Invisible Mitered Corners Binding NOT FAUX

I'm not fully prepared with pictures and tutorial yet, but I have to share this in case someone is looking for the solution.

I know how to do those invisible, mitered, mitred, no seam showing, seam encased, self-binding, whatever ya call it corner.

Have you ever seen those baby blankets at Babies 'r Us with the satin trim around the super soft plush cuddly stuff?

ZOOM in on the corner
*THAT* corner!

There are  no seams, it's perfectly encased and no 'lip' of fabric for a faux-mitered edge.

like this corner at the bottom.

Here's how they do it.


First, they attach binding at each side of the blanket, like this tutorial.
http://www.sew4home.com/tips-resources/sewing-tips-tricks/how-make-border-mitered-corners

Then they use this neat little trick for an invisible mitered edge on the other side:
http://www.nancysnotions.com/product/no-math+miter+template+set.do#

Embroidery Story

Only one birth announcement request has made my heart break and it was for baby Aedan.  He was born 4 1/2 months premature.  It took me two days to make the blanket and I have never appreciated my own children more.  Aedan's birth anouncement stats are made in the shape of a cross.  The cross next to the bible verse has a starburst border.  This turned into a beautiful blanket that I hope I never have to make again.

New Sewing Nook

What's the first thing that every business needs?  Besides cash flow and a good lawyer, an organized system is at the top of the list.  Because my little business is blossoming, I've been 'lucky' enough to get a new sewing space.  It's not exactly lucky because our house had a huge foundation problem and it had to be completely gutted and fixed.  Like, our foundation was in five pieces and water was leaking slowly into the basement and creating mold and lots of other issues.  Tens of thousands of dollars later, we're almost finished installing the trim and getting everything organized.  I'll have final product photos later, but it's always nice to enjoy and empty room without fingerprints and nicks everywhere.

This is with just drywall.  On the left will be the kids' area and my sewing space will be under the window and along the right side.

 This is where the 'Man Cave' will be.  Black leather sectional, big screen TV and dark window treatments.  We're thinking about a beer fridge for Christmas.  But don't tell Alex!

 Paint on the kids'/ sewing side.  The top is grey (driftwood by Martha Stewart) and a steel blue (also by Martha Stewart).  We did primer first and then Behr paints.

 This is the entertainment side.  The bottom screen on the wall to the right is the computer monitor.

 And Voila! The finished empty room! Gorgeous white trim, brown/cream Frieze carpet and the grey and blue everywhere.

This is the basic layout of the room:

We're so excited to finally have the extra space to live!  We live in a bi-level so it feels like we've been living in an apartment without being able to use the lower level.  While it was empty, I made the kids do sprints from one side to the other.  And then we napped :0)

This is baby Grace, by the way. In the pic, she's 12 days old.   She's now 10 weeks old and a chunker.

Frustrated

Eleven more days until I get to hold baby girl in my arms!  It's difficult to show how thankful and excited we are, but I honestly can't wait.  Is she going to look like my other daughter?  Will she be as big as the other two kids were?  How will she sleep and will I be able to cope with having three young children under the age of four?  I've been anxious trying to plan for her arrival and to prep my older two kids for the changes she'll bring.  They've helped me decorate her room, put her new diapers away, and they know it's 'Grace's room'.  I've been more than enjoying decorating her room and putting together her whimsical dandelion theme.  It's taken me longer than I had hoped because of the blanket business; I shut down about a month later than I had anticipated, but all of the extra money will go a long way in keeping our finances together while I'm on maternity leave. 

While decorating her room, I realized I've become more than a bit obsessive about how I want everything organized.  Even in the rest of my house.  Maybe it's the hormones and the nesting syndrome, but it's really put a damper on my attitude.  My mother-in-law graciously asked to watch the kiddos two days a week while she's on summer break.  We're saving a TON on daycare because of it and I love that the kids are always together and doing something fun (not that they weren't doing that in Daycare, but it's different with Grammy).  Because I'm overly pregnant, running a business until the wee hours of the morning, working full time and have a less than helpful partner in the domestic home part, she took it upon herself to do my laundry and dishes as well as the new baby's clothes.  Lord help me phrase this next part correctly so I don't sound like a complete bitch, but I don't like that she does it anymore.  I'm not ungrateful (at least I don't think I am), but as an independent woman that has never needed nor wanted help before, this new help from my MIL is killing my pride.  And maybe that's just it.  I'm too proud.  I feel like a lesser woman because she can do all of these things while watching my two kids and I just can't.  My dishes are clean, I have clothes for two weeks instead of maybe one, and my bathroom is cleaner than it has been since my son's birthday in May.  But I didn't do hardly any of it.  I just honestly don't have the time (I swear I don't, people.  I know how to organize my time and multi-task, but it requires energy that I don't have right now). 

I didn't say anything to her because I was able to swallow my pride and realize that she is HELPING me because she loves me and her grandchildren.  But then she asked if she could help organize Grace's room and if she could buy a skirt for the crib....and then, I shook with anger so hard I started to have contractions.  Grace's room is MY project room. I am the ONLY ONE allowed to put anything in and take anything out.  I reserve the right to control all designs and plans and I refuse to let anyone help (except for the kids and then it's limited).  At that point, I told her finally, 'No please don't.  Grace's room is my project room and I want to be the only one doing anything to it.'  She said, 'oh okay sorry'.  (All over text.) 

Yes, I realize that's being bitchy.  I can blame some of it on hormones, but ultimately I know I have a control issue.  I made the house what it is today and I came up with all of the colors and layout and everything; I feel like for another woman to step in and try to change anything is beyond what I can conceive as helpful.  I'm a proud woman and I want it to be exactly as I have envisioned. 

And yes, she put the dishes away in the wrong places. 

A long, long time ago...

To say a lot has happened in the past 9-10 months would be a gross understatement of everything.  I've been busy trying to make myself faint from exhaustion because that's obviously how I roll.  I can't remember the last time I slept more than 6 hours straight.  Pfft...sleep is for the weak, right?  *Sigh* I want to be weak :/

So, for all of the things that have happened:

One, my blanket business has EXPLODED.  I can consistently get 3-4 sales a day.  Have I been able to keep up?  Sort of.  I asked my sister to help me cut out the material for the week in return for homemade food and lots of extra kisses from her niece and nephew.  It has been working out well for the past 4 months!  I can only work on the blankets after the kids go to bed and this time change thing has really been screwing with me.  The kiddos used to go to bed around 8 and now it's past 9 pm by the time I've finished giving them baths, pajamas, and story-time.  I go to bed around midnight (if I'm lucky), so I only have three hours to finish everything.  The majority of the time I leave the top-stitching for my lunch hour the next day and ship everything after I get off work. It gets a bit hectic and overwhelming, so about every other month, I have to put the shop on vacation in order to catch up.  I'm probably going crazy, but the money has been awesome and clearly beneficial in keeping our heads above water.  I will have to take some time off this summer because of the next wonderful little thing that surprised us!

Two, I found out I was pregnant back in October with our third child.  Grace will be born June 92th via C-section (unless I go into labor early - probably not going to happen).  Less than two months left and she'll be here! The kiddos are very excited to meet her, although my youngest right now really wants to feed her through my belly button.  Do you know how long it takes to wash out blueberries from your belly button?  Let me tell ya...

Three, we fell off the dumb tree and on the way down adopted a puppy Easter weekend (not for Easter, obviously).  She's about 5 months old and is a fantastic little dog!  We call her Lucy and I hope to have her fully house-trained by the time Miss Grace comes along.  The shelter from where we adopted her said she is part Border Collie/ part terrier, but I think she only has the coloring of a border collie.  Her head, legs, and everything else look like a pit bull (and no, I don't believe the hype surrounding the pit bull mentality).  Gorgeous black and white silky coat.  She likes purple and zebra (at least, that's what my daughter says lol).  She has her puppy moments where she nips and gets overly excited, but for the most part she loves playing with the kids and her favorite spot to sleep is right next to my daughter.  Incredibly sweet!  She is a quiet dog so we're having trouble getting her to let us know when she has to go outside.  My husband wants to put a doorbell by the back door for her, but I'm thinking that might be a little inconvenient when the babes are sleeping for their naps.  We'll figure something out; my aunt suggested a small dinner bell for her to learn to ring when she wants to go out.  If only I could remember to buy one!

Four, we've had a few water issues with our house.  Oi.  This is something that makes my stomach turn.  We thought our foundation had shifted during the drought last summer, but after taking down the dry wall to repair it we saw about 5 cracks in our foundation.  Basically, our foundation is in 5 separate pieces.  It's going to cost us an arm and a leg (and me possibly selling Grace) in order to fix it.  They're scheduled to come out June 18th, so we'll have 11 days to get the basement completely fixed before Grace comes along.  Fantastic.  Plenty of time, right?  Luckily, it's all tax deductible because the entire basement is my sewing studio.
Continuing with our great fortune with water (read with dripping sarcasm), we found out that the jack ass that re-did the deck before we moved in did not put flashing between the deck and the house.  A few nights ago, my husband heard some dripping water in our laundry room and came downstairs to check it out.  Cue the waterfall!  After tearing out the drywall in the laundry room, we saw that water had slowly been trickling in over the years and rotting away the studs and everything else behind the wall.  So, a week before my son's birthday party, my husband tore down the deck and re-did it. Correctly.  He finished a half of an hour before the party started.  It looks beyond fantastic. I'm very very proud of my husband (and of my good fortune with marrying a handy man). 

Those are probably the biggest things that have happened so far.  I'm actually looking forward to having 8 weeks off when Grace is born.  Even though we'll have three kids (*GULP*), I'm hoping my blanket money will keep us out of hot water until I get my full salary back after maternity leave. 

So, what huge (or small) things have happened to you?

Next Post:  Goals for my business for the year

New Product Review: StitchNerd Adjustable Ring PinCushion

I am SOO excited to share this fantastic and adorable little pincushion ring from Sonia at StitchNerd.  Stitchnerd held a give-away on her blog for the pincushion ring pictured.  I became the lucky recipient and decided to do a small review so other sewistas may learn about this useful and cute accessory.

A bit about Sonia:  She has an obsession and fascination for vintage sewing machines - especially colorful ones.  Visit her blog to see all (22!!) of her sewing machines.  Let us pause for a moment and be in awe.  If you ever need a review on an older machine, she should be the first place you go to.  She has a post about how to clean one and will have a review on each of her machines.  Also, she sells pressing hams and other sewing supplies in her Etsy shop and on Ebay.  Her fabric choices are not run of the mill - very unique, fun, and hip.  Great person with a lot of talent and cool sewing machines.  And no, she won't sell one to you, so don't try.  She's also on Facebook! 

Anyway, on to the ring!  First off, the ring is beautiful.  The colors are muted sage, yellow, and one stripe of pastel orange.  The white flower button adds the perfect cute touch.  The best part? It's actually useful!  See the pins?  Usually there are 30 in there when I'm sewing my lovey blankets (exact number of pins that I use lol). 

Are you worried about the pins hitting your finger?  Don't be!  The bottom of the pin cushion is a super thick suede-ish leathery stuff (I don't think that's the correct term, but I haven't been pricked yet and that's the important part - Sonia, correct me).  The actual ring is adjustable, but I have the universal size 7 finger so I haven't needed to adjust it yet.  I don't use it much when I'm actually on the sewing machine because I'm so hands on with  my fabric.  I do keep it close by to put the pins in as I take them out of the blankets.  It came in a little pink box - perfect for a gift-giving to a seamstress friend or yourself!

Sonia, thanks so much for the gorgeous ring and I'm sorry it took me so long to post this.  Sonia is a dear and you will not disappointed when you purchase from her!  BTW, my mom is getting one of these for Christmas.

Tutorial: How to Embroider on Minky Fabric

Minky is a gorgeous fabric.  It's texture is like silk with a gentle heaviness that provides comfort and warmth.  I love working with this stuff.  It's not the most compliant fabric with which to work, but if you do everything right, the end results are fantastic. 

When I decided I wanted to make blankets with minky and satin and sell the products on-line, I did a lot of research on how to make the blankets and what would make them sell.  Personalization was the key.  However, a good embroidery machine costs significantly more than what I wanted to spend or could afford in the beginning.  QVC was a fantastic relief in this case, because they have a payment plan option.  I bought a Brother PE-770 embroidery machine with a 5x7 hoop.  I decided on this one because one, I can transfer embroidery files from my computer with a USB stick, and two, it did not have a single negative review on any site that I looked at.  I trust the reviews of people that have bought the machine and used it.  In this case, it worked out very well.  I made 5 payments and surprisingly, it has already paid for itself. 

Before I bought the embroidery machine, I also researched the best materials for embroidering on minky.  I found some helpful sites that explained uses for each stabilizer, but nothing specific for minky.  So, here's my tutorial.

There are two types of stabilizer to use on minky.  First is the wash away stabilizer.  Joann sells Sulky in a 9 ft roll for around $17 on-line (http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog/productdetail.jsp?pageName=search&flag=true&PRODID=prd37977 ). Wait until they have a 40% off coupon or google 'Joann Fabrics Coupons' to see available coupons.  Hobby Lobby also has it and they have a 40% off coupon every other week.  Stock up!!  Another source is from Threadart.com.  They sell nearly the exact same thing for $1.29 per yard and it is twice as wide as the sulky stabilizer from Joann's.  This is their link: http://www.threadart.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=24  I buy from ThreadArt because they offer great shipping prices; I buy a lot of their supplies in bulk so I get a small discount.

Wash away stabilizer prevents the minky fur from showing through the embroidery thread.  It's a necessary supply if you will be embroidering on minky.  Like the name suggests, the stabilizer will dissolve in cold water.  You can either wash the fabric after the embroidery is done or you can soak the design with a damp wash cloth.  It will not dissolve from the humidity in the air, but keep it in a plastic bag or the original packaging tube to be sure.  I'm a Klutz and yes I spill water on my work space.  The plastic bag is from experience!

The second stabilizer will be tear away stabilizer.  Again, I buy this from ThreadArt because they offer a 100 yd roll for $30.  It ends up costing me about $0.17 of tear away stabilizer for each design I do.  I purchased my 100 yd roll two months ago and will need another one soon!  I go through a lot!!!    http://www.threadart.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=17

I've found that the regular tear-away is sufficient for my needs.   There are different weights of stabilizer (heavy, medium, and light) and more of each type of stabilizer.  I've heard a lot of talk about self-adhesive stabilizer.  The best thing about this is being able to only hoop the stabilizer and then sticking a hard fabric (like a tote bag, super slippery material, or one that suffers from 'hoop burn') on top.  In short, you don't have to hoop a difficult fabric.  It's worth looking into, but once you get used to hooping minky, it's not difficult at all. 

BTW, hoop burn occurs with certain types of fabrics like oil cloth and others.  After you unhoop a fabric, the hoop impression may still be there and will not wash out.  It permanently alters the shape of the fabric.  Minky is not one of these fabrics, but test out a swatch of other materials before you do a finished piece.  Better safe than sorry!

Another great thing that you'll really want is temporary spray adhesive.  DO NOT GET PERMANENT!! BAAAAD idea!  :0)  I get mine from Hobby Lobby with a 40% off coupon and stock up.  ( http://shop.hobbylobby.com/products/temporary-spray-adhesive-483586/) I can't find it any cheaper on-line, or if I do, the shipping cost negates the savings.  Again, I use Sulky, but I have not tried anything else although they are available.  I don't have much time nowadays to test new products like that because I am always doing a customer's blanket.  When I get time, I will update and put how these work.

As for thread, ThreadArt has the best deals.  I use the 40 wt thread and have not had a single problem with the quality or thread breakage.  Brothers are notorious for tension issues and I have had the same with my PE770.  To use both the smaller (1000M) and larger spools (5000M), my husband made this awesome contraption.  You can also buy one - google external universal thread holder and you should find one.  EBay has quite a few as well.  Here's a photo of the ingenius, but oh-so-handy thread holder.

Dont make fun of my messy sewing space.  I've cleaned it up since then.  A little bit.
JoAnn has coats and Clark polyester embroidery thread, but is nearly three times as expensive as ThreadArt's!!  The selection of colors for CandC is not as a broad and the engineering design of the bobbin is poor.  Madeira Polyneon from Fabric.com is top-notch, but slightly pricey.  Completely worth it!  Bobbin thread can be purchased in either the color of your thread or in black or white.  My bobbin thread is never seen so I choose white in the 5000M spools.  You'll need the contraption for this. 
Okay, so in conclusion, these are the supplies that we need:

Bobbin Thread
Tear Away Stabilizer
Temporary Spray Adhesive
Compatible Hoop for Machine
Wash Away Stabilizer
Polyester Embroidery Thread

Now let's embroider on some minky!
*A handy tip:  Put the hoop together without fabric and just tighten it.  Take the non-adjustable (inner) ring out and loosen the outer ring about 6-7 turns.  This will give you a good starting point for the minky and stabilizers.

First: Lay your minky fabric out without stretching it.  I put it on carpet so it doesn't slip. 
Second: Slide your hoop underneath the minky fabric exactly where you want your design to be.
Third: Lift your minky back away from the hoop.  Don't move the fabric or the hoop from the process.
Fourth:  Cut a piece of tear away stabilizer slightly larger than your bottom hoop if you're not using spray adhesive.  You can cut it slightly smaller or the same if you are using the spray.
Fifth *optional*: Spray the adhesive onto the stabilizer. 
Sixth: Fold your minky back onto the hoop and stabilizer.  Don't move the hoop and don't stretch out the minky in the process.  Make sure it has no wrinkles or bumps over the hoop area.
Seventh:  Cut a piece of wash away stabilizer slightly larger than your hoop area. 
Eigth:  Put the wash away stabilizer (doesn't matter which side faces up) onto the hoop area on top of the minky.
Ninth:  This is the hardest part!  Push the smaller non-adjustable ring of the hoop into the larger adjustable ring.  Keep everything on the floor and push the hoops together.  Try your best not to move the minky and to keep everything taut during this time.  Once the inner ring is inside of the outer ring and your fabric is nice and tight (doesn't have to be like a drum head, but if you can move it more than an 1/8 inch, re-hoop), tighten the screw to the outer hoop. 
You may not get it perfect the first time, but keep doing it and you will.  Here are some pictures to show you what it looks like after being hooped.

The wash away stabilizer:

The tear away stabilizer:

Tear away with temporary spray adhesive:

Brother PE-770 in action:

Tip: Hoop your fabric so the bulk of the material will hang over the moving part of the embroidery machine.  Obviously I didn't do that in this sample, but I learned that I should have and it would have made it easier. 

There you go!  Please let me know if I need to add anything!