Showing posts with label machine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label machine. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Cajun Corner - March 16, 2016

One of the most difficult techniques for me to learn in machine embroidery was to embroider with metallic thread.  There have been some very frustrating moments where I had to just walk away from it.  Over the years, thank goodness, I have learned.  The trick is to loosen your upper tension, slow the machine down, and put your thread on a stand or in a cup on the other side of the room.  Yes, you will still get some thread breaks but much less.

All of that said, I have fallen in love with gold work,silver work, and the look of a shimmering metallic design.  In fact, yesterday I made two black shams with gold metallic dragons.  Here are some pictures:



Remember when making shams, make them one or two inches smaller than the pillow insert in order for the insert to fill the sham to capacity for a better look and fit.

Have a great day.

Saturday, June 14, 2014

Cajun Corner – Vol. 6, No. 16 – June 14, 2014



 
Cajun Corner – Vol. 6, No. 16 – June 14, 2014

 

Bon Jour!  Welcome to Cajun Stitchery’s weekly email and welcome to our family.

 

ΘΘΘΘΘ

Don’t forget to visit us at www.cajunstitchery.com, www.flickr.com/photos/cajunstitchery, and, www.cajunstitchery.etsy.com often.   We are also on Twitter and Facebook. 

Visit our on-line catalogs at:



My wonderful embroidery tech visited last week.  Clothilde received a real good check-up.  She had me order a few parts for upgrades which have since been received and the machine has been upgraded.  Clothilde is purring like a kitten and sports a brand new laser and bobbin guard.  While here I was able to introduce her to lemoncello.  I believe she really liked it and I have promised her a bottle on her next visit.  We were also able to take her to Tippy’s Tavern for dinner one night.

Installation of the bobbin guard was a piece of cake.  The laser was a bit more challenging.  Our tech had already returned to Orlando before the new laser arrived.  She was on speaker phone as she walked me inch-by-inch through the process of installing the laser.  We got to the point of aligning the laser when I just could not get that light to shine, as it should, on the needle hole in the needle plate.  There are only 2 screws holding the laser in place and those screws needed to be a bit loose in order to align the laser.  While trying to align, one of the screws came loose and I just could not get it back in the proper hole.  George had to help.  To make a long story short, George looked at the laser and talked to the tech and realized that I could not align the laser since I had it in backwards.  He turned the laser around, screwed the 2 screws in, and after fiddling a bit with alignment, it was done.  Leave it to me to install the laser backwards.

Yesterday, once we got off the phone with our embroidery tech and the laser was installed, I hung up the phone and put it on my cell phone stand next to my computer and went back to digitizing.  After an hour or 2 I decided to take a break and grabbed my android and went outside.  The phone was dead.  I pushed the on/off button and nothing happened.  I connected it to the charger and nothing happened.  We even changed the battery.  Again, nothing happened.  Neither of us could revive it.  This morning we drove to the AT&T store and a very nice gentleman named Josh tried to revive the phone, to no avail.  It was a new phone or nothing.  I purchased (well, we got it on our plan) a Moto X.  Apparently, this is the new and improved version of my Atrix 2.  I have played and played with this phone today.  I have read instructions and at one point called Josh for a little help which he was kind enough to assist.  As the kids today say, “This phone rocks.”  I can hook it up to my computer to charge the battery; or, plug it into the wall.  It has a voice command like my old Atrix 2 had, but this one has better response and does stuff for me.  So you think that sounds crazy?  I don’t even have to touch the phone to make a call, send a text, or even do searches on the internet.  This is just day one with this phone.  Imagine what day two will bring?  Oh yeah, the advertisement for this phone says it is the only phone assembled in the USA.  Okay, it wasn’t made here, but at least the USA got a part of the action.

We have to come up with a name for my phone.  Doris, Boudreaux, and Clothilde are taken by my embroidery machines.  It must be a Cajun name.  I am thinking about Marie.  Are there any thoughts out there on Cajun names for the Moto X?

The garden is bountiful this year and we are enjoying the fruits of George’s labor. 

I do a lot of monogram digitizing.  People want their name in “this” font.  There are a lot of monogram alphabets that I have done one or two letters, no one bought them and they are just hanging out there.  I think I’m going to complete these alphabets and offer them in my Etsy store.  Yes, I know, it is another project for my long list of projects for our Etsy store.

I did get to enjoy an evening with the girls last night.  It was delightful.  The food, of course, was fabulous.  That break from reality is always appreciated.

HAVE A HAPPY FATHERS DAY

If you are not a subscriber and would like to receive Cajun Corner weekly, please email cajunstitchery@yahoo.com and let me know to put you on our email list. 

No time to read Cajun Corner?  Visit our blog at www.cajunstitchery.blogspot.com and click the Odiogo button to hear the computer read the blog.

Cajun Stitchery

(850) 261-2462
P.S.  You are always welcome to stop by and look at all of the catalogs and pass some time with me, cher.

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Cajun Corner - Vol. 5, No. 17

 

 

 




Cajun Corner – Vol. 5, No. 17 – May 5, 2013

 

Bon Jour!  Welcome to Cajun Stitchery’s weekly email and welcome to our family.

 

ΘΘΘΘΘ

Don’t forget to visit us at www.cajunstitchery.com, www.flickr.com/photos/cajunstitchery, and, www.cajunstitchery.etsy.com often.   We are also on Twitter and Facebook. 

Visit our on-line catalogs at:



This week we were emptying Mama’s boxes of other than kitchen stuff.  We found that apparently we had a small hole in the roof of the garage and several of the boxes were ruined.  George fixed the roof but the roaches were so bad in some of the boxes that we just opened them up in the yard.  There was not much to salvage from those boxes and they were mostly clothes.  The ruined clothes were tossed.  Those Mayflower people really did box “everything.”  We found a horrid looking brown substance wrapped up and it turned out to be chocolate kisses.  That went in the garbage.  The cookie jar still had cookie remnants in it.  The medicine cabinet stuff was covered in bugs.  That was tossed.

We found Mama’s sewing machine and a lot of her sewing notions.  It broke my heart but I did get rid of most of her scrap fabric.  George reasoned that I already have a house full of scrap fabric, would I really use this?  Darn logic.

Mama’s towels and linens are being washed as I write this.

The house started to become very dark with all of the boxes in there.  Our plan is to have that house very bright and cheery.    It will look better when I have the curtains finished and everything is put away.  We finally decided that once we get all of Mama’s stuff in the house and put away, then we can decide how to decorate.

I did make a sham for one of the pillows.  It turned out beautiful.  Then I discovered that Mama loved shams, too.  She has lots of shams.  I’ll just have to start embroidering on them.

Several weeks ago we purchased some water bottle koozies that were on sale at one of my favorite online stores.  Two of the koozies have pink feathers at the bottom.  This week we sold those 2 koozies.  The initials were embroidered on the koozies and they are adorable.  We still have a bunch of the same color water bottle koozies and 2 beer bottle koozies in the same color, but no feathers.

After embroidering the koozies, I decided to put a monogram in the same font on my shirt cuffs.  Did that.  Then I decided to monogram my tennis shoes.  Oh, yes I did.  Each shoe now sports a pink P.  As long as I can get it in the machine, I can pretty much embroider on it.

Yesterday George and I went to the Pensacola Crawfish Festival.  We had a wonderful time.  The line for crawfish was very long but moved at a pretty good pace.  By the time we were at the front of the line, we looked back and the line was almost outside the festival entrance.  Oh, that crawfish was good, sha.  We each got a 3lb container of crawfish and ate every one of them while listening to band from St. Charles.  Yes, it was messy but well worth it. 

Since we ate the crawfish we weren’t hungry for dinner.  Later in the evening I made some beignets for us to snack.  This morning I awoke with a bit of a queasy stomach.  I guess it was overindulgence of spices and/or rich food.  Again, it was well worth it.

This morning was a baby shower for a friend.  Because I wasn’t feeling very well, I cancelled.  Now I’m sitting at the table looking at these cute little infant socks and wanting to embroidery the baby’s initial on the cuff.  I don’t know the baby’s name.  Perhaps the embroidery should be the first initial of the last name.  The initial would have to be about a half inch tall but we definitely can do this.

We have an order for a queen’s cape.  Well, actually she is a little princess.  The fabric is pink velveteen.  I contacted my trusty tech on the hazards of embroidery on velvet and I think we are going to be able to do a very nice design.  Thanks go out not only to my wonderful friend and embroidery tech, but also to all of my wonderful beach friends who are always directing potential customers to me.  This customer was referred to me by two of my beach friends.

Speaking of my embroidery tech, she surprised me this week by telling me that she will be here on the 19th of May.  Whoo hoo!  We always have such a good time and talk about gardens, embroidery, and conservation while imbibing our favorite wine.  She is only staying one night but we will have a grand time.

Poor Evie has been looking like a miniature, shedding, bison lately.  She is 13 this year and the weather has been too cool to bath her outside.  I have been brushing wads of fur off of her.  Today she got a bath in a nice, indoor, warm tub.  Even after her bath the fur was still flying but at least she is clean and silky soft.

Two beautiful handkerchiefs were made this week.  Pictures were taken.  They were ready to be uploaded on Etsy when the computer gave me a message that they were not jpg files.  Yes, they are jpg files.  The “help” section gave the parameters in pixels.  The photos were pulled into Paint and the parameters were adjusted.  Etsy still won’t accept the photos.  Facebook and Flickr accepted the photos but not Etsy.  I just cannot seem to get these hankies uploaded on Etsy.  They are beautiful and they are for sale.  $10 each. 

Have a wonderful week.

If you are not a subscriber and would like to receive Cajun Corner weekly, please email cajunstitchery@yahoo.com and let me know to put you on our email list. 

No time to read Cajun Corner?  Visit our blog at www.cajunstitchery.blogspot.com and click the Odiogo button to hear the computer read the blog.

Found the following at:  http://lorajeansmagazine.blogspot.com/2010/11/how-to-make-doily.html

How to make a doily


(Go to website to see photos)

The images are pretty self explanatory but here are the steps.

  1. Trace a circle using a cup.
  2. Use large scalloped scissors to cut around the circle.
  3. Use a hole punch to punch a hole in each scallop.
  4. Punch another row above and in between the other holes.
  5. Erase circle or flip it over.

And done! 


Peggy Henshall
Cajun Stitchery
(850) 261-2462
P.S.  You are always welcome to stop by and look at all of the catalogs and pass some time with me, cher.
 

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Cajun Corner - Vol. 4, No. 45

 

Cajun Corner – Vol. 4, No. 45 – November 25, 2012

 

Bon Jour!  Welcome to Cajun Stitchery’s weekly email and welcome to our family.

 

ΘΘΘΘΘ

Don’t forget to visit us at www.cajunstitchery.com, www.flickr.com/photos/cajunstitchery, and, www.cajunstitchery.etsy.com often.   We are also on Twitter and Facebook. 

Visit our on-line catalogs at:



Ah, Thanksgiving week.  I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving.

We planned on spending Thanksgiving Day with friends.  George is funny about Thanksgiving and Christmas.  No matter where we go or what we do, he has to have that turkey smell in the house.  Wednesday was our Thanksgiving with each other.  I baked the turkey, sweet potato soufflé, bread and cornbread dressing.  Yes, I used real recipes and it all turned out wonderfully delicious.  We cleaned off our kitchen table, which is usually used as our desk/office and piled with stuff.  Rather than a buffet at the stove, the food was all set out on the table.  It was a delightful time.  Wednesday evening we watched Polar Express. 

On Thursday morning I prepared the green bean casserole and we went to our friends’ home for the day.  There was lots of wine and food.  We actually intended to leave around 4:00 but I think it was more like 6:00 before we left.  That’s a real testament to how much we enjoyed the day with our friends.

We had arranged that some of our neighbors would drop by Thanksgiving evening just to get together.  They arrived around 8:30.  It was a bit cool outside, so, we all gathered around the table and enjoyed our time together.  Finally, we did end up sitting on the deck after Evie got a bit irritated with Sam under the table.

By Friday morning I decided that I was never eating another bite of food.  Famous last words, huh?  Today is Sunday and we still have leftovers. 

Friday evening we were invited next door to an evening in front of the fire pit with our neighbors.  Oh my gosh, that was fun.  George was pooped and left earlier than I did.  I guess we stayed out there until about 10:00.  The beauty of getting together with the neighbors is that you don’t have to drive home.  In fact, my neighbors walked me home.  We must do that more often.

My favorite radio station has been playing Christmas music for a couple of weeks now.  What’s with that?  I love the idea that they play Christmas music from Thanksgiving Day to Christmas, but to start a week earlier is too much; it is still the Thanksgiving season.  Nevertheless, the Christmas music is playing everyday over here. 

The Etsy store has been busy lately.  There are a lot of items listed.  The other day I noticed that several Etsy stores are selling embroidery designs.   There is nothing wrong with that.  I just had not noticed it before.  Ever since I first purchased Doris, I’ve looked at all of the beautiful embroidery designs on the internet.  Doris came with a disk of Singer designs.  There were lots of free designs online, as well, especially at the various embroidery machine websites, like Singer, Baruden and Husqvarna.  As I learned to use the embroidery machine, I found more and more embroidery design websites.  Some designs I purchased, some were free, and some came with the various machines and programs that I’ve purchased.  Eventually, I began learning to digitize some designs with my programs.  It wasn’t until this year that I began digitizing more intricate designs.  I still think that I’m a novice at the digitizing thing, but I have come a long way. 

All of that said I started wondering if my designs were good enough to sell online.  I did have the Classy Cajun monogram set that was recently digitized, and several other designs that I’ve done.  There is now an Embroidery Design section in our Cajun Stitchery Etsy store.  There aren’t a lot of designs in there right now but there are a few.  We’ll see if anyone wants to purchase them.  The beauty is that after the design is created, it is offered for sale and is emailed to whoever wishes to purchase them.  Unlike other tangible items in the store, the designs can be sold over and over; therefore, the price is pretty low, usually $5 or less.  A lot of the wording was taken from perusing other shops and their terms, conditions, warnings, etc.  Time will tell if this is an avenue worth pursuing for Cajun Stitchery.  Why don’t you go check it out?

Right now we are busy embroidering names and designs on bags and satin jackets, as well as some heirloom embroidery. 

Ever since the purchase of our professional grommet machine, I’ve wanted a similar machine for snaps.  This week the machine was purchased and should arrive next week.  These machines are so much better than hammering those little metal pieces.

We did have some sad news recently.  A friend’s mother passed away on Friday.  It wasn’t a surprise.  Her mother had been ailing for sometime.  The funeral is scheduled for Monday in Mobile.

If you are not a subscriber and would like to receive Cajun Corner weekly, please email cajunstitchery@yahoo.com and let me know to put you on our email list. 
No time to read Cajun Corner?  Visit our blog at www.cajunstitchery.blogspot.com and click the Odiogo button to hear the computer read the blog.
* * *

Tip of the Day:

Keep matches in a mason jar - with a strikeable sandpaper lid!

* * *

Found this at:  http://www.marthastewart.com/276321/gift-wrapping-tips-and-techniques

Start Wrapping Earlier

Say goodbye to Christmas chaos this year. Follow these simple gift-wrapping strategies to give family and friends one-of-a-kind packages this holiday.

Avoid a gift-wrapping time crunch and start wrapping gifts as you buy them. Add ribbons, bows, and tags later. Label presents with sticky notes so that you don't forget who gets what.

 

Ideas for Paying it Forward
(This is also a pretty good blog article)

  1. put a quarter in a meter, any meter, that’s about to expire
  2. leave a copy of a really great book you’ve read in a cafe for someone else to enjoy
  3. be nice to the customer service people who are trying to help you with your technological difficulties
  4. tip your restaurant server generously
  5. thank the cooks, waitstaff and bussers personally
  6. say something nice or funny or goofy to the toll booth attendant (like, “Don’t drive too fast, now” or “Glad to have encountered you today”, or something less hokey)
  7. forgive a driver directing road rage at you
  8. buy or pack a meal for a homeless person (or give him/her your to-go box from a restaurant)
  9. give a warm coat to a homeless person
  10. offer to do pro bono work on a project where your skills are needed
  11. mentor someone
  12. make a donation
  13. say a prayer or whisper a kind wish for someone
  14. compliment a stranger
  15. send a box of donuts or bagels or muffins to a construction site
  16. next time you leave a foreign country, give all or some of what’s left of your currency to someone who resides in that country
  17. next time you’re at the airport, offer to pull the bags belonging to a woman or a mother with child out of the conveyor belt
  18. praise generously
  19. give local tips (re: restaurants, sights, etc.) to a tourist
  20. show respect equally to all human beings
  21. put a tip in a street musician’s jar
  22. let someone cut in front of you at the grocery store
  23. tell a funny joke to a stranger
  24. give someone a chance to prove him or herself
  25. encourage someone to pursue their dream
  26. allow someone to let his or her light shine
  27. show support to an artist or writer or musician
  28. hold the door open for someone
  29. tip a cab driver generously
  30. teach a child something you wish you knew at that age
  31. smile at someone who’s sad
  32. smile at strangers
  33. offer sincere, kind words to someone who’s hurting
  34. visit a hospice and spend some time with a terminally ill patient
  35. volunteer at a battered women’s shelter
  36. spend some time with a senior citizen living alone
  37. give up your seat on a crowded bus or train or ferry
  38. inspire someone to be the best that they can be
  39. give someone the benefit of the doubt
  40. offer to babysit for a single mother
  41. offer the FedEx, UPS or DHL delivery person something to drink especially on a warm day
  42. help a pregnant lady
  43. sit and talk with a homeless person and learn their story
  44. loan something to someone and forget about it
  45. loan money on Kiva
  46. contribute to a friend’s child’s education fund
  47. give blood
  48. show respect to a soldier regardless of your pacifism
  49. donate to or volunteer for the Make-A-Wish Foundation
  50. replace an angry or bitter thought toward someone with a loving thought (or at least try)

 
C’est tout, mes amis
Peggy Henshall
Cajun Stitchery
(850) 261-2462
P.S.  You are always welcome to stop by and look at all of the catalogs and pass some time with me, cher.

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Cajun Corner - Vol. 4, No. 10



Cajun Corner – Vol. 4, No. 10 – March 17, 2012



Bon Jour!  Welcome to Cajun Stitchery’s weekly email and welcome to our family.



ΘΘΘΘΘ

Don’t forget to visit our blog at www.cajunstitchery.blogspot.com, and www.cajunstitchery.etsy.com often.   We are also on Twitter and Facebook. 

Visit our on-line catalogs at:



I have always been a basically lazy person looking for short cuts.  When Mama taught me to hand embroider as a child, my embroidery never looked as pretty as I wanted and I would give up and put it aside until I got another urge.  Before she passed on and while she lived with us, I would take out my hand embroidery and accoutrements.  She would watch me as I embroidered, or tried to do a new stitch or whatever.  Then she would say, “My Mama would have been so disappointed in me if I embroidered like that.”  Never put knots at the end of embroidery thread, it is a big no-no.  At least in Mama’s world it was bad. The perfect embroidery should leave the tail and weave it into the back of the embroidery so that you do not know where one ends and the other begins.  I took the short cut, as usual.  One of the real beauties of hand embroidery is that it is 3-dimensional.  There are stitches that create all sorts of knots (the intentional kind of knot), flowers, balls and embroidery that pops right off the fabric.  How in the world did women of olden days create such exquisite embroidery?  They must have embroidered 24-7, but then they would not have time to do all of their other chores.  Some embroidery, of course, was flat against the fabric.  I’ve seen hand embroidery depicting scenes that looked almost as clear and vivid as a photograph with all of the proper shading.  These were true artisans. 

Why all of this carrying on about hand embroidery?  I have seen and touched some exquisite hand embroidery this week.  The pieces were the kind of embroidery that you gaze upon and know they are so far out of your league you shouldn’t even try.  That led me to do some searches online, especially at Pinterest, on fine hand embroidery where I saw additional remarkable pieces of art.

When I first began looking at machine embroidery, I was intrigued with sewing machine embroidery (differing from embroidery machine embroidery).  Again, these are some true artisans.  Yes, there are people in the world today that can make their old Singers do fine embroidery.  The machine doesn’t need any special stitches at all, just a needle and thread that go up and down.  You hoop your fabric in the same kind of hoop that is use in hand embroidery, except you turn it upside down for the machine.  Take off your presser foot and use an embroidery presser foot – some don’t even use that.  Lower your feed dogs.  Embroider.  Initially, I did a few, very few, items using this method. 

It wasn’t long after I discovered the sewing machine embroidery that I found Doris (my Singer home embroidery machine).  Since I have already established that I tend to be lazy and search for short cuts, the sewing machine embroidery idea went out the window in lieu of machine embroidery.  With the embroidery machine, I did not have to think and plan as much.  Then Boudreaux (my first commercial embroidery machine) came into my life and, well, life has not been the same since.  Oh, how I love Boudreaux.  Now we have Clothilde.  Bet you thought the new one would be named Thibodeaux.  Clothilde works faster than Boudreaux, is more precise and user friendly.  Basically, she does better work, with more precision, in less time.  Of course, it would be a female. Lol

The next challenge is to figure out how to make Boudreaux and Clothilde stitch comparable embroidery to hand embroidery.  Hmmm.  There are some techniques available, albeit time consuming.  Please recall last year’s Easter Bonnet with the 3-D butterflies and fringed flowers.  Admittedly, the bonnet was outrageous but the techniques were solid.  What if I could turn those techniques into fine embroidery? 

The technique of making nice, professional patches used to be reserved for the Merrow machine.  Since the advent of embroidery machines and some ingenuity, professional looking patches are now easily made on embroidery machines.  The Merrow machine uses an overlock stitch and the embroidery machine uses a satin stitch, but they basically look the same.

Now that Clothilde has moved in, she brought her own set of computer programs.  One of the programs has some items about Schiffli machines.  I do not want a Schiffli machine.  The Schiffli machine holds 1,000 needles and if you think I am going to thread that many needles, you are out of your mind.   The Schiffli machine takes embroidery machines to the level of repeating designs on a plain fabric creating a fabric with repeated embroidery motifs that you can purchase by the yard.  I’m sure you’ve seen this type of fabric.  These machines are incredible.  They also make the lovely lace fabric by embroidering repeated designs on tulle, I think.  All of this can also be done on Boudreaux and Clothilde but in much smaller increments and it would take a lot more time.

I have carried on about embroidery and I think I saw one of our beans sprouting today.  The beautiful weather and the yard are calling me outdoors.  My annual red snapdragons are still blooming after 3 years and now we have yellow and white snapdragons that are into their second or third season.  The catnip is lush this year.  In fact, I brought a bouquet of catnip in the house the other day and George thinks I may have damaged my cats permanently.  They haven’t been the same since.  Ah, well, those cats need to lighten up anyhow.  Cats can be so serious.  Blackberry cobbler season is right around the corner.  Those beautiful little white flowers are everywhere.  I am hoping for a bumper crop this year.

If you are not a subscriber and would like to receive Cajun Corner weekly, please email cajunstitchery@yahoo.com and let me know to put you on our email list. 

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INTERESTING…
I found the following Vodka Soaked Gummy Bears at http://www.thatssomichelle.com/2011/08/vodka-soaked-gummy-bears.html
Shopping List (inspired by Cathy Macomber on the Tuesday Nite Wildcats)
1 bag of gummy bears or gummy candy of your choice
1 cup of Absolute or Gray Goose vodka (or enough to cover the candy completely)

Place your bears in a large bowl and pour over your vodka, cover with plastic wrap and let sit for at least 24 hours. I wouldn't go further than 48 hours, they may start breaking down.

Pour out your vodka (serve if you like, it will be pink and sweet from the bears) and carefully skewer your gummy bears. Arrange and serve.

IF YOU THOUGHT THAT WAS INTERESTING, TRY THIS…

(Found this on Pinterest)

Skittle bombs: take bottles of unflavored vodka and packs of skittles. pick a skittle color and put them all in a bottle. shake until they dissolve. Freeze to chill before serving.

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C’est tout, mes amis



Peggy Henshall

Cajun Stitchery

(850) 261-2462




P.S.  You are always welcome to stop by and look at all of the catalogs and pass some time with me, cher.