Sewing Space Thread Catcher

~ Pamela Klingensmith ~ Leave a comment
My local Bernina dealer where I teach classes uses thread catchers similar to this one.
There have been numerous requests for a class on sewing these handy little items.
I located a pattern and quickly sewed up this one in great vintage inspired fabric by Kaye England.

The top of the holder has an attached pin cushion.
The pattern calls for sand as a filler.
I used crushed walnut shells because I had them on hand (don’t ask).
Straps connect the base to the bag.
The strap is sewn on in such a way as to provide loops for notion storage.
Clever.
A common, inexpensive tile ($.16 at Home Depot) is inserted into the base under the pin cushion.
The unit tends to slip just a bit.
Next time, I would use a grip fabric on the underside of the base cover.
One could drop an awful lot of thread snips into that thread catcher.
The pattern called for plastic tubing and a dowel in the rim to give it shape.
I used 1/4″ boning because that’s what I had on hand.
Worked like a charm.
The only other change I would make is to add a lightweight stabilizer
between the bag lining and outer bag.
It could use a bit of a shaper,
Speaking for myself as well!!!
The pattern is Kwik Sew 3886.
You can sew this up in an afternoon.
Be sure to save your thread from the project
When you finish you will have somewhere to put it.
Go on, get busy keeping your sewing space tidy.
Enjoy, friends.
If you are in the local area,
please send me an email or give me a call if you want us to offer this as a class. 

I Miss You, Mother and Daddy

~ Pamela Klingensmith ~ Leave a comment
Doris P. Day – Born 1936, Died 2015    Marvin N. Day – Born 1934, Died 2015
It was my absolute privilege to be your full-time caregiver.
The days were long and hard, 
But as I sat with each of you and watched you take your very last breath,
I realized the time had passed too quickly and slipped away too easily.
You will always be in my heart and on my mind.
Enjoy your new bodies! (1 Corinthians 15:35-49)

All my love,

Quick and Easy Child-size Wrap Skirt and Coordinating T-shirt

~ Pamela Klingensmith ~ Leave a comment
 Hey friends!
If you’re doing any sewing for pint-size people,
you might want to give this little wrap skirt a look.
The pattern company is AJ’s Boutique.
This one is pattern No. 5, Wrap Skirt in children’s sizes 4-5-6-7-8.
For my just-turned 5-year-old granddaughter, I sewed up a size 6.
It is a bit large, but I’m confident she’ll be wearing it in the near future.
The only closure on this one is a self-tie made from the waistband.
I used a solid red fabric for the back side of the waistband/tie
and a coordinating floral print for the front side.
 
 
Sewing time is approximately two hours start to finish.
That includes making your own bias trim such as the red polka dot that I made.
The bias went on quickly using my Bernina bias binder attachment.
The skirt instructions include just a few basic steps:
sew two skirt pieces together (one seam.total.that’s all.);
attach bias binding (can use purchased, don’t have to make your own);
sew inside and outside waistband pieces together and turn right side out;
attach waistband to top of skirt;
Done!!!
This is a great beginner project as well as an
instant gratification for experienced sewists project.
Have fun.