Holiday Wish List
Dear Santa,
Last year my family gave me a gift but it wasn’t from Heirloom Creations. They know that is where I love to shop, but they don’t know much about sewing, and they would be overwhelmed by all there is to try to choose something for me. Can YOU help them?
When Christmas time comes, our family members WANT to give gifts that will help sewers like us with our sewing hobby. They may ask, “What do you want for Christmas?” in hopes that we will help make their shopping easier and guarantee that they have purchased something we will enjoy and use.
You may be one who has no problem verbalizing your wishes, however, many women sometimes have trouble expressing their wants and desires to family members. They don’t want others to fuss over them. They don’t want extra money spent on them. And they don’t want others to be inconvenienced.
The truth is they WANT to give us a gift for all the loving care we so freely give without thinking, for all the times we stop to listen, the unexpected babysitting, the full fridge of food that gets raided on weekends, the late night tending to sick loved ones, the early morning laundry marathons, the extra miles of picking up and dropping off kids, and the list goes on.
This year I hope I can help you recommend a gift, or help your family members find a gift for you that will be appreciated. Make it easy on your family members; look over the list below and check off a few items that you would happily receive and use. This is also a great way for family and friends who live out of town to shop for you.
I will let you in on a little secret here at Heirloom Creations. We often try to help out your family members as they roam the store wondering what you DO NOT already have! To make it easier for them this year either print this list and let them bring it in with them, OR you can e-mail your list to me to put on file at the store. You can then forward a short e-mail letting them know that your Holiday Wish List is on file at Heirloom Creations, or better yet, I would be happy to e-mail your family members kindly letting them know that “Santa” mentioned a few items that you would enjoy! So if you have a hard time asking for something, we would be happy to do it for you!
Name: _________________________
Address: _______________________
City/State/Zip: ___________________
Phone: _________________________
E-Mail: _________________________
Sewing Machine/Serger brand & model #: ______________
Favorite Color: ___________________
Gifts Under $5
Fat Quarters
Needles – size and type________
Gifts Under $10
Bobbin saver
Bobbins – my machine brand is ____________ model #_____
Charm packs (5” fabric squares)
Quilting Gloves: Size S M L
$10 Heirloom Creations Gift Card – The perfect gift!
Other: ___________
Gifts Under $20
Mini Iron
Appliqué Pressing sheet
Mini Vacuum Attachment
Glitzer & Glitz
Heirloom Creations class
Hand felting tools
ArtBin Storage Boxes – fabric, thread or tools
Quilt Journal
Thimbleberries Linen Spray
Thimbleberries Hand Lotion
Thimbleberries Quilt Wash
$20 Heirloom Creations Gift Card – The perfect gift!
Other: ___________
Gifts Under $30
Jelly rolls
Machine quilting DVD’s
Sewing Machine Carrying Case
Gingher Knife Edge 5” Scissors (Selected “Best Holiday Choice” by Heirloom Creations employees)
Quilters Calculator
Quilt Wizard software
Sidewider – wind bobbins while continuing to sew!
Supreme Slider – helps quilt glide effortlessly during machine quilting
Olfa’s NEW Quick Change Rotary Cutter
Sewing Machine Presser Foot #____________
$30 Heirloom Creations Gift Card – The perfect gift!
Other: ___________
Gifts Under $50
Dakota Collectible Embroidery CD
OESD Embroidery CD
Other: ___________
Beginning Quilting Class – 5 week session
The Perfect $100 Gift
Heirloom Creations Gift Card!
Gifts Under $200
Electric Quilt 6 software
She’ll Love You Forever Gifts
Bernina’s Top Selling Sewing & Quilting Machine – Bernina 440
Viking’s Top Selling Sewing & Quilting Machine – Husqvarna Viking Sapphire 830, 850 & 870
Janome’s Top Selling Sewing & Quilting Machine – Janome 6600
Serger model # _____________
Sewing Furniture
Horn of America Cutting Table
Horn of America Sewing Cabinet for model #_________
To e-mail Heirloom Creations your Holiday Wish List, copy and paste the above list into an e-mail to info@heirloomcreations.net. Put in the subject line “My Holiday Wish List”.
If you wish for us to e-mail any of your family members, please include their names and their e-mail addresses. We welcome family members to call ahead and have items set aside or purchase. We will wrap and mail out special gifts to them, or directly to you! Again, this is a great way for family and friends who live out of town to shop for you, too.
Remember, an Heirloom Creations gift card is ALWAYS the perfect gift!
Happy Holidays!
© 2007 SewSara, Sioux Falls, SD. All Rights Reserved.
A Thread’s Exercise is a Real Workout!
FACT: Thread passes through the needle eye approximately 50 times before it becomes a stitch in the fabric.
What?!?!
This statement is TRUE!
It takes about 50 stitches for a one-stitch section of thread to transverse through the needle eye during its life span before it becomes a final stitch in the fabric. How is this possible? Try this experiment for yourself. (I had to! The first time I heard this outrageous statement from Hans Herzog, Chief Mechanic of Bernina of America, I thought he was nuts!)
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Thread the sewing machine with a spool of white thread.
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Using a felt tip marker, mark about one inch of the white thread somewhere between the spool and the first guide of the sewing machine.
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Set the stitch length to 2.2mm or 12 stitches per inch.
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Using a scrap of fabric to sew on, begin sewing. Keep your eye on the marked area of thread.
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You will need to sew about 9” to get the marked thread closer to the needle eye. At this time, start to turn the hand wheel by hand. The marked thread will allow you to see that the thread moves up and down through the needle eye as a stitch is being formed.
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As soon as the marked area touches the eye of the needle for the first time, start counting the stitches. -
Continue to sew slowly while counting.
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Watch as about 40-50 stitches later, the marked thread will be in the fabric!
Amazing! So why does this happen?
If you have a front loading bobbin, open up the front door of the bobbin case area. If you have a drop in bobbin, remove the bobbin door cover. Without any fabric in the machine AND while holding onto both the needle and bobbin threads with your left hand, turn your hand wheel to take one stitch slowly. During the stitch forming process you will see the needle thread being pulled by the hook down and around the bobbin, creating the link which connects the two threads together. A lot of thread is needed to loop around the bobbin case, about 5 – 6 inches. Then the take-up lever (hence the name), pulls the excess needle thread out of the bobbin area, pulls the stitch tight, and….Wa-La! You have ONE stitch!
As soon as all the stitch is pulled tight, the process repeats its self – the needle goes down, the thread is pulled around the bobbin, it is yanked back up by the take-up lever to incorporate one more stitch in the fabric. All of this happens as fast as you sew. It creates quite a see-saw back and forth motion for the thread going through the needle.
Now that you know thread gets quite a workout just to make ONE stitch, you can see now why it is so important to use quality thread. Inexpensive thread is twisted together with very short fibers. All this back and forth motion wears on the thread, and weakens the thread before it gets to its official duty of holding fabric together. Higher quality thread is made with long fibers, making it much stronger to endure the forces of being run back and forth through a needle eye at full speed.
Low quality cotton thread leaves a dusty layer of lint (and most everyone has seen this) on the presser foot, needle screw, thread guide and down below the throat plate, because the short fiber ends are being worn off by rubbing so much through the needle. It is also why some metallic threads fray out at the needle. (See a previous tip “Making the Most of Metallic Thread”).
For a lint free solution, select a thread like Superior Threads “So Fine” by John Flynn. This ultra fine, lint free thread is great for sewing, quilting and piecing. My favorite needle for this thread is a slim Schmetz Microtex Sharp size 70/10.
Try this thread experiment for yourself, and e-mail me, or log in to this website and leave your comments or just the fact that you tried it! Thanks!
© 2007 SewSara, Sioux Falls, SD. All Rights Reserved.
Healthy Sewing Habit – November 2007
There are no sewing or quilting police – do something playful!
Click here to read all the Healthy Sewing Habits from 2007.
The Greatest Tool Next to the Sewing Machine
By my Mom, Carol Meyer
I am fussy about my seam ripper. Un-stitching is a fact of a sew-ers life. If we could do everything perfect the first time what a wonderful world it would be, but be prepared, whatever you sew, that you shall also rip. How can you actually LIKE to RIP? Ripping is an attitude to be learned, but having the right tool can make the difference.
A complaint is often heard by sew-ers when a mistake is made and something has to be taken apart. People do not particularly like to face mistakes. Having to undo something seems like failing. One with an unforgiving nature, or a perfectionist will complain the loudest. How could it be wrong? If the mistakes are ignored, the problem usually compounds with the next seam.
I remember as a young child helping my mother when she sewed. I was called to help hold the fabric while she cut errant stitches with a razor blade. Her task was easier with a “third hand” holding one side of the seam while she held the other, and the exposed stitched were sliced down the middle. Those were the days when double edge razor blades were standard for men’s shavers and a standard household item. Of course I always heard the cautionary “do not touch, it’s sharp” routine.
I began to sew at age ten, and remember when I came across my first seam ripper. I immediately saw that it was a magical tool, devised so cleverly so as to rip seams apart safely, without the accompanying dangers of double edge razor blades, and without needing to rely on someone else for help undoing mistakes.
At times over the years, and for whatever reason the seam ripper was not handy, I tried using scissors, and, yes, even razor blades to rip seams. Nothing ever worked as well for me. Sometimes I would accidentally knick the fabric instead of cutting the thread, leaving me with a much bigger problem to fix.
In later years I met an Italian trained seamstress who would use nothing but a razor blade, which she claimed was faster, and for her is was. She could rip seams lightening fast. She was a master, and handled a razor blade with the skill of a surgeon, never once cutting the fabric by mistake. I have also seen a person just as skilled using sharp pointed thread snips as their tool of choice.
Over the years I have become quite particular about my seam ripper. Before I knew any different, I bought the ones off the wall in general fabric stores. They all dulled with use and were replaced regularly. Before I knew any different I routinely replaced my seam ripper. They didn’t cost much and replacing regularly was a small price to pay to have a sharp one again.
When I got my first Bernina I was pleased that it came with a seam ripper. As I used it I noticed things about it that made ripping seams much easier. The point was sharp, but not too sharp, and it was beveled in such a way so as to be able to slide under the stitches without catching the fabric, something that happened with the generic seam rippers. I would not have known this difference either without receiving this new seam ripper. But just as importantly, Bernina seam rippers almost never seem to get dull. I have lost track of how many years it takes before it needs replacing. The same precision craftsmanship went into the Bernina seam ripper as into their machine, and it makes a difference to me.
After years of doing alterations for a living, I realized that almost everything had to be taken apart before it could be altered. That is why the seam ripper became so important to me. Ripping was just a part of the process, and it was not through a mistake of my own. If you turn your nose up at the thought of alterations (I once did!) it might be a lack of understanding the process.
There are things to learn to avoid making mistakes that have to be ripped. Here are a couple of pointers.
Make sure the fabric stays flat and smooth as it runs under the presser foot. Don’t let the fabric just run through your fingers as the underneath fabric may fold into the stitching, and requires ripping to make it right. Dressmakers work with garments that are three-dimensional. The very nature of clothing construction requires extra attention when working with pieces of many shapes. You must always be in control of the fabric, watching and adjusting especially in curved areas such as sleeves and collars. Us your fingers to feel that the fabric is smooth as it is sewed.
If you need to back stitch at the beginning and end of a seam to lock the stitch, limit the back stitches to only two or three. Start a little in from the leading edge, go backwards first taking two or three stitches, then forward. That way if you make a mistake it is not so hard to take apart.
There are so many things in life that cannot be undone. We cannot go back and fix the wrong words that were said or change actions that we did by mistake. In the sewing world most every mistake due to improper stitching can be fixed, and we should welcome the opportunity to do so because we can. Make friends with your seam ripper, and it will be your best sewing friend next to your machine!
Click here to see what’s new at Heirloom Creations!
© 2007 SewSara, Sioux Falls, SD. All Rights Reserved.
In the Nick of Time – Holiday Gift Giving Trends for 2007
People who love to sew are always looking for fun, quick and easy gift ideas to make and give to friends and family for the holidays. Once November rolls around, these sewers have a basic idea of who will be receiving which gift, and a time-line for finishing said items. A promise to NOT be burning the Christmas Eve midnight oil this year is motivation enough to get them going.
Just in case you have not put your finishing touches on your holiday gift list, here are a few quick gift ideas that people of all ages will enjoy!
Aprons are hot this year, and the “Twenty-Somethings” are now wearing aprons. Of course many of us remember Grandma sporting her well-loved apron in the kitchen. The vintage look has made a full-force come back in fabric, home dec and runway fashions. The classic apron is a perfect accessory to whip up with some of the latest fabric prints.
The most popular apron pattern at Heirloom Creations is the Fat Quarter Reversible Apron. This unique apron uses eight fat quarters of fabric to create the front, the back, the four pockets on each side, and all the ties. Many people are selecting two different sets of holiday fabrics for this apron, such as four fat quarters of fall fabrics and four fat quarters of holiday fabrics for a two-for-one apron. For younger people, popular fabric selections are from the Amy Butler fabric collections. A child size version of this same apron has pockets along the bottom to hold crayons, pencils or markers.
Pillowcases are an Heirloom Creations holiday favorite, and are great for kids. Not only do they make beautiful matching bedroom sets, but they can be an excuse to use some of the new fantastic themed fabrics prints. Use pillowcases as an economical way to wrap odd shaped and over sized holiday gifts. Skip spending extra dollars on gift wrap or expensive gift bags. Give gifts in pillowcases that can be used over and over.
Between now and December 24, if you would like to learn to make a pillowcase on a serger, Heirloom Creations is offering to any one who comes in and purchases fabric for one pillowcase the opportunity to sew it together in the store with one of our sergers. We will cut your fabric and show you all the serger short cuts for this fast quick gift idea. You will leave with a FINISHED project.
(See what’s new at Heirloom Creations…)
Table runners have been very popular for many years running. Because of the short time it takes to finish a table runner it is satisfying to sew and finish, and most people have a table or two that can use a new holiday runner. Table runners are manageable to quilt on home sewing machines, even for those without a lot of quilting experience. The fabric investment is also much less than a full size quilt for a gift. It is very easy to round out the table ensemble with matching napkins. A simple rolled hem on the serger finishes the edge quickly and professionally. The table runner that is popular at Heirloom Creations is the free pattern from Timeless Treasures.
I personally enjoyed making the lunch bag from a recent issue of SewNews magazine. To my delight they placed this as a free pattern called Let’s Do Lunch on their website. If you give holiday cookies or sweets to those on your gift list, make a few of these special bags that can be reused as lunch bags after the holidays. Use insulated batting (such as Insul-Bright) and this bag will keep items cold or hot until the noon hour. For those people with New Year goals who resolve to pack healthy lunches this would be a perfect gift.
While getting excited about sewing gifts for holidays, remember to not over extend yourselves in what you really have time to accomplish. If you are unsure as to your capability, select one of your holiday items and time yourself from start to finish. This way you know what your commitment time will be based on how many people you want to give gifts to. When making several of the same item, try some production techniques. Cut multiples of that item at one time layering the fabrics, and chain sew each step for multiple items.
(See what’s new at Heirloom Creations…)
Happy Holiday Sewing!
© 2007 SewSara, Sioux Falls, SD. All Rights Reserved.