New Embroidery Machine Review - Brother SE400

My new embroidery machine arrived today!!!  I am SO excited.

It's a Brother SE400 Embroidery and Sewing Machine.  Originally I got the PE500, but the 500 does only embroidery, not regular sewing, and keeping that one would mean I would have to manage 3 sewing machines - one for sewing, one for embroidery, and my beloved Babylock serger.

I may just embroider penguins on EVERYTHING

I'm quite excited about it so far.

It comes with a whole bunch of preset embroidery designs, and you pretty much just get it threaded and then push "go", and change the thread when it's ready for the next color.  It's really super easy.  It also has 4 fonts so I can get it to spell stuff out.  Now I can stitch my name into my underwear!

I am fighting the urge to secretly embroider sparkly purple My Little Ponies on the butt of all Darrell's pants.

It's got a touch screen control panel, filled with icons which are slightly mystifying, but which claim to allow you to edit the size and rotation of the embroidery designs.  It also has a USB port so I can theoretically load in my own designs, although that promises to be a bit of a nightmare - the software is not mac compatible, and it takes a special .pes file format, and I haven't got the first clue about how to convert, say, my logo into an embroiderable design.

My first test was (of course) on fleece and it seems to like the fleece just fine.  I'm excited to see how this new machine enhances my hoodie designs.  Yay, Embroidery!

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London Fashion Week Spring/Summer13.

Hardly had the dust settled under the furor of New York Fashion than London Fashion week arrived. The fashion pack from models to designers alike traveled to catch what this great city had to offer. Unlike New York, fashion in London is quite eccentric, quirky and fun. Here are the trends this city has to offer next Spring/Summer.Prints. An eclectic mix of flowers, birds, geometric, currency and

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Forest Faerie Hoodie Revisited

Christmas 2009 there was a serger under the tree.

I got it out of the box and spent hours twiddling with it, learning to thread it, and jumping up and down excitedly.  I'd wanted a serger for years, and now that I had it, I wanted to make something amazingly beautiful and warm, just for Me.  Enter: my first hoodie.

I chewed up a whole box of colored pencils sketching, deciding on each seam, each detail, each line.  I drew so many different sleeves that I fell asleep dreaming of sleeve designs.. and this multi-leaf design (which has become a bit of a signature for me) came to me in a dream that night.

It took me about 2 weeks of sewing (and re-sewing), and what resulted was the first ever Forest Faerie Hoodie.  I fell absolutely in love with it and have worn it almost constantly for 2 years now.  I've spilled on it, slept in it, walked and biked in it, gone camping in it, and once dropped a flaming torch on it while showing off my fire eating skillz.  It's still my favorite hoodie.

However, after two full years of warm cuddly goodness, and watching other hoodies come and go and not quite measure up, I decided it was time for a new Forest Faerie Hoodie. 

I've gotten a bit better at making hoodies since that first try, and two years of wearing this hoodie gave me loads of ideas for improvements:  

• I ride my bike in the cold, cold morning air and my upper arms still get cold.  New hoodie has double-thick sleeves that go all the way up.
• The pockets are warm but my hands fill them up.  New hoodie has inside pockets for phones and headphones and junk, leaving the main pockets free for my hands.
• The embroidery was sort of wiggly, as it was my first try and I didn't know what the heck I was doing.  I have since learned about stabilizer.  New hoodie's embroidery is *gorgeous.*
• The lighter green hem was always kind of bunchy.  New hoodie has a simpler embroidered hem that's smooth and hugs my hips.

This hoodie is the reason Fire Pixie Fashion exists.  I am wearing the new one now and it's soft and delicious and warm and oh so delightful.   I'm not sure how it is that clothing can make me so happy on so many levels.

Now.. what do I do with the old one?  I'm not one to keep things in the back of my closet for sentimental value, and it's a bit too worn out to sell "used."  Maybe I should gift it?  Advice?

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Sewing by the Seat of my Pants

Usually when I make a new hoodie, my process goes something like this:

1. Get inspired
2. Do some sketches
3. Create a paper pattern
4. Cut & create the hoodie
5. Fix all the flaws in the hoodie
6. Transfer the fixes to the pattern

I'd love to do a blog post about each one of these steps.. perhaps I'll do that.  But yesterday I threw the whole process away and just .. created.

I think I've leveled up.

I had a little leftover black fleece.  I did a quickie sketch and then threw it away.  Then I got out 3 different hoodie patterns, picked a few pieces out of each, and laid them all in a jumble on the sewing table.

After that, I ignored all the pattern pieces and started cutting out pieces I thought looked cute.  I ended up with a flame shape, so I embroidered a flame.  Why not?

From there, I chose different pieces from the different patterns I have, and cut out one of these, one of those, two of this one over here.. pretty much I just used up all the fabric.

I ended up with one of the classiest hoodies I've ever made.  It's got pockets.  It's got flames.  It's seams are on the inside, which is a departure from my usual style, and some of the edges are purposefully unfinished.  It doesn't even have a hood - instead it's got a flipped-over collar.  (to be honest I did *make* the hood but then decided I didn't need it - it'll probably end up on another hoodie)

So, today's task is to reverse-engineer this thing and see if I can replicate it.  I'll do the shoulders an collar a little different maybe.. but on the whole, the design seems *marvelous*.. I think it's a keeper.  :)   Better pictures later!
 

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Tahoe Trip, Labels and Spiral Embroidery

Up at the crack of dawn this morning.. making labels.  Yes, even the labels are handmade.  :)

I just got back from a couple days in Tahoe, at my family's cabin.  We went up there to get the cabin ready for winter - put up the snow panels on the snow tunnel, put the dirt bikes and the canoe away, and anti-freeze the pipes.  Just in time too - the temperature was down in the 20s both of the nights we were there.  

I woke up well before dawn on Tuesday morning, and finding myself unable to sleep, went downstairs and did some sewing.   (Yes, I take my work with me on vacation.  It must truly be love)  I'd brought 3 pre-cut projects, as there's no good cutting table at the cabin, and so I was able to concentrate just on the fun part.  

It's amazing how much time one has, when deprived of internet access.   Over the course of two days I completed three hoodies.  Well, mostly...  I'd forgotten to pack the zippers, and I was out of labels, but I got them pretty darn close.

Two of these were already sold.. a M/L version of the Green Flower Faerie hoodie but with leaf embroidery rather than swirls, and a S/M Purple Flower Faerie hoodie.  I made another Purple one (since that design just flies off the shelf) and took some creative liberties with the embroidery patterns here too.. I did stylized flowers and spirals, and used Wild Orchid fleece.  Pretty!!!

In between sewing there was time to do all the cabin chores, watch a dramatic hail storm, and play on my new Unicycle.  It being only my first time, I got up and down the street clinging to my hubby and managed about 4 feet solo at the end.  Woo hoo UNICYCLE!

Next up: my halloween costume.  I'm going to be a Fairy Ninja!!!!  Probably not on a unicycle, just yet.  What are you going to be?

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Bling Bling Belly Dance / Tribal Belt

This week I've been working on a "Tribal" costume for an upcoming fire show for San Jose State University's homecoming.  The show is tonight!  So this morning I find myself gluing jewels and bling and more bling on my new tribal belt.  LOVE.

I am a human disco ball.

I wanted to be able to wear this with more than just the "Tribal" look, so I started with some left over fabric from Darrell's "flamenco" pants (so we'll match, if we wear them together).  The tribal costume is green, and most of my other costumes are red, so I went with a copper thread and gold and silver accents, so I can wear it with just about any color and it'll look great.

I did the copper embroidery with metallic thread - which looks AMAZING in person but was such a pain to do.  I had all sorts of grand plans for fancy embroidery and I'm so glad I just decided on "simple".. the thread breaks every 2-3 inches even using a metallic needle.  So frustrating.

I edged it in the same copper thread (works much better in the serger than the regular machine) and then started decorating.  I used 3 sizes of jewels, coins left over from my belly dancing costume, and strung some beads so I have danglies, (which fascinate Biskit the kitten to no end).  It looks so incredible when it catches the light!!

I backed it with felt so it stays put on my hips and closed it with velcro for easy on/off and adjustments.  I can't wait to wear it tonight!

(biskit having impure thoughts...)

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