I was thinking (probably
where all those earthquakes originated) that, while I’ve been reveling in
rediscovering machine embroidery – and probably boring you to tears doing so –
there’s one aspect I’ve avoided. Same one I shied away from with extreme
prejudice for a year before I went on
hiatus with the whole thing two years ago. And since I’ve come to refine my
preferences and want to make stuff more than I want to decorate stuff, it’s
inevitable. I have to face my failures, and like the others (applique,
in-the-hoop, just plain embroidery in general) get better at them through
relearning, redoing, and relaxing.
So. To that end, I bought
(stop laughing at me) three Free Standing Lace designs while they were on half-price
sale at Urban Threads. I’ve wanted two of them for, yes, years, so if $4.50
inspires me to face a failure in hopes of making it a success, well, that’s
pretty cheap. It then occurred to me that, with all the other projects I got in
various stages of ‘get me done’, I could put this off for another year,
minimum, without even trying. Not cool. Found a pretty little notebook and
started Three Projects. Here’s the hope – every Sunday, I write down three
projects I want to get done this week. I can do them whenever inspiration hits,
and can even belay them ‘til the next week if necessary. But I can’t buy
anything new until those projects are done. No excuses. If they’re on Three
Projects, all the necessary elements for them are already assembled, so I can’t
weasel out on a technicality. You know by now I can’t go to a fabric store for
a 99¢ pattern without coming back $10. poorer, so them’s the rules. I kind of
sat around all last week and only did a couple small things, I don’t want to
waste more time sand-sifting.
Although that does seem like
what I did today. I was actually studying and looking up ways to improve my
free-standing lace works, and I think I know where I kept going wrong. It’s a
lot like where I was mucking up my regular ole embroidery – I hooped things my
way, and wouldn’t let anyone tell me that’s where the problem was, I knew
better. Um, no, I didn’t. So I didn’t know that tugging at the fabric once it’s
hooped leads to puckering when it’s removed.
Made perfect sense when I stopped to think about it. And, yeah, using worn out
dryer sheets as stabilizer really isn’t that great an idea, either. The message
board was right on that one. But I was so angry and hurt by other things said
that I wouldn’t listen to anything. Well, they’re gone, I like to think I’ve
grown up a bit in the last three years, and wouldn’t you know it, my outlook
and output has improved. Go figure.
Seems like I just can’t
resist a class struggle, even when it’s over sheer luxury crap like machine
embroidery ! So, in memory of what was and hope for what can be, I tackled one
of my Three Projects – stitched out another ‘Elsa and Olaf’ design on the blue
broadcloth I bought Thursday. One of next week’s Three Projects will be to tear
apart the light blue tote bag I bought at Dollar Tree, and re-sew it stronger,
with the design replacing the front pocket. I’ll also take measurements, so I
can make more tote bags out of better fabric, whenever I need one.
It was great. Both my guys
were napping, but I was restless, so I cued up an old MST3K, planted some Cheddar Chex Mix in a bowl, popped open a root beer, swapped a few colors of thread, and sewed. Actually, I stitched ‘Elsa and
Olaf’ twice, because I used too-thin a stabilizer the first time. I just barely
have the broadcloth to do what I want, but that first attempt was too poor to
keep. Olaf’s arm was off about an eighth of an inch from where it was supposed
to be, and I really should have quit earlier than I did. Luckily for me and my remaining
broadcloth, the second attempt, with doubled interfacing, went much better.
Perhaps even a little better than the very first one, now on Merri’s shirt. I
keep thinking broadcloth is heavier than it is, and even feels. It’s actually a
pretty light fabric, looser even than quilting cottons. Now I can take that
design out of Brody-machine’s memory, clear space for another project, coming
soon !
After all, I still have four
hanging kitchen towels for MIL and an attempt at free-standing lace to do this
week !
Your embroidery looks quite pretty.
ReplyDeleteI think I get what you mean, like you I wouldn't be told how to do things,but after thinking it through I realized that I was cutting off my nose to spite my face by not at least giving following advice a try.Once you do something well by following the rules you know which ones are necessary and which to adapt to your way of doing.