embroidered gifts

I made these two items awhile back for wedding gifts for a friend of mine and a relative.  Now that both items have been delivered safely to the brides' homes, I am able to share them with you.

This is an original design done by me.

If you are interested in purchasing a Type Love hoop, please click here.

Perfect for anniversaries, weddings, or special loved ones.

progress

Wow.  I have really enjoyed reading everyone's inputs on the threads they use.  Thank you!  I am sure you are helping someone else out there too by letting us know what works for you and doesn't.  Onto other news . . .

Matt and Owen left early this morning to hike a mountain here in NC.  Owen loves to camp, and this is his 3rd camp out.  This means I have the weekend TO MYSELF!  What am I going to do???  That was me asking myself that.

Actually, I have a few things planned.

I started on the backside of my kitchen island.  My idea of a herringbone pattern, which will be painted white with dark edges, is turning more into a chevron, even though I staggered the boards.  I know herringbone is the sister of chevron, but it's looking like it's full on chevron.  (Did anyone just say full on double rainbow in their head after reading that?)  I love chevrons, but my home cannot handle any more chevrons.  I have chevron curtains and a chevron wall.  I laid out a few planks to see what it might look like, and here are the results.  Just ignore awful lighting.  Hopefully you get the idea.

I may need to rethink my options for the back.   We'll see.

I'm attending the Parade of Homes here in Raleigh!  I'm so excited to snoop around in other people's homes and take photos of inspiring DIY ideas.   Don't worry.  You'll get to see them too.

If there's any time left (because this girl will be in her pajamas and in bed most of the weekend), I will tend to a few sewing projects.




I came out a half yard too short for the back of my friend's quilt, so I am waiting for fabric to come in the mail.  I am thinking of quilting using wavy lines.  I like the organic lines in the Echo Leaf Vine that I used, so I think mimicking that will be nice.

I like what Bijou Lovely did here.  So fun!

Quilting question.  How did she achieve visible stitches?  Heavier/thicker thread?  Contrasting colored thread?  I'm so new to quilting, which means I have a lot to learn.

And lastly, here's some other things going on.

1.  3rd quilt.  My love for HSTs, graphic, and modern.
2. Joined the Pervalong QAL!  SO excited for this!  I joined really late, but that's okay.
3. Samples I'm toying around with.
4. A very small sneak peek at a few completed projects.  (Please do not get the impression I am a fast sewer.  I am dreadfully slow!)

Have a great weekend!  Thanks for stopping by!

Your Sewing Thread Under A Microscope || Visually Understanding Thread Quality

  This post is in no way to influence you to one brand or another.  I was not paid by any thread company for this post.  

After purchasing my first sewing machine, it sparked a desire to learn more about sewing thread quality since I suffered from a lot of issues with my last machine.  There are hundreds of sewing threads to choose from, and I find it to be a bit overwhelming.  Though my BERNINA came with Mettler thread, I have heard great things about Aurifil, and I couldn't wait to try it out on my machine.  But it got me thinking about why the Mettler brand came with my machine.  Does it meet BERNINA standards?  Or is there a contract between Mettler and BERNINA?  Or does my BERNINA dealer favor Mettler above all other brands?   And what is the fuss about Aurifil?  Is it really that great?  How do these brands compare to those available at JoAnn Fabrics?