The Bobbin Buzz & Stitchin' Bits

" Since I started using Fabric Spray I have constantly had to clean the counter tops and machines, etc. Everything had fabric spray on it. I have found that using a plastic grocery bag from the store helps Just open the bag, lay the piece to be spray inside and spray away No residue everywhere Just throw the plastic bag away afterwards."

Thanks for the tip Dora!

A new set for members in the Design Depot on Nita's Place this week is "Pina Colada". Use these designs when you're in the mood for island breezes and sunny days and lots of possibilities.

Readers of the "Daily News" on Digitizer's World will remember the changes we made last Fall when we switched formats from the "In-Line" layout to the "photo-gallery" layout. I received a lot of feedback from readers at that time who felt the in-line layout was easier to read and required no "clicks" to see all the details about the designs being shown off. I also heard from a lot of readers who liked the new format much better.

If you can't recall what these two different styles looked like, you can click here to see the "In-Line" style and click here to see the "photo-gallery" style.

Here's your chance to express your opinion on which YOU like better and why. I've created a survey about the Daily News and would appreciate you taking 5 minutes to answer the questions and let us know which is better for you.

At the same time - you'll be telling dozens of the most popular digitizers on the web what you want in the way of new designs, design sizes, and more.

" I have found the Mr Clean Magic Eraser to clean all the goo off your hoops works like a charm and no residue is left . They're like new. "

" Cut the top and bottom off a 2-litre pop bottle. Center the 'tube' that is left on your stabilizer, and spray inside the tube. Voila! spray is only on the stabilizer, and the 'tube' catches the overspray. This can be reused many times. "

Last Saturday we went to lunch and parked near a "SMART" car. I've seen them in some movies shot in Europe but I didn't know they were available in the USA. I looked them up this morning and here's a few answers to the questions that were in my mind...

The one we saw was a convertible ($16,000 + options) and was really cute! It's worth a look if it's time for a new car and you're thinking about gas mileage...

(This question was from our Computer Help Forum where you'll always find a helping hand with your computer and software questions.)

I am a novice at digitizing, but I wish I had better control of moving lines, etc. I have a cheaper mouse and wondered if there is a good mouse for digitizers?

Answers...

There are several ways to go. If you're using a mouse with a ball on the bottom then you can move up to an "optical" mouse. It's not as "jerky" as the old ball-style mosuse. Prices for good brand names are around $20 - $29 for an optical mouse.

The next step up is a "laser" mouse. The laser works a little better than the "optical" mouse. It has a slightly noticable improvement in accuracy.

Many people like using a pen & tablet instead of a mouse. Wacom makes a line called the "graphire" and another one called the "Intuos" which is a step up from the graphire. They come in various sizes and start under $100 for the "graphire" and go up to over $500 for the larges "Intuos". Some people swear by them. Others find they don't improve anything.

The last step on the ladder is the Wacom "Cintique" or "DTF" tablets. They are computer monitors with touch sensitive screens. Prices start around $1,000 for these. I've already written an article about them and members of ATW can read it here...

-- Larry

Thanks Faryn for the question! This question was from our Computer Help Forum where you'll always find a helping hand with your computer and software questions.

We also offer a VIDEO on CD that plays in your computer and shows you Basic Computer Skills For Embroidery!

"Little Sea Friends" are available at Nita's Sampler Page!

Digitized by Nita O'Keefe / Artwork by Embroideryartsite.com / available for free from 3/3/08 to 3/9/08 - available to members of NitasPlace always!

The following 3 members were chosen as Photo Contest Winners for posting photo's in February...

Picture# / Member
27593 tizzylishy
27590 czgrad
27764 ashberry

Each of you has won a free 1-year membership extension at www.ArtisticThreadWorks.com and your membership has already been extended.

Congratulations to you and thank you to all who enter photo's in our Photo Gallery every month. Thanks to your contributions we now have over 28,000+ embroidery project photos in our galleries!

You can click any of the numbers above to see their photos.

Help yourself to this week's weekly sampler designs called " Mice-N-Cheese "

This set of designs is free for 1 week to guests from 3/5/08 to 3/11/08. They're always free to members, so why not become a member now? What are you waiting for - really?! JOIN US HERE!

We have a Winner in the February Photo contest and it is ......... Keneta Stinnett aka windwillow! Keneta, you have just won a 1 year membership to Nita's Place. Congratulations!!

In the "ATW February Photo Contest" below - I forgot to change the photos that the links take you to. So I was showing pictures from last August by mistake! I've corrected that now and the links will take you to the current photo contest winners!

-- Larry

" Most people know that you can save valuable wss by stitching the pieces together with ws thread. I go a bit further though. I stitch my cutaway pieces together to make larger squares. I haven't had any interference with embroidering the designs. I like to keep my scraps of tearaway handy now as a great duster! It's right there, and just give my machine a quick once over.

I also use bits of it for cleaning out my bobbin case. It's great because it's lint free. It is also absorbant enough to to add a dab of oil and swab my bobbin case and its holder with a bit of oil. Good for dusting off your computer screen and with a little windex sprayed on , your screen on your embroidery machine too! "

" NEVER try to do embroidery with a one year old grandson in your lap. It just doesn't work out very well. It's like an octapus sitting in you lap grabbing stuff from every direction all at once. "

Help yourself to this weeks Friday Freebie design set - "Medical Minis"! These are for everyone that is a subscriber to our free weekly newsletter here!

kjalexander6 @ msn.com has just won a 3-month membership at ArtisticThreadWorks! You can claim the prize here... www.ArtisticThreadWorks.com/PrizeClaim before noon tomorrow.

Here's a picture of ONE of this week's design sets...

Members of ATW can download all of this week's new designs, along with more than 16,000 other designs in the "Design Library"... Join Here!

Have you started something and not finished it? That's a UFO or "Un-Finished-Object". Got a UFO in a bag or box sitting on a shelf? That's a PIPS or "Project in A Paper Sack".

You'll need a box of "Tall Kitchen Bags" and a magic marker or "Sharpie" for this but you'll be thankful you did it.

Now gather all your project together in one spot. (Fight off the urge to resume working on any of them at least for the moment.) And sort through them as follows...

Make space for 3 piles of these UFOs AND PIPS...

PILE #1: Make one stack for those projects that would no longer be possible to finish OR that if you did finish you wouldn't have any use for the project. Maybe its a size 2T shirt for your grandson. It was a great idea when you started it, but he's now in his freshman year of college. Or maybe it's a set of placemats with fabric that matches your camper - but it's the camper you traded in 3 years ago. You get the idea. Call this "Pile 1".

PILE #2: Make the next stack for those projects you started but really don't have a desire to finish. You're just not interested. Everything is there, it COULD be finished, but you really don't have a desire to do this anymore. Call this "Pile 2".

PILE #3: Make the final stack for those projects that you REALLY LOVE and YOU WANT TO FINIsh someday... "When I have time". Call this "Pile 3".

Now get a box full of "Tall Kitchen Bags" from under your kitchen sink or in the pantry or wherever you store them. Place each project inside one of those bags. Use a "Sharpie" marker to put a number on each bag... 1, 2, or 3... along with a one-word description of the project.

Everything in a #3 bag goes into your sewing or craft room to start with. Put them all in one area that you can get to easily. You'll need these later!

Now make a brief list on paper of everything in bags numbers 1 or 2 and an estimate of the cost of the stuff in that bag. When you're done with this list, put it in with your tax documents you're collecting for 2008. They may be tax deductible!

Choose which of the following places will get everything in the #2 and #1 bags. Senior Center? Shelter with workshop? Charity Rummage Sale? AmVets? Salvation Army? Figure out which place you can give these projects to and get them out of your house now. After you drop them off, drive your car to the nearest DQ or Starbucks or whatever is your favorite treat place and treat yourself! You've done something good today AND you've cleaned out your sewing or craft room AND you've taken a burden off your conscience by "completing" a whole bunch of unfinished projects!

Now about the #3 projects... the ones you really want to do "someday".

I just checked my calendar. It has a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and a Sunday. But there's no "someday" on my calendar! Take a look at your calendar. If there's a "someday" I want you to circle it. If there ISN'T a "someday" on it, then it's time for you to pick another day. Pick one. Any of the days that are on the calendar. Maybe Saturday is a good one for you. Or maybe Tuesday's are good for you.

Pick one day that IS on your calendar circle it. Now pick the time that day that you will do one of those projects. Maybe 8am works for you. Or 6pm. Write the time and the one word you put on one of those #3 bags on that date on your calendar.

At the appointed date and time - tell yourself "Someday is now!" Stop whatever else you are doing and go grab that bag off the shelf and simply do it.

Post a photo of a finished UFO in the ATW photo gallery. If it's a genuine "UFO" that you have now finished I want you to put in there when you started the project, how long it sat in a sack, and when you finished it. I'm looking for the longest, smallest, biggest, etc projects from start to finish posted in our photo gallery during the month of April 2008. That gives you almost a month to finish one of your projects. I'll award a prize to one of the photos posted.

-- Larry

" Using a stabilizer on top when embroidering helps keep the stitches from sinking in with towels. "

That's my reaction when I see or hear things on the news like this...

"Two guys in Roseburg, Oregon, dressed in cowboy garb offered the sheriff’s deputies doughnuts. Then the deputies investigated a burglary in which doughnuts were stolen and cowboy boot prints were left behind."

LOL! Here's a website full of crazy stories like this one!

" Don't throw away the scraps of your Wash Away stabilizer after embroidering.... scrunch them up into a spray bottle, add some water, shake it up and hey presto you have ready-made starch to stabilize very fine fabrics! It's also great for freshening up your tableware linen before your guests arrive. "

This week's 3-month membership Winner from the mailing list is Holly Walker from Mississauga, Ontario --email address holly.walker @ sympatico .ca

The winner has 5 days from today - 3-10-08 - to claim the membership by emailing me at webmaster@nitasplace.com.

Funny Story for this week was submitted by Joyce Santoni...

Having been a home sewer for as long as I can remember, when I first brought home a Janome 10001 I was so excited about doing embroidery that I jumped right into selecting designs for tea towels, bath towels, sweatshirts, and all those other things we all begin with. After a few weeks of playing around with the embroidery mode of the machine, I was asked to make a skirt and top for a bride's maid.

I cut out the fabric and all the good stuff that goes with constructing clothing. After pinning the first side seams of the skirt together, I placed it on the throat plate under the presure foot, lowered the pressure foot and pressed the start button . . . then walked away from the machine! I had been playing with the embroidery mode for quite some time and simply forgot that it was necessary for me to guide the fabric when doing regular sewing! Thankfully I realized what I did before any damage was done to the bridal skirt! But I simply could not believe that I had actually walked away from the machine thinking that the machine would "of course" stitch the seam without any human guidance!

Thanks for the story Joyce! If YOU have a funny story you'd like to share, email it to nita@nitasplace.com

In the What's On Sale department this week is Nita's "Touch of Irish". Just the designs for that little bit o' Irish in ya! This set is half price. Get it while it is on sale!

Here's a trunk show from ME And Thee Embroidery. All the projects shown in this video were put together by Nita, Holly, and several of our friends including Dot Pike, Ina Archer, Linda Canfield, Paula McDougald (MySweetPeasBoutique.com) , Karen Smith (SewingForSarahEmbroidery.com), and others, to show off
the designs available now at RNK dealers everywhere.

If your dealer doesn't have the ME And Thee designs yet, ask them to order
them from RNK Distributing.

This slide-show runs about 4 minutes and includes a music background. Please
adjust your speakers before clicking on the "Play" button. (Note: If you are using dial-up internet access - this video is a 10-mb file and will take quite a while to download.)

" Quilt in the Hoop! I started doing this about a year ago and I know I will probably do it for all future quilts. I know my favorite long-arm quilter will miss me, but I can't wait to plan what I will buy with all the money that I will save by doing it myself. "

You'll love this set of "" designs. They are free to readers of the Bobbin-Buzz and Stitchin Bits for the next week.

(They are free to MEMBERS of NitasPlace forever as part of the membership!)

" Buy as many different size hoops as you can afford. They are just like fishing lures, each one has a different purpose and is used for a different design. I own every size that will fit my machine and I cannot tell you if I use one more than another. My most recent purchse was the 150 x150mm quilting hoop. I haven't had time to use it yet, but I know it will be as well loved as all the rest. "

Help yourself to this week's weekly sampler designs called "Day Of The Week Bears"

This set of designs is free for 1 week to guests from 3/12/08 to 3/18/08. They're always free to members, so why not become a member now? What are you waiting for - really?! JOIN US HERE!

Have you tried several programs and settled on the best one for you? Or are you still looking? I've been using BuzzXplore for several years now and Holly has been using Designers Gallery for just as long.

How about you? Do you have a favorite?

-- Larry

Holly and I left Texas Thursday morning and stayed the nite in New Orleans. We plan on having breakfast at Cafe DuMonde in a couple hours then on the road for another 200 miles or so to land us in the Florida panhandle for a couple weeks.

I'll bring my camera to breakfast and post a photo for you!

-- Larry

Help yourself to this weeks Friday Freebie design set - "Foxy"! These are for everyone that is a subscriber to our free weekly newsletter here!

sgmccullough1 @ juno.com has just won a 3-month membership at ArtisticThreadWorks! You can claim the prize here... www.ArtisticThreadWorks.com/PrizeClaim before noon tomorrow.

Here's a picture of ONE of this week's design sets...

Members of ATW can download all of this week's new designs, along with more than 16,000 other designs in the "Design Library"... Join Here!

Holly and I went for breakfast yesterday at Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans. We only had a few hours of layover on our way through from Texas to Florida but we couldn't pass up a quick visit to the French Quarter for breakfast.

After breakfast we packed up the camper and hopped onto I-10 eastbound. Late in the afternoon we arrived in Navarre Florida where we'll be (mostly) for the next three weeks. I say "mostly" because I'll be here the whole time but Holly will be going to Knoxville to work with the RNK team for a couple days then up to Atlanta for the AEC for a few more days. So I'll have 21 days here and she'll have about 14 days.

I guess beignet's and coffee don't qualify as a "real" breakfast but it did the trick for me. Besides, I think I've had enough "real breakfasts". LOL! I stepped on the scales this morning and it was UGLY! The scales groaned and coughed up the number. I've set a new personal record. That's not good!

So I'm off the beignet's (and everything else I can think of) until I get the weight under control. But I can still look at a picture of them. I don't think that's fattening. :-)

Here's a Fuwari trunk show from ME And Thee Embroidery. 

All the projects shown in this video were put together by Nita,
Holly, Ina Archer.  Thanks also to Annette Robinson for helping with
so many of the stitchouts.  This is PART of the 186 Fuwari
projects Holly and Nita took to Las Vegas for the VDTA in 2008.

These Fuwari designs are available now at RNK dealers everywhere.
If your dealer doesn't have the ME And Thee designs yet, ask them to order them
from RNK Distributing.

This slide-show runs about 4 minutes and includes a music background. Please
adjust your speakers before clicking on the "Play" button.  Your computer
must have a Flash video player to view this show. If you don't already have a
player, you can download here it for free from Adobe.

This weeks sampler is now up for you to download. 6 designs for the 4x4 hoop that are just a little bit Southwest. Enjoy!

Click here to get to download page...

Help yourself to this week's weekly sampler designs called "Simply Nautical"

This set of designs is free for 1 week to guests from 3/19/08 to 3/25/08. They're always free to members, so why not become a member now? What are you waiting for - really?! JOIN US HERE!

Holly is flying today from Fort Walton Beach Florida to Knoxville Tennessee for a meeting tomorrow. At least that was the plan when we bought the tickets! It may be flying today AND tomorrow instead of today since she's now in Atlanta and the connecting flight to Knoxville has been cancelled.

I know that airlines fly based on weather. Being delayed is not what's agravating about it. It's the lack of care that they take of their customer's needs that drives one up a wall. Rather than announcing that the flight was cancelled over their loudspeakers, they just waited until their customers looked at the ARRIVALS/DEPARTURES video display and noticed the cancellation on their own. When Holly asked them why they didn't make an announcement, the employee said "It was shift change time and that makes it so difficult to process all the people at one time". WELL DUH!

So there's a slim chance that she will be able to catch a ride on one of the next 3 flights leaving tonite. If not - then it will be a 2 day flight. I'll keep that in mind the next time I'm tempted to take an airline flight to save time. :-)

The meeting in Knoxville is to work with the RNK Distributing team on what Holly and Nita have learned in stitching out about 1,000 Fuwari designs on home machines. That's more Fuwari work than anyone in America has done and more home-machine Fuwari than anyone in the world since it was until now only possible on commercial machines. Their expertise will go a long ways in helping the teams teach others about Fuwari as they travel across the USA and other countries.

Over breakfast we were discussing the similarities between Fuwari and Free Standing Lace. Not that the finished product looks similar, but that FSL was an entirely new concept when it was introduced a few years ago. And because the technique was new to the world - it took a little bit of information about exactly how it is done before people could make it work. Fuwari is the same in that respect. It can be done by almost any home machine but there are a few things that you need to have demonstrated first in order to get it to work.

When Holly and Nita were at the VDTA (Las Vegas) at the end of February, people from all the major sewing machine makers stopped by the booth to see and touch the Fuwari. Of course they're wondering how it's done and if their machines will do it. The answer to the second question is YES... almost every home machine will do Fuwari. The answer to the first question though -- "how's it done" -- will take a bit more to cover and we'll get into that shortly.

-- Larry

I hear the Gilligan's Island theme song playing in my mind as I'm writing this... ("A 3 hour tour...")

Holly's flight yesterday that was supposed to take 2 hours ended up taking 15 hours instead. She left here at 8am and arrived in Knoxville at 11pm. I could have driven her up there from here in 10 hours! On top of that when she opened her suitcase at the hotel she had to wring the water out of the clothes inside because they'd left the suitcase out in the rain somewhere along the journey.

Ah - the joys of flying. Makes the Chicago city bus system look attractive!

-- Larry

In fact - it's for the digitiizers that already know how to digitize and are now trying to improve their accuracy and speed.

We get emails every week from people who own a digitizing program and want to know if "XYZ Digitizing Software" is better than the one they already own. One email will say "I own PE-Design and I'm thinking about buying Generations - whaddyathink?" Then the next email will say "I own Generations and I'm thinking about buying PE-Design - whaddyathink?" If you already own a "mainstream" digitizing program you should stick with that program and put your money into lessons on how to use it. Lessons are available on CD or in workbooks form or in live group classes or even one-on-one classes on every major digitizing program. And enough lessons to make you a competent digiitizer will normally cost less than half the price of that other program you're looking at - which by the way will ALSO require lessons if you don't already know how to digitize. :-)

So as I said -- this one is for people who already know how to use their software and want to improve their accuracy and speed.

Toshiba has made laptops for decades now. They came out with "table pc's" a few years ago and a tablet is a great digitizing tool. Their newest tablets have dropped in price and you can now buy a new tablet laptop starting at $1449. And a if you want to stuff it full of RAM (4 gb) and the biggest hard drive available (160gb) it's still less than $2200.

That's a nice piece of equipment for the digitizer. Take a look...

Nita's beautiful "Wisteria Collection". Just the designs for the beginning of Spring! This set is half price. Get it while it is on sale!

New projects added for members - Cross Names in 4x4 and 5x7 hoop sizes. Just in time for Easter or anytime a special gift is needed.

Please note that these are "Name Crosses"... For example - if you look closely at the bottom right corner cross you will see that it is made up of the word "Spring". The others are also name-crosses!

I placed an order with Allbrands on Wednesday. Members are invited to read about my experience with this company in "A Purchase From Allbrands"

-- Larry

This week's 3-month membership Winner from the mailing list is Susan Gabriels from Egbert, Ontario --email address ws gabriels @ yahoo .ca

The winner has 5 days from today to claim the membership by emailing me at webmaster@nitasplace.com.

This weeks "Friday Freebie" at ArtisticThreadWorks is called "Cooking Bears". Help yourself to this new set in our Design Library. Just click on the "Sample Designs" button in the library and download your favorite format.

Members of ArtisticThreadWorks can download this set anytime - not just this week - along with thousands of other designs in the Design Library! Why not join us and experience the fun?

Funny Story for this week was submitted by Cindy Sanders.

I never thought I"d ever tell this to anyone, its one of the things you hate to admit you did. I embroidered a beautiful design of grapes onto dish towels for my Sister in law this summer. - the towels were a hit, she loved them - until she washed them for the first time and got a big mess in her washer. She called and asked me, if all my things self destruct after 30 days. I was dumb struck , not knowing why, and how that happened - and worried it would happen to the hundreds of things I have made, given away or sold.

Then I realized what I had done!! I was using water soluable thread in my bobbin for another project I was doing, and had forgotten to change the bobbin when I embroidered her towels. We had a great laugh, I made her a new set of towels - and a card that said they would not self destruct!! Cindy

LOL! If you have a funny story you'd like to include - send it to nita@nitasplace.com

March Bonus is now up for Members. Remember that the bonus stays free to members for 1 month from the date of release. 3-19-2008 to 4-18-2008. After that it will move into the store for sale.

First of all, let me apologize for not having a news letter item for you last week. I had a problem with my back and was under doctor's orders to stay out of the computer chair and since I was in a great deal of pain, I did as he said.

After several trips to the Chiropratic Center and several treatments, I am doing much better. We did cancel our trip this week due to the back condition also. However, we will be headed for the panhandle of Florida on Saturday and then on to the American Embroidery Conference next week in Atlanta.Hoping to see many of you there.

This will probably be my last conference for a while as I intend to stay home and get many things caught up here and also to prepare for the trip that we are planning to Australia in the fall to promote the ME and Thee Signature line of designs. There's lots of work to do for that one.

Easter is coming early this year for sure. Can you believe that is it Easter and almost spring already? Here on the Gulf Coast, we have been having some beautiful days and also some windy ones. Guess the March coming in like a lion is holding true this year. We have also had lots of rain, so do not really need any April showers though. "Smile"

Guess that is all for this week. You all have a great Easter weekend and Happy Stitching!

Nita
www.nitasplace.com

Help yourself to this week's weekly sampler designs called "Fun Ladybugs"

This set of designs is free for 1 week to guests. They're always free to members, so why not become a member now? What are you waiting for - really?! JOIN US HERE!

Holly and Nita are at the American Embroidery Conference in Atlanta this weekend. They left on Wednesday morning with a crew of 8 and should be home on Monday afternoon. I know they'll have a great time there hanging out with many of the folks they chat with in our forums thoughout the year.

Nita will be teaching a few classes in digitizing and they'll also have a table set up in the vendors area as well as a trunk show too. There normally are about 150 people at the AEC each year and about 1/3 of them are members of ArtisticThreadWorks and NitasPlace.

CJ (Nita's husband) and I are hanging out in the campground while the girls are gone and have been relaxing a bit in-between the work. We watched a movie last nite together on DVD. "I Am Legend" starring Will Smith. It's a remake and update of "The Omega Man" that starred Charleton Heston back in 1971. They did a great job on this remake. One of those rare instances where the remake is really better than the original with plot updates and special effects that have come a long way in 37 years.

-- Larry

You'll love this set of "Little Birds" designs. They are free to readers of the Bobbin-Buzz and Stitchin Bits for the next week.

(They are ALWAYS free to MEMBERS of NitasPlace as part of the membership!)

Help yourself to this weeks Friday Freebie design set - "Space Embroidery set"! These are for everyone that is a subscriber to our free weekly newsletter here!

jdavis8456 @ hughes.net has just won a 3-month membership at ArtisticThreadWorks! You can claim the prize here... www.ArtisticThreadWorks.com/PrizeClaim before noon tomorrow.

Here's a picture of ONE of this week's design sets called "Redwork Eagles"...

Members of ATW can download all of this week's new designs, along with more than 16,000 other designs in the "Design Library"... Join Here!