Fall Classes! Come Join Us for Fun Gifts and Decor

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Sewing Bears in Highland Sewing Center Join us for a free class and help a cause!

Join the Excitement inMerrillville Sewing Center

Learn to make bears---and join the fun!          Making bears out of upcycled items and donating to Hospice is an event that Joan is holding every Thursday. You can learn to make these bears as you help bring comfort to local hospice patients and families.  So won't you bring your sewing machine and join us for some fun for a good cause? Thursday 8 AM -2 PM in Highland.      The Great Pumpkins  We're working on this beautiful fall tablerunner for your hall or dining table. Call the sewing center for dates and times.       Frosty Has Arrived in Highland! Don't you love this quilt full of friendly snowman? Imagine curling up on the couch, dreaming of your next sewing project, a snow storm raging outside, and this quilt wrapped around you and that loved one. It would brighten up the home all winter long too. Come learn some skills, enjoy the comradery of a sewing class, and have fun! It would be easy to adapt the pattern to a pillow if you don't have the time for a quilt. So Hurry! Call the store at (219)838-5434 to register.              Stay Tuned---New Classes Added all the time! Watch our web calendar---we've got all kinds of Holiday classes in the planning stage to help you out with your holiday decor and gift giving. Watch out for cute ornaments, elegant gift card holders, and warm family quilts---just a sampling of what we're doing this holiday season. Come join us for the fun!

Spooky things are happening in Merrillville Sewing Center! Quick and easy Haunted House Come join us October 5th and create your own Haunted House. Call the Merrillville Sewing Center to reserve your spot! Christmas Town                        We're working on the Christmas Town Quilt and wow! It is beautiful and so much fun! Each block is done in the hoop and shows one scene in the Christmas Town. Jan just finished the sample and it is adorable. Stop in the store and have a look and sign up to get in on the fun. Applique Quilt Great as a quiltor make a pillow!  This very attractive quilt teaches you how to use the feet that came with your machine and introduces you to new feet that are available to make all your sewing more professional and unique. We love this idea--each block teaches new techniques and feet. Won't you come join us? Call today. Christmas is Coming We have a number of Christmas projects in the works so stay tuned! Keep an eye on the website calendar as new classes are added all the time.  If you have any questions call us at 219-736-7748 or shoot us an inquiry on our website.                                                                       Recent Husqvarna/Viking Event Our recent Husqvarna/Viking event days were so informative and fun we are considering offering more! We gained such wonderful tips and ideas. And what a demonstration of 5D Professional and just what it can do! Watch for more programs like this one to keep you inspired!

 

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Wow! What a Notion!

During a recent event we saw how easy it was to sew flat, finished on both sides seams using a flat felled foot. This is really the easiest way to get great looking seams on garments.

And there's an added bonus you can get out of this foot. Have you ever needed to make not so wide ties for a project out of a thin strip of fabric? You can try to iron and sew accurately but the strip is so small that it makes the job difficult.

But with the flat felled foot the job is nearly automatic and so easy. We can help show you how and if you're ever stuck at 2:00 in the morning or at 5:00 on a Sunday afternoon, here's a handy Husqvarna Viking video to show you the trick to a flat felled foot.

On sale this week only. See store for complete details.

     


 

Spooky Halloween Sewing Projects

Last year  seven tiny teenagers descended on a local fabric store to hunt fabric for Halloween Costumes. The seven had a ballerina costume in mind and wanted tulle and patterns to make matchhing tutu's. What a lovely picture they would make, all in different colors, tiny ballerina's to the Halloween Party. The only problem standing in their way was that they couldn't get any advice at the fabric store.

You will always find a lot of friendly advice at Northwest Indiana Sewing Centers. Whether you're in Merrillville or Highland, we have a knowledgeable staff to answer questions and provide the tools you need to have a great holiday season. We have classes, like our Pumpkin Patch Tablerunner that teaches applique and we have unique designs like the Anita Goodesign Halloween Quilt full of fun ideas that could be used for pillows, treatbags, aprons, or costumes.

And if the tiny ballerinas needed advice on how much and what fabric to buy and how to best sew their tutu's, we'd be right there with help to make their Halloween a treat.

We've scoured the net and here are some Halloween project ideas we like for home decorating, costumes, and parties. Have a spooky time sewing for Halloween!

• Super cute costumes and tutorials on BHG site. 
• A spooky embroidery design from the Singer Sewing site.
• A reversible pillow topper from BHG.
• A jester's hat on the Husqvarna/Viking Site.
• For the King a cape from Husqvarna/Viking.
• And if your Princess needs a bag for her treats. Why not this one?

And for more inspiration come by the store where we'll be getting together to sew up ghouls, ghosts, and goblins for a spooky Halloween.

 

 

Wow What a Notion!

One thing that is a challenge when going from sewing garments from patterns to quilting is that 1/4 inch seam.

It has to be so precise and there is so little room for error. If you're having problems with piecing your quilts on that 1/4 inch accurately that is the time to come by the sewing center and find some help.

One gadget that might just help you with accuracy is this clear quarter inch piecing foot. It's clear so you can see where you're going and where you've been and it has a handy flange that rides the edge of the fabric and keeps your seam exactly where it's supposed to be.

And, best of all, it's on sale this week---so hurry in and get one! See the store for complete details.

     

Sewing Tip

 

A water soluble stabilizer topper is a must when embroidering fabrics such as towels, velvets, or anything with a nap. You can also hoop a couple of sheets of soluble and use as a backing for projects such as lace. If necessary, for added stability you can sew together 2 sheets of water soluble using water soluble thread.

 

Water soluble thread and stabilizers should be kept in a sealed plastic container when not in use, otherwise you'll return and find that your solubles have turned to hard, unusuable lumps.  

 

And be sure to mark that bobbin of water soluble and place it in the plastic container---wouldn't want to confuse water soluble with usual thread.

 

Happy National Sewing Month!

Did you know that September is national Sewing Month? To celebrate we are having a sale on feet this month. For a limited time selected feet are on sale. Here's what we have on special this week and next:

 

 

Hurry in to the store; this is a limited time offer and some restrictions apply (see the store for details.)

 

5D Professional's Portrait Stitch---the Possiblities!

One thing that we were really dazzled by during the Husqvarna/Viking event on 5D Professional Embroidery Software was the Portrait Stitch component. Sewing Star and Husqvarna/Viking Associate, Deb North gave us some tips on making stitched portraits with pizazz.

Deb says that because portraits are stitch intensive a good, heavy duty fabric is a must. Use a fusible and a no show mesh and cut away/tear away stabilizer.

And the more thread colors for skin tone the better---the sewing center can provide you with a complete set of skin tones for your particular ethnicity so that your portraits can come out looking like your family.

And a last tip: make sure the background on the picture that you choose frames the face well and is a different color than the face it's framing.

There are so many things that you can do with these portraits. In addition to framing, why not stitch a family tree quilt and include pictures of all? Take old pictures of the Great Grandma's and Grandpa's and stitch a gorgeous heirloom--the possibilities!

And as usual, we're here for you if you get stuck or need help for those things that are just not quite right. Come see us for all your sewing needs today!

Sewing Tip---Helping you to Sew better

Do you sometimes get those nasty birds nests underneath your hoop and into the bobbin compartment when doing machine embroidery? Sewing expert and Husqvarna Viking enthusiast Deb North says there's an easy solution to that problem.

And it's called the Straight Stitch Needle Plate or the Straight Stitch Plate. This needle plate has a smaller hole than the regular plate so it's not going to allow that thread to get all tangled up down there!

Stop by the sewing center today and get your fix to this pesky problem.