Retirement Hats

My husband has always been such a supporter of my crafty nature. He doesn't blink an eye when I bring home another yard of fabric to add to the bins and bins that I already have. So, when he asks me to make something...I feel I must do it. In this case I had purchased the hat hoop (A $150 accessory for the Viking machines) and had only used it once with not much luck. I'd also stashed a bunch of hats so I had everything I need to make a quick retirement gift for some friends who planned to retire to the seas in their sail boat.

Total Cost: about $15 - I purchased a pack of peace sign designs and have added in the cost of the hats

Total Time: 2 hours for both hats including 90 minutes of re-work due to a nest (see below)

What I Learned:

-Don't be stingy with the sticky stabilizer - it will save your life and be well worth the cost

- I am the worst at starting the machine and walking away - with the hat hoop and hats you just can't do that. It is very easy for the hat to shift or become un-hooped. There are seams and other things that get in the way of a smooth embroidery. I left my machine to grab a drink and ended up spending more than 90 minutes trying to salvage the hat because the needle got stuck in a seam and created a huge nest underneath. Believe me I really needed a drink after that!

- My most important lesson was don't be afraid...just do it!

I enjoyed the hats so much that I went on to do 40 more for a friend who wanted to give them for Christmas presents.

I am proud of myself - in just a few short months I have mastered (1) the ruffling foot, (2) YIKES! Digitizing, and (3) the hat hoop! I am making a solemn pledge to never again buy something only to let it languish because I am too afraid to use it.

Fall Towels

More ruffles - they were so much fun the first time. Minya Nouvelle is the font used for the "C" which was super simple and fast yet turned out pretty nicely.

Christmas 2009 - Little Angels

Since I've had a few good months of plugging through all of those "things" I've been wanting to do, but haven't had enough time or confidence to try; I decided to add a project I'd been storing up and never done. These in the hoop angels were a free project and design from Viking. I did the project with one of my wonderful creative friends Terri. We spent an afternoon buying supplies, modifying the design and working through the instructions. Once we got one done we were off and running. I ended up making 25 little angels to give as Christmas presents this year.

Total Cost: $1-2/ea. The biggest cost was in the buttons for feet and the lace for the edge. Both of which could probably be found for cheaper but I was "in the mood" so didn't worry.

Total Time: 15-20 minutes each. I made my little darlings like an assembly line. First all the fronts, then all the backs, then all the hair, etc.

What I Learned:
- If I'd had more time I would have used that darn ruffle foot and substituted a small ruffle for the lace (lace is expensive)
- I also could have sub'ed out a different button or bead for the foot but I was stuck on making mine just the way the instructions were layed out
- The assembly line approach was much more fun than making one from start to finish and then starting over. This way I got all my hair done at one time, I never had to change feet and I learned as I went
- Instructions, Smuctions...either I didn't understand these instructions or they just weren't ordered well, but doing one angel from start to finish gave me the opportunity to work it all out and look for places where I could save time before I began making 25 of them