Oh Happy Day

It's getting colder out, and it's getting darker too.  But it does not bother me one bit.  I have my she-cave and it feels amazing. 

Everyone loves that little office divider.  It's a plastic hanging stencil from the dollar store.  This is my view from the back of the classroom, where I sit and blog and load photos and say hi on Facebook.  : )

Of course, my creative charmer is here. 

She fits just great in this room!  She makes me so happy.  I love how she clears the air when she turns.  She can be distracting though.  I think she hypnotizes me. lol   More happy news:  all my stuff is more or less moved in and sewing has begun!

I have a funny story.  While reorganizing of my old space, I discovered... (o my this is embarrassing) ...a sewing machine I forgot I had!  Not.  Even.  Kidding.  It was Fiona!  How could I have misplaced Fiona!?  She's the center machine there in the blur - a basic Kenmore I named Fiona because she looked like an ogre but was really a princess.  Penny is my Horizon because she's red and cost a pretty penny.  Bea is named for Plan B - though she quickly became my main machine.  She's a Janome 3160 - only 12 pounds with auto cutter.  LOVE.

Now I have an extra basic machine.  Fiona is not great for threadpainting, but she's good for postcards. 

Oh!  Postcards!  Speaking of which - we're on!  Wednesday, Oct 1st from 11 to 2, I'm holding my first Postcard workshop here.  It will likely be autumn themed.  I have some wonderful fabrics to play with and the class is cheap as classes go.  ($10 per hour plus small kit fee.)  I can add one more person - maybe 2 - if you want to email me for a last minute addition.

my girls - Fiona, Penny, and Bea.

So I've decided to go ahead and take the plunge.  I'm setting a date for my 'studio warming'.  I feel super nervous just thinking about it.  Not all the renos will be done, and the house won't be perfect... but let's do this before the snow flies! 

Of course, this weekend we are busy. 

The weekend following is Thanksgiving. 

I suppose the weekend after that will be the magic moment.  I'm thinking Friday evening the 17th, or Sunday afternoon the 19th?  I'll make an official email announcement and try my darnedest not to chicken out.  There.  Date set.  : )

Have a great day!

Bobbins and Postcards

new Janome blue

    Look!  They are blue!

This was a gift from Wendy at Creative House Sewing Centre where I teach.  They are new Janome bobbins.  What a sweet perk!  (Thanks Wendy!)

Aren't they pretty?  I like the color variety because I put regular thread on regular bobbins, and specialty thread on special bobbins (100 wt or 8 wt). Now I have clear, pink, and blue.

So, you know I am a huge lover of fabric postcards.  I've been making and swapping for a few years now.  I even began running Creative Quilted Postcard Workshops which have been very fun.  After 2 years as list owner of the PostCard Cottage swap group, I've decided to hand over the reins.  Sad news?  Not really.  I'm now officially back to 'regular swapper' status, which is really great.  I no longer need to come up with themes or manage anything.  All I have to do is sit back, get creative, and sew.  ; )  I just jumped into a swap themed, "Evergreens".  I make 3, I get 3.  It's been a long time...

I took out some lovely hand dyed fabric from my crazy friend Dahn (haha - yes I just called you crazy!).  I fused it on to stabilzer as the sky, and then I stitched down some white raffia.  It makes great snowbanks in my opinion.  I though I would just threadpaint some evergreens, but then I got this idea...

To do bobbin work, you fill a bobbin with thread that would be otherwise too fat for the top of the machine.  You'll need to loosen that bobbin case screw first.  I have 3 bobbin cases.  One Janome 'red arrow' case for regular tension sewing, one 'blue arrow' case that is set a tad looser for perfect free motion quilting, and my hand painted 'green arrow' case that is my mess-around case to set however I want to.  This is what I use for bobbin work.

You need that fat Dazzle (8 wt) cord to be able to slip out through the tension properly.  The extra case is $25 and worth every penny to not mess up the preset ones.  Next step - flip your work face down and start stitching.

I used a regular weight white cotton thread on top, and then I began 'drawing' everygreen boughs.  If you use a coordinated thread or a lighter weight 80 or 100 thread, then it will be more invisible.  I chose this so that the white would show like snow or frost.  See when I flip them over?

Pretty!  I love it!  I made a few more, and then I began hand stitching little snowflakes all over with a sparkly hologram thread.  They are so pretty...  here they are prior to handstitching and finishing up the back & edges.

Fun.  Add some pretty borders and you are done.  I used a variegated thread that ran blue/pale blue/grey.  I think it adds just the right festive touch.

I hope you enjoyed the little tutorial.  You could make beautiful wreaths this way too!  Oh the ideas are endless...

Have a great weekend.  If you are in town, I just heard that Creative House Sewing Centre is having an open house with sales, goodies and door prizes all day tomorrow (Saturday Dec 15th).  I sure hope my  kids are all on the mend so I can go!!  Crossing my fingers...

My Sweet Prairie 2012 - It's up!

It's up!  My 3rd Annual solo show & sale at The Centre is up!  It's P R E T T Y...  I am so incredibly proud of this display.  It's my best collection of work yet.  The framing is gorgeous.  A Prairie Dress is in there too!  It fits in the show perfectly.  I had to dust that baby off.  I forgot how much work I put into it.  I'm always amazed when I put down the sewing needle and stand back to take a look at everything I've created.  I'm so focused on each stitch that I lose sight of the big picture.  Well, I am pretty happy.  I will get photos this week - promise!  In the mean time, I came across this post from a year ago.  (Click to link.)  It's my 'nervous-Nelly checklist' for displaying artwork in shows.  I'm happy to say that I forgot nothing this time, and I wasn't even the last person to leave.  I wasn't nervous either.  Whew!

So, here is a little photo of "The Winter Visit".

detail of The Winter Visit, 2012 (sold)

Yup... sold.  It's on it's way to it's new home in Australia.  Caz bought it last week at a special 'Aussie Discount'.  Hehe.  I'm glad she loved it.  I loved it too.  It looked so pretty amongst the other seasons I stitched out.  So over the weekend, I added this to my collection!

A Winter Gathering, 2012

Photos... the first was taken in natural indirect light.  The second was taken in the evening under the Ott light.  I think the first photo is truer to the actual color.  Otherwise, see the difference?  (Haha - reminds me of Sesame Street or Highlights Magazine riddles!)  The first has 3 trees and 2 birds.  It symbolizes 2 friends reunited.  The second has two trees and a whole flock.  I like the feel it has.  It is festive and reminds me of a big family get together over the holidays.  It looks so pretty in the gallery.  It really stands out.  This photo doesn't do it justice at all.

Tomorrow, I'll head out to pick up Pretty Penny (my Horizon).  I figured this would be the optimum time for a thorough check up.  I've sewn on that baby daily for 2 years, cleaning it regularly myself.  Now that I'm between shows, I can handle being away from it for a while.  OH!  So by the way, I sewed that one all on the little Janome 3160, with the hopping foot.  That was VERY different from the Horizon's floating FMQ foot.

'Bea' (as in Plan B) - an awesome back up machine.  So glad I bought it this summer!

If you stop by at The Centre, please tell me what you think!  Even if you never post on this blog, I would love to hear from you.  You can also email me directly at mysweetprairie@gmail.com

Have a great day!

Janome Canada Blog Feature

About a month ago, the hype started again.  "Liz is coming to town!  Liz is coming to town!"  Who is this Liz!?  The folks at the old Sew & Home raved about Liz a couple of years ago, but I never caught up with her.  Liz is an educator for Janome Canada.  Word was out again that she would be coming to Creative House Sewing & Education Centre here in Saskatoon.  Everyone was hyped.  "Are you going to see Liz!?  Are you going to see Liz!?"  She was scheduled to speak there on a Friday afternoon when the kids were in school.  Perfect.  I had to go see what this was all about!

My Horizon 7700 at a demonstration... there's a LOT of miles on this 2 yr old machine!

It turns out, Liz is an energetic and dynamic speaker ...and wow does she know Janome machines & accessories!  It was awesome to hear her speak and see samples of what she makes on her machine, including her award winning NJS/Quilt Canada piece.  She held up a copy of A Needle Pulling Thread magazine to show off the article on ruffles done with this awesome new Janome foot (I need that foot!).  Someone points out, "Hey - Monika is profiled in that issue, aren't you Monika?".  That was embarrassing.  So, I got pointed out and Liz chatted with me during the break.  She told me she moderates the Janome Canada blog, "Janome Life" and asked if I wouldn't mind being featured as a Janome Artisan.  Heck yeah!!  : )

Today is the day!  You can find the post here on their blog (click to link) Wow.  Thanks Liz!  What a fabulous write up... oh my.  If you are popping in from the Jame blog, please feel free to look around.  Everything you might want to know about me can be found up in the top tabs.  Welcome!

Enjoying the Thirty-One Sixty

I've been sewing and sewing and sewing, totally getting to know the new machine.  My youngest boy is loving it too.  He really enjoys creating, and pretty much anything with a motor or computer... so of course that includes sewing machines!

my 8 yr old boy

I got to the point where I decided, "yes... I love it," and out came the bling.  Check out Bea now! ; )

Bea.  My new Janome 3160 in my studio.

That's all for now.  I have LOTS to post for WIP Wednesday so be sure to come back and see!

Mama Brought Home a New Baby!

The Quilt Canada National Juried Show is now over.  I'm still so thrilled that I got to be part of it, even if it was from afar.  I really have to thank the women who kept me in the loop the whole time (you know who you are!!).  It was very exciting!  Isn't that weird?

Prior to the NJS, those particular individuals I was referring to had got me pretty pumped up about entering... and then winning.  I didn't win of course.  After seeing the winning entries, I certainly don't feel a tad jealous.  WOW - still can't believe I was in the ring at all!  So why was part of me still feeling quite disappointed?  It's not like I made the dress for that show.  I didn't really lose anything.  So why did I feel a loss?  I had to really think about where these feelings were stemming from.  When it came right down to it, I did not enter to win a ribbon.  It become clear to me that I got all wrapped up in the idea of owning the big prize: "$1000 worth of Janome product".  In other words - a brand new computerized sewing machine.  'What if?' ...and away I went in my head.  I have Fiona, my back up Kenmore that I bought second hand off kijiji.  (It came with ketchup chip crumbs in the bobbin case.  GROSS ME OUT.)  A new Janome...  I began to fantasize.

Finally I decided that getting my Prairie Dress into such a prestigious event in the first place was worth celebrating.  Why not buy a new machine?  Last time I was at Creative house, I noticed all the red sale tags.  I went back to inquire.  I found her!  A 12 pound computerized machine (My Horizon is 27 pounds!!), has auto threader AND auto cutter which is completely magnificent for threadpainting.  I LOVE auto cutter, but haven't seen it on smaller machines until now.  I took her for a test drive and it's a PERFECT second machine to the Horizon.  PLUS their sale right now is rockin'.  So... I bought it!

Me and Bea - WHO'S EXCITED!?!?!?

Move over Fiona.  Meet... Naomi Janome?  haha.  Bea?  (As in, plan B).  Actually, I may just call her Bea.  We'll see.  My 7700 and my 3160 look like Wilma & Betty when they are side by side.  I took her to the thread class on Friday afternoon, and she's just perfect.  I'm not sure I'll bother dragging the great big machine out again for teaching or classes.  This is just perfect for me.  It even came with a quilting pack: walking foot, 1/4 inch foot, quilt in the ditch foot, lots of bobbins... I'm happy.

Janome 3160 aka "Bea"

They could tell I was excited, and as I stepped out of the store, I let out a big loud "WOOHOO!!"

Denmark in Progress

After a long ten days of sick kids / sick me / sick kids / followed by 3 schools day off... I am having some serious withdrawal.  Today I got some headway on the Denmark piece, a commission from Megan in Australia.

A little before (above) and a little after (below)...

I love thread painting.  When I work in long repetitive lines, I like to sew left to right.  This means that I am making these trees sideways.  It always helps my brain to turn the source photo sideways as well.  I'm not very good at thinking sideways apparently : ).  This is how I work...

Looks funny, doesn't it?  That's her photo up on the screen.  I'm pretty happy with the work so far.  It's small at 4x6 inches.  I start with the faded background first, then work forward. Unlike most threadpainting instruction, I don't work light colors to dark colors.  I prefer stitching down the middle or main colors until I have everything in place.  Then I will go back and darken that dark parts to create definition.  Lastly, I'll add the lights or whites for the highlights. 

Yes - I always drop my feed dogs because with this buckrum canvas, it does cause drag to keep them up.  And yes - I always use my Janome 'blue arrow' bobbin case.

It's set a bit lower so that I never need to bother with adjusting the top tension.  Whether I use cotton or rayon, it doesn't much matter.  This set up seems fool proof for me.

Tip- when free motion sewing, always ensure the presser foot lever has been raised BEFORE rethreading a new color.  This way, the upper tension discs are open and the thread will get into the right place inside your machine.

I'm getting there!  I would say I'm about half way done.  The front foliage will be easy now that I have the background and trees in place.  I'm having fun!  I love the way the scene fades into the sunlight.  Thank you Megan for your patience!

Expanding Your Horizons

I had a good time on Saturday at Creative House.  It was a small gathering and more informal than we had anticipated.  Wendy bought SO much food.  Her grand kids and my children got to pig out on fresh fruit and cheese for the rest of the night, so it all turned out great.  : )  Thank you to the women who came!  I had a great little catch up with an old high school friend who showed up, not knowing that it was me she was coming to see!  ; )

Pretty Penny did a good job.  I am really surprised how often I meet Janome and Horizon 7700P owners that didn't know about awesome features or can't get something to work (hey- I was one of them!).  I had two phone calls this month plus an email asking for Horizon advice.

Did you know there's an extra-high presser foot lift?  That's great for stuffing quilts under, or a stabilizer hoop.

Did you also know that there's a little screw to adjust the height of the presser foot for free motion stitching?  You don't need a screwdriver.  You just use your fingertip to adjust it.  You'll want it lower if you are working on scrim or any thinner surface.  You'll want it higher if you are quilting a big fat quilt.  How high?  I tell people to set it at the lowest level you can that will not create any drag at all.  You want it somewhat close as it acts to stabilize the fabric at the point of quilting.  When the foot is too high, your fabric can bounce while you FMQ or threadpaint, and this will ultimately cause skipped stitches.

Another tips with the Horizon is to get the needle plate engaged for FMQ.  Again, this stabilizes the fabric while quilting and will prevent those horrible skipped stitches when you free-motion pretty curls. Read your manual.  It's easy to do.

Hands down, the Horizon loves Topstitch needles.  I do use a lot of Wonderfil thread, and they also suggest topstitch for nearly all their threads.  Maybe that's the variable.  So... Topstitch it is.  It has a long, long eye and I never get shredded threads ever.

When most people free motion quilt on a domestic machine, they lower the top tension to achieve even stitches that meet-in-the-middle of the quilt sandwich.  If the top is too loose or the bottom is too tight, you will get those horrible eyelashes / feathers on the back.  With the horizon, you can leave it on auto tension for the top, and change to this alternate 'blue arrow' bobbin case.  The blue arrow bobbin case is pre-set with a lower tension and creates PERFECT FMQ stitches.  You don't have to fiddle and test on a sample first.  I used to get eyelashes all the time no matter how carefully I sewed or how precise I thought I was setting my machine tension manually.  I found that when I tightened up the top thread, I would ended up getting my top thread snapping during quilting.  Everything was too tight: top and bottom.  That's enough to make me cry.  This blue arrow case is brilliant, it's only $25, and OMG it fits my old non-computerized Kenmore!!  wow.

With that in mind, I popped my other loosely-set 'play' bobbin case (yes - I have another case for bobbin work) into that old 12 stitch Kenmore.  It worked!!  I marked it green for fun with nail polish.  This is the one I play with and set very loose according to the cord / floss I use.  I don't want to play around with my other ones because they are perfect and I would like them to stay that way.

bobbin play sampler

Now I'm really looking forward to doing bobbin sewing on my Horizon - all the pretty stitches she has!

So I was thinking...
If any other Horizon owners would like to get together to experiment with the machine together, or if you need help troubleshooting, I would love to gather at Creative House in the sewing area.  We can set up and sew together for a couple hours. If you are upgrading from a Kenmore to a Janome, the presser feet are the same on the low shank machines FYI.  The bobbins & bobbin cases are all the same for high or low shank Janome & Kenmore. 

I'm linking this in as a "Tips on Tuesdays".  I hope many of you find this helpful.  : )  And yes - I drop the dogs, especially when threadpainting on a low, thin piece.  On quilts, I don't notice drag if I forget.

Have a great day everyone!  I hope this was helpful.

Country Courthouse Complete

It's done!  Oh my.  It's really done.  Look!

That is a whole lot of quilt.

And that was a whole lot of quilting!  I wend around each block SEVEN times;  tedious, but so worth it.  It really looks done now.  And it was easy turning this big quilt around and around under the needle with this big Janome Horizon.  WHEW.

Tomorrow I'll attach the hanging sleeve and label.  My plan is to put all the right hanging hardware on all my pieces and then that's it! My husband and I have an event to attend Saturday night.  So I'll have it all done by 5 pm, and then Sunday I go all alone to hang the show.  gulp.

wish me luck!

ah!  I'm so happy with this quilt!

~Monika

...absolutely LOVING everyone's moon stories!!!  ; )

THANK YOU!!