Month: October 2012

What’s in your embroidery kit?

October 28, 2012

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Jenny over at Sublime Stitching is absolutely correct, you don’t need a whole lot to start stitching.  Chances are, you can scrounge the supplies for your first kit from craft supplies you already have on hand (go find that cross-stitch kit languishing in the back of the junk closet)  OR from other crafty friends who will be more than happy to share with you.  Or if you just want brand new everything to start fresh, there are many places including Sublime Stitching that sell beginning embroidery kits with everything for you to start stitching.

If you want to assemble your own kit, here’s what you need:

  • 5″ plastic embroidery hoop
  • Pack of embroidery needles size 1 to 5
  • Small embroidery scissors with sheath (3-1/2″ to 4″ tall)
  • Embroidery floss or perle cotton
  • Beeswax or thread conditioner
  • Something to stitch on

Right now, I am stitching a preprinted redwork Christmas panel from Timeless Treasures.  ImageThere are 12 Christmas designs printed on muslin that are designed to be incorporated in into a wall hanging or throw quilt when completed.  I’m about half-way through with the redwork scenes.  There’s no deadline on this, so I cut a new scene from the panel as I complete one.  I keep a zip lock bag with my embroidery supplies and DMC 498 dark red floss so I can stitch when I travel or attend guild meetings. For the bulk of my stitching, I use a size 3 needle and three strands of floss.  I use a size 5 needle and two strands of floss for the teeny-tiny detail work.  Some folks like to use all six strands of floss for a really chunky look.  Do whatever makes you happy.

And yes, my little quart size bag with embroidery scissors gets through airport security just fine. I pull the embroidery baggie out along with the gels and liquids to go through the x-ray scanner.

Where to find designs?  How about drawing your own?  Take an 8″ square of muslin (or white) fabric and freehand a simple design using a #2 pencil (use a light touch).  Remember, simple is better here.  Think flower, heart, teacup, sun, etc. Hoop that sucker, pick out your favorite floss colors and stitch using a simple backstitch. Or you can visit the needlework section of your local craft store to find a host of iron on transfers, needlework design books and other preprinted designs for you to stitch.

I love to incorporate a handmade touch to my quilt labels.  I design my labels in Word, add a simple graphic and print them out on specially treated muslin fabric sheets.  Once the label is dry,  I embroider the graphic using a simple backstitch or chainstitch.  It takes all of 5 minutes tops and adds an unexpected touch to the quilt.

Keeping the books

October 24, 2012

Whew!  All of the transactional data has been downloaded, edited and categorized in my accounting program.  Wasn’t quite as bad as I’d thought it would be.  Now, I have to tackle the pile of receipts (some expenses were paid via cash or other means) and get all that entered.  Tomorrow maybe.  I’m stitching the rest of this evening!

What to do about the business bookkeeping has truly baffled me.  I really didn’t want a manual system, but many of the programs out there like Quick Books really are a bit overkill for what I need at this point in my business.  I was also trying to be frugal and DIY for little or no cost.  Oh, and I also need to tell you that I have a Mac computer, plus I will file my business taxes on a Schedule C with my personal tax return.

I tried three different trial versions of accounting software for Mac computers.   I chose Outright simply for ease of use and the fact it is a cloud based system accessible from anywhere.  Account Edge ran a close second and at $99 may prove to be a better value over time…but it is a little clunkier to use.  One thing I definitely do like about A.E. is the ability to generate invoices – something you can’t do on Outright unless you use a plug-in like Fresh Books or Harvest.  Those plug-ins add to the monthly cost. So for those few times when I NEED a professional invoice, I’ll simply use Excel to generate the invoice.  Besides, I already own that software program!

Online accounting software isn’t necessarily free.  I am willing to part with $10/month for Outright to save time and my sanity.  I’d much rather be making products, designing lesson plans or uploading new merchandise to my store – not keying in financial transactions.

Should we stay or should we go?

October 21, 2012

A couple of posts back, I mentioned we were thinking about selling our house and moving closer in to Atlanta.  Hubs works in Vinings and I work in Kennesaw.  Our house is in far, far, far West Cobb.  The commute to work for me is quite reasonable, but not so much for him.  It takes him an hour on surface streets at 6:00 in the morning.  You can imagine what it’s like during rush hour.  

Anyhow, we met with a realtor this week.  The initial walk-through of our property was reassuring.  We should realize the amount we were looking for out of the house after closing.  Today, we looked at a couple of houses in “Sminings” to get an idea of available homes at different price points.  I think we’ve sufficiently narrowed the area down and will probably be watching the real estate listings quite closely over the next few weeks.  

Meanwhile, THE deciding factor of whether or not to list our house will be the results of a professional appraisal on our home.  This will be done next week.  Hubs and I both agree that we’ll improve our existing home and he’ll shut up and drive rather than give the house away or rent it out.

Stay tuned.