Nothing makes your heart stop like an error message in the middle of a sewing or embroidery project.  When I have an error I usually pull out my manual first because the answer will more than likely be found there.  The manufacturers are usually very good about knowing what might come up and giving you various scenarios to try.  In sewing the most common will be your needle, bobbin and thread.  In this error, I went through the checklist from my manual but my error still occurred.  As I would sew I was able to get through 10-15 stitches and the machine would stop with the above error.  I initially thought it might be the tension discs and some thread or debris so I cleaned those out by taking the top covers off, but the problem persisted. Of course I made sure my machine was powered OFF to do these checks.

So after some online searches, I found a couple of other people with similar problems and even though they have a different machine, I thought I would try looking in the same area they were indicating, so I removed my cover from the side of the machine. I have to thank generous people on You Tube and Blogs because isn't it great to be able to figure out those small maintenance repairs during the pandemic? Usually I wouldn't think twice about bringing my machine to the shop but now that isn't always an easy option.

 I traced myself to the 3rd position in the flow of tension on the front.  There is a very small spring located behind this front cover that helps the machine tension the thread.  It is a moving part and when you couple that movement with thread, debris, moisture and dirt; the spring can become immobile and the thread is no longer in the correct placement so the machine will issue the error.

Look in the picture above and follow the thread down to the point where it passes under that straight bar.  Directly underneath you will see the very small curved tip of the spring.  That piece is where my problems were happening.  I used a small picking instrument like a dentist would use and I VERY CAREFULLY cleaned around the spring.  I also made sure the spring could move up and down and was not immobile.  As I did that I saw a piece of thread remnant fall out.

  You can also see the other very tiny bits of debris I was able to clean out. I put everything back together to test the machine. As a side note, this error did occur right after I had been trying out a brand new metallic thread. I can't say for certain if that caused the problem but it was a different material than I sew with on a daily basis.  

The final thing I did was remove the thread and re thread it through all of the tension areas.  If you don't do this, the thread placement is the same as before the repair and the error will probably show up still. Now my machine sews just fine.  I will say that this is a minor adjustment and I would only recommend doing this to get you back to sewing; especially if you are in a production setting like me. I use my machine to test embroidery designs every day. It doesn't replace my usual maintenance schedule where the machine is taken apart, cleaned, oiled and tested. I will still get that done per the manufacturer's suggestions which is normally at least once a year. I filmed a short video below that will show you the error as it was happening, removing the covers and where that spring is located. If you are having similar issues with your machine, this might help.  I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work.

I am taking it way back with my latest design.  I wanted to do something fun and quick and this In The Hoop Fortune Teller Game is just that. Do you remember folding one of these when you were in school and playing with your friends?  Back then the fortunes would make your day. Well I am hoping these fortunes will bring back that smile and nostalgia.

The materials needed are really simple. I used cutaway stabilizer in my hoop and sewed directly onto it.  It is really no different than the standard paper you would usually use to fold a fortune teller.  In fact, the cutaway is a little bit more resilient and should last longer.  I have noticed mine has gotten softer as I use it more and more.  When I digitized this design, I wanted all of the fortunes to be readable and as close to an original game piece as possible so it is only available in an 8 x 8 size. This makes inserting your fingers in the pockets easy as well.

I did use my iron with small bursts of steam to set all of the folds in the game piece.

After everything is stitched, you will remove the stabilizer and trim around the edges carefully.  Then fold the game piece to play. I think this would be such a fun project for kids.  It would be easy to complete as a project with them because it sews out fairly quick and they might not get too bored watching it. Then cutting is just straight lines and the folding is perfect for tactile work.

Just look how adorable that is.  So simple but such great memories I have with my school friends.  

On this day, my wish was granted. That is a great fortune to have come true.  I have a short video below that shows the entire project, especially the folding process so you can create your In The Hoop Fortune Teller Game. I hope you have enjoyed this post, you share what you learn and you are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work!

If you have read many of my blog posts, you might guess my creative projects follow the seasons and what I see in my life.  So right now, my yard is a priority as I continue getting it in order for winter.  I really do love little yard trinkets, signs, hanging decorations etc.  So you will find Shepherd Garden Stakes in many of my flower beds.  They come in a lot of different sizes and styles and usually I use them to hang bird feeders or plants.  Since cold weather is coming, I am looking at them to see if they need any maintenance like rust removal or cleaning out the bird feeders.  

This flag project just came about because I realized I had never tried to sew something decorative for one of these shepherd hooks. I thought it would be a great project to move between seasons. Right now, my trees still have leaves on them and they are just turning beautiful shades of yellow and orange.  After a few cold snaps, I will look outside and they will all be gone and then our skies will be gray for several months.  This makes my yard a little depressing, but these flags might help that this winter.  My intention is to sew some for those cold winter months and when I look outside my windows, it just might cheer me up and keep me excited for upcoming spring gardening.

So the first thing I did was digitize a special embroidery design for this flag. I had my husband in mind and thought he would get a kick out of seeing this in our yard.  If you are interested in the An Old Fisherman design it is available here. You will need at least a 6x10 embroidery hoop. The size of the flag I was sewing demanded a larger design to fill up the space.  

Here is a view of the Old Fisherman embroidery design with a different background color so you can see the details.  I used canvas duck fabric for the flag and grosgrain ribbon for the casing.  I didn't do a written pattern for this project but I did a full video tutorial that you can watch below.  I think a beginner could sew this project as there are mostly straight seams,  The long curve and adding the ribbon casing is a nice skill to practice as well as clipping along curves.  All of this can be done sewing a flag like this.  The tutorial will show you how to draft your own flag depending on the shepherd hook you have so it is not specific just to the type I used.  In any case, I am wishing you will have fun watching the video and dreaming up ways to decorate your outdoor space year round with these flags. You know these would be awesome for yard sale signs or business advertisements also. 

Check out the video below.  I have assembled a playlist of several garden flag projects together. Look for that in the description of the video and you can have a creative watch party!  I Hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work!

This Free In The Hoop Ribbon Awareness Cup Wrap is my latest embroidery design and it is a good one!  We are in Breast Cancer Awareness month so this design is timely for that but did you know that the Ribbon is used for so many other causes?  

I visited Disabled-world.com and pulled their graphic above. If you click on the link or picture it will take you to their site where you can learn more about each ribbon and cause. *NOTE* Some of the colors may not be listed and they are always adding causes to each color so you will probably want to go to each Organization cause on their social media sites and verify before you stitch out this embroidery design or make a donation.*  That being said, let me tell you about this embroidery design.

Other than being completely FREE, the other most important fact is you will need at least an 8x12 embroidery hoop to complete the project.  When you stitch the design you will have two Fleece cup wraps that are oh so soft.  You can use different color fleece and thread for your cause. See in the picture above that they will fit on Plastic cups.  I also use mine on stainless steel insulated cups.

The front will sew your ribbon design which is simple but effective to showcase the pattern on your fleece.

You will also have a buttonhole that sews in the design.  Once complete, a needle and thread will be used to sew on your button. Here we used a 5/8 inch button. Have fun picking out cute ones!

Here is a little bonus for you!  Included in the design download is a PDF gift tag.  Just print these out on heavy duty paper or cardstock and slide the cup cozy over it.  Fill in the blank area with your name so the person receiving the cup cozy knows where it came from.

We used a small piece of scotch tape underneath the cozy to keep it from sliding off the gift tag.

When I digitized this design my hope was you would use this as a service project for your group, school project, church, civic club or personal family and friends.  Not sure how much each one will cost your organization to make?  We have done the math for you also.   We figure you can make 20 of these cup cozies with a yard of fleece that is 60 inches wide.  So divide 20 into your yardage cost.  If a yard of fleece cost you $10.00, each cozy is roughly .50 cents.  That is just fleece cost. You will need to add stabilizer and buttons, thread etc. but that is a good place to start your cost analysis if you are doing a lot of cozies. Another place to look for cheaper fleece is your local big box store.  Visit the blanket section and search for seasonal throws or blankets.  Sometimes you can find real bargains that are cheaper than off the bolt.

Are you worried it will be too hard to construct the cup cozies? I got that covered for you too.  Watch the instruction video below to see how easy they are to make.  So are you ready to get started?  Click this LINK to add the design to your cart.  Check out in the store and you will get an email to download the design. I have done all the hard work for you. Now you just need to have fun sewing and donating. Did you know you can send me pictures and details of your cup cozy projects too?  Visit my contact page here. That would make my day and I just might showcase your cozies on my Facebook page. I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work!

I have been buttoning up my yard in preparation for winter.  My garden plot has been mowed down, all of my flower beds have been successfully weeded and my flower pots are host to new pansies.  This time of year I tend to change a few things around on my front porch and I like to maintain some color as I watch the leaves turn and fall.  In honor of this beautiful time of year, I am releasing my latest design Falling Leaves Flag Pattern.  This embroidery design is really simple in it's concept and it only has 6,645 stitches but it has a really big impact with the addition of artificial leaves.

You can see here that the stitching includes cute seasonal text and a smiling puppy. He is watching all of the beautiful leaves falling around him. My dogs love to do that and they have so much fun chasing the leaves as they fall to the ground.  I purchased a small bag of leaves from my local Dollar Tree store and it had 50 of them so I have a lot of extra ones for future projects.

There are several different fabrics that you can use for garden flags.  On this one, I used OLY FUN fabric which is the same material you will find in reusable grocery bags.  I have done other flag projects using this material and I like it for the price, weight and non fraying qualities. I will tell you that your flag won't have UV protection and might only last one season if you use OLY FUN Fabric. I don't mind that because I love to change regularly.  Also, if I look closely at flags I have purchased they will usually fade pretty quickly and I tend to avoid putting them back up more than two seasons.

The embroidery instructions will take you through the placement of the leaves.  I have included a flag pattern with the design that will help you prepare your fabric and cut the bottom portion. 

You will see how to add the ribbon on the top and sides and sew the trim to the bottom of the flag.  

This would be a great project for a beginner as it includes many techniques that can be used for future sewing and embroidery projects. If you have a sewing  and embroidery machine or combination of the two and feel like you want to do something creative but not too difficult, give this a try. I think you will love seeing your flag in your yard.  I have created a video you can watch below that shows the entire project also so if you are a more advanced seamstress, you should be able to make your own garden flag just by following along.

I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work!