threading an old Kenmore

Ignore the straw on the needle screw. The arm of my walking foot was eating into the screw so I had to put a 'protector' on it.  

Click on the photos and you can see them larger. 

Step 1 - bring thread left and around thread guide.

Step 2 - Down right side next to tension dial

 Step 3- up left side

 Step 4 - to the right of the hook and go behind

Step 5 - bring thread to the left, catching hook

Step 6 - Bring thread back down

Step 7 - Bring thread to back of metal loop

Step 8 - pull forward and thread should catch into front loop

 Step 9 - thread needle from front to back

 

Sympathy card

 Made for a friend a few years ago.

Quilt label

 I forgot to include this in yesterday's post. 

This is the label I made to attach to the quilt for my daughter. (That's my initials with last name hidden under the strip of paper.) I used different stamps and some very careful, repeated application of paint. Heat set with the iron.

 

I actually forgot to make it before I wrapped the quilt so I ended up sewing it on after she opened it on Christmas. LOL

 

Irish chain quilt

 Not the best photos. A quilt I made for my daughter this past Christmas. Click the photos to see larger. (after you do that you can right click and open image in a new tab to see it at the full uploaded size if you want)

This first pic where I'm getting the layers layered gives you a better idea of the pattern before it's quilted.

This photo gives you a better idea of the patterns as the light colored blocks in the other photos make them appear white but they are actually a white print on a tan background. The dragonfly print is really pretty, too. I wanted a color closer to the background color of the dragonfly fabric but it wasn't to be.

These were the first 2 fabrics I had bought.

 This photo I'm showing what I used for the backing. I wish my photos were better so you could see that actual colors.

 

It ended up looking okay but I had really struggled with the quilting and feeding it through my machine so there's actually all kinds of uneven stitches from larger than they were supposed to be to super tiny. 

Here's the end result of the full quilt. I really wish I had a better pic!

Acid/acid-free glue test

 I did this a few years ago and found my old post from a message board so I could save it on my blog. It's from March 2022.  I had been mulling over the issue of acid-free (or not) glue for scrapbooking.  My conclusion is we've been 'had' and it's not necessary to spend a lot of money for glue.  Some people don't think it's scientific enough (like the fact that the pen was designed for paper) but as far as I'm concerned, seeing as there's different results with different products, I'm not sure the 'testing equipment' used makes all that much of a difference. (Like, do you people really think there'd be totally different results if I'd used litmus paper instead because they are liquids?)  You're free to consider these results I got or blow it off and do your own thing. Makes no difference to me but thought I'd share for the sake of others it might matter to. 

For reference (as you can see in my note below about the package being definitely acidic) - the more yellow, the more acidic. Purple is considered 'acid free'. (the package actually said yellow or clear is acidic but I've never seen anything I've used it on be clear.)

I have an OLD pH pen from Fiskars but it still works. I started scribbling on different stuff. Then I made a little blob of the Aleene's original and their (supposedly) acid free. Let it dry and tested the pen. Tried it again, same results. 
I made an 'official' swatch. 😉 
Here's the results, with the back of the package sampled, too. (Definitely acidic.) 
My camera coloring is off but the results are obvious. The Aleene's 'acid free' is the worst.

 

This was my original sampling on copy paper above the 'official' swatch. I'm still not over the Aleene's 'acid free' being the opposite!

Creating with Sketches October

 One and two page sketches for October.

Creating with sketches September

 One and two page sketches for September. 

Creating with sketches August

 One and two page sketches for August.

Creating with Sketches July

 One and two page sketches for July 2024. Click for larger picture to download and print.

 

missing credit: Nicole

Creating with sketches June

 One and two page sketches for May 2024. Click for larger picture to download and print.