I'm pretty convinced that the right tool for the job can simplify anything. This bias tape foot is easy to use and effective. It is for simple fabrics and for making narrower tapes. If you are looking for making a blanket width bias tape you will need to either find a different tool or take the time to do it by hand because this tool will not do anything that wide. This has elevated my sewing quite a bit. It has helped me get an even stitch on bias tape edges in a way that all my practice before hasn't.
Showing posts with label janome mini sew. Show all posts
Showing posts with label janome mini sew. Show all posts
Sanford - Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencil
List Price: $17.49
Sale Price: $2.61
Today's Bonus: 85% Off
The illustration leads you to believe you are ordering a dozen pencils. Not so! You are purchasing a single pencil that can be bought at an art supply store for about a quarter of the price advertised here.
Scenes from the Past Magic Lantern Slides - George Washington
List Price: $13.99
Sale Price: Price Unavailable
Today's Bonus: 29% Off
I purchased the 6 x 6 inch quilt square and can't wait to use it in a quilt project, along with the other quilt squares I purchased from this seller. The product is much more beautiful in person. The only thing that surprised me is the soft, silky hand of the fabric. I'm not sure why, but I assumed it would be just regular cotton fabric. But then the quality of the print (photograph?) would not be as good. The art work represented on the quilt square truly is beautiful.
Dream Essence Designs Fantasy - A sweet unicorn forever held
This Unicorn is part of a memory quilt I am making for my niece. My sister collected unicorns and butterflies. I found the beautiful print of a Unicorn online and could not be more pleased!!
Pyramid TTElite Biometric Time Clock System
List Price: $599.99
Sale Price: $356.48
Today's Bonus: 41% Off
We recently purchased the Pyramid TTProx Proximity Time Clock because we thought it would work with our existing proximity cards. Unfortunately, it won't work with other proximity cards so we ended up sending that unit back and going back to the drawing board.
What we were looking for was the simplest solution for both us and our employees; so, a biometric system seemed like the next best choice.
After getting this time clock up and running, these are the things we like about it:
From an employee perspective, it is extremely simple to use. Just place your fingerprint on the reader and it beeps. That's about it.
This unit is networked, and it's easy to pull the data directly from the time clock into Quick Books.
Overall, this is accurate and fast.
Unfortunately, getting the time clock up and running is an exercise in frustration. There are lots of little details that have to be right, like needing employee IDs to be in the 9000 range; but, the software automatically assigns numbers in a different range. On top of that, the process of creating an administrative user is also confusing and poorly documented.
We were able to get through the setup in a couple of hours without calling support; but, it wasn't fun.
Enrolling the first user was also a pain since it didn't really follow the instructions; but, we did figure it out and now it's pretty simple (once you know how to do it).
This is the process we go through to enter users:
1) Press F4
2) Enter the admin code
3) Press enter
4) Enter the admin code again
5) Press F4
6) Enter the user code
7) Press enter
8) Let the user scan their finger twice
As you can see, the admin code is needed to add users; but, that's also the code that lets you override punches from the time clock. I wish there were a way to use the admin fingerprint instead of having to type the code multiple times. I'm probably just paranoid. :)
Anyway, I would recommend this product since it does work well once it's configured. Just keep in mind that the initial configuration will take some pretty loose interpretation of the included instructions.
Paladin Tools 1931 Datacomm and Telecom Scissors
I use d-snips / electrician's scissors a fair bit, and I've used a few different brands. I like the Paladin ones well enough (and I think the Greenlee are identical), but I don't find them as well-balanced as the ones from Klein. They also seem to loosen up a bit too much / quickly for me, and I have to re-tighten them too often. If you need d-snips, these will be just fine. Personally though, I'd buy the Kleins -I like them quite a bit better.
Iwata-Medea Studio Series Smart Jet Single Piston Air Compressor
List Price: $314.95
Sale Price: $258.95
Today's Bonus: 18% Off
This is a pretty decent entry-level compressor. If you're just getting into airbrushing or you know you're only ever going to work on small projects, this is an excellent purchase. However, if you're potentially at risk of working on anything larger than a model kit or a t-shirt you'll probably want to bite the bullet and get something with a larger capacity now rather than later. I've recently started customizing bike frames and on the long strokes this compressor's capacity can feel frustratingly anemic.
So to sum up:
Small projects = good
Large projects = bad
Janome HD3000 Heavy-Duty Sewing Machine with 18 Built-In
List Price: $499.00
Sale Price: $349.00
Today's Bonus: 30% Off
When my old Singer started acting up, I decided it was time to replace it. I did not need or want a digital/electronic machine with a million fancy stitches. I did a lot of research and reading of reviews and settled on this Janome. It has all the basic stitches I need plus a few fancy ones if I'm feeling adventurous. I make bags, so I sew a lot of thicker materials. I have fallen in love with the Tricot stitch (a zig zag stitch with 3 stitches for each zig and three for each zag), and the Triple Strength stitch (awesome for my bags!) I had also forgotten that sewing machines really do sew straight lines without torturing the fabric to make it happen! (LOL) There are a bunch of feed dogs that move the fabric very smoothly. I also love the fact that the top of the machine has a compartment that holds most of your extra feet, some needles, and your thread. I have sewn very light, chiffon type fabrics and slippery fabrics, and they both did well. I am extremely happy with this purchase.
Paasche VL-SET Double Action Siphon Feed Airbrush Set
List Price: $115.00
Sale Price: $72.37
Today's Bonus: 37% Off
I use an airbrush daily and I was needing a larger poster style airbrush and my 1960's Thayer and Chandler brush is worn out and in need of retirement. I've heard many good things about Paasche brushes from fellow painters so I took the plung and ordered this airbrush kit mainly because of the bottle sizes it offered.
After receiving this brush I was extremely disappointed. The quality was much worse than I had expected. I had to hone and polish the action to make it smooth because the machining on it was very poor and it was rough and dragging. The ergonomics of this brush is horrible! The hose is mounted so close to the bottle and the handle is so poorly designed that I have to wrap my fingers around the paint bottle when I use it rather than holding it like a pencil. The handle is so thick and tapers so quickly that it is very awkward and uncomfortable. This is not a brush that would easily support the kind of detail work that would be expected of any double action brush nor one that you could use for any length of time.
Also, the hose connector is an unusual thread and doesn't fit any of my other brushes which all have graciously come with a standard thread connector. I have to use the provided hose as a dedicated hose with its own quick disconnect just for this brush. That in itself is a problem since the hose that came with this kit is fairly short and very stiff for an airbrush hose and continues to maintain the bends reflecting how it was stored in the shipping box even after being hung straight with weights for many days.
On the positive side, this brush does seem to spray pretty well and handles a variety of paint viscosities. I'll keep this brush only for an emergency backup or for use on a paint that may destroy a better brush. I would not recommend this brush for any serious airbrusher or anyone seriously considering airbrushing as a hobby.
Brother SA159 Sewing Machine Bobbins for PQ1500/juki TL/Janome
List Price: $19.99
Sale Price: $1.50
Today's Bonus: 92% Off
Only use high quality bobbins specified by Brother or whatever brand of sewing machine you purchase if you expect your stitches to be perfect. These Brother SA159 bobbins are the best. I like the weight and feel of the filled bobbin and the stainless is easier to insert in the bobbin case.
SINGER Heavy Duty Sewing Machine with Metal Frame and Stainless
List Price: $249.99
Sale Price: $124.99
Today's Bonus: 50% Off
I have a Pfaff quilters machine that died and needs parts. It is going to cost about double the cost of this machine to repair it. So I figured what the heck. I've been sewing since grade school in the 1960s and have used all sorts of machines. I also worked at a fabric store for a number of years. I have some advice for the beginner. Various reviews of this machine complain about some problems I thought I'd speak to here.
This is a nice little machine. Initially even I had trouble with it. Discovered that the threading instruction picture in the instruction book is a bit tricky. Don't forget to thread the little bracket that is above the needle. It is step 7 in the book, but not obvious in the picture and not obvious on the machine. The thread first goes through the fairly obvious metal holder in step six, then it needs to go in that little tiny bracket, a small piece of metal that is laying on top of the needle mount. If you don't thread that, the thread will ball up underneath and mess up your sewing and lock up. I suggest stopping at a Joann Fabrics where they sell this machine and ask someone to show you if you can't find it. that's what I ended up doing.
Also for the beginner, Singer machines in particular can also tangle the thread if you don't gently hold the ends at the beginning of a seam. Sometimes, it will pull the thread down into the bobbin area and lock up. This is solved simply by holding the ends for the first couple of stitches. Eventually, after you've had to rip out a few balled up seams, you remember.
I made a heavy vinyl pouch with it as my first project, and it handled the vinyl really well. The feeddogs struggled a bit with the weight of the fabric, pulling it out of line, so I had to put the weight of the fabric on a chair so it didn't pull. Another tip for the beginner, always stop the machine with the needle in the fabric. You do this by stopping and quickly turning the wheel to get that needle back in the fabric.
Another tip here to any new sewer. First take the original needle out of that machine and throw it away. You have no idea what kind of shape it is in. Open the packet of needles that are in the little door in the free arm and use a fresh needle. Sharp needles are critical to any project. And they only stay sharp for a few projects at most.
When you are working with heavy fabric like vinyl or denim, you need to use a heavy duty needle, especially if you are going through four layers of denim. Check them out at the fabric store. Get the type of needle that matches your type of fabric. If you are not sure, ask. And sew through the thick parts very slowly, sometimes you may need to manually insert the needle and pull it up to get through a lot of layers properly to get the machine going. Take your time.
Knits need different needles, sometimes, a ballpoint needle that passes between fibers instead of splitting them as you sew. Fine fabrics also need different needles and they must be very sharp.
Whenever the stitching balls up under your piece, it is likely because the top or bobbin is threaded wrong. Make sure the thread is coming off the bobbin with the loose thread pointing to the left. It can be a bad needle. It can be a tension problem or a bad match between needle and fabric. If the stitches seem really tight, the tension can be turned a half number either way and solve the problem, but only after you have ruled out the other problems. IT happens to the best of us so don't get discouraged. Imagine me going into my old store to have them show me how to thread a machine. : )
Beyond all that, I liked sewing with this machine. it is relatively quiet, and does sew fast. This will be great for doing piecing for quilts. It isn't the quality of my Pfaff, which is all metal (the skin of this machine is plastic) and doesn't have a lot of fancy stitches, but it is a great value for what it does do and does execute well for all I've done so far. And perfect for a beginner sewer, or someone who only needs a machine once in awhile to hem pants or take care of odd little projects or someone like me who was going through withdrawal when her machine dies and is going to take some time to get fixed.
Dss Distributing DSS46168 Premium Masking Tape Pink 1X60Yd
I have a daughter that goes to daycare and you have to mark the bottles every day with information. This tape is great! It still sticks to the bottles while they are in the fridge and when they are ran under hot water to warm the bottles. But it is still easy to take off and doesn't leave any residue behind. It's our "go to" tape! =)
Cousin Precision Comfort 3-in-1 Plier for Jewelry Making
These pliers are well built. However, they are not as comfortable as I thought they would be. I found myself using my individual tools instead of this all in one.
Beadie Beads Kit for Kids (Includes 500 Multicolor Letter/Number
List Price: $14.91
Sale Price: $13.95
Today's Bonus: 6% Off
The product was fine but some variability in color combinations would be good. Ie: all of the e's were green, all of the 7's were red (not actual colors).
In the end we were able to successfully make our kids ICE bracelets for our recent trip across country (and they even kept them on!).
Swingline SmartCut A520pro Commercial 18" Heavy Duty Rotary
List Price: $199.00
Sale Price: $119.57
Today's Bonus: 40% Off
Excellent trimmer. would recommend highly over the guilletine type. Only problem I've encountered is finding the replacement cutting mat. No one seems to have any that are 18" wide; only for the 12" models.
Find-Its Black Satin Cords with Silver Lobster Clasp, 18-Inch
I make jewelry and I typically use flocked necklace cords but found these satin cords on Amazon for a decent price so I thought I'd try them out. These cords are okay. They are pretty but very thin. The cords are made of several small fibers that seperate a bit if the pendant you hang on them slides at all. Also, one or two actually got snagged by a jump ring which makes me nervous, wondering how long they might hold up.
Overall, they get the job done. I will likely use them for children's jewelry only.
Overall, they get the job done. I will likely use them for children's jewelry only.
Singer Chainstitch Sewing Machine, Battery Operated
I should have known better, but I assumed that since it was made by Singer it may actually work. I have been sewing for over 35 years and bought this for my daughter for her 4th birthday. She's been using my Singer serger for a few months and I thought this would be safer and she could do it herself. The thing won't even make a complete run of stitches. I'm taking itand the knitting machine that came with it that doesn't work eitherback to the store. I'll buy her a small real sewing machine and put a needle guard on it.
