Ever just need to start over?

Posted by on February 12, 2011

I believe we are back among the living! Everyone appears to be well and 98% back to normal. Still waiting on that 2% from a couple of us but we’re getting there. In the FYI category… we’re still tweaking a couple of things here & there and pretty soon my blog will be accessible from the website since the website is accessible from the blog (“visit my store” tab up top). When this happens you’ll see the “Blog” link as below. I also need to add the “Follow me on Twitter” link to the blog somewhere near the Facebook button. I’m up to 22 followers thus far BTW. AND, I’m still categorizing old posts. This happens when I have time and think about it and maybe eventually they will all be in a category making it easier to find stuff. In the meantime, you can always use the SEARCH feature to look for old posts on specific topics (i.e., hooping).

I will admit I’ve been in a decongestant fog most of the week. I did this burp cloth and it just didn’t turn out like I wanted it to. I don’t know what I was thinking with the fabrics (??) and then I didn’t iron the applique right and ironed a wrinkle in the Angel’s body. I guess the fabrics aren’t so bad? Just a little too bright and not what I had envisioned for a sweet little angel! I blame the Mucinex (Maximum Strength). I think too I struggled with finding 3 fabrics that coordinated, and then realized I liked it much better with only 2 (see next photo).

Isn’t this much better? Much softer and not too busy!

I buy my burp cloths from Embroider This. They are great burp cloths – nice and flat and the middle space between the 2 inseams is a good 4.5-5″ so plenty of room for an applique. I buy the 4×6 ply and they are nice and thick as well. They are easy to hoop too!

I will try to post more regularly and have some great ideas for post topics related to applique. Hopefully all will stay well this week so I can get some work done too. Have a great rest-of-the-weekend!

Filed Under: Design, Supplies | Tagged:

Countdown to CHRISTMAS!!

Posted by on December 14, 2010
This Sock Monkey design is featured on the right hand of my blog. Like the Elizabeth’s Embroideries Lamb #3 from my post a week or two ago, I get a lot of e-mails from people looking for it. It is from Applique For Kids and this is her photo as well. It also comes as just the Sock Monkey face which is cute! I believe MODA sells the sock monkey fabric too (seen on ETSY). I usually use brown gingham or the Fabric Finder’s brown houndstooth fabric (small houndstooth) ~ need to order some of this fabric because it is pretty cute. Anyway, I thought I’d post where it came from since I get asked at least once a week! This is one of those designs too that may look off center with the tail – I did it on a tee yesterday and got it centered w/ the name! I did a post on centering off center designs a month or so ago as well and will try to post that link ~ HERE it is!!

Here’s a new AC design sampled by http://sewinitially.blogspot.com/ today. I love this design! This and the Topiary are my favorites for Spring! We’re also working on several Valentine designs and Mardi Gras (a couple are not listed yet but preview pics are on Facebook).

Here is my train of work for this week. This was taken a couple of days ago so luckily I am down to 4 big towels and 7 hand towels (ALL MONOGRAMMING) and 1 bag of shirts. The towels are for Christmas so they will be done in the next day or two. This is IT for me! Jeff was so proud of me last night ~ someone called with some items to monogram and I referred them to a place in town that might do them. My usual answer is “oh sure (twist my arm, I hate to say NO to anyone) I can do them” and I have vowed that this is it for this week so I can enjoy a couple of weeks of Christmas (no school) and the New Year!
JOANN!!!!!!! This weekend they had 50% off NOTIONS, so all of this was 1/2 off including the Gingher 4″ curved scissors (mine were getting dull). BUT….. I also had a 20% off your total purchase coupon that started SUNDAY as this sale ended on SUNDAY! So I got all this at 50% off, then they took another 20% off. Needless to say that is why I bought so much. My drawers are overflowing with Heat N Bond Lite but I use it so much that I couldn’t pass up this deal. Hopefully no one else in Montgomery wanted any b/c I cleared out the HNBL shelf!

Here are a couple of shirts I did this past week – the AC Owl…

The AC Tinsel Tree…

Lastly, the AC Zig Zag Christmas Tree done in the Michael Miller Play Dot fabric.
We are done with our shopping, I think! Jeff & I ran our last errands this morning and hopefully that’s it! Our kids are getting way more than they need! What’s new, huh? I have bags of toys crammed on my closet shelves (half hidden) and more up in the attic. I can’t even remember what all I’ve bought! The little ones have their parties tomorrow, B on Friday and G has his program at school Friday. Then they are OUT OF SCHOOL for over 2 weeks! Pros and cons to that – hopefully they won’t get bored and I can SLEEP IN! Back to monogramming…
Filed Under: Applique Cafe, Design, Supplies | Tagged:

The ATL!!

Posted by on October 28, 2010
My birthday was in September and Jeff & I were supposed to go on a mini trip to Reynold’s Plantation in Georgia. Busy-ness thwarted our plans (I opted out due to our heavy schedule) so we rescheduled and went to ATLANTA this week to shop and spend the night! It was a great little 36 hour trip! Monday I shopped ~ we had no plans other than finding a Forever 21 store which we found at Perimeter Mall. I had visited this store once before on another Georgia trip and wanted to go back. I am FAR from 21, but they have a HUGE store  (like 4 stores) in Perimeter Mall and Jeff so kindly sat outside on a bench while I shopped! I got several cute sweaters and racked up on costume jewelry!! Sometimes you just need a fun necklace to throw on with that plain black top. Most of the below were BELOW $8!! The cross necklaces were like $4.80. Most everything in the store is very reasonable and unique!
We also hit Anthropologie, Restoration Hardware, a Container Store and I hit Marshalls too and found some great bargains! If we saw a store we liked, we’d just stop and go look. Haven’t done that in FOREVER!! I can’t even remember the last time we strolled through a Mall! Oh, and we ate Cheesecake Factory for lunch! Monday night we walked a block from our hotel and ate at BONES, which was Y-U-M-M-O!! Monday was tons of fun and a successful shopping trip for ME (always fun to find fall clothes when it’s 88 degrees outside in late October).
Tuesday, we visited SEWINGMACHINE.COM (the Atlanta store of course). We got a great tour of the place from Steve and there was so much to see that we had to leave for lunch and then go back! Here are some of the pics I took. My wide angle lens is in the shop, so I had to use my other lens for these pics and it wasn’t easy to get the good shots!
These are GIGANTIC rolls of Stabilizer! Now that I think about it I didn’t even look at the price on these. I’m guessing people who mass produce or mass applique/embroider things buy these – factories maybe?
When we got there Steve immediately took us outside to a SewingMachine.com truck that was backed up to the loading dock. In the back were these SIXTEEN PR650’s that a customer had purchased and he was getting ready to have delivered! WOW!!
There was embroidery thread for days!
Here is the ISACORD wall!
This was a very LONG room FULL of industrial type demo sewing machines, sergers, etc. Amazing sight!

These are a couple of the mega rolls of STABILIZER! I would have taken one home but I don’t think I have room in my dining room for these…

They also sell lots of cute acrylic blanks for the CAD cutting machines – they sell embroidery paper and all of your vinyl and ink sheets for vinyl cutting, ink sheets for t-shirts, etc. Vinyl cutting as in the car window monograms, decals, etc. that you see everywhere right now. As you can see below, sippy cups, mugs, snack containers, etc for the embroidery paper inserts.
And here is a magnificent 4 head embroidery machine! I could really crank out some stuff with this!
While we were there Steve’s sister was printing shirts, people were in and out buying supplies, machines were being serviced, etc. It is a busy place! They sell anything and everything related to sewing and embroidery (among other things). Jeff & I were amazed! I also learned how to use the cap hoop so I’m anxious to do a couple of visors I’ve had since this Summer to do. Great trip and I’m so glad I finally got to see the infamous ATLANTA store! I asked Steve how they handle internet orders since everything comes out of that store. He said the UPS man comes at a certain time every day so when it gets close to that time, they pass out orders and everyone helps get them together to ship.
We also visited InTown Quilters in Decatur, GA (my 2nd trip to this fabulous fabric/quilting store). I will post those pics later since this post is already long!
I sampled a zig zag tiara yesterday and have 2 more AC designs to sample today. As you can see, I’ve changed my blog to match our website and there is now a BLOG link ON the website (www.appliquecafe.com). I also went through and deleted a bunch of right column pictures yesterday and am going to try to update them more. I know you all get tired of seeing the same ole pictures!
Back to work! p.s., our house was videoed while we were gone, so we’re just waiting for it and the photos to be edited and handed over to the listing agent. Hopefully we’ll have a sign in the yard soon!
Filed Under: Shopping, Supplies | Tagged: Tagged With:
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