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Archive: Sewing Machines

March 30, 2009

How-To: Decorative Seams

Hoppo Bumpo has a great post on decorative seams: channel seams, piped seams, bound seams and top seams. And that's just for starters! This week's post ends a nine-week Seam Along. Hoppo-ver and check them out! (Sorry, just could not resist the pun.) Via Whip Up.

March 28, 2009

Heather Ross on Vintage Sewing Machines

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Cathy Callahan talks with Heather Ross on vintage sewing machines.

Cathy writes:

i complimented heather on her choice of sewing machine and she proceeded to tell me the most fascinating story about them. she then went on to tell me all about her grandfather's time as a singer sewing machine rep. you know i'm a sucker for crafty history so i was totally blown away. i knew that we had just the right topic for her stop at my blog on her tour! what follows (in bold type) is what heather sent me - i just love it and am sure you will too.

March 18, 2009

Patch 101

March Mending Month

Patching is a great way to extend the life of an item of clothing that had a run-in with a nail or is simply getting a little worn out. While a really great piece of fabric or store-bought patch can rescue something headed for the scrap pile, sometimes you want a little more subtlety. In this how-to, I'll show you how to repair two types of holes from the back: a tear and a worn-out hole. (Funnily enough, I noticed that all of my husband's pants in need of repair have tears, and all of mine are worn through. Read into that what you will about how we spend our leisure time!)

Read full story

March 10, 2009

How-To: Spring Clean Your Sewing Machine

Check out this great post on how to clean your sewing machine over on Craft Nectar. (All the better to mend with, my dear!) Sewing machine maintenance is something I have never attempted, which probably explains why my bobbin thread is always getting tangled up in dust bunnies! There are some really nice step-by-step photos that demystify this slightly scary-sounding process. Via Whip Up.

March 6, 2009

Checkin' In: Styley Seamstress Christine Haynes

In this week's installment of Checkin' In, we touch base with talented designer and seamstress Christine Haynes to find out what creative projects she has in the works these days. First, let's take a look at what crafty goodness Christine has contributed to the pages of CRAFT magazine.

In CRAFT Volume 03, Christine wrote a great feature called "Anatomy of a Sewing Machine," where she breaks down all the parts and details what they do. Here is this handy article in our Digital Edition for your referencing pleasure.

Then, in CRAFT Volume 04, Christine showed us how to bring a vintage garment to life by smithing and forming copper into a custom floral button. Hot!

And finally, Christine taught us how to make two adorably stylish dresses. The first, in Volume 05, is a festive cocktail dress made from your very own personalized, reusable pattern:

The second, in Volume 08, is a customizable summer classic that you can make as a halter, with shoulder ties, with straps, strapless, with ruffles, or none! It's like learning to make a whole closet full fo skirts and dresses. And the circular ruffle tutorial is awesome. Who doesn't need more ruffles? Here's one variation:

And what has this fab seamstress up to these days? Here's what she said:

"My big news is that I have my book coming out on April 14, called Chic & Simple Sewing. It is available for presale at the moment at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and at my publisher's site, Random House."

"I also am teaching sewing classes at ReForm School's Home Ec Department. For March I have 2 sessions of Sewing 101 for adults, and one session of Sewing 101 for teens. I'm currently featured on the cover of CraftStylish with my restyle project. And as usual, I have my website [christinehaynes.com], full of dresses, skirts, tops, and home accessories."

"In the works are kits, a collection of patterns, a second book with Random House, and a new Spring/Summer 2009 collection."

Thanks, Christine! We'll look forward to checking out your new book. Coming from you, it's guaranteed to be beautiful.

Folks can pick up back issues of CRAFT Volumes 03, 04, 05, and 08 in the Maker Shed.

January 8, 2009

SINGER®'s Sewing with Nature Contest Kicks Off TODAY!

SINGER® Sewing Company and CRAFT Magazine invite all of the crafty stitchers out there to create a project inspired by nature. As we look forward to the spring, with the new growth and beauty that it brings, we ask you to create something that is sewn using a sewing machine and integrates organic elements for our Sewing with Nature Contest. For a four-week period, crafters can submit pictures online of their nature-inspired projects to the Flickr group called 'The Sewing with Nature Contest'. At the end of the four weeks, SINGER will pick one Grand Prize winner and three runners-up.

The Grand Prize winner's project will be featured in the SINGER® ad in the Spring issue of CRAFT Magazine. The Grand Prize winner will also receive one (1) SINGER® Confidence 7467™ sewing machine with a retail value of $350 and a set of SINGER sewing books courtesy of Creative Publishing ($60 value).

Three (3) runners-up will receive a SINGER® dress form ($129) and a subscription to CRAFT Magazine!

Head on over to the 'Sewing with Nature Contest' Flickr group. Full contest rules and information are here.

January 3, 2009

Brother Quattro 6000D HD Sewing Machine

PT @ MAKE posted up this sweet sewing machine eye candy, the Brother Quattro 6000D HD.

November 14, 2008

Sewing Machine to Visualize Sound

Jonah @ MAKE writes:

The "Visible Sound" project attempts to create a physical version of the sound around it by sewing sound waves in realtime. Although this was just a concept, we like ways of making invisible objects like sound waves into tangible forms.

This concept model looks like a stereo faceplate on a modified sewing machine, but I can't imagine it would be too difficult to rig up some sound sensing equipment to adjust the width of the zigzag stitch on a sewing machine.

November 4, 2008

Dollar Store Sewing Machine Cover

Heather points us to this fantastic sewing machine cover made from a dollar store apron, bringing the total cost for the project to a whopping ... well ... one dollar. And the bonus: there was enough material left over to make a tissue case cover!

July 18, 2008

Singer Futura Computerized Embroidery Machine - CRAFT Video Podcast

Download the MP4 Video or HD Version | Subscribe to CRAFT in iTunes

While at Maker Faire in May, I got a chance to get a terrific demo from Vivian Lavinskas of Singer Sewing Company on their Singer Futura line of computerized embroidery machines. Having one myself and being a techie, I can vouch for how amazingly cool these machines are. They connect easily to a PC and allow you to embroider from pre-set designs or in the CE-250 and CE-350 models, you can also use your own images for embroidery!

Futura Ce250

As mentioned in the podcast, each month a new embroidery motif is available for free download from the projects section of the Singer web site. You can also check out the many great sewing and embroidery projects as well.

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Craftembroidery Vintagetablecloths
My first project with the Singer Futura CE-250 embroidery machine was to test out the CRAFT logo above. The software was really simple to use and imports lots of file formats, then coverts it over to embroidery stitches that the sewing machine reads. Then I used that design template to embroider the logo onto vintage tablecloths which were used at our booth at the recent ICE Atlanta craft fair.

June 13, 2008

HOW TO - Make a Hand-y Pincushion

Why use a little tomato when you can poke your pins in this disembodied hand? Digital Misfit teaches you how to make this hand-y pincushion on Cut Out + Keep.

May 12, 2008

Zigzaggers - Vintage Sewing Machine Reviews

Singertreadle
Krista has started a cool new blog called Zigzaggers which is a site featuring reviews of older and vintage sewing machines by you, the crafter. Pictured above is a vintage Singer.

Krista writes:

I want this site to become an easy research stop for anybody shopping for for old sewing machines on eBay or Craigslist, or at garage sales or thrift stores. If you want to review your old sewing machine, email me!

March 29, 2008

ThreadHeads - Freehand Machine Embroidery with Girl Popcorn

This week's ThreadHeads takes us to visit Julie Dunbar of Girl Popcorn with an exclusive tutorial on how she creates her awesome embroidery (which is a great way to make an old tee, purse or bag look like refreshed and new).

March 21, 2008

New Toy in the CRAFT Lab

Singer Craftlab
Our fearless interns in the CRAFT/MAKE Lab, Lindsey, Matthew, Meara, Kris, and Ed, happily reported today that they'd received a new machine from Singer to replace the last one, which they'd overworked. Yay! Thanks, Singer! Ed Troxell documented the festivities in his Flickr set.

February 20, 2008

The Sewing Machine by Betty Hutton

Many thanks to Julie Jackson for tipping us off to this great Betty Hutton performance from the 1947 musical The Perils of Pauline. Hutton plays an exhausted garment sweatshop worker, and this is her sarcastic ode to her sewing machine. Link.

January 4, 2008

ThreadHeads - Sewing Machine 101 (Video)

Watch this great ThreadHeads video that great for beginning sewers, a sewing machine 101. You learn what each of the parts are, how to wind a bobbin, thread the machine, and more.

A Dress A Day's Guide to Choosing Sewing Machines

Juki
Erin of A Dress A Day has an extensive write up on how to choose a sewing machine. I really like all her tips on how to test out machines and time limits for research. Pictured above is her recent purchase, a Juki. Link.

December 21, 2007

Bernina Sewing Machines - CRAFT Video Podcast

MP4 Video | QT Video | Hi-Def | Subscribe

If you are like me, you've probably been dreaming or drooling over a Bernina sewing machine for a while now. With Bernina at the Maker Faire in Austin, I wanted to find out more about these fantastic sewing machines and why they are considered to be the gold standard. I got a chance to get a little demo from a Bernina sewer, Erin Bosik, who shows us the ins-and-outs and key features of Berninas, perfect for sewers of any level!

Head on over to the Bernina web site to find out more about their sewing machines and find out which model is right for you. - Link.

You can subscribe in iTunes and get this podcast downloaded automatically! - Subscribe Link

And here it is! After 3 years of deciding, I finally decided on which Bernina to get. I bought the Bernina Activa 230 Patchwork Edition. It's perfect for the kinds of projects I really want to do more of -- sewing clothes and lots of quilting. It does sew like butter which just makes you want to sew even more. I bought it at an authorized Bernina dealer in San Francisco. If you are nearby, you should definitely go there. California Sewing & Vacuum (5025 Geary St. 415-751-4880). Ask for Celie, she's got amazing sewing tips and you get a free one-on-one lesson on how to use your specific machine once you purchase it. Happy sewing!

December 3, 2007

Sewing Tutorials at Burda Style

Burda Style has started a series of sewing tutorials for beginners. This week the tutorial is for threading a machine and a previous tutorial explained pattern layout. Link.

August 27, 2007

Maker Faire Austin Sponsor: Bernina Sewing Machines

Bernina
We are so happy to announce that Bernina sewing machines will be a sponsor at Maker Faire Austin, October 20-21 at the Travis County Fairgrounds! So for those of you looking for a new sewing, quilting, or embroidery machine, come by to the fair to check out Bernina. I'm excited to test one out myself! We've had quite a few Bernina recommendations by crafters which you can check out in our sewing machine archives here and here. Visit the Bernina web site for more information. Link.

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