Better Late Than Never!

I finally remembered to draw a winner for the pattern giveaway! 

Mr. Random chose:

#5, who was:

5

emedoodle said...

Oh pretty pattern!! It looks great!

November 20, 2012 3:35 PM

 

Congrats!  I'll be letting Samantha know, and she will email you the pattern!

Pattern Testing and a Giveaway!

Earlier this year, I was lucky enough to test a pattern for Samantha of At home with Mrs H.  Then, maybe about a month ago, I was able to test another pattern for her. (Well, I ended up being ill, so I made the pattern...not sure how helpful I was to Samantha this time around....)

The new pattern is called The Stella Pleated Handbag.  You can buy the pattern in Samantha's Etsy shop.

This is how my bag turned out:

It is a smaller size than what I normally carry, but I think it will be perfect for those times when I don't want to drag everything along.  It's a bit hard to see the pleats on the front of the purse with this fabric.  I ended up becoming ill just after Samantha emailed us the pattern and so I wasn't up to running to the store to pick up any fabrics and just used what appealed to me from my stash.

This bag sewed up very quickly, even with the pleats!  Samantha even includes the option for an adjustable strap and interior zippered pocket. 

If you'd like to throw your hat into the ring to try to win a copy of the PDF sewing pattern,  please just leave a comment here.  Some of the other patterns testers are also giving away copies of the pattern so feel free to visit them and enter to increase your odds :) I will keep this giveaway open until Friday, November 23rd (sometime in the afternoon CST). ***Please make sure that you are not a no reply blogger!  If you are no reply, make sure to leave your e-mail address in the comments or I won't be able to contact you if you win :(   ***

Liz's blog... Moments
Nicole at Home (she hasn't done her giveaway yet, but I think she plans to, so keep your eyes open!

A "Naughty Secretary" Bag for Myself

I've had this particular fabric set aside, for making this bag, for over a year now!  Finally, I made the time to make it for myself.

This bag is made from the Naughty Secretary Bag Tutorial at Sew Sweetness. (I love the name of this bag... it's fun!)  This is the second time I've used this tutorial and I really like the way this bag turns out.  The bag is a nice size.  I was thinking of using it for my everyday school bag.  However, the more I think about it, the bag seems too pretty to get all worn out dragging it about for work!

Then, yesterday, I was feeling really industrious, so I sewed two different pouches to match my bag!

 

 

It has felt really great to actually sit down and sew a few things for myself.  Now, I feel like I can go back to sewing things for others...  I guess it's time to get going on those Christmas gifts!

Know Thy Machine

Shruti at 13 Woodhouse Road is hosting a Know Thy Machine Blog Hop (beginning post here) and I thought it would be fun to participate!

 

 

1. What machine(s) do you have? Brand and Model.

I have a Bernina 440QE and I also have a 1960's Singer (no idea on the model....)
 

2. When and where did you buy it? What were the reasons for selecting this(these) particular model(s). What was its approximate cost. 

I bought the Bernina approximately 2 1/2 years ago at a LQS.  I have to be honest and say that I didn't really do a lot of research.  I knew I wanted a quality machine (since my mom had always had a quality machine).  The ladies in this particular shop were very nice to me. 

I asked about a couple machines and the different features, brought home a brochure, and went back a time or two to browse.  I hemmed and hawed, mentally,  and talked to my husband about the differences/prices. I went to the shop to buy a "lower" level machine {... less expensive} (almost turned around and came home at one point from nearly talking myself out of the purchase) and then ended up coming home with my 440. 

The two features that I really wanted were the stitch regulator and the walking foot.  When I bought my machine, both of these things were "included" in the price.  They were also running a promotion where I was able to get a "free" serger when I bought that particular sewing machine.  I paid more for this sewing machine than I paid for the first car I bought!

The Singer machine that I have was my grandma's sewing machine.  It was given to me after my grandma passed away, since I was didn't have a machine.  The machine still works well, especially for its age.  I'm sure when my grandma bought it, it was a top of the line machine.

3. What do you like about your machine? Have you named it? Have you made a cover for it?

There are so many things that I like about my machine. I like the fact that I don't typically have any tension issues with my machine and I have this cool foot that makes it very nice to do top stitching/edge stitching.  I think the foot is actually for blind hemming or something, but it works well for this, too! I also like the automatic needle down function (although I wish I didn't have to set it every time I turn the machine one!)  I also like the needle threader! 

My machine is named Bettina Bernina and she does not have a cover.

4. Does your machine give you any problems? Could you tell us a few?

To date, I have not had any real problems with my machine.

5. What do you sew on it mainly? Quilts, Clothes, Bags etc. How much time do you spend sewing on it? What are the features of the machine that help you improve your work? 

I sew everything on my machine.  I've made some quilts, lots of bags and pouches and some clothes, too.

It depends on what the week is like, how much sewing I do.  Some weeks I don't manage to do any sewing and some weeks I sew an hour or two every day. 

I think that the walking foot is a great feature that helps me when I am bag making or even when I am straight line quilting.  I love that it helps decrease the shifting of fabrics.

6. What advice would you give others when deciding about which machine to buy?

Think about the features that you will actually use (not just the ones that you think you will use ore that seem "cool") , how much time you spend sewing,  and how much you can afford to spend.  Then, price some machines to see what meets your requirements and maybe try those machines to see which one you like best.

7. Will you share with us a special memory associated with your machine?

I think this memory counts more as scary rather than special....  When I had only had my machine a little over a year, one evening I heard my husband yelling at/chastising the dog (We have a 70 lb. female Siberian Husky)...and then I heard a loud crash!  The dog had walked under the kitchen table where I frequently have my sewing machine set up.  She got tangled in the cords and then I think that  my husband yelling just made the situation worse...and she pulled the machine (which is heavy!) off and onto the floor.  I quickly plugged it in and just attempted a few stitches to see if it would run ... and it did.  Then, the next day I took it in to my LQS to have it checked out and also have a good cleaning while it was there.  Thankfully, there was no major damage.  My casing was cracked and my plastic "table" was cracked, but those things were just superficial.  The moral of this story is that I always unplug the cords now when I am done sewing!

8. If you had unlimited resources in the world, which machine would you choose to buy and why?

I'm not really sure.  I'm pretty happy with my machine at this point.  Plus, I don't have any space in my home for another machine!  Of course, I wouldn't mind trying a mid or long arm machine.

A Swap!

Earlier this year, Ellyn and I decided to do a personal swap.  Ellyn is always making very cute little pouches, bags, and quilts, too.  Usually, I'm over there eye-ing up whatever she has made.  Luckily for me, Ellyn suggest this swap!

The photo at the top is a little quilt that Ellyn made for me :)  I love the fact that she embroidered my name on it, since I have always had a difficult time finding anything with my name.  She made me some other little things, too!

A pouch (it has 3 different zippered sections!):

and inside the pouch, there were even more treasures! (I know that Ellyn made the cute buttons!)

 

Ellyn also sent me one of her crocheted dishcloths, which I already put away, so I didn't take a photo. It was a very pretty dishcloth made out of white cotton yarn.



Thanks so much, Ellyn!

(somehow, I didn't take photos of any of the things I sent to Ellyn, but she has said she'll take photos and post about them, so when she does, I'll let you know!)**** Ellyn has posted about our swap now, so if you head over there you can see the things I made.