April Blog
Hi Sewing Friends,Are you keeping your New Year’s resolutions? I am thrilled to report that beating myself up three times a week in step class at the YMCA has done me a world of good. My cholesterol has dropped 65 points in three months—without pharmaceuticals! I’m inviting you to tear yourself away from your sewing room for cardio exercise and stretching… it’s more enjoyable to sew with a sense of well being and physical strength and it’s never too late to begin!March was a busy month of spring cleaning (with the new spin mop) and Home Décor. My friend Joan moved into a new house and wanted her breakfast nook to feel like a contemporary café. We shopped for material, agreed on a tab topped valence (to mask the different heights of the three large windows) along with two table runners and serged napkins to complete the look. Joan purchased a mission style round café table with four chairs and had vertical shades installed on all the windows. No matter how many makeovers I accomplish, I’m still amazed at what a difference a little fabric can make.
Joan’s new breakfast nook is warm and inviting and feels elegant, clean, hip and relevant! All the pieces were sewn on the new SINGER Stylist ‘Today’s Special’ Electronic machine and Serger combination. Now that’s a difference Joan can live with. Be sure to upload your makeovers on our craft viewers projects page. My friend Vivian Lavinskas (SINGER product knowledge specialist) came down from Tennessee and we spent two days brainstorming the upcoming Dynamic Duo “Stylist” TS on April 16th. The pair of the 2-3-4 thread serger with six bonus feet and the 100 stitch pattern electronic sewing machine offer make the perfect addition for any sewing room. Be sure to tune in as I demonstrate at least twenty techniques on both machines and introduce my newest sewing student, Joy Song. (She’s six years old and is making her doll’s dress for our special day on HSN!) Chelsea (my assistant) and I attended the “Sewing and Quilt Expo” last weekend. I always get a new wave of inspiration when I see all the beautiful quilts and embroideries that other women have accomplished. Speaking of inspiration, Be sure to catch the next Futura presentation on April 16th. I’ll be crowing and showing a Fireman’s Quilt from one of our own viewers, Nancy. Nancy didn’t sew for twenty years and then purchased the Futura and made her grandson a beautiful quilt covered in fire trucks. It’s a work of art! EMBROIDERY  As I’m writing this, Singer is in the process of upgrading their software to make it compatible with the new Windows Vista operating system and as soon as it’s ready for release, you’ll be among the first to know—- (it shouldn’t be too long now!) TIP: When you are getting close to the end of a Melrose 600 Yd. 40 Weight Trilobal spool of thread , improve the delivery by folding down the Futura’s Spool pin to make a spinning horizontal feed. This helps eliminate twists and tangles while reducing drag on the snap cap. I’m still discovering the amazing versatility of the Futura! Pictured to the right is the back of the Futura while I was stitching out a design from the 3900 anthology in my Melrose Metallic thread for a friends maternity mother-of-the-bride dress! Yes, you read that right. My friend was eight months pregnant on Saturday as we celebrated the marriage of her oldest daughter. Try finding that in a store~ I’ll be showing Brenda’s dress in my upcoming Futura presentation on April 16th. NEW ITEMS Introducing…My brand new Melrose 9” Clear Thread Storage Tubes. It’s the handiest no tangle way to store, display and take along the way! Simply remove either end cap and fill with up to 4 spools of Melrose thread. No more tangled mess in the bottom of a sewing box. Store vertically or horizontal. Locate, protect and transport your thread investment with the newest innovation in thread storage. 
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS: Q: What is the Beachbag Pattern? A: Super Easy Simplicity 5151 Q: How do I download the free serger manual for my Quantumlock from SINGER? A: Go To Singerco.com, click product manuals, type in 14T967DC (the 5-thread Quantumlock serger number) and hit enter. Download to a file on your computer in French or English. Q: How did you felt the coat? A: 1) I stabilized an old crushed velvet tablecloth by pressing on woven stabilizer with a hot iron. 2) then felted green and yellow Lion Brand Homespun Yarn that had been pulled apart leaving areas of the blue tablecloth to show through. 3) Cut out the coat pattern 4) Embroider the roses 5) Iron –On Glamour Gems.
WHEN TO WATCH APRIL 16th – A Brand New SINGER Sewing machine Today’s Special TS Shows on the day – 12am, 1am, 3am (host demo at end of hour), 7am , 8am, 11am, 3pm, 4pm, 7pm, and 10pm. Full Singer sewing hours – 12am, 11am, 3pm, 7pm, and 10pm. Sew Your Dream,
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Hi Darlene,
Thanks for your blog—I love to read it every month! I purchased the SES1000 when it was the TS in November and I LOVE IT! I don’t see the machine anymore listed on HSN…did something happen? I was sad to see some negative comments about the machine, I use this machine almost every day & have made a quilt, embroidered wonderfully warm scarves, fixed pants & towels, and am now making our own cloth diapers & saving so much $. This machine has been a huge joy and blessing. Thanks!