Questions Answered - Part I......

Thanks so much for all the fantastic questions!!! I have enjoyed reading each and every one of them. Now I will attempt to answer them.

What sewing machine do I use? Late last year Wayne bought me a Bernina 630E (the E means that it has embroidery capabilities). It was kind of a birthday/Christmas/10 year anniversary gift. I love it. It is certainly a top of the line machine and it has so much to offer that I can definitely "grow with it." But I don't want people to think you have to have a top of the line machine though. I used a Kenmore Elite for many years....and I still use it from time to time. I love that machine and will always keep it around!!!!

How do I apply piping? Well, honestly, I had never made or applied piping until about 1 1/2 years ago. I tried to make and attach it using a zipper foot and did not have much success. I went ahead and picked up a special pintuck presser foot for my machine and that made all the difference. Also if your machine has the capability of moving your needle position that helps even more so. When I make the piping, I use the pintuck foot and I move the needle one notch to the left. Then when I apply the piping, I again use the pintuck foot and then move the needle two notches to the left. That helps to get the piping nice and tight in the seam and since the piping "rides" in one of the grooves on the presser foot it makes it almost mindless. Does that make any sense? If not, email me and I will send more information. Maybe I can work on a tutorial for making and applying piping.

Where did I attend college? Immediately after high school I attended Valencia Community College in Orlando, Florida. I graduated with a 2 year degree. Then I transferred to the University of Central Florida, also in Orlando. I graduated with a 4 year degree in Psychology. I then attended the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and graduated with a Master's degree in Early Childhood/Child and Family Studies and minors in Child Psychology and Statistics. Fun stuff, huh???

What is my most often made main dish? Side dish? And dessert? I had to ask the family....but they reminded me that I make one particular dish every week...which every family member LOVES!!! It is a bean and couscous dish. I wrote about it here. They also informed me our most common side dish is either grilled or steamed zucchini and squash....which again...everyone enjoys. We probably have this side dish two times a week. And finally they think our most often made dessert is chocolate chip cheesecake...but I'm not sure. I make a lot of muffins, cookies, quick breads etc for snacks......pretty much all the time. But for "real" desserts...I guess it is the cheesecake. Very easy recipe. I'll post it sometime.

What is my favorite sewing notion? Hmmm, that is a good one. Probably my little metal sewing gauge...you know that small 6" long metal ruler with the little slider thing in the middle? Well, I rarely use the slider thing....but I can't seem to function without the ruler. And I like it better than my measuring tape for some things because it is rigid and I can use it with one hand. I also have to say I use my seam ripper a lot. I always incorrectly assumed that if you were good at sewing then you rarely ripped seams. I have found that the more I sew the more I rip. I think it is because I don't want to settle for a bad seam if I think I can make it better....so I rip it out and try again. I have ripped out the same set-in sleeve seam four times before...and it wasn't too long ago!!

What about my sewing area? Well, my sewing area is basically my desk from college that my dad bought me years ago. It sits in the corner of our bedroom and on it sits my sewing machine and my laptop. It is a very small area but it truly gets the job done. I use one of the desk drawers to hold my scissors, and various small notions. Then in my closet I have a small dresser that holds scrap fabrics, pleater, elastic, rick rack, thread, etc. One day maybe I'll have a sewing room...but I'm perfectly happy now with the setup that I have. Here is a picture:



I would love to have the room to keep my ironing board up all the time. But with little ones I don't think that would be too safe right now anyway. So I do have to pull it out to iron...but again...that isn't too big of a deal to me. I am just happy to have my sewing machine easily accessible at all times.

That's probably good for one night, huh? Anyone still reading??? I'm thinking up my answers for the remaining questions and I'll be back to answer them tomorrow or Thursday. Have a great night everyone!!