tools and toys

these are probably my most important tools-

my sewing machine- Bernina 930, bought used a few years ago-

machine

I also have a Bernina Nova that I use when I am doing a lot of sewing- I thread it up with black and just use it for that.

My scissors and forceps (hemostats).

tools

I get at least one pair of my scissors sharpened once a year- that way I can usually find at least one sharp pair! The little scissors are so sharp right now that I have to be careful not to cut myself. Sharp scissors make any project easier. I use my forceps all the time- I use them for stuffing, for clamping, for turning fabrics, for pulling out tiny threads that I can’t pinch with my fingers and so much more. They are easy to get on ebay if you want to get a cheap pair.

I’ve been getting the supplies together for my gourd head doll class. That means I’ve been shopping for art materials. That means I’ve been tempted, and have succumbed, to new toys ahh… I mean tools!

stuff

I am always a sucker for buttons. My latest search has been for tools that will cut out a nice circle from felt. When I combine my circles with one of my favorite toys, my scallop edged pinking shears, I can get all kinds of fun shapes.

scallops

And, I couldn’t resist when I saw that floss was on sale…

floss

tools and techniques

I’ve been thinking for a long time that I want to put up a free pattern on my blog. Then, I get overwhelmed at the idea. So, I’ve decided to try doing it in baby steps. First I will post about the tools I use. Let’s see how far I get with this- ha!

The first tool is my camera- I just got a new one, a Canon A610. So far I am very happy with it. I had a Nikon 5400 before and was never able to get it to take photos the way I wanted- I thought I was inept until I read all the reviews on Amazon and realized a lot of other people had the same focus issues that I did- phew. This new camera makes this project seem a lot more doable.

This is my light box- my newest favorite tool-

light box

it is one of the many things I picked up from my parents house in the big clear out. It is an old x-ray viewing unit. I use it to make patterns which always seem to involve a lot of tracing. And here is what I am often tracing onto- freezer paper-

freezer paper

This is an old roll that I also got from the parents house, but it is available in supermarkets in the US. I have heard it is called deli paper in other parts of the world. It is paper on one side and plastic on the other.

What I love about freezer paper-
-It sticks to your fabric by ironing it on- Any fabric from bulky felted sweaters to slippery light silky stuff.
-You don’t have to worry about seam allowances.
-You can reuse the same piece several times- I usually ruin the paper before it gets to the point where it won’t stick to the fabric anymore.
-It is cheap so it’s not precious.

sewing

Freezer paper saves a lot of frustration from patterns slipping around. I always use it for my wool dolls. The photo of the hands show another tool I use a lot- the darning foot for my sewing machine. When I make the hands for my wool dolls, I do a free-motion embroidered outline on the machine. Then cut close to the stitching, around the edge.

hand

That’s all for today- any questions?

Kitty pics and new tools

mango

I take all the fabric out of the closet and the kitty decides the bolt of beautiful black wool is the perfect bed for his orangey self.

Yesterday I was working on shoes-

shoemaker

Today I went to Radio Shack and bought myself some new clamps- doll size. Smooth alligator clips are a great tool- I can’t believe I didn’t discover them sooner!

clamps

Bernina feet

clearfoot34_9b4b.jpg

Well, I bought a machine with 24 presser feet, most of which I have no clue how to use, so obviously what I needed was another one! When I picked up my machine yesterday, I bought this one… at least I know how to use it!

Thanks to lots of helpful people, I’ve got the answer to my question. Of Course the answer was on the web… how could it not be? Someone from FOCD directed me to this Yahoo group-
BerninaThirtySomethings@yahoogroups.com
It is for people with older model Bernina’s. They have a list of all the feet with the old and new numbers. Now I just have to figure out how to use them.

New Tools/ Toys!

feet.jpg

BIG EXCITEMENT! I bought a used 930 Bernina sewing machine today from Ann’s Fabric in Canton. I don’t have it home yet- they are doing the maintenance, but I have the manual and all the attachments. So, here’s the problem- it came with 24 different presser feet. I have identified many of them, but the bunch in the picture are a mystery. I tried looking on-line (of course), but couldn’t match up any of the numbers- have they changed them in the last 20 years? So what are these for and how do I figure out how to use them?

This is what I got with the machine-
000- standard foot
007- zipper
016- embroidery
145- jeans
147- ?
152- button
158- ?
164- ?
168- ?
181- ?
285- darning
419- tailor tack
452- buttonhole
470- overlock
492- ?
508- gather (?)
513- ?
526- ?
528- ?
560- ?
also a more complicated button hole contraption
a walking foot
and a ruffler

if you can help me with any of these, please post in the comments. Thanks!
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