Some cook, I sew and write: creativity brings joy

I was thrilled to finally get my new machine back home late last week! Another lesson I received at my sewing tutorial was the value of good thread, or rather, a scolding for using cheap thread! I had Coats & Clark, Dual Duty thread, in my machine.  The instructor taught me that was probably the reason my machine was making a clacking noise and that the repairman would probably scold if he saw that thread.   As an easy guideline:  Don't buy the cheapest thread at the store unless they only carry Gutermann-type quality threads.  My drawer is full of Coats & Clark which, it turns out, is made with a mix of cotton and polyester.  Ahem.  The polyester in it stretches and stresses your sewing machine.  If you try to break the thread or just try to pull it between your hands, you will easily see it stretch.  The top thread especially is under tremendous pressure because of the stretch, and you will get better results and keep y...

Last week I had another sewing lesson at Luke's Sewing Center  and realized that I should have been signing up for lessons much more frequently than I have!  I learned a few tricks too. One of the most important for piecing quilts is that you can use your 1/4" foot (please do!) but then you can fine tune the measurement by moving your needle!!!  I had been very frustrated because the sewing machine directions did not tell me to do that and the foot itself, even with moving the needle to the right-most position was still too big so I had to eyeball it.  Sometimes I was right on, sometimes I wasn't.  My Janome allows me to edge the needle both right and left by fractions at a time so I can get the scant 1/4" necessary for a successfully pieced quilt top.  I would take a picture, but I also left my machine at the shop for the 1-year cleaning before my membership expired and I would have to pay for it myself. Needles.  She suggested changing nee...