Check It Out -- Needle Company Websites

 If you want to learn more about needles, check out the needle company websites.  

Schmetz is one of the best for information.  

This comparison of household needles is more than you would ever want to know about needles but it explains how the needle is made.  Link to comparison. 

At the store, we have people ask what is the difference between the needles? Why use one over another? This explains the point shapes of the needles and why to use one over another. Link to point shapes. 

If you want to learn about which needle is best for quilting or clothes making, go to the applications page.  

Check out the rest of the site also.  There are projects and a magazine that you can sign up for. 

Klasse needles have a section on choosing the right needle.  Link to right needle.    There is also information about needle basics, why a needle breaks and why the correct needle size is important.  

Groz-Beckert is another company with some basic information.  This is the link to the sewing page.  

Organ  needles are another brand that has education on their website.  Download the sewing machine catalog for lots of information about the needles and why needles are important for good results.  

Basic information about Inspira needles is found on the Husqvarna site.  

Here are some other links to good basic sewing machine needle information. 

All about sewing machine needles 

How to identify sewing machine needles

How to choose the right sewing machine needle

Choosing the right needle

Basic Needle Parts

Until next time, Happy Sewing!!!

Check it out - Sewing Machine Websites

 I like to frequent the sewing machine websites for resources and free projects.  Are you aware that all of the major sewing machine brands have free projects and file downloads that anyone can access?  

Since Baby Lock is my favorite, here is a link to their site for free projects. 

1.   Baby Lock Website

Check out these projects. 

Holiday Hoopla                                Lucy's Kitchen Set                             Simple Storage Cubes

2.   Next up is Husqvarna Viking.  

Check these out.       Double Zippered Bag             Snap Bag

3.  Bernina has a project website also. Most of the Learn and Create items feature their software and specialized sewing machines.  There is a blog, an Inspiration magazine and lots of downloads.  They also have free software that you can download and use to convert from one format to another.  It is called Bernina Art Link .       There are several Bernina embroidery downloads that could be converted to Baby Lock PES.  

Here is a Tula Pink designed quilt on the site.  

Bird Seed Quilt by Tula Pink

4. Pfaff has an inspiration page also.  

Cell phone charging station                        Reversible cross body bag              

5. Brother has a LOT of craft suggestions.   The have craft organization ideas, paper and fabric cutting as well as sewing and quilting.  

Stitching Sewcial Blog                      Sew4home

6. Check out Juki for more ideas.       Oh my Scrappy Stars

7. Elna has a few projects on their site.     Patchwork Cushion

Quilting on an Embroidery Machine #2

 This is a second way to quilt on an embroidery machine using IQ Designer and the fills.  On the Solaris 2, there are over 35 fills that can be used for quilting.  Each fill can be made larger or smaller and can be adjusted in other ways based on the individual fill.  For the purposes of this video, I made the fill that I used larger but did not change it in any other way.  

I have used these fills for quilting tote bags and zippered pouches.  

Here is the video.

Quilting on Embroidery Machine #1

 One of the questions that comes up at Sewingly Yours is how to quilt on an embroidery machine.  When beginning to learn how to do this, it is good to start with the basics. I made this short video to show how to quilt 2 fat quarters with batting on a Solaris using a quilting file that is already loaded on the machine. 

The Solaris 2 upgrade came out with 2 quilting designs.  I have read on Facebook that they will be adding more.  

I do this technique frequently for tote bags and zippered pouches.  I quilt it on the machine and then cut it to size.  Due to the thickness, no stabilizer is needed. I generally use a magnetic hoop but have used a regular hoop before I had the magnetic one.  

Here is the video.  

Until next time, Happy Sewing!

I am very disorganized organized....

 I am constantly looking for things.  I lose my keys, things I have recently bought, things I have recently cleaned up and on and on.  I really like organization tips and try to do as many as I can.  If I can see the item, then I can keep up with it.  If I have to put it in a drawer or box, then I never remember it. 

I recently discovered that the Solaris, Solaris2, Destiny, Altair and many other Baby Lock machines have a magnet in each corner of the machine.  One on the left:  

And one on the right:     (see the black handled scissors next to the pincushion.)

In the picture above, look at the scissors to the left.  This is for the back of a cell phone and used as a grip or holder.  I took a class with Denise Schober about long arm quilting and she made this recommendation as a holder on all machines.  Here is a close up picture: 

I also have one on my Jazz 2 and my Coronet. 

Comes in very handy! 

Until next time, Happy Sewing!