This is supposed to be my post-sewing weekend post, showing all the cool things I purchased there and telling everyone how enjoyable it was.
The best laid plans of mice and women, people!!
Here's the thing: my printer will NOT under any circumstance read the disk from my camera today. Technology when it works is great, and when it doesn't it is horrible.
Trying to work around it... the first day there I went to classes with Pamela Leggett of Pamela's Patterns, and Gail Yellen of Gail Patrice Designs. I've heard of them previously, since they are well known among members of the American Sewing Guild. So Pam discussed designer details using both your sewing machine and your serger.
<Insert here a picture of Pam's tee-shirt pattern and the pattern to customize purchased tee shirts!>
See how well that worked? Ha! Hopefully I'll get the photos at some point.
I learned a few tricks... such as using a narrow serged seam for the first step of a French seam, or using a narrow rolled edge for seam reinforcements in sheer garments. Cool.
From Gail Yellen I learned that I am NOT using my serger to its full potential. For example my Baby Lock serger has a ruffler foot that I don't have, and I think that I can use this in sewing form Miss A and even for myself. I'm happy to report that I have one now, along with a clear foot, a cording foot and an elastic foot. They were 33% off the list price so I treated myself for my birthday.
<Imagine a picture of serger feet>
Friday I went to see one of my favorite sewing people, Mary Mulari. I'm a Mary Groupie -- I try to see her whenever she's in the area. When I was a chapter president of our local ASG Mary was one of the first outside speakers we brought in, and she did a great job for our chapter. You can never go wrong with Mary. So I knew some of the material she was presenting (and I enjoyed that) but she did have some new tricks and tips and I enjoyed those too. She has very cool bag and accessory patterns, and I was reminded of how many of her designer jackets from sweatshirts I would love to make.
<See the picture of her latest travel book and CD??>
I picked up some great bargains in the warehouse... lots of Madiera thread, sewing machine needles, some Bare Knits fabric from a Canadian manufacturer called Siltex. That stuff is wonderful, with dyed to match ribbing and top and bottom weight cotton/poly... I picked up a few yards of that this year.
We went to two different evening programs at Beaver Dam high school. Mary and Nancy Zieman did a hilarious second round of Kick It Up A Stitch -- a little sewing, a little cooking, a lot of laughing. They took the shirt off the back of Steve from Baby Lock and cut off the sleeve and made a bag out of it, then they cut off the logo to make a tag (and gave him back the shirt, hole and all). Ask your friends who were there if they tasted the kale smoothy... I heard it was kind of chunky!
Saturday morning I was up bright and early to see Nancy's class, had lunch with friends and ended up at church -- the fellowship hall of Peace Lutheran in Beaver Dam hosts classes because it's big. Deborah Jones taught me lots about doing lettering and monograms on a home embroidery machine. I will not do monograms for myself in the normal way. My last initial is S, my first is S and my middle is A. DH's initial is A. So if we do a couples monogram that would be little A - large S - little S and if I did my own it would be little S - large S - little A. Noooo.... probably not.
I also got 20 fat quarters for $19.95 - a bargain whether you actually need them or not. Picked up some pink plastic clogs for Miss A's doll, and a few other miscellaneous items that filled up four shopping bags. Yes, I am helping the economy when I can.
Hopefully I can fix my printer soon. You'll enjoy the photos!
Sew on...
