Sewing Machine Needles Don't Last Forever.
The needle is not a permanent machine part. Needles get dull from use. Needles are meant to be changed.
- Damaged or broken threads - - Skipped stitches - - Puckered or damaged fabrics - - Wiggly squiggly seams - - Popping, clicking or clunking sound - |
Do you have trouble finding the perfect solids for your projects? Try Palette Builder -- it's a great new app that identifies the colours from an image and matches them to either Bella Solids or Kona Solids fabric. So now you can build a quilt to accurately coordinate with your living room (take a look at That Patchwork Place's book Zen Chic Inspired, by Brigitte Heitland, for ideas. It's brilliant!) Or make a quilt to match your car, or your cat. The possibilities are endless.
We're not pointing fingers or anything, but we thought you'd like to see this ... .
A customer came in recently and complained that her machine was making a lot of noise during operation. When our technician opened it up, this is what he found. While this is an extreme case, there is a lesson to be learned.
Guck can and will build up in the bobbin area of your machine. Accumulated lint and dust can impede the smooth operation of your machine, causing noise (a minor irritation), feeding issues (not only annoying, but negatively affecting your finished product), and bobbin case/hook damage (potentially very expensive). Flannel, micro-fibres, and poor quality threads are big culprits, but any sewing will leave some residue behind.
The moral of the story: Clean your machine after every project, and sometimes even more often. Use a lint brush, soft dry cloth, and/or mini-vac to extract the dirt; do not blow it out with canned air, or you risk pushing it further into the machine. Oil your machine only if your manual tells you to do so, keep it covered between uses, and bring it in for a tune-up every year or so.
FOOT ANATOMY!
This may not be as sexy as your grade nine biology textbook but it's just as informative: If you look below, you'll find some PFAFF feet and how to align them without tripping yourself up.
At last ... easy to identify SCHMETZ needles! Most needles now have two bands of color - the top band to identify needle type and the lower band to identify size. The Universal needle has just one band of color for size. Yahoo!
You can find a handy, printable 8½ x 11 size PDF chart here or
a handy, printable 4 x 6 size postcard chart (Avery 5389) here.
Inspired to SEW digital magazine is about that moment of inspiration. What inspires you to sew? Does it happen when you are looking for a special gift? When a new baby is born? When you need a unique outfit? Maybe you were inspired to sew by a class you took or a blog you read? Something you experienced on a vacation? Maybe you saw something on Pinterest?
Inspired to SEW features interviews with sewing stars, fabric designers, authors, teachers, sewing enthusiasts and bloggers from around the world — sharing their behind-the-curtain moments of muse.
Take a look at the latest issue!
You can also browse back issues.
Have a pile of fat quarters that’s out of control? Need backings for quilts? Solve both problems by piecing your backings from your stash!
For the purposes of this exercise, we’re squaring each fat quarter to measure 19” x 19”. This allows for fats that weren’t cut accurately, or were cut from yards rather than metres, or were washed before use. Then they are sewn together with ¼” seams to give the following sizes:
FINISHED SIZE |
NUMBER OF FAT QUARTERS |
LAYOUT |
37-1/2” X 37-1/2” |
4 |
2 X 2 |
37-1/2” X 56” |
6 |
2 X 3 |
56” X 56” |
9 |
3 X 3 |
56” X 74-1/2” |
12 |
3 X 4 |
74-1/2” X 74-1/2” |
16 |
4 X 4 |
74-1/2” X 93” |
20 |
4 X 5 |
93” X 93” |
25 |
5 X 5 |
93” X 111-1/2” |
30 |
5 X 6 |
111-1/2” X 111-1/2” |
36 |
6 X 6 |
Note: Every sewing machine comes with a manual that explains the parts of the machine, threading instructions, how to choose and adjust stitches, proper foot selection, etc. Many also contain sewing techniques. Make sure you read your manual thoroughly and keep it handy for reference. If something doesn’t make sense, ask us for clarification – it will save you a lot of frustration later!
Meanwhile, we bring you the Quilty Pleasures helpful guide to a few things every sewist should know. Follow this link to QP's Sewing Machine 101!
(It'll open in a new window. We'll wait here!)
View embroidery designs right on your phone! Change the thread to any of over 15,000 threads to instantly see the embroidery design with your color choices!
Instantly link to MyEmbroideries.com to purchase the designs featured on Embroidery Art!
How to use Embroidery Art:
1. In the design listing, select the design you want to view
2. Click on one of the thread colors below the design to view the specific thread being used and change it to one of over 15,000 threads
3. That’s it! You can now view the design using your exact choices! Your choices are saved so you can always refer back to the threads you need to stitch out your creation.
Download Embroidery Art in the Apple App Store for FREE!
There's an app for that!
Now, thanks to Schmetz, you can carry needle advice with you wherever you need it – in your studio, at the store, in a class. All you have to remember is your phone!
If you have iTunes, this link will take you to the preview page, and subsequently open iTunes, where you can download the app. (If you don't have iTunes, you will be able to download it first.)
COUNT WITH YOUR SHOES ON!