Heirloom Creations’ 5th Annual Royal Sewing Retreat
We all had a wonderful three day sewing weekend at Heirloom Creations’ 5th Annual Sewing Retreat at the Cedar Shore Resort in Chamberlain, SD. Twenty-eight people joined us this year for our “Royal Sewing Event” for 2010.
Click here to see all 125 pictures from the sewing retreat!
We all moved in on Friday arriving with sewing machines, sergers, embroidery machines, suitcases of fabric, pre-cut kits, and projects half started, all with high expectations to finish all of them in just three days. With three days of not having to cook, clean or do dishes, we really had no excuse not to sew all night if we wanted to!
Below are just a few of the projects that were completed during the weekend. Each evening we had show-n-tell with lots of laughter, stories and pictures!
Throughout the weekend, I demonstrated a variety of techniques with optional short projects to complete. The biggest hit was the 15 Minute Table Runners seen in many of the pictures. This FREE pattern is available from Heirloom Creations along with purchasing two 3/4 yard pieces which will complete TWO opposite table runners. The entire group will agree with the pattern’s name that is only takes 15 minutes to make!
We also completed Cathedral Window Pincushions and played around with the “Sharpie Experiment”. We will be showing off many of these items at the upcoming Sewtopia Sewing Club on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 at 10am, 2pm or 6:30pm. Click here to read more.
I even got to work on a HOLY SNOWBALL quilt – another FREE pattern available at Heirloom Creations with the purchase of 15 fat quarters. Just to need add borders and a fourth image in the lower right corner. This quilt was made to hang in Kate’s room.
A big thanks goes to everyone at Cedar Shore Resort who once again took very good care of us. They brought us meals every 4 hours, made our beds and treated us like a “Queens of the Royal Sewing Court”!
Is There a Move in Your future?
Whether you plan to move across town, across the US, or even overseas, a little planning and and proper packing will ensure your sewing machine arrives at your new destination in perfect condition ready for you to sew!
Even if you hire a moving company to pack your household items, pack your sewing machine or serger yourself. The most important thing is to use the original box and foam packing material in which your sewing machine was shipped. It may seem a little tricky to get everything in place like it was packed at the factory, but if you have any questions, your friendly, local sewing machine dealer will be able to show you how everything goes together.
Take photographs of your machine from various angles before it is packed.
If there is a lot of lint build-up in the bobbin casing area, now is a good time to clean it properly. Lower the presser foot onto a piece of fabric (which also protects the feed dogs) and put the needle in the down position into the fabric.
Gather all your accessories and most importantly, be sure to pack the power cord!
If you are moving overseas, you will need to know if your machine has dual (110/220) voltage and dual (50/60) hertz. This is IMPORTANT! Some of the newer machines are dual voltage, but not all. In fact, many of the older models are not. If your sewing machine is NOT dual voltage / dual hertz, you should not run it using a transformer in foreign countries with 220v. Not sure? Check with your local dealer and be sure.
Don’t seal the box! You must be willing to show the movers (or moving foreman) your machine and the box contents to make sure your sewing machine is actually inside the box. There are many liability issues involved here, and the foreman should record the serial number and other information on your machine. This is good protection for both you and the moving company.
If you have the original sales receipt for your machine, hand carry it with you along with your other important documents.
Watch the movers load the box with your precious cargo (I’m talking about your sewing machine, not the wedding china. OK, maybe the china too). Make sure they keep the box right side up as indicated on the box. Don’t allow them to pack it upside down.
When your shipment is delivered at your new destination, I’m sure your sewing machine box will be one of the first you’ll unpack. First, check for signs of damage on the outside of the box. Take photos of any signs of damage or water marks. Unpack the box and plug in your sewing machine. Give it a test run to test for problems or trauma (seriously). Most moving companies only have a limited window of time for you to file a claim (such as 90 days) so you’ll want to make sure your machine is working just as it did when you packed it as soon after your move as possible. Don’t wait until later to sew a few test patterns or use the embroidery unit if you have one.
If there is a problem, take it to your new sewing dealer for some TLC (this is a good time to establish a rapport with your new dealer anyway). Tell them you moved and ask them to write in detail any service they perform on your machine on the receipt. You’ll need a copy of this receipt if you file a claim.
Nothing makes a new residence feel like home as much as getting your sewing space set up and ready to go. I hope these tips help you if and when you find you are relocating. Good luck with your move, and just remember it will soon feel like home once you’re sitting behind your sewing machine stitching again!
Sewers Are Very Resourceful
After the Christmas Blizzard of ’09 in Sioux Falls, SD, we have been hearing how some of our customers spent their holiday, alone with their sewing machine. Whether you live blocks or miles from the closest sewing or fabric store, Mother Nature can shut everything down for days on end. Even a holiday weekend closes your favorite store for a day or two. We are learning of sewers who are very resourceful.
After digging out from the 18” of snow and even higher snow drifts, we have heard some wonderful stories of how people spent Christmas. Many of them beamed when they described an entire day of sewing. They were thankful for their fabric stash and UFO projects, and they had plenty to pick from!
But, sometimes certain items ran short. We heard from one customer that she raided her kitchen plastic cutting board collection and sacrificed one of them to make templates when she ran out of template plastic. Ingenious!
Have you been is such a situation and have a great suggestion of an item that you used for sewing that originally had another purpose? Send it to info@heirloomcreations.net.
One we have heard of, and do keep in mind that not everything you read on the Internet is true, is that just last week I read a tip which stated I should cut through tinfoil or sand paper to sharpen scissors. Really? I don’t think so! NOT MY SCISSORS!
Special Orders
Need something special? Search our distributors’ websites for specialty items you might need and let us pay the shipping for you! They have 100,000′s of patterns, books, sewing tools, buttons, crafts, beads, thread and organizational items. Since we can not stock everything, this is a great way to see what else is available.
So the next time you can’t find something in our area, visit our online catalogs. We order from the following companies a couple times a week. Let us do the ordering for you!
Check out the 100′s of videos on many products.
Click on any of the following links to see what is available!
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Happy New Year – 1,000 Bag Challenge
Be it resolved that we, at Heirloom Creations, will have 1,000 pre-made ready-to-fill bags by October 23, 2010!
Many of you have helped with our Charity Gift Bag sewing event in October where we sew like mad to make 400 – 500 gift bags. They are filled with donated travel sized soaps, shampoos and lotions for local places like Children’s Inn and the Banquet. Each year we always have more product than we do bags!
We are challenging YOU to help us, and to help you use up some of your fabric scraps! Nothing feels better than using up leftover pieces that are hanging around taking up space.
Click here to print the FREE pattern.
Click here to watch a video of how to make these bags on a serger.
We are challenging our Sewtopia Club members to each make one bag per month, and we invite everyone to participate in our challenge for 2010.
Cleo has already started to make a small dent in her sewing room stash! Are you up for trying to out sew her? OK – we would all have to band as one team to keep up with her! Or is there anyone out there ready to out-sew Cleo??
We do have zippers available at the store if you need zippers. If you have fabric, batting scraps or zippers you wish to donate, we would be happy to pass them along to those who have already pledged to help sew a bunch of bags.
And we do wish you all a Happy SEW Year!
