Sunday, March 31, 2019

Stabilizer Savvy

Sometimes life sends you for a loop and unfortunately I picked up Bronchitis from my little guy.  So, to make up for the missed event-thanks to Cindy S. for filling in for me - I will create a series of blog posts to share what information I had created.

There are all kinds of stabilizer on the market today but I am going to concentrate on Floriani and Inspira because those are the two brands we sell at Scrap & Sew.

There are basically 5 categories of stabilizers:

1. Water Soluble
2. Cut Away
3. Tear Away
4. Specialty
5. Batting

Inspira has a system to help you select the right choice for your project. They color code the labels to make it easier to identify the stabilizer type.

Lavender - Tear A Way, Tear A Way Light etc.
Coral - Specialty such as Clean n melt, Tear n Wash, Hydro stick etc.
Lime Green - Cut Away (including No Shop Mesh)
Blue- Water soluble

You will also notice the symbols  such as a water drop or scissors.


The larger 10 yd Value rolls have a color flower motif to denote the category of stabilizer.


They also have an app called Creative Cue and on your icon and JoyOSAdvisor on your Epic machine as well to give you additional information about the stabilizers.  Such a handy feature!


Pfaff Creative Cue

JoyOS Advisor

Floriani stabilizers are not so easily identifiable, but they have a wealth of accessible knowledge to help you decide what is the best stabilizer for your project.

Inside each tube of stabilizer is a handy 8.5 x 11" sheet of pertinent information regarding the use and care of each stabilizer. Here is an example of one from the Wet n Gone stabilizer.


Here is a link to the workbook and guides that they have created for you to download. I recommend that you download and print the Quick Reference Guide- is the tool I use all of the time.  The workbook is handy but you can create your own workbook as you collect the inside sheets from your stabilizers.

There is also an app for your Smart Phones- follow the directions to dl it to your phone.  It is nice to have  quick video explaining how to use the stabilizer.


Of course there was not enough time to go over an example of every type of stabilizer but I highlighted a few and I will share some of my examples in the coming weeks on the blog.

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If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment and I will try and answer your questions as quickly as I can.















Monday, March 25, 2019

OSQE Highlights

Whew!  What a busy week and if you were unable to attend the Original Sewing and Quilt Expo, you missed a fantastic, inspirational event!

Here we are ready to start the day!



It was wild, it was crazy but we had a great time!

The classroom was so big and filled with the Creative icons.  So you know everyone had lots of room to be creative.


The booth was also filled with inspiration from our store but more importantly from Pfaff.  Our display included garments that have been featured in their marketing ads.  Imagine the squeal of delight from some of us who were up close and personal with these beautiful dresses.


Dress filled with ribbon stitches.




Floating stitches used to seam the dress pieces and silver metal zippers used to accent the edges.


Embroidery fit for Cleopatra! Their design work was absolutely stunning.


We are already planning for next years Original Sewing and Quilt Expo.  You will not want to miss it so check back with us after the first of the year for the dates.






Tuesday, March 12, 2019

A little bit of Irish!

St Patrick's Day is coming soon!  Are you ready?  Whether or not you are Irish we all love to celebrate this holiday.  Here is a perfect project from Terri at Terial Magic. Making fabric shamrocks!



She has listed several formats for you use at the end of the video.  Hey - Silhouette users- load the svg file into your Designer edition software and get cutting!

Download the svg file here. Load it into the sSilhouette software and drag the button placement off to the side.  


I would love to give this a try but it is going to have to wait until after the weekend as I am 'sew' busy making samples for the Expo in Lakeland.  I hope to see you there!





Happy Valentine's Day!

Well, not exactly but it is on the horizon.  This is my second favorite holiday and I love making all of the heart designs and of course the...