Tag: DIY

Updating CraftLAB sewing machines

April 20, 2026

The upcoming school year will be one of change as my private students will be heading off to college or new private schools. CraftLAB sessions will continue with new faces already joining in on the fun. I am also assisting guild members with teen sewing programs at area libraries.

All three current CraftLAB sewing machines have been recently serviced and are in good working order. Two were made by Brand A and one was made by Brand B. The kids gravitate toward the Brand A machines, even though the Brand B machine is “prettier” and does a lot more fancy stitches. They tell me the Brand A machines “work a lot better”. Translation? Brand A doesn’t jam and chew fabric like Brand B does.

It will certainly be easier for everyone (including me) if the Brand B machine were re-homed and replaced with another Brand A machine. The existing machine they all like the best has two additional color options available. Students were happy to provide feedback and chose the red & white version. If it’s not available, they would prefer another one like the one we currently have.

I spotted a used Brand A machine at a local sewing machine shop a few weeks ago. Ken’s Sewing Center in Alabama has the Brand A variation that the kids liked now in stock. I’ll give both dealers a call tomorrow. Regardless, I’ve already ordered the wide extension table from another online retailer! Those little tables are hard to come by and are about 1/3 the cost of a custom acrylic Sew Steady table. Monies received for selling the Brand B machine will cover the purchase of our new CraftLAB machine.

Is it critical that I replace the Brand B sewing machine? Absolutely not! Updating the CraftLAB machines to a common manufacturer keeps things simple for me. That’s the real reason I’m considering buying a new machine.

Edited to add: I shopped the two local Janome dealers to look at the red TravelMate 30 (TM30). Floor model price at one dealer – $349.00 and sealed box price at the other dealer – $449.00. Honestly, I really wanted the red & white Elna 450 because I knew it would fit inside my wheeled underseat travel bag. I called Ken’s Sewing Center to ask some questions about the Elna 450 and the salesperson offered to throw in the 1/4″ foot with guide at no extra charge. I placed an order!

FWIW – Sewing Parts Online is also advertising Elna 450 sewing machines for the same price as Ken’s Sewing Center. If you live in the Nashville area, it might be worth a short drive to pick up as their lead time was 7-10 business days for an online order delivery. My new machine from Ken’s Sewing Center should be here on Friday afternoon (2-3 days).

One year after the Joann’s closure…

March 30, 2026
Former Joann store in Alpharetta, GA is still vacant nearly a year after closing.

I stopped by Sewingmachine.com on the way home from a recent pet therapy visit. A former Joann store sits next door it – still vacant. The bankruptcy case is ongoing.

While I occasionally miss Joann – sorry Michael’s, no amount of Knit & Sew Shop is going to fill the void for me – I’ve found Hobby Lobby and the sale section at 2-3 local shops can generally fill in what my stash lacks. Fabric swaps with friends and the guild’s free table round out any needed items for community service projects. I’m pretty sure my overall spending on fabric & notions has gone down since Joann closed.

Quilt shops and sewing machine dealers in my area simply aren’t marking things down to sell through as in the past. At the Original Sewing & Quilt Expo in mid-March, a local dealer was offering classroom use Janome 9480s with the ASR for $5,799. This special price was so secret that the classroom machine price wasn’t even listed on the tag. You had to ask. It was only $300 less than the show price of $6,099 on a brand new model. Two weeks after the show, the dealer is advertising the same classroom machines in its email blasts – without a price. Why all the secrecy?

Joann helped keep sewing machine prices in-check. If I needed to replace a kid-use sewing machine, I knew I could get a decent machine for about $250 the very same day. Can’t do that now! Even sellers on FB Marketplace aren’t discounting things very much. I’m not willing to pay $650 for a used sewing machine for CraftLAB. We’ll continue touse the ones we have.

English Paper Piecing Workshop

March 5, 2026
Fussy cut EPP block using diamond paper shapes to create a kaleidoscope effect

Last week, I took an English Paper Piecing workshop with Amanda Bauer. This all-day class was sponsored by my quilt guild (meaning an affordable $55.00 class fee + a $15 kit fee). Prior to this class, I’d never taken a formal class on EPP and my experience has been limited to hexagon shapes only. Yep, I can definitely make a hexie flower with no problem!

I’ve definitely upped my EPP game by taking this class. I fine-tuned my glue-basting process, learned how to “marry” the needle and thread, plus got a little bit better at whipstitching my pieces together. I normally use a flatback stitch for EPP, but her method for the whipstitch is faster and results in less hand fatigue.

Like any instructor, she has her favorite products to use for EPP and shared her reasons as to why. Honestly, they weren’t that much different from the other instructor product offerings I found online. Students were provided kits and access to recommended tools to try during the class. I may very well switch to using her style of whipstitch in the future. However, I’ll keep using my 80 wt Wonderfil polyester thread in a coordinating color to lessen stitch visibility. That’s my personal preference.

Basic tool recommendations for EPP:

Needles: Milliners/Straw sizes 9, 10 or 11. (Bohin, John James, Sue Daley) OR Sharp sizes 7 – 9
Thread: Polyester 50 wt, 60 wt or 80 wt in matching color, if possible.
Paper shapes: Purchased shapes offer consistency. Paper Pieces is a good source of EPP paper templates.
Glue pen: Sew Line glue pen and refills
Scissors: Serrated edge (Karen K. Buckley or Kai Scissors)
Rotary cutter: Olfa 28mm
Automatic needle threader: Bohin or Clover
Recommended: Small rotating cutting mat, Magic Seam ruler for fussy cutting, Sew Tites and Wonder Clips.
Optional: Needle keeper, thimble and thread conditioner

Videos I think you might find helpful:
Fat Quarter Shop Tula Pink EPP series
Wonder Window technique for fussy cutting

EPP is very portable. Word to the wise: When traveling by plane, Amanda recommends that you cut (and glue baste if possible) all shapes ahead of time, take a small pair of snips you don’t mind losing and a small usb light. Definitely leave the rotary cutter and mat at home or pack it in your checked luggage.