Simply Stitchy

    Hi all I was hit with a sudden impulse to do some applique last weekend. The inspiration came from a free pattern landing in my inbox. It's for a Christmas table runner. So, I thought I'd give it a go.  It's called "It's a Gnome Christmas Table Runner" and you can find it here.     Only thing is today is Christmas Eve and I'm no where near finished yet.  But, then I knew when the applique buzz hit me, I wouldn't get it done in time for this Christmas. That's not going to stop me making it - there's always next year's table. Anyway, my normal applique method is needle turn. This is where you turn the fabric edge of the applique underneath as you sew it to the backing fabric. I normally pop a safety pin or two in to hold it still, and then just keep it in place with my fingers as I sew. This time, I thought I'd try Wonder Under. It's just one of the many fusible webs available for gluing fabric together. You can buy fusible web f...

Hi all One of the first things you need to be aware of when buying a vintage or antique sewing machine - not all of them are Singers.  Now, you probably think that's fairly obvious. There are loads of sewing machine manufacturers who've been around for generations. Pfaff, Necchi, Brother, and Janome are just a few of them. The truth is, the most famous of them all is Singer. That's the brand name most people are familiar with. Whether you're a sewist or not, Singer is *the* sewing machine everyone thinks of first when talking vintage and antique.  Why? Well, it's probably down to the fact that Singer sewing machines were one of the best selling brands. From their fantastic marketing skills to their easy payment schemes. Other manufacturers found them hard to beat. In fact, at one time Singer had the world's largest sewing machine factory. It was based in Kilbowie, Clydebank, Scotland.  Singer's machines were everywhere.  So much so that everyone's Grandm...