Studio Time in January

My studio has been really busy with me since the first of January and it reminds me of a song.

When the weather outside is frightful and my dear(my sewing machine) is so delightful.

As long as I can sew.

Let it snow,let it snow,let it snow.

So here is a little tour of where I sew.

Ironing station with art bought from one of my favourite little artists, the Xman.

Even though I have 600 square feet, I still run out of room.

New work getting finished and my very lovely Janome 66oo.

This morning's efforts, taking pics of the work and staying by a warm cozy fire.

ANOTHER NEW TOY

I just love teaching for many reasons but one of the best is to be able to buy myself new toys once in awhile .
Taking great quality pics of my work for entering competitions and getting work in a gallery has always been a bit of a chore. At first I had it done by a photographer which cost a lot of money.Then I had my brother Bart do it for me and he does an excellent job. It was his pics of my work that got into the March issue of the American Quilter magazine. However he lives two hours away and that can be a bit of a trek especially in the winter.
Also I love a challenge, and now I am ready to do my own pics. To do this I bought this camera last week at Henry's in Kanata. It is a EOS Rebel XSi with a lens that has an image stabalizer.
It has so many features and promises to take amazing pics. In order to really learn all the creative sides of this baby I bought the tutorial below. I can learn it on my own time at at my own speed. Perfect!!!

Now that I have the software all in the computer , I am spending time each day on a new chapter. Wonderful.

Later on when I am ready ,I will take a class to learn how to take the best shots of my work that I can. Bye time to play!!!

BOBBIN WORK TUTORIAL- 3

BOBBIN WORK THREE- RIBBON

1.Silk ribbon is lovely to use and you can go up to 7mm in wdth. As long as it can be wound on the bobbin so that it lays flat. This is crucial.

2. The pics are a bit fuzzy but I have found the macro setting on my camera and the next batch should be clearer. So much to learn but it's also so much fun.

3.Pull the ribbon up through the throatplate and bypass the bobbin tension.

4. Take a tailor's awl or something with a point and punch a hole where you want the ribbon to come through on the right side of the work. This takes courage but go ahead, the end result will be worth it.

5. Pull the ribbon up through to the wrong side through the hole that you have just made. and now you are ready to sew. Start with a straight stitch of at least 3mm. Hold the threads with your finger and start to sew.

5. This is what the back of your work looks like. Check out the horizontal lines on the first pic because this is the effect that you achieve. The longer the stitch length the wider the end result.

The horizontal lines are Superior 7 mm. silk ribbon and the vertical lines are Sassa Lynne. I bought both these items at the retreat from Anita Zobens.

http://www.cottonmillthreadworks.com/

Take a deep breath and give it a go.

NEW PIECE - CITY CAT + BOBBIN WORK TUTORIAL - 2

This is a detail of my new piece City Cat. This was created for the "Tampered With Show" at Paper Images Gallery in Picton which will run in June.
After using a facing to make a round hole in my quilt, I strung some washers in the hole using Wonderfill Dazzle, the same thread That I used in the bobbin in the whole piece.
You may wonder how I kept things in place while stitching, and yes you do have to do this by hand.
I used painer's masking tape to hold the sections of the washer in place as I worked around the circle with my stitching. because it is a low tack tape it doesn't gum up the thread and it is easy to reposition.

There he is in all his glory.The horizontal lines are done with 7 mm. silk ribbon in the bobbin. It is lovely and soft and worth the time that it takes to wind by hand.I bought this from Anita who was at our Art in the Islands retreat . As you make the stitch length longer, the finished result becomes wider.
I have also used a hand dyed cotton which worked very well.

BOBBIN WORK 2
Ii you tried it , you may come into a few problems. Here are some hints.

1.If you have trouble getting the bobbin thread up to the top of your work, make a small hole with a tailor's awl and then use that hole to bring up the thread. Works every time.

2.If the top thread breaks, go to a polyester as it is stronger. Generally cotton will work with cotton, but rayon thread is more delicate and you may have to use a polyester to bring up the bobbin thread.

3. In lesson one we put the thread through the tension. Now try the same excersize with the thread out of the bobbin tension. In top loading machine you put the bobbin in and then leave the thread hanging then bring it up through the throat plate of your machine. In bottom loading machines, you will pass the bobbin thread thruogh the larger hole and then bring it up.
This will give you a looser look.

Have fun and remember if your machine makes a funny noise, stop, your machine may not like what you are doing . If everything checks out with your machine,forge ahead. Just experiment and you will learn what works foryou and your machine.

YOU CAN BE AT ONE WITH YOUR MACHINE!!!

BOBBIN WORK TUTORIAL -1

This is a sample of some of the bobbin work that I demonstrated at our retreat. The regular bobbin threads don't cause too much difficulty, but the fun begins when you use three ply yarn and ribbons up to 7 mm wide.
Once I got home I have continued to work with bobbin threads and have lots to share.

If you are a bobbin work virgin this is how to start.

LESSON ONE

1.Buy some thread such as Ricky Tims Razzle Dazzle from Superior Threads, or Razzle or Dazzle from Wonderfil Threads, or a heavy rayon from YLI, and you can also use Pearl Cotton. These threads are thicker and mostly will not go through through the top tension disc of your machine.
I say most because there always seems to be an exception. When you are at one with your machine sometimes wonderfull things can happen.

2.Hand wind a bobbin with the thread and put it through the tension as always. Thread the machine with a complimentary thread and you are ready to sew.

3.Pull the thread up through the fabric and then you are ready to start.

4.Straight stitching is the easies way to begin and I like to use a stitch length of at least 3mm. This makes the thread look wonderful.

5.Then you can try a zigzag stitch.

6. If you are brave then try a little free motion.

The effect you get is fab as you get a lot of colour from one row of stitching. If you are having some difficulty email me at catelaw@sympatico.ca and I will answer.

Have fun!