Trish's Machine Embroidery Designs

This is a hoop spring I have made from part of a ball point pen spring. The photo shows how to use it.

Below are photos of my original sewing table. As you can see it has evolved as needed.

This is how it started life as an ancient computer desk with new top.

It has progressed quite a bit with new wider apart legs. Much more stable!

This is the surround I made for my Bernina 180

A better view of the flat table showing cut-out for the foot control lead.

What the flat insert looks like underneath.

A different view of the flat insert.

New acrylic insert for 440 in position.

Acrylic insert

Padded knee lift.

I have found that a water soluble glue stick works very well instead of a spay-on adhesive to adhere stabilizer to fabric - or 2 or more layers of stabilizer to each other.
It works very well also instead of pins in all sorts of places - like sewing in zips.

From Betty. When using spray adhesive (or metallic threads) coat the machine needle with "Sewer's Aid" between thread changes. Metallic threads handle just like regular threads and no jamming with spray adhesives. I found Sewers Aid at JoAnne fabric in the notions, it is put out by Prym-Dritz and comes in a 0.5 ounce bottle. Inexpensive too.

A new use for cosmetic brushes - cleaning my sewing machine and computer keyboard between vacuums.

I have found a no cost way of sharpening my rotary cutter blade. You need a glass jar with a smooth slightly concave bottom - about 1 cm (1/2 inch) larger in diameter than your blade. Wet the jar bottom. Remove the blade from all the plastic bits and put it flat on the jar bottom. Hold it firmly with 2 or 3 fingers and rotate it in an elliptical fashion.
Turn it over to do the other side equally. Result is a sharpened blade!
NB. This will not work with a chipped or a very badly blunted blade.

Use a ripple edged blade in your rotary cutter when cutting out patterns in fray-prone fabric like silk and rayon. The edges don't fray. Mine is called a Pinking Blade and works exactly like pinking shears.

Hint 'n Tips

A few tips are below