Where did “Read.” bags Come From?

Our store and our online community has been growing by leaps and bounds each year.  So, I thought I’d take this opportunity to introduce or re-introduce you to our main community service project at Zede’s and also to one of our good friends- the two go hand-in-hand, so read on!

A few years ago, Linda T made a “Read.” bag for my niece (Zede’s granddaughter) Kathryn for her birthday.  It was a hit.  Kathryn loves to read and she loves bags.  She filled up the bag with her other birthday presents and slept with it.

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“A Little Light Reading” from Designs in Machine Embroidery Magazine

Linda got the idea from an article in Designs in Machine Embroidery by Jo Connolly (here’s her site, go there after you finish reading).  The article was appropriately called “A Little Light Reading”.  Fast forward a few months and I turned the unassuming little read bag into a community service project with a big goal- 250 “Read.” bags for at-risk preschoolers in our area (we’re doing it again this year if you’d like to help out!).

I think it was during our second year of sewing “Read.” bags that Jo Connolly got in contact with us.  She was thrilled we were using her design to do some good.  Now, keep in mind, she could have acted much differently.  We had not up to this point given her any credit for her work- which was due to oversight on my part completely!  She could have (justifiably) been very angry with us for our use of her work.  But was she?  No!

She was and continues to be supportive of our store’s efforts to promote literacy using her original idea.  

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The  story really does come full circle.

Jo Connolly and Linda T were both recently published side-by-side in the Nancy Zieman 30th anniversary edition of Designs in Machine Embroidery Magazine.  We could not be more proud of both of them.

In the years since we started sewing “Read.” bags, Linda T has welcomed a beautiful granddaughter named Avery into her family.  She has been sewing up a storm for her since before she was born.  Jo also recently published “Sweet Stitches”, a book and embroidery design collection for little girls.  Linda T and Jane are currently teaching a series of classes based on Jo’s book in our store in Columbia, MO.

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Students at Zede’s working on a project from “Sweet Stitches”

 

Thanks Jo!  Thanks Linda!  And thanks to everyone who has visited our store and our blog.  The people in our lives are what makes sewing so much fun!

Who do you sew for?

“Read.” bags- Will You Help Us Out?

Last year, hundreds of people from the Zede’s Sewing Studio community both near and far helped us to create 250 “Read.” bags for Jumpstart in Columbia, MO.

Jumpstart helps at-risk pre-schoolers become ready for kindergarten by giving them tools to lead them to literacy.  Reading is one of the best tools we have in terms of learning and communication.  If you know how to read, chances are you may take it for granted more often than not.  Just think of all the things you’d be cut off from if you couldn’t read; this blog, election ballots, history books, instructions on how to make new things, etc.  The “Read.” bags give these children a sense of ownership over the books they receive at the end of the year- and those may be some of the only books they have in their home.

Want to help?  Here’s what you can do!

-Donate fabric.  Our wonderful property managers provide the canvas panels for the “Read.” bags, but we’re asking you to provide us with leftover fabrics that we can use for linings, accent panels and straps.  Just drop off the fabric at Zede’s any time we’re open.

-Come to Zede’s for “Read.” bag sew days- we’ll let you know in our newsletter and on Facebook when we’ve got the days scheduled.

-Embroider “Read.” panels.  Come by Zede’s and pick up some panels to embroider.

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-Sew “Read.” bags at home.  We’ve a got a video to show you how!

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We need the bags by May 1st!  Thanks in advance for your help!

Mallory

Make You Own Custom Sewing Storage!

We’ve got a ton of creative people around here at Zede’s Sewing Studio.  We’re reminded of this every month when we have club and we see all the fabulous show-and-tell that our customers bring.

Last month, our software teacher, Joanne, brought in a picture of her husband Paul’s handiwork in her sewing room- Paul also happens to be our marketing guru, no nepotism here!

Joanne says she loves the plastic drawers from places like Target, but when they get too full, they sag and are difficult to work with.  Paul’s hobby’s are wood-working and off-roading in his Jeep.  I guess Joanne told him to put the keys down and pick up his saw to help out with her problem.  Look what he did!

Instead of conquering the very difficult and time consuming task of making custom drawers, Paul made custom shelves to fit Joannes plastic drawers.  The project went a lot faster than it would have if Paul would have made wooden drawers, and Joanne gets to see all of her pretty fabrics on display.

What creative steps have you taken to organize your sewing room?

 

Man Gifts: My Dad’s 60th Birthday

Do you have trouble finding the right gift for the men in your life?  I do!

Sometimes they make it easy on you by clipping a picture out of a magazine, or whining about how they can’t play the new Mario Brothers game unless they get the new gaming console, et cetera.

I would say my dad is one of the hardest men to shop for, and it’s because he’s such an awesome guy.  He always taught me that if you want what you already have, you’ll never be unsatisfied.  My best memories with my dad include jumping on the trampoline together for hours, camping, learning to water-ski and doing crossword puzzles together.  My dad always gave me excellent quality time- that’s something that’s hard to box up and wrap with ribbon.  And, you know, if I didn’t get my dad anything for his birthday or Christmas, he probably wouldn’t care, as long as we still got to spend time together.

But I love giving gifts!  It makes me feel special when I get a gift, so I want to do the same with the people I love.  Even if it’s something small.

Lately, Jer-Bear (that’s what I call my dad) has been re-organizing our finished attic space to be a gym/lounge.  My niece has been trying to claim it for her clubhouse as well- and I’m sure he’ll be generous with her as he was with me when it comes to space and attention.  But, bottom line- it’s his gym.

So, I thought I’d make it official and embroider some towels for him.  It’s kind of like planting a flag, you know.

The towels are functional and fun.  They’re also a little tongue-and-cheek, since my dad would probably just as soon use an old towel with any one of our names on it in his gym- but I’m making these special for him!

If you want to embroider towels, check out this video- we’ll get you started!

Oh, and I finally found a sweet-treat that my dad will eat.  He loves this Jack Daniel’s Pecan Pie.  I love making everything, including food, decorative- check out the birthday design :) .  Recipe here.

I hope this helps inspire you in your quest to Man-Gift in the New Year.  Share your man-gifting ideas in the comments- we could all use them!

 

Classes at Zede’s: You Ask, We Listen!

Every so often, we have to cancel a class due to low enrollment. Maybe it didn’t make it up on the website in time or we scheduled something on the day of some really important MU football game…

Well, it can be disappointing for students and teachers, but we offer a way to make up for it!

If you and two of your friends find a time when you’re available, the studio is free and the class teacher is available, you can schedule a class!  Our minimum enrollment is 3 people- so a lot of times it doesn’t take much to muster up a group.

This class session will also be added to the website, in case anyone else wants to sign up to come.

So…why am I highlighting this practice in a blog post?  Because we recently had to cancel a section of “Quilting Quickies”, and some astute students have found an alternate time!

Linda B.’s Stained Glass Applique class has been rescheduled for Friday, November 2nd from 10am-1pm.  Sign up now, if you are interested!

Here’s what you’ll be making:  A stained glass applique pumpkin!  You’ll achieve the stained glass effect by using pre-folded, fusible quick bias which we will have available in the store for class.

 

Once again, sign up here- and make sure to contact us if you’d like to see anymore classes rescheduled!

 

 

 

Basic Sewing: Fabric Boxes

Sometimes we get a little busy here at Zede’s, and we forget to put a class up on the website….woops!

On Thursday, October 18th, we’ll be having a basic sewing class on how to make fabric boxes.  Check out this picture!

Fabric Box Class

In class, you’ll master buttonholes on your sewing machine, get to try out a serger, and learn about how to make all different shapes and sizes of fabric boxes.  So, come and have fun- it’s only $10!

See you soon!

Mallory

Foot Focus 9/15: Birdie Coin Purse

Every month here at Zede’s, we choose a presser foot to explore in a class called “Foot Focus”.  So far, it’s been a hit!

You come to class with your machine and the foot of choice, or we lend you a foot to try out- this way you can see what all the fuss is about before dropping some cash on a foot you know nothing about.

You don’t want to miss this month’s class- I’m SO excited, and I hope to see you there!  It’s Saturday, 9/15 from 10am-12pm.

The foot we’ll be focusing on is the Zipper Foot.  That’s the #4 foot for BERNINA users and the Narrow Zipper foot for Baby Lock users.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

-How to insert a zipper on a curve

-Simple raw-edge applique

-How to sew with leather

-How the Accuquilt GO! cutter works

-How a Hot-Fix wand words

I just finished up this sample and I can’t wait to teach the class this coming Saturday.

Register online or call 573-874-2500

DIY: Daughter’s of the American Revolution Tote Bag

Those of you in the Missouri area know that we have some really wonderful people working at Zede’s Sewing Studio. They are helpful, inspiring and energetic women who support the store and our customers in the best way possible.

One of those ladies is Victoria, say hello!

Recently, Victoria and her mother have been filing paperwork to become a part of a new local chapter of D.A.R. (Daughters of the American Revolution).  Members of this group can trace their lineage back through the generations to a member of the American Revolutionary Army- neat!  You can imagine how difficult this process can be, so Victoria asked for a little help in making a celebratory bag for her mother’s birthday.

After some tweaking in BERNINA V6 software, we created this design together.  Then we stitched it onto a tote bag using the Baby Lock Enterprise 10 needle embroidery machine.

The design was the brain child of Victoria and her daughter Colleen- so it was a great present for Victoria’s mother.  For those of you who are counting, that’s three generations of D.A.R. women!  We used an EmbroideryArts alphabet for the letters called Gothic 13, the star was from the V6 software, and I digitized the stripes.

One more thought before we go.  While we were stitching this design out on the machine, a woman walked into the store to check in a machine for service.  She too was a part of the new chapter!  Small world.

Have you ever created a specialized item for a group or club?

Happy Sewing!

The Baby Lock “Spirit”: An Embroidery-Only Machine to Love!

I’m just going to come out and say it- I haven’t been a big fan of embroidery-only machines.  I’m not talking about professional machines, like the Enterprise or the Endurance, I’m talking about machines that are for home embroiderers- and that’s all they do…embroider.

I feel like most of the embroidery-only machines that have come out in the past have inferior motors and therefore do not give the best stitch-outs.  As a sewing machine dealer in a rather small community, we cannot afford to endorse inferior products.  Selling someone a machine that they hate will hurt our business- so, I haven’t had a home embroidery-only machine in my store for years.

Well, that’s about to change!

We got back from Baby Lock Tech 2012 last week, and we are pleased to announce that we will be carrying the Baby Lock Spirit Embroidery-Only machine.

 

Why do we love it?

It’s got a 7″ x 12″ embroidery area:  That’s right.  So, if you want an area that is almost as large as the Ellisimo, but you’d rather spend less than half on a machine, the Spirit is the way to go!  (Please contact us for pricing)

It has USB Type A and B Connectivity:  So, if you like to have your computer in the room with your machine or across the house- it doesn’t matter.  Transfer designs with a cord or with a USB stick.

Here’s a full list of specifications, if you’re wanting to do some more in depth research!

Do you need one?

If you have an Ellisimo or an Ellegante, you probably don’t need the Spirit- but feel free to come buy and look any time!

If you have a Sofia, an Ellure Plus, or a BERNINA sewing-only machine- the Spirit might be an excellent addition to your sewing room.

Here’s why:  You already have an excellent sewing machine with a DC motor.  If you’re satisfied with your sewing and decorative stitches, then there’s no reason to invest in more sewing fire-power.  But, from years of selling machines, we know that people eventually want a larger embroidery area- and this is an affordable option with excellent features! (Once again, contact us for pricing).

We should be getting our first shipment of Spirits in at the beginning of October, so pre-order today and get those bigger embroidery projects ASAP!

Baby Lock Tech: New Machines!

First of all, do you “Like” Zede’s Sewing Studio on Facebook? If you don’t- go one over and click the “like” button.  Sometimes, when we don’t have time to do a full blog post- we’ll post pictures and funny status updates over there.

Ok- moving on!

We are learning a lot here at Baby Lock Tech- so much that I cannot fit it into one post.  Here are some highlights with more detailed posts to follow!

NEW Baby Lock “Tiara” sit-down quilting machine.

As many of you know, Zede and I are not quilters- but this is SO COOL!!!!!  So cool, that I’m using all-caps.

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This machine is reliable, affordable, and it has an optional STITCH-REGULATOR!!!!!  That’s right, something that used to only be available on BERNINA home machines or on larger, long-arm quilters is available on this machine.  I can’t write our price here- but call us at 573-874-2500 or click the “contact us” link to be amazed!

Secondly, Baby Lock has come out with three new “luxury” sewing and embroidery machines.  Let me break it down:

Spirit:  Luxury Embroidery Only machine

Crescendo:  Luxury Sewing Only machine

Unity:  Luxury Sewing and Embroidery Machine (get it?  Unity- both features are included on this machine)

These three new machines include neato-mosquito technology like the new laser-like “Guideline Marker”.  Check out this photo.

The same feature translates over to embroidery!

I can’t wait to make a video about these features- because they are so awesome when you see the process!

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