HELLOmynameisHeather

Les Machines

Found my card reader.  And I'm doing what I can to hop back on the tool train too.  I receive regular requests for sewing machine recommendations, but am a little shy about recommending a starter sewing machine as I've been entirely spoiled on the sewing machine front and haven't had to shop for a starter sewing machine for, well two decades almost & I'm not that old!   

I have three sewing machines and two sergers.  My newest machine is a Bernina Artista 640.  The coolest thing about this one is that I can design embroideries on my computer & then stitch them out at will. Of course, I confess, I've only done this once so far.  But that's because I've been designing more than sewing in recent months. (Isaac wrote an article for Sew News about how to interface with these machines if you're a Mac user & not on PCs. The embroidery I designed for that article is available as a free download in my sidebar under "Free Embroidery File.")  Anyhow, I'm not up to a comprehensive, statistical review, but I can say that Berninas are a very pleasant machine to sew on.

Speaking of Berninas -- Quick story -- Partway through my Apparel Design degree our workshop space was re-outfitted with an army of new Bernina 1620s.  Reading through the manual late one night (many all-nighters were pulled at school - Project Runway pretty much wraps up the experience), there was a mention of 'memorized buttonholes,' but the instructions weren't clear what exactly those were or how to set the machine to do it.  Oh, but the idea of 'memorized buttonholes!'  I proceeded to poke & prod & tap out all manner of button sequences before I was successful.  I think it took me an hour or so to break the code.  Completely worth it!  And, of course, I got to be Santa Claus the next day showing my friends that new technology.  We all took a renewed interest in buttons that season.

Anyhow... sewing with a quality machine is really important, especially if you're new to sewing.  I've taught many people to sew who were originally convinced they were stinky sewers.  In every case I recall, it was their cheapy cheap sewing machines taunting them. The machines would lock up & the threads would get all tangled.  Hands in the air, "I stink!" I'd re-thread the machine & get them going again, only for the machine to grunt & groan once more.  "My friend, it's your machine that stinks!  Here, try mine."  "Oh, hmmm, maybe I can sew."  Yes, I've witnessed this many times.

Of course, you don't need that Cadillac up there in order to be successful either.  Most new sewers should look for a machine with a straight stitch, a zig-zag stitch, buttonhole capability, back-stitch button, ability to change needle position, interchangeable feet, etc. But go with one of the better brands.  (Can't say just which models though as I haven't researched any of this lately.)  Get a good quality machine so you're more likely to succeed & to like yourself as a sewer.

Otherwise, just know that if you're learning to sew with a $50 machine from the drugstore that half of your sewing battles are not your fault.  Blame the machine.  That works too.  And don't give up sewing!

My other machines...
• Viking #1+ Sewing Machine - Not as new as the Artista 640, so it's not in prime position anymore, but I still like this machine a lot.  This is the machine I take out when a friend comes over to sew.  And I like to do buttonholes on this one too (out of familiarity, I think).
• Bernina 840 Sewing Machine - Old machine.  It was old when I got it too.  But it has metal parts! And everyone I've ever heard discuss this machine has given it the - same - exact - nickname -, "workhorse," which really weirds me out. I've lent this machine out to many friends who were learning to sew. And this is the machine I do all of my upholstery and slip-cover sewing on.  It's not an industrial machine, but it's tough.
• Bernina 2500 DCET Serger - Haven't mastered this one yet, but it does all of those cool hem stitches for sewing with knits.  I like to keep this one set on a cover stitch and use my other serger for overlock, so I don't have to switch the threading around too much.  See, totally spoiled.
• Bernette 234 Serger - I love this serger. Just a good, straight-forward machine that's easy to troubleshoot.  Perhaps its our history though.  Loyalty.  I bought this one used.  It was the summer I turned 20.  I had already survived one fashion show in college (huge collection, one-of-a-kind hand-sweaters too, so tiring!) & I knew I'd be putting together another collection the following year.  This serger was my ticket to sewing at home & pulling fewer all-nighters at school (yes, those were crazy-fun, but I was newly-married & trying to be more sensible). It was $200 or $250 at the time, which was about as much as we paid in rent, but neither of us flinched.  It was a good call.

So, those are my machines, a couple of which came as presents from my generous MIL who opted to be paid in machines in exchange for design work (machine embroidery, I think) over the years .  She's just about outfitted all of her daughters with top-of-the-line machines now.  Ridiculously fabulous & indulgent pursuit, don't you think?  Yes, there were times when my sewing machine was worth more than my car.  Not the nicest cars back then though.   

I'll take some photos of my other machines & mix them into this post later this week to break up all this text. I could probably go on, but I'm actually sewing today & am anxious to get back to it.  I'll upload some N.Carolina photos for next time too.

Sketchy

Probably the most-used, most-carefully-placed tool around here, the sketchbook. Not to be lost.  When one fills up, there are several new ones on hand, ready to go.  Small one for discreet sketching, at meetings or whatnot.  The spine of my latest sketchbook has developed leprosy or something so I'm giving the spiral-bound a try.  If the pages stay in then I'll convert.

Isaac on Lenses

So this is new.  I mentioned to Isaac how I needed to do a tool post about camera lenses at some point this month & look what he put together & surprised me with... a guest post.  Too fun.  It's kind of technical though, so perhaps we'll need to discuss this in the comments till it all makes sense.  I'll make sure Isaac reads the comments & chimes in if you have any questions about photo equipment, lenses, etc.  Here's Isaac:

"I get a lot of questions about the equipment I use to create the photos that you see on my website, which is the same equipment used to create photos for this blog. First of all, let me say that Heather is quite a good photographer and does 99% of the photography for her blog herself. That being said, we do share the same equipment and since it is March of the Tools, I thought I'd chime in and share one of the tools that makes my style possible. There is no substitute for a good eye and an active, observant imagination, but certain looks just can't be achieved without the right tool.

When I want to get the effect in the photo of the lavender flowers, where the flowers in the foreground are the only thing in focus and the background seems compressed and close, I use my 70mm to 200mm f2.8 lens. Set at it's longest focal length of 200mm, this lens all but eliminates depth of field. Depth of field is the distance between the first object in the foreground that is in focus and the last object in the background that is in focus. The depth of field is determined by two properties, the focal length of the lens (longer focal lengths -- telephoto lenses -- have less depth of field built in) and the aperture of the lens (f-stop) which is the size of the opening that lets the light into the camera. A very fast lens like this one opens very wide and hence has very shallow depth of field.

A third factor in the look is the effect of compressing the foreground and background, which eliminates a lot of extraneous details from the shot and has the effect of making shots look tightly-cropped in the camera. This is a result of the length of the lens -- imagine looking through a long tube where all peripheral vision is eliminated.

The 70-200 mm f2.8 lens is a bit pricey, but for the serious amateur or pro, it creates a look that can't be replicated by other lenses. While you will not be able to fully achieve this look with a point-and-shoot, try setting the camera on macro focus (it's usually the little flower icon), zoom in as far as your optical zoom will allow, then back in and out until you find the absolute closest place you can focus.

By the way, thank you for all of the compliments on the MEHC article. That was a very intense and fast paced shoot, but extremely fun!"

--Isaac

All of this camera talk reminds me that I never showed you the slideshow from Heather Tinsley's wedding (click here).  Heather is a blog reader who flew Isaac out to photograph her wedding last December.  Love that!  Hi Heather.

It was in D.C., I think, as Isaac went to the Spy Museum the next day. The Spy Museum!  Can you believe there's a spy museum?  I wonder how much James Bond reflects reality -- or vice versa. 

There's certainly nothing discreet about that camera lense up there.  I usually use a smaller 24-70mm f2.8 lens because the other one makes my arm ache.  They both have a similar effect in my opinion. Similar enough (don't tell Isaac I said so).

Teensy Tiny Watercolor Set

This little box of watercolors is no bigger than 5" x 6" and is extremely handy if you're a must-make-something-at-all-times kind of person like I am. (My soda should give you some idea how small it is - I threw that in there for scale). This tool is easy to grab & ready to go, whether to Granny's house, on a family vacation, or on a business trip.  And I really enjoy painting from watercolor pans (those rectangular cubes of color).

Sometimes I just want to get to it & paint, without having to fuss with lids every time I need a new color.

It's been a while since I've done much with watercolors or shown you any of my watercolor work, but this is still one of my favorite little things to have around.

This set is by Windsor Newton and is called "Cotman WaterColours: The Compact Set."  I think they're available at Michael's.  And here are a couple of online stores that sell them as well:  CheapJoes, FineArtStore, & KenBromley(UK).

The Wacom

I'm jumping price brackets from my last March of the Tools post. But, whatever the expense, here's a tool I absolutely couldn't do without:  the Wacom tablet.

This tool allows you to forego your computer mouse for a stylus (penlike tool below).  Some artists will use the stylus & pad to draw or paint images right into the computer and for such an approach the Wacom is invaluable.  I, however, do all of my initial artwork outside of the computer, so the Wacom's obvious benefit of more authentic art isn't my main reason for affection here.  In fact, it is really my right hand that's in love with the Wacom.  Intense work on the computer with a mouse can make your hand cramp & throb after endless hours of clicking & dragging & clicking & dragging.  Working with a stylus is just a lot more comfortable. A lot more!

And there are some pretty cool secondary features too.  The graphics tablet is pressure sensitive. So, if you have an art program that's compatible with this feature, you'll find that with some paint brush tools a stylus will create a varied stroke in response to the pressure you apply.  This is the case with Painter, Illustrator, etc.  No settings to change.  A normal computer mouse will just produce an even line. 

The buttons in the corners can be programmed to do whatever functions you regularly use.  And the longer rectangle (see top photo) allows you to zoom or scroll if you stroke your finger across it.  I have my buttons disabled as I'm all about key commands.  But I still think they're cool.

So that's the Wacom.  I have one huge tablet, as wide as my keyboard, and a smaller one to take with my laptop.  As I said before, I couldn't do without it, so I had to have a second one for travel.

March of the Tools

I love tools.  Tools that make life better, work easier, and fun funner.  I get a lot of questions about which sewing machines I have, what camera equipment I use, etc.  And seeing as I haven't put together my FAQs page just yet, I thought I'd embark on a new theme for the month of March... March of the Tools.  Work tools, food tools, sewing tools, whatever tools come to mind, but all tools that I love & use. 

To kick things off, here's one of my favorite doo-hickies - only the best cherry pitter ever.  My sister picked this up for me at Williams Sonoma (I think) a number of years ago.  No other cherry pitter will do.  You just place a cherry on top of that "O" and squeeze.  The pit comes shooting out the hole.  Just make sure you wear an apron and do your pitting over the sink into a bowl.  (Oh look, here's one with a splash guard.)  Nothing's more indulgent or delicious than sitting down to a bowl full of pitted cherries, washed and ready to eat.  I swear, cherries are ambrosia & nectar in one - food of the gods.

And with cherry season well behind us, I resorted to the crocheted-cherry detailing on one of my dolls to set the proper fruity mood here.  Not quite so photogenic as real cherries, but I saved myself from a serious cherry hunt, so humor me.

The parading tools will likely include some things silly, some serious and some expensive.  No bragging intended, just some dang good tools you might want to know about.

Want to join me on this March of the Tools?  I'd sure love the company.  And the tool recommendations.  If so, here's a badge you can post in your sidebar.  Link back to this post, so your readers will know what's up.  (If there's some trickier/better way to do badges, certainly let me know.)  This one is 150 dpi, or you can use the 250 dpi one here, or snag the clovered-up version from my sidebar.  Add your link in the comments below so we all know who's playing along.  Then we can all click over to your blog throughout the month to see what sort of tools we're missing out on.  And join the March of the Tools Flickr Group (great resource for next year's Christmas list, I'm thinking).

That's my 76 trombones. Cornets or not, I'm marching.