Sewing techniques, tutorials, and everything that goes along with them
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!
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
If you come into Zede’s regularly, you know we love Karen Linduska! We’ve had her travel to our store to teach twice in the last two years, we can’t keep her first book in stock, and we actually teach a continuing education class based on that book!
So, we love her!
And we are thrilled to be carrying her new book! Creative Uses for Decorative Stitches is an excellent follow up to her first book Your Machine’s Decorative Stitches, actually it might even be better! As with many things, the more you practice your technique, research new products and really get in touch with your creative self, you produce something amazing! That’s exactly what Karen did- she’s at the top of her game in this book.
If you want to own it…which you do…come into Zede’s or purchase it here.
Here is a little excerpt from the inside. I just wanted to show that Karen’s new book is not only relevant to stitchers who want to get the most out of their machine’s decorative stitches, but it is stylistically current. Karen has excellent color sense and she’s a master of proportion and composition. If you have ever wondered why your art quilts or other designs aren’t as pleasing to the eye as you’d like, take a lesson from Karen and do a few of her projects. You’ll learn what really makes a design POP!
So, if you’re in the Columbia, MO area, check out our class list and sign up for “Fiber Fun”- it’s our class based on Karen’s work. Also, sign up for our newsletter so that you know when Karen is coming back!
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
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!
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!
I’d like to start off this post by saying that I am an avid reader. I love the written word and I love books. When I studied in Paris when I was in college, I took a bookbinding course in Montmartre with Eloise Baille.
I respect books and the wonderful history that goes along with their creation. So, when I butcher one later on in this post- I do so with the greatest love and respect.
I’ve been inspired by a lot of book purses that I’ve seen lately. I think they’re neat. So, I went to the Salvation Army near our shop and found a few hardcover books- 6 to be exact. Then the nice lady told me that they were 10 for $1…so I got 14 more. I had A BALL picking them out. There are books with the title “A Woman of Substance” or “The Life of the Party” and “California Girl”….how fun! I did not find many pieces of fine literature- and that’s ok.
What I find the most entertaining about this process is finding books with funny/ironic titles- which generally are not the great works of our time.
Except for the book that I tore up this time! Marjane Satrapi is the author of, among other books, the graphic novel Persepolis. It is about her childhood in Iran and her experience growing up under a repressive regime. It’s a revolutionary novel and Ms. Satrapi has my greatest respect as a writer and artist.
Now that I’ve got my foundation and all my sewing jazz, I start to space it out. It’s clear that I’ll need to cut down my notebook, because it’s too long. Also, I don’t use a seam ripper, I use a razor blade- so I’m planning on adding in some magnets under that needle flap to secure the razor blade. Also, the needles will affix to the magnet and keep the razor blade covered. I won’t give up my razor blade, and that’s that.
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.
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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Zede and I are getting ready to leave for Baby Lock Tech 2012 later today. It is Baby Lock’s yearly conference about new products and exciting ideas. We get together with all of our other cool sewing dealers, vendors and other such buddies to discuss how to make your sewing life more exciting.
Tonight we’ll be tweeting and facebooking live from the opening ceremonies, so keep a lookout for our posts!
Here’s a video from Baby Lock Tech last year. We got some sewing stars to express their Baby Lock enthusiasm, including Eleanor Burns and Ken Tacony!
Oh, and we got educational too-
We promise to bring you more sewing info-tainment in the days to come.
Do you have questions for Baby Lock? Let us know, we’re going to the source!
Happy Sewing!
Check out the latest episode of Inside Zede’s Sewing Studio.
We discuss in depth how to laminate fabric- which was featured in this blog post earlier this month.
We also show you how Machine Embroidered Applique Works!
Product Links:
Enjoy!
Laminated fabrics are all the rage lately, and I love them for so many reasons. They are water-resistant, durable, and of course…shiny! Of course, they are a specialty item, and not every fabric that you love comes in a laminated version. So, what do you do?
Laminate your own fabric!
Lately, I’ve been taking this personalization a bit further, by designing my own fabric, and then laminating it- but that’s another blog post!
Here is some photo-guided instruction for how to laminate your own fabric…the sky’s the limit! Read the whole thing before doing it yourself, there are some tips at the end!
Here’s what you need!
Step 1: Cut the vinyl to the size you need- it likes to curl, so you’ll need to use a weight. I used “Heat ‘n Bond Iron-on Vinyl”- it comes in a 2 yard roll.
Step 2: Peel it! Lay your fabric-to-be-laminated on your ironing board (of course, it’s easier to laminate a small piece of fabric- but these rulse apply for larger pieces too!) Peel off the paper backing from the vinyl.
Step 3: Apply it! Smooth the vinyl onto the fabric, sticky side down. Do this carefully and patiently. If you get a bubble, simply lift the vinyl off gently and re-apply. It’s best to get it right the first time, though.
Step 4: Fuse It! Use the paper backing as a protective shield between your iron and the vinyl. I also put a Teflon Pressing Sheet underneath my project so that I don’t laminate my ironing board. Place your iron on the paper/vinyl/fabric/teflon sandwich in sections for 8 seconds at a time- if you have a press, this is A LOT easier.
Step 5: Fuse It Again! Turn your project over to the other side, so that the “wrong side” of the fabric is facing upward. Once again, use the paper backing as a shield, and press in sections, this time for 4 seconds at a time.
VOILA! You have a piece of laminated fabric! Sew away!
Questions about what I wrote? Put them in the comments, and I’ll update this post with info- thanks for reading!
Laminating FAQ:
What is a Teflon Pressing Sheet? Well, first of all- IT’S MAGIC! If you don’t have one, get one right now! They are super heat resistant and easy to clean, plus they are reusable forever and ever. They are wonderful for protecting your iron from glues that are on fusible stabilizers and interfacings…as well as anything else that ends up in your ironing area. A Teflon Pressing Sheet does conduct heat, so be careful when handling one that you just pressed. Oh, and if you’re getting one, just get two while you’re at it- then you can make a “teflon sandwich” to protect both your ironing board and your iron. Oh, and to answer the question….It’s a pressing sheet made from Teflon.
Do I use steam when laminating fabric? No. I think some manufacturers recommend removing water from your iron. I did not- I just refrained from pressing the “steam button”
What if I threw my paper backing away? Well, you didn’t read the whole blog post, or you got here a little late in the game. Have no fear! You can use another Teflon Pressing Sheet as your ironing shield or even a piece of smooth, heat-tolerant fabric. Just make sure it’s flat and smooth, and that it can withstand the heat of your iron.
What if I got laminating-stuff on my iron? You, my friend, need some iron cleaner. Here’s how to rid your iron of jazz that should not be on it.
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