Sewing by the Sea Trenton 664-2558 wedding dress. Does all that experience help one figure out mirror image, pattern start, and balance functions? I’m guessing not, so don’t be afraid to admit you don’t know everything about that new machine. And, FYI, you can bring any brand machine to our classes (just be sure you have your manual – I pretty much know all the features and uses but may not be able to locate them on another brand.) And, wouldn’t it be great if Windows 7 came with a year of free classes? … Now that is my idea! Retronyms and Sewing You probably know what a synonym, an antonym, and a homonym are, but do you know what a retronym is? It is such a new word that my computer is underlining it for spell check! A retronym is a new word invented to replace an old word that now needs definition because of new technology. Like this: acoustic guitar is now the name of what we used to call guitar; land line is the new name for a telephone, and snail-mail is the new name for mail. And how about all those bridges in Bangor: when I was a kid there was the New Bridge and the Old Bridge. Then another was built and that became the New New Bridge, and the others were renamed (at least I call them this) the Old New Bridge and the Old Old Bridge. I hope another isn’t forthcoming! As technology changes, so does our vocabulary. We have had to coin new phrases for our sewing machines. A conversation with a customer today might go something like this: Pretty Piped Pillows – June 5 (10 to 12) Decorate your summer porch or give new life to that drab couch! Sat., June 5 from 10 to 12. $10 includes pattern. ♪ Visor Caddy – Friday June 11 (1 to 5) I’ve been working on this design for a couple of years now and am ready to test it on you! Make a quilted caddy to strap over your car visor. $15 includes pattern. ♫ Americana Table Runner – June 17 ( 1 to 5) Set your table for summer with this red, white, and blue runner. June 2 from 1 to 5. $15 includes pattern. ♪ Bag Variety Show – Sat., June 19 (10 to 2) “Great! You’ve come to the right place. Are you interested in a mechanical machine, a computer machine , or an embroidery machine?” I am at least 4 patterns from which to choose your bag: The Pinafore, The Tahoe, the Charm Party Tote, or the Bar Harbor Bag. Pick your bag, but listen to hints and helps from the others. None are as complicated as our mystery bag! June 19 from 10 to 2 $15 plus the pattern of your choice. ♫ “How about a sewing machine?” Rent-a-Tables: “I’d like to buy a sewing machine? And then we begin. Any wonder folks might get confused? We start in describing the wonderful features of each, especially the computerized machines, and then are asked, “But does it sew a straight seam?” They might be swayed into buying a machine with all the marvelous features. After all, they just upgraded their computer to Windows 7 so that they can e-mail. They can now go home and sew a straight line (if they touch no buttons). Some might even question, “These features are great, but how do I use them?” And that is where our job comes in! Come to the free new owners classes to learn not just what those features are, but also how to use them in a practical setting. Some have told me that they don’t need classes, been sewing for years, even made a Thursday, June 24 from 10 to 1 or 2 to 5. Wednesday July 14 from 10 to 1 and 2 to 5 Friday August 20 from 10 to 1 and 2 to 5 $10 per session. Bring any project you would like to work on. Kathy will be there to offer assistance. If you need a machine, please let us know in advance when you preregister. You will need to bring your own sewing supplies: thread, needles, pins, scissors, cutters, and project instructions Book Binding with Kathryn – June 27 (1 to 3) I am really excited about this class! Kathryn Cyr will supply all the materials, even the leather and paper needed to complete the blank-paged book. $50 includes everything. ♪ Machine Appliqué for Pfaff Club/New Owners – June 29 (2 to 4 or 6 to 8) Quilters’ Cruise aka Lobster Classic – August 14th, Saturday Pfaff owners who purchased machines here get this class for free. We will practice basic appliqué methods. Others pay $10 for the session. ♪ We will be returning to Cranberry Island to stitch at the new Ladies Aide Craft Barn. (Check out my blog to see photos of the place from when I visited last winter.) We will have our lobster feed on the shore. More info will be forthcoming – save the date now! ♪ Embroidery Club – June 30 (10 to 1) Also, August 25 Let’s make quilt labels with the embroidery machine! Free to Pfaff owners who have purchased a machine from us; $15 to others. ♪ Quilter Laptop Keeper – July 1 (1 to 4) Thurs. I love my sample made from silks and decorator scraps! Make an elegant laptop keeper that fits a standard pc. Mac users will want to make it smaller. $25 includes pattern only ♪ Easy Summer Floral Bed Quilt - July 8 – 9 (10 to 1) Thurs.- Fri. Collect a variety of large florals and sash it with white or black to make this twin size quilt. . $25 includes pattern only. Kits will be available if desired. Great beginner class. ♪ Twined Rugs – July 16 - 17 There are some of you still waiting to make your rug! Class includes frame kit and instruction and Sat. lunch. If you've done this before and would like to do a placemat, we can do that too. I will set a price as soon as I check cost of lumber, metal rods, etc. again so that hubby will make us the kits. We meet Friday night at 6 to 9 and then return Sat. to do the twining. ♪ Pat’s Tile Table Runner – July 22 (10 to 3) Thurs. Pat made this wonderful sample for the Tile Book that we must duplicate! If it seems a little large for your table, make it for a bed pillow cover. Pick up your copy of the book so that you can be studying it before class. $18 plus pattern and materials. ♫ Machine Quilting for Pfaff Club/New Owners – July 27 (2 to 4 or 6 to 8) Pfaff owners who purchased machines here get this class for free. We will practice free motion quilting methods. Others pay $10 for the session. ♪ Hydrangea Quilt – August 18 (10 to 3), Wed. Another “Tile Quilt” using the same technique as Pat’s table runner, is more of a table center or a wall quilt. Use your scraps and a focal fabric from which you can cut motifs: flowers, fish, fruit, animals, etc. $ 20 includes pattern only ♪ Jacket Workshop – August 27-28, Fri – Sat. I am selecting several patterns from which to choose: sweatshirt type, big shirt, Asian style, etc. We will work on fitting and cutting Friday night (6 to 9) and return Sat. for assembly. $40 includes lunch only. Your pattern choice and materials extra. ♫ Kids Classes – August 5, 12, 19 (10 to 1) I am setting aside these mornings to work with kids (4th grade and up). I will select projects depending on the ages/sewing experience of the students. I also like to include materials in the cost so that will be determined as I determine projects. As always, fees are very reasonable. ♪ Shadow Box Quilt or Zigzag – Aug. 6 (10 to 5) I am waiting to get these new patterns from Lisa Moore to see which one we want to do. (Lisa created the film strip series and more). I might have to make up both of them. They are so new they are not even on her website yet ♫ Summer Hours Mon. – Fri.: 9:30 – 6:00 Sat.: 9:30- 5:00 Sun.: 12:30 – 4:30 Call for holiday hours ♪ - comfortable for beginners ♫ - more of a challenge Machine Troubleshooting Tips No matter the model, the age, the type, all machines “mess up” once in a while. And that “messing up” is usually in the form of tension problems, skipped stitches, or bird nests under the fabric. Occasionally it is the fault of the sewing machine, but often it is what I loving refer to as OMF (operator mal-function). Most of the malfunctioning occurs because over the years we have acquired bad habits, and, until it is pointed out to us, we continue making the same mistakes expecting better results (isn’t that the definition of insanity?). Before you panic as you are trying to finish that birthday gift for a party 2 hours later, take a deep breath, unthread the machine, and go down this list: While it is tempting to play with the tension dials, DON’T! Look to see if you have accidentally hit it out of the mid-number range, but the tension just doesn’t go out on a well made machine. Basic tension range is 3 to 5. The dial is there to adjust for different types of threads or fabrics. Replace the needle, and in quilting, use a sharp or a microtex, or a jeans denim. Quilters rarely sew knits so there is no need to use the less sharp universal needle. Lift up the throat plate and clean between the toes of your feed dog – not just with a brush, but stick a pin in there and really ream them out. Take a piece of dental floss or an index card and swipe it like a credit card through the tension slots to loosen any errant dust and/or thread pieces. Completely rethread the machine, top and bobbin, with the presser lift in the up position. If the presser lift is down, the tension discs are clamped closed and thread cannot enter them. Make sure the bobbin is inserted in the correct direction – does it unwind clockwise or counterclockwise? Now stitch with the thread you were using. Still not okay? Ditch that spool and try another one, a basic quality poly or cotton. Match it with the bobbin. Older thread loses its elasticity, cheap thread is fraught with slubs that cause tension problems and breakage, and specialty threads usually need special needles (metallic for metallic, topstitching for heavy weight cottons and woolies, embroideries for rayon, etc.) Stitch again. If it is still skipping stitches or making a mess of the tension, it probably needs to be seen by a technician. You can bring us all your Pfaff machines and other brands if you don’t mind me taking them to Portland. Technician Tyler repairs all makes and models. The only exception might be a new computer machine of another brand – we will not be able to get computer parts. Take those to an authorized dealer. And those “mass market” machines – return those to the discount store for an exchange. We find that those can’t be fixed. Foxxy’s Book Review Tile Quilt Revival By: Carol Gilham Hones & Bobbi Finley Pub: 2010 by C&T Publishing, Lafayette, CA This book is a “new” approach to the stained glass type quilt – the space between the pieces is light colored, referred to as “grout”, instead of the black found in the stained glass quilts. And the book is filled with quilts you will want to make – from small table runners to large bed quilts!! The first “chapter” is a brief history of tile quilts, and is very interesting. The authors relate the tile quilts to crazy quilts and to Broderie Perse quilts – and inform us that the first pattern for a tile quilt was printed in an 1898 catalogue! The second “chapter” is one that you definitely should NOT skip! It is titled “How to Make a Tile Quilt,” and is filled with very helpful suggestions – as well as several different methods of construction. For the purists among us, there are hand sewn instructions…. For the rest of us, there are two types of machine instructions. You may want to read this chapter more than once! Also, may I suggest that if you choose to make one of the quilts with many blocks, you might want to follow up on the authors’ suggestion to purchase template plastic and make your own templates! (Ask me how I know this….!!) Although it was a difficult choice, I finally decided on the quilt called “All in a Dream” – probably because of the gorgeous large print fabrics, and the fact that I have a chance to use up some of those beautiful fabrics in my stash – along with the fact that I get to put into practice the concepts I learned in my last class at SBTS (Designing Women, using Katie Pasquini Masopust’s latest book – which is another whole article!!!). Overall, the directions in the book are excellent – easy to follow, and explicit. The pictures are great for inspiration. And the seven projects are varied enough to appeal to a wide audience. Highly recommended!! Sewing by the Sea PRST STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 3 Ellsworth, ME 04605 11 Periwinkle Lane Trenton, ME 04605 207-664-2558 www.sewmaine.com Clip and Save Coupon TNQ will continue to meet throughout the summer months. We meet the first 3 Thursdays of the month to work on our own projects for quilts. I am there to help you through your projects or learn a new technique (or I am replaced by one of my able assistants – Lynn, Mary Jane, or Deanna). Maybe you just need to come for the space and/or the camaraderie. Pay $10 weekly, or $35 for 3 months. Join for just $99 per year. Come as early as 5:00, but be gone by 9:00. Fat Quarter Special Buy up to ten fat quarters for $1.25 each! One coupon per person; may not be combined with other offers Expires July 31, 2010 Fall Quilt Retreat Sandy Point, Maine October 23 – 25 (with options for extra days!) Under $200; $50 holds your space