today that included Halloween bags (the same ones I posted here), glasses cases, checkbook covers, a wallet, and a purse. Hopefully they'll do well in her shop.

So, that's the latest Sassy news!! Will post pictures of the diaper bag when finished.