Kitty Quilt #3 Finished...

Although free motion was done on the PS500, the binding was done on the Elna.  I didn't change the bobbin thread, so it could have been better looking because the lighter thread shows on the front after I sewed the binding to the back but who cares!! It's a kitty quilt and it's now done. As they say:"Done is better than perfect."  The kitty already had a nap on this one.

I was using random left over remnants of flannel for cat bed coverings and now they have these swanky new quilties. Probably going to gather scraps and remnants and make a few more but not now - in the Queue for sewing are more masks and an entire student nurse outfit for 18" dolls. But for this quilt I used my beloved OMNI  thread and whatever bobbins I had with poly thread or a preloaded So Fine #60 bobbin. Used a couple bobbins in the process of these three cat quilts. You can see I am still using up leftover bindings from other projects. I have a goal to use up remnants and scraps for useful things.maybe time for new placemats soon too.

Brother Extension Table...

I bought the Brother extension table for my machine. The Sew Steady is way too large front to back and I know this from having one for my Viking 770. The table stuck out over the edge of my Gidget table back then and kept getting bumped as I moved around. SO - this one os perfect. About one hundred dollars and worth it. It is designated as the table for the NQ series, and my machine is identical almost to the NQ575, so it fits. Now, the Brother table I have for my XR9500PRW is much smaller, and it fits well, but THIS one - once I got it on I can tell you it is not coming on and off very often because it is one snug fit - it is designed that way with more than one fitting gizmo built in.  I love it. This will make my smaller free motion pieces  lot more fun with more control.  

The part number for this table is SAWTNQ1.

Masks Campaign II...with the New Fabrics...

Doing three batches...this is batch 1. All Mimi masks - some a bit larger than last time - cut the elastic longer for all this go round.

Batch 2. Batch one is for family and batch 2 is for family far, and then batch 3 which is in development is for family farther. This picture was before threading the elastic through. I am cutting it to about 25-25.5" this time.

And there is a batch 4 for home, but I am taking my time on that one, as probably some of the first go round will be needing replacement so no hurry here at home where we have a lot.

It was nice to have some new fabrics. eQuilter is the BEST.  Next up finishing batch 3, with pictures to follow.

Something Different...Wedding Clutch...

A few years ago my daughter got married. When we went for the alterations on her dress, the kind alterations lady agreed to save the scraps from making it shorter, and give them to me. I decided to use them for making a wedding bag.  This is probably one of the hardest things I have ever made. Working with lace that has seed beads all over it is really fun! HAHA. The beads fall off if a thread is disturbed and cut near them, and they cannot be sewn on a sewing machine, at least not a home sewing machine so I did a LOT of hand work on this. I am not good at handwork, so it was a true labor of love.  I got a free pattern off the internet for a basic bag and changed it a lot. I had to sew it together by hand when I made a cutting error, and then figure out how to do the closure.

 

 Luckily I had a find that worked - VELCRO fabric adhesive ovals. Very nice. They work - I think the setting time is about 24 hours, but it rested longer and it worked. I didn't want to have to sew through the fabrics and break the look of the front. I could have put a frog sort of closure as well but didn't want to attempt it by the time I was through sewing. I think this took me two days of 8 hours a day to sew up. I didn't do it early enough in the month before the wedding. If anyone decides do do this - please do it weeks ahead so you will have a lot of time! 

The back laid out. I love that lace and those pearls! My daughter loved her gift and used it at her wedding.  It was a recent thread on the PatternReview forum that reminded me that I never wrote about it or reviewed the process. I did start with this pattern from KWIK SEW but veered away very soon. 

 

So..I would recommend looking for a free pattern for a clutch - they are out there! :)

Another Mask Campaign with Fun Fabrics...

Good thing I don't look at eQuilter every day! Or Etsy. These fabrics I acquired from those two sources in the last two weeks. I just need fun fabrics for another go at masks for the family - mine here, daughters, brother, and family in WA.  I had some requests for the Super Heroes and the USAF, and I know folks who like Route 66 and seahorses, so now to get on with it.

I also drafted a larger version of the MimiG mask to make for some of my guys, and I hope that works out.

Yesterday and the day before I cut out 36 masks and divided them into plastic bags by to whom they will be going, and today I sewed up the first one - of course I mangled the elastic - had no trouble with all the other masks as far as elastic but today it gave my machine trouble. I think I will be sewing the elastic on my old Pfaff for the much narrower foot - more control than on my AcuFeed Elna. Maybe I should get out my little Brother again - it did the last batch of masks so nicely!!

Asian Fabrics Kitty Quilt the Second and Free Motion...

Quilted with King Tut in the needle and So Fine #60 preloaded bobbin - both wonderful threads from Superior Threads.  Love King Tut because you can see the stitching. Of Course there are a few glitches in my stitching but so it goes!  Now the kitties have upgraded the look of their normal sleeping places. :)  All of both of these quilts were scraps from other projects, even the binding.  I used the Brother open toe O foot SA187, a metal accessory foot that didn't come with any of my Brothers - one of the feet I have added to the foot collection. Love that all the feet fit all my Brother machines! :)  The photo below was taken after I had finished and was back to the normal ZZ foot.

The Brother Innov-ís Pacesetter PS500 does free motion as well as any machine I have ever tried, excepting of course my Pfaff 1222E, yet the Brother has no glitches that aren't my errors, so maybe I will be doing a lot on the Brother. I am working on a thread painting project - very much a fun thing because I am not really thread painting - more like free motion around and about on the pattern of a crane panel I bought years ago at the VQF.  But i am using all sorts of threads I have - from King Tut, through Madeira rayon and polyneon, and Kimono Silk, Connecting Threads, and some Robison-Anton embroidery lovely threads, silver and blue variegated. Maybe even more as I go along. It might take a toll on the Pfaff, so might do some on the Brother.

I ordered a table for the Brother from Pocono Sew and Vac. It is the Brother table that fits this machine, and I am awaiting word of shipping now. I won't do more free motion without the table, as the drag on the left side of a piece is the thing I need to overcome.