Defying gravity!

There are days when I'm dangerous and should not touch anything. That's what happened already this morning, and it's only 6 AM. 

I saw a tiny spot that needed touching up on what I did yesterday. So I got things set up and pressed START, forgetting that I needed to check where it was stitching first. Like, how silly to trust everything to line up on its own? 

Now I have some fixing to do, but it can and will be done. I'm going to finish the rest of the stitching and then go back and do the repair. But seriously? I know better! My brain wasn't quite awake, I suppose. 

Remember yesterday, when I said I liked this pattern from Sew Fresh Quilts but couldn't find it? That's because she is still writing the pattern! That makes perfect sense. Now I can go ahead and place my order and get that one when it's published. I think it would make a great sew-along! 

Down on the Farm by Sew Fresh Quilts (in progress)

 

This is how stiff my linen was after using the Stiffy product! It was almost like cardboard, but the stitching is coming out just beautifully! Even the little area that I thought was going to cause trouble because it sort of bubbled up? It's gone! 

My stiff linen

And if you can't find Stiffy, remember that if you are a machine embroiderer or know one, they always have loads of leftover water-soluble bits. Dissolve that in water, and it becomes a paste that can be used to stiffen fabric. Actually, you don't want a paste; you want it to be a bit more liquid than that. I don't have a formula - I would go by look. 

I am using the Husqvarna Viking Mega Turnable Hoop with a stitching area of 450 mm by 450 mm. Let me say that I quickly moved everything off the table in front of the embroidery machine. Given the fabric's stiffness, I didn't want anything in the way.  

I need a lot of room for stitching that stiff fabric.

We don't know where the future of machine embroidery is going, but personally, I would say they have reached the limit on how big to make the hoops. While they will likely attempt to make the machines bigger to accommodate larger hoops, this one is a challenge to find space to hoop and then to stitch out with all your fabric attached. 

However, I will say that having to hoop the fabric ONCE, instead of four or more times, is brilliant! 

Let's see where they go - that decision is probably already in the books, but make the machine smarter. While mine is very smart, I need one that reminds me to check the placement every time! I'm so silly!!! I know better, but I'm over it - the mistake can be fixed. 

But see what I mean about needing space? 

You need a lot of space.

And when you trim the jump stitches on the back, you need a spot to put the hoop. Oh yes - trimming the jump stitches as you go is equally important. I'm very proud of how this looks on the back as well. It's turning out beautifully. YES -- if the back is going to be visible, then it needs to look impeccable. 

You need space to trim the jump stitches.

It was a huge design with 180,983 stitches, and it took all day to complete. I had to trim threads and wind bobbins, which slowed the process down. I left the machine running while I ran errands, and I swear the bobbin ran out the minute I went out the door! 

That's a lot of stitches.

However, it is stunning, minus the one little spot that I touched! I'm only going to give you this as a sneak peek, and I'll share when it's done. And you can see that little bubble in the center, but it went away. That happens often when you are stitching/quilting anything, and you do the outside first and then the inside. See - the more you do, the more you know! 

A close-up of the stitching

I'm also trying to keep the space super clean. By space, I mean Studio B, so when I am finished with something, it gets put away. Trimmed threads in the garbage, supplies put away, etc. It makes it much easier to do things when nothing is in the way. I desperately need to sweep the floor, though. 

The cutting table is mostly clear.

And all that stuff on the right-hand side? That's the stuff I hope to tackle before we leave in one week. Actually, there are still eight days!!! You can do a lot in eight days!

As for my large design, there are two more hoopings to do, but each one is only 45,000 stitches, so it will take some time to position the designs in the hoop. I had to make a couple of slight changes (3-degree rotations) to two of the sections before I was happy this morning. All I have to do now is to float the fabric and place the design. WITH the design placement tools. This time, I won't forget. 

Hey -- it was a simple little fix that I did, but I forgot that the design on the second half of the hoop had been moved ever so slightly. That was my mistake—again—why is it always my mistake? Fix it and move on! No one will know!

Speaking of sweeping the floor, I spotted this this morning. Good grief - how can that pin be leaning like that? OH -- a spider web!!! Despite my little piece I finished the other day, I am NOT afraid of spiders. 

A pin defying gravity!

So while the embroidery machine was working away, I was sewing on the other machine. I was switching between stitches and presser feet, and I totally forgot to change the stitch, and bang - I broke a needle. I'm not in a rush; I just didn't change the stitch when I changed the foot. I haven't done that in a long time. 

Ooops!!!!

See what happened when I tried to keep that second able clear? I moved the seger to the floor - it really should go under the table to be totally out of the way. I took the samples I want to work on when I'm back and piled them up, but with the vibrations from the tables (YES - I need to get those new tables installed), they fell to the floor. ACK!!!!!

My stitch samples later fell to the floor. 

BUT - the good news is that I finished two more pieces yesterday. I wrote out a list of what I want to accomplish, and there were 12 items on it. I finished one more after that list was made, and now there are 11. Can I make it? I doubt it, but I'm going to get done what I can. 

Anyway, this is the first sample I completed yesterday. And yes, except for the binding, it was all done on the embroidery machine. 

My dandelion sample

Does anyone remember that piece I have taken to various classes and showed you? The blob that looked like fluff from a dandelion or the butt of a cat with a long tail? Well, I love dandelions, so I went with that one. I checked online and found an appropriate quote. The stem was taken from another design in the Design Catalog online; I cut off the flower. The background was quilted with the Quilt Block Wizard from the Creativate Embroidery Software, which I LOVE. And the more I use it, the easier it becomes to do anything. 

The tail of the fluff ball was stitched in place. It was when I moved from the stitch I used for that to a straight stitch that I broke the needle! I was too excited about how this piece was turning out! 

But the big news on this piece is the dandelion fluffs. Where to find an embroidery pattern for that? Yes - I could have bought one, but then I couldn't say that it was mine. And I would NOT have learned anything. So I opened up the Creativate Sketch Module and sketched out the little seeds. Then I opened Stitch Editor and repositioned the points on my rough sketch. And VOILA --- Dandelion seeds. 

MY dandelion seeds

Of course, I am jumping up and down. I am learning, and my pieces are all about learning. 

Here is the second piece I finished yesterday. Again, the designs came from the Design Catalog. That is the SVP Worldwide catalog of designs, available online and used with an SVP Wi-Fi-enabled embroidery machine and a paid membership. 

Sample Number two - DONE

The design is stitched out using chenille yarn—yep, all of it — on an embroidery machine. Again, the background is quilted with something I created using the Quilt Block Wizard. 

Detail of the yarn stitching

And if you are with me and I see some chenille yarn for sale, just tell me that I don't need any more! I must have every color under the sun! And then some! Why have one, when you can have lots? 

That is my thing with puzzles. I had to go to the thrift shop yesterday and was looking for a table runner to embroider. I had a premade one at the house, but it was red, and I wanted green. Guess what? I found exactly what I envisioned for $4. How cool is that? But then I also found three puzzles (I was walking), and I brought those home. I need to puzzle faster! 

Remember my Color My World quilt that I finished last month? I also put some machine embroidery on the grain elevator. 

Embroidery on my Color My World quilt

I was digging through those two boxes of personal stuff a couple of weeks ago and found some scrapbooks. Of course I did!! And I found a picture of one of the village's original elevators. We must have been special because we had not one, but TWO. 

One of the elevators from Baljennie

There's a close-up of the writing on one of them. OK -- so I made up what I put on my elevator!! I guess this was the name of the grain company that owned the elevator. And it seems that all of them were different. I must remember to ask Dad about it.

The detail of the writing

OK -- so when the railroad was discontinued, the elevators became useless and were sold off. Some were torn down, while others were moved. If you want to watch this short video on moving them, it's fascinating. Those structures are NINE STORIES tall. A feat to move the darn things. It's kind of sad, and that video is sad because this is a part of our Canadian history and it's gone! It's called PROGRESS. 

Here's a picture I stole from the internet. Oh my--- when you see them like this, you wonder why they didn't tip over. Like the pin, they are defying gravity!!!

Defying gravity!!!!

Speaking to my parents is a challenge. Not the actual speaking, but trying to get in touch with them. Dad is never home, and if he is, they are just having dinner or watching Jeopardy or Wheel of Fortune, or they have company! I'm going to have to book an appointment with them!!!!

Has this happened at your Wal-Mart? Our store is a two-level store that carries groceries. But aside from the groceries, the entire store has been reshuffled. All the departments have been moved, and there are huge gaps on the floor like this. 

Wal-Mart is getting a facelift.

Who knows what they are doing and why, but I had a hard time finding the craft section. I can't even remember why I looked. OH -- I was there to get something else, and I always stop by just to browse. 

They must have gotten rid of a lot of stock, because many of the shelves were quite empty. 

Empty shelves at Wal-Mart

I'm sure they are feeling the crunch of online shopping. Just like the small shops in many downtown areas of small towns across the country felt the crunch when Wal-Mart moved in. Again - that's called PROGRESS. I don't feel sorry for them. 

It's going to be a busy day, and I hope that two more samples can get done. I'm cleaning up threads on one, and it will be bound this morning. I need to find the designs for my garment and, hopefully, get the table runner stitched out, then hem it. To hem it, I'll likely have to wash it first, as it's stiff as a board. Then it's going to be flimsy to handle, but I may have to buy some spray starch and lightly starch it before trimming and hemming. I'm making this stuff up as I go. 

Did I mention that the linen I am using was supposed to be for my wedding outfit? I think I mentioned that. But don't worry—if I still want to make an outfit, I have another piece. Yep -- why buy just one piece when you can have two? It is gorgeous linen - well, I love the color. 

There is one thing I want to mention about the design on the table runner. The sample made using those designs was blue thread on white. A very classic look, but I didn't want that look at all. I wanted something softer, so I went with the green background. The next step was: what color to use for the stitching? I had an idea and started with it, but I was going to use two colors. As I got part of it stitched, I decided to go with one color family, and it looks stunning. TRUST YOUR GUT!!!!

I knew I would get mixed up in translating the colors, so I wrote myself a chart, which came in very handy. I need to be documenting all this stuff for my machine embroidery club. I'll have way more than an hour of show-and-tell!!! 

And I'm planning my trip for 2027!!! It's going to be an adventure for sure as I'm taking my aunt, who has never traveled on an Ancestry adventure. Where are we going? This is how you say good morning where we will be: Bore Da! I am not planning on learning any of the language - it's very hard to learn, but I think that English is pretty much a given. 

Getting there might be a challenge as it's in some remote little place on earth! But I'm up for an adventure. And I see there is a somewhat famous mountain peak nearby (thanks to Princess Catherine)! That's a HUGE clue! 

My apologies to people to whom I owe an email. I'm so focused on Studio B that my mind just can't grasp more than one function at a time! I will try to send out some emails. I'm also trying to tackle those weeds in the backyard! 

And on that note, I'm out of here. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!