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A Warm Hello Sewing Friends
Thank you all for your comments and support. It is so exciting to hear that you are sewing with your new machines! The Hobo Beach Bag pattern is Simplicity # 5151
Welcome back! I hope this blog finds everyone refreshed from some kind of vacation. There is nothing quite as exciting for me as shopping in an out-of-state fabric store. This summer’s family road trip afforded me luxuries ranging from an afternoon at Vogue Fabrics in Evanston, Chicago to a day of artisan shopping and discovering couture secrets in Asheville, North Carolina to browsing the antique malls for cobalt glass in Kentucky and Georgia. Chock full of new inspiration, this month’s blog has lessons in turning a pair of jeans into a handbag, other great new projects, a sneak peek at the newest Singer Today’s Special, ideas for your built-in embroidery frames, new Melrose product debuts and more.
New Items to Watch
Let's begin with product debuts. We now have in stock the My-T-Fine electric cordless scissors. These little charmers are the easiest, most efficient, cost-effective gems I have ever had my hands on. They cut like a dream and maneuver around corners and notches through all kinds of fabrics. These amazing award-winning cutters live in their own recharging cradle so they're always ready when you are!
Apron Giftables
Our buyers have added several new products to my Melrose line this month. Adorable and versatile Wine Bottle Aprons along with Adult Apron blanks in a duo pack. You can customize an apron for a friend who loves crafting, cooking or gardening. Embellish with appliqué, embroidery, paint or iron-on Glamour Gems for your favorite Diva! For those of you interested in adding pockets, keep reading below for a few pocket ideas with instructions.
Ditch the Plastic!!!
Everyone is thinking green these days and trying to help in any way they can to preserve the environment. If you took a look at the projects featured on our main sewing page, you may have noticed my grocery bag instructions. These bags were so popular that we decided to manufacture "blank" grocery bags that you can decorate yourself. These customized, signature-style grocery bags will be the hit of the day for any and all kinds of shopping!
Brand New Today's Special This Month
Be sure to catch the world launch of our newest Singer Today's Special on August 6. This exclusive offer from Singer is a computerized "Curvy" sewing machine with the "Swift Smart" one-stroke threading and the "Drop and Sew" bobbin, 225 built-in stitch patterns, seven auto-sized one-step buttonholes, eighteen presser feet, wing and twin needle packs, an extension table and an integrated sew-and-serge feature! The extra added value pack alone is worth over $329.00! Sew ahead of the Curve!! Sew Smart!
Embroidery
Our Brother and Singer top-of-the-HSN-line embroidery machines have a 5" x 7" hoop, built-in alphabets and built-in designs. There are also free downloads from both brands' websites. More and more sewers are entering the exciting world of machine embroidery. Keep in mind when you receive your new machine that there is always a learning curve with computerized embroidery. That curve will vary between brands and models. If you have the Futura 250 or 150 sewing and embroidery machine from Singer, you will be using your own computer to power the embroidery. Installing the Singer software and learning all the editing capabilities takes time, especially if you're not familiar with embroidery programs. I encourage you to go through the tutorial and give yourself time to learn all the different options. You will find that being able to turn clip art into sewn designs and custom editing designs from over a dozen different file formats are features well worth learning.
If you have the Brother PE700II embroidery machine you don't need a computer to sew designs, as all the commands are on board on a touch screen. You will see pictograms and icons to help guide you through the process. There is also a quick-start booklet for reference. If you're interested in getting started fast and stitching the designs as they are pictured, then this is the machine for you. There is also a template to help you position the design accurately on your project. Regardless of which machine you have, you will be taking your sewing to the next level and have the ability to customize projects, accessories and linens for years to come.
Wait!!!
Do not throw away your packaging!! Sometimes there are valuable tools such as CDs, foot pedals or accessory packs nestled in to your styrofoam packaging. You wouldn't believe how many calls we get regarding "missing parts" that obliviously went out with Wednesday's garbage. Please check to ensure you have unpacked every last detail before discarding any packaging.
New Projects
August Events
I can't believe this wraps up another month. I want you all to know how much I appreciate your comments, input and project requests. I'll do my best to fit in as much content and new projects as possible. Remember to set your DVR for our Today's Special on August 6th. There are dozens of quilt shows all over the country this month. I hope you can get to one and get inspired. We are going to start a quilting section in September. Remember that September is also "National Month of Sewing". We will have more new products and accessories to debut so check your program guide and stay tuned!
Have a sew-sational month!
Kindest regards & blessings,
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