WOW!

My husband took the day off today (lucky for us) and helped get the new Baby Lock Embroidery Professional PLUS (BMP9) out of the box and set up!  You know, I’ve seen lots of sewing machines introduced over the past 15 years, and every time I’m just a bit of a skeptic.  I always want to solidify my opinion as both a consumer AND a salesperson.  So, at Baby Lock Tech, I really didn’t investigate the BMP9–I figured it was just the latest version of an already great machine and I’d see what it did (extra) when it arrived at the store.  Boy, was it worth the wait!  Karen & I nearly giggled at the screen when it came on.  Love the screensaver and the resolution and the little jingle that played when I turned it on, but again, I wanted to see what it was going to “do for me.”  It IS  “all that” and more…trust me.  It’s a machine I’d really feel great about buying and owning and while it went up just a smidge in price from the BMP8, the features more than justify the cost.  While this is not an all-inclusive list, here’s what we’ve discovered today.  The new BMP9 has “features that stand out for embroidery that’s outstanding!“

The screen:  Bigger, more beautiful, and more user friendly, if you can believe that!  You can use your stylus (or mouse!) to move the objects on the screen without using the arrow keys.

Fonts:  Trust me–these are fabulous!  With 28 fonts, there are several usable scripts, including the Exclusive Baby Lock script, and great fonts that will make sports & logo embroidery pop.  And, you can turn off the trims in between letters on the lettering screen without going to another screen–a really super feature when embroidering small lettering!

USB Port & CPU Processor:  You can put up to a 32 GB flash drive in this baby.  They’ve anticipated that we’re all going to go bigger over time, and this machine will be able to utilize the new technology.  The processing speed is 3 times faster than the old model, and it shows.

Lighting:  Two LED lights that stay on, or that you can turn off.  ‘Nuf said.

Threading:  You can move the needle case over for threading (or moving the machine) from the very first screen, instead of having to be in the “sew” screen.  Those of you with older models know the value of this.

Features:  Basting (built-in), duplicating (built-in), borders (built-in), auto applique (built-in) & monogram designs (built-in)

If you’ve been debating whether or not you should upgrade your embroidery machine, the new Baby Lock BMP9 could be the machine you’ve been waiting for.  I know it has impressed me already.  This machine might just be the soulmate to my new Evolution serger!  Guess I’ll have to make room!

Coming Attractions

Thought you’d want to see some of  what’s going to be coming in the near future!

Hey, What’s Going On?

This is something I get asked often and to which I usually reply, “Not much.”  Sometimes, I think to myself it might be funny to actually recount everything that happens in the day at the store…I’ll bet you don’t want to know what’s really going on!

Like most sewers, I spend a lot of time dreaming up sewing projects.  Recently, I’ve even spent some time sewing!  Check out Patty Young’s new pattern, Julia.  It’s a clever little full swing double-tiered skirt and I really loved making it with the Odyssea fabric from MoMo (Moda).  It was Patty’s suggestion to use this combination and I think it is very seasonal and cheerful!  We’ve sold many yards of Sweetwater’s (Moda) authentic line since it arrived.  You’d better hurry in for some of it while it lasts; it is sold out and I can’t reorder.  But, I’m happy to report that Friday I’ll be ordering their new line “Life is…” and it’s equally clever.  I even used Sweetwater’s patterns to create some store samples.  Each one turned out great.  I used Odyssea again for a blue tunic for my niece in Colorado.  I think it’ll look great with jeans.  And, if you look closely, you’ll see one sneak peek of something that might come your way in the future–check out the dolly in the photo.  Yes, she’s wearing the Frida top and the Sophie 3-way pants from Patty Young’s Modkid pattern line.  Too cute, right?!

Today the Snap Sack Quilters come by and we’ve had 2 night classes already this week.  Saturday is our Kid’s Club sewing…it’ll be a busy week.  We’ve snuck 2 fun opportunities into our fall lineup:  Thursday, October 29th, we’ll have an embroidery machine make-it-take-it.  You’ll get to use an embroidery machine to create a candle cozy and there’ll be a stabilizer lecture/demo and refreshments.  It’s for anyone who’s got the “itch” to try before they buy!  On Friday, November 13th, we’ll “Tie One On” with a Ladies’ Night.  Refreshments and sewing–what better way to spend a Friday night?  We’ll be creating ties for men and boys, just in time for you to give for holiday gifts or to use in family holiday photos!  Call or email for more details.

So, that’s part of what’s been going on here…come in soon to fill us in on what’s going on with you!

Tie One On

About a week ago, I showed a customer some great fabric and told her of my plans to make something for a boy–a little vest and a tie for the holidays.  So, yesterday, a group of customers and I brainstormed about some of our fabric that would make great ties!  We have plenty of super selections for that man or boy in your life and you can use this tutorial to get directions for both versions.  The olive print is perfect for your martini enthusiast and the numbers provide tongue-in-cheek fun for your favorite actuary, accountant or math teacher!  I’ve folded each fabric on the bias so you can see exactly how it’d turn out for you and if you click on the individual photos, there is a listing of the fabric line & manufacturer.  Now that I’ve done nearly all the work for you, all you have to do is buy, cut & SEW!

Lost Files

My husband always mocks my digital camera.  When our kids were young, I had an SLR camera with all the lenses, bounce flash and more, and, if I don’t mind saying so myself, I took some pretty good photos even though I’d never taken any photography lessons.  Of course, I had some awesome subjects to photograph–my beautiful toddlers!  But, when digital cameras came out, I had to have one.  The kids were older and we were taking sports photos, so it seemed logical and I love technology.  The net result of this was that we never saw any more photos!  They’re all safely stashed away on my computer hard drive and now, my separate external drive, even though I have a great photo printer and plenty of paper!  I just never print them out.  Thus, my husband’s complaint.  And, I’ll admit that another effect of digital point & shoot photography is that my  skills declined as I relied on auto focus and everything else–I’m just too lazy to care.

I digress…I was taking photos this morning for a blog post I’ve got planned, and ran across these photos on my camera card from Baby Lock Tech that I never shared with you!  You’ll see Marion from technical service, the tech “in” box, Nancy Zieman, Steve Jeffrey and some pictures (the lighting was horrible in the classrooms) of some examples from the Sashiko machines.  Better late than never!  (And, of course, now, I can delete these from my camera card, as they are all safely saved on some hard drive!)

Gadget Girl

I love gadgets…and sewing gadgets are especially fun.  Who knew sewing could be made simpler.  That’s just what a gadget is for, really.  Take a troublesome task and figure out a way to improve the outcome or reduce the steps.  Translate this into “easier and faster!”  I’ve been helping a friend, Patty Young, get some sewing done for the Houston Quilt Market, and that gave me the opportunity to get some real sewing done for a change.  I dug out some of my favorite old gadgets and picked up a few new ones, too.  The results were fun (Patty will reveal all of this later) and I thought I’d share a few sewing tips with you.  Of course, we carry these products and “sew much more”, at the store!

Have trouble folding up that 1/2″ or 1″ hem?  Well, the EZ-Hem Gauge is for you.  Since I discovered this great item, I’ve purchased one for myself and my sewing daughter.  It has markings at 1/4″, 1/2″, 5/8″, 1″ and up to 4″.  One of the edges is even curved, so you can mark up your rounded hems.  Put your fabric wrong side up, on the ironing board.  Lay the EZ-Hem Gauge on top of the fabric, showing the marking you want to use.  Fold your fabric UP to the line, and then, press with your iron.  It’s metal and so you can press right on it.  It might get a little warm, so be careful when you pick it up to move to the next spot.  But, because it conducts heat, it really presses in the crease!  Perfect!

I also tried this terrific new marking tool from Clover.  Maybe it’s not new, but it’s new to me.  It is marketed for quilters, and called the Fabric Folding Pen.  I thought how perfect would that be to mark the fold line for casings and tucks while sewing.  You just fill the pen with water to the marked line, add 4-5 drops of the solution and screw the cap back on.  Then, off to marking!  I was able to mark that pesky 1/4″ fold line for the 1/2″ casings with ease.  And, I could also mark the tuck lines for the AVA pattern from ModKid.

Last, but certainly not least, I adore the Baby Lock Edge Joining Foot.  Traditionally used by heirloom sewers to join laces and edgings together simply and without any gaps, I’ve found this to be my foot of choice when it comes to topstitching.  You can ride that blade against the edge of the fabric, and adjust your needle position to be the desired distance either to the left or right of the blade.  I’ve been choosing the far left needle position when doing normal topstitching, but to do little 1/8″ pintucks, I’ve set my needle position to 1.0 and put the blade right against the folded edge of the fabric.  Straight and consistent every time!  The Baby Lock 1/4″ foot with guide is also a stellar performer when putting in the perfect 1/4″ tucks.  Again, fold the fabric, line the blade against the folded edge, and stitch.  Remember to use one of the two folding gadgets I’ve described, and not only will your stitching be professional looking, but it’ll be quick and simple!  Enjoy!

Happy Jacks!

Our young sewers were here on Saturday and what fun we had making the door hanger.  The girls pieced together strips of orange fabrics to make a pumpkin shaped quilted piece and then, with the heat of an iron, transformed their little pumpkins into cute jack-o-lanterns!  Don’t you just love Steam-a-Seam?!  Claire always knows how to make us laugh;  this time she turned her jack’s smile into a frown.  But, don’t let that fool you.  Claire’s sweet disposition might get that jack to turn his frown into a smile before too long!  Our late afternoon group was full of brand new sewers, but you’d never know…their sweet jacks were as happy as all the rest.  Somehow I missed my photo session with that middle group of sewers — busy with customers.  Sorry, girls…Another fun project is planned for October;  hope to see everyone back on October 24th!

Late Night Fun

We had our Open House last night and I hope everyone enjoyed themselves.  There was a little mingling, but everyone took their seats, anticipating the special guest, Patty Young.  Patty gave us her background and her budding success story.  It was really fun to see how many people were interested in how her career has evolved (yes I had to get the Baby Lock serger reference in) and it’s so endearing that she truly values her fans and customers.  She is so impressed with some of our interpretations of her fabrics;  I, for one, am anxious to see what y’all will do with her new line, Flora & Fauna.  Yes, yes, yes, I will order it as soon as Marc can type in the skus!

Here are some fact-oids for you!

• No, Karen & I do not wear matching clothes to work.  This was a special occasion.
• Yes, I have had to take a hammer to a few machines other than Patty’s.  You’ll never know (& you don’t want to….)
• Laurel’s kerchief kid’s top had French seams inside–wow!!  And, she made those adorable bell bottom jeans in just one night, staying up until 1 am so we could have them at the store yesterday.  Thanks Laurel, and great job!
• Did you notice Cathie’s vintage buttons on her infant set?  Bonus points for that!
• On her simple and tasteful cami, Janet got bonus points for a perfect rolled edge (yes, Baby Lock serger reference again!)  Can’t wait to see that with jeans and the green cardigan, Janet.
• Patty was torn in the purse category because her daughters would covet the sweet pink Mezzanine backpack.  It is the pattern My Favorite Backpack from Turkey Track designs.
• The perfect solid brown fabric to go with the Andalucia fabrics was found by Pam at Hobby Lobby (true confessions!)
• The new Evolution sergers will arrive here from California on the 16th, according to Fed Ex. (Are you counting the Baby Lock serger references?)
• Yes, all of Patty’s 4 new patterns will be available at Sew Much More as soon as they are shipped (expect early November).
• It was Godiva coffee (chocolate creme) last night!
• Brownies and those delicious pretzels (& banana bread) came from the new Fresh Market grocery.  They told me those peanut butter filled pretzels also come dipped in chocolate.  Too bad I didn’t notice them BEFORE the check out!
• Best compliment of the night–Jamie admitted her husband said I might be her “new best friend” once she bought her new Evolve serger (yes, another BL serger reference!)  Of course, she’s so delightful, I’d hope to be her friend anyway!

We had 4 category winners for the Patty Young challenge.  Patty came by early to view and she has a keen eye for detail.  Drumroll, please….the winner for Home Decor was Carolyn for her table runner (bonus points for fussy cutting the center squares so the vine went right down the center!); purses and totes winner was Pam (yes, Patty thought the rich brown solid really showed impeccable taste and attention to detail!); adult garment winner was Janet for her cami; child’s garment winner was Cathie!  Door prizes were also drawn–Val, Kathy and Mary were the winners there.

I can’t wait to do it again!  We’ll launch some other fantastic something or just throw a party.  I did not do a shout-out last night to my best side-kicks (the unhired help)…Pam L., Janet and of course, Karen.  Without them, it would not have been as much fun!  Thanks, chickadees!

It’s SEW Simple!

Today I spend my morning with the new software exclusively designed for the Baby Lock Jewel and the Pinnacle frame.  I was so amazed at how simple it is!  And, it is also affordable.  You’ll get all the features that the professional setup offers you, but the simple approach that makes it easy for even a beginner to use.  You can select your quilt pattern from one of the 200 built-in, unique designs or one of the 100 exclusive Baby Lock designs.  You can also create your own patterns,  in the included design software!  You’ll be able to combine designs to create your very own look and also create your own specially sized pantagraphs.  You can go directly from your pattern design to your quilt without connecting anything and then, go back to your free motion quilting without disconnecting anything!  Some systems require you to disconnect the carriage or the belts.  Not with QuiltMotion!  You have unlimited freedom to create your very own unique quilt patterns, confirm exactly what that pattern will look like BEFORE you quilt your design, size it EXACTLY to the block or section you want and place it PERFECTLY on your quilt.  Yes, all that…

This afternoon, I got to work on the newest innovation in serger technology, the Baby Lock Evolution!  Like its new “sister”, the Enlighten, the Evolution has a new pure light system with 3 LED lights gives you brighter lighting and yes, you can see the needle area even better with the LED lighting that’s on the right-hand side of the machine.  The stitch length is adjustable from .75-4 mm, giving you even greater precision and the new precise, patented system makes for easier sewing around curves.  Coupled with the already patented features of the Baby Lock sergers, I can almost certainly guarantee that the Evolution and the Enlighten are the easiest sergers to thread and the most trouble-free sergers in the market today.  I didn’t even mention the new threading system, that allows you to thread the machine with just one finger and the press of a button.   There are more terrific features on these machines and we’ll have them in the store as soon as they’re available.

I’m off to see more new Baby Lock and Tacony products this evening.  Did I mention the new Koala sewing studios?  Off to see those and sew much more…stay tuned!

It’s ExtraordinAir!!

Just when you thought the Baby Lock people had uncovered everything about serger technology, they come up with even more to make serging (& sewing) more exciting and easier, too.  Last night we were introduced to the new Baby Lock Evolution serger.  It has true lighting and what’s more, it threads every looper all with one push of a button.  Yes, the Evolve and Imagine all thread with a puff of air, but this new technology is even better and easier (& more fun, I’ll admit!)  I’m finally committed to having my own serger with the cover stitch, now that I’m sewing more than ever, and the Evolution will make its way home ASAP!

We peeked into a classroom last night and my DH was amazed that the Jewel was sewing without anyone “driving” it.  That’s right!  The new Baby Lock QuiltMotion software allows you to program the Jewel to quilt for you.  I am attending that class first thing this morning, so I’ll report this afternoon.

I saw the Sashiko machine, too, and love it.  I will be taking those classes tomorrow.  On tap for me today is QuiltMotion and Evolution.  There are 17 new Baby Lock machines this fall, or something like that.  Tonight we see the new products and Koala cabinets, too.

Last night was fun, as always.  Steve Jeffrey let me take a photo of his sashiko vest (he remarked that he was flashing people all night!).  I ran into Nancy Zieman, almost literally, tripped over her shoe, with a drink in my hand.  I probably looked as stupid as I felt.  I think she may have been mortified.  But, she was gracious and allowed me to take her photo and listened to my anecdote of a customer telling me on Thursday how, if the Baby Lock machine was good enough for Nancy, it was good enough for her.  How many times has she heard something like that?!   She is definitely a good sport.  Her new series is fantastic, as always, and there are plenty of books to go along with the topics she’s going to cover.  We WILL stock them all as soon as they are available.

This is not free Wi-Fi at the beautiful Hyatt Regency Riverfront.  But, I splurged so I can keep you updated.  Lucky you!  We have a view of the Arch from our classrooms, our hotel room is lovely and the bathroom is nicely decorated with great fixtures and decor (I always notice the faucets!)  Off to breakfast once I get my face on…More later!