The new Apocalypse alphabet continues this week with the letter "E", which will be available for free download in 2" size until 30 July 2026.
NOTICE
SITE UPDATE -- FINALLY!
After reaching an agreement with a business that will be selling the designs, I will at long last be restoring the storefront over the next couple of weeks.
Watch this space!
with all good wishes,
Jen
LATEST FREE DESIGN
Click this link to find this hilarious design, free in 4" size.
JEN'S PROJECTS
Lights are out in the sewing room this week!Honestly, I don't know where the weeks go. I've been setting up designs in preparation for re-opening the site store, so between that and curating sewing machines I haven't had much time for making things. I'll be back next week with a new project, but in the meantime you may like to take a look at the ones I've posted so far for 2026.
Need more project fun? While you're there, you can check out the rest of my posts for this year , and if you're still hungry for more, you can browse through all my projects going back to 2018.
NEWS & DOINGS
On his birthday recently, Scampers turned 6: hard to believe!
He's a big fellow now, but sometimes I like to recall when he was just a kitten, enjoying vintage sewing machines almost as much as I do.
I'd never break up a complete puzzle to use in crafting, but if a puzzle is missing too many pieces to be donated to a thrift store, I'm on it.
This one was missing 12 (!) pieces, so DH had set it aside for recycling . . . which I will happily do.
It's a "family" puzzle, which means that about 1/3 of the pieces are large sizes -- a perfect basefor ornaments.
Amazingly, the great majority of the second-hand puzzles we have purchased have arrived with all their pieces intact, so I don't often get a chance to glean pieces for crafting, so this is a bit of a bonanza for me.
It's inspired me to make some more of these nifty ornaments!!
Now if I can only clear some of the sewing machines out of the way . . .
I'm still going through the machines that came from my friend's warehouse last month: cleaning, servicing, oiling, and testing.
One of them was this beautiful Japanese class 15 machine from the 1950s or early 60s.
There were millions of these around, carrying different badges, all made by a handful of companies in Japan. They were based on the Singer 15, but with some modifications. This one was badged for the Robert Simpson company (Simpsons) of Canada, for many years one of the major retailers in the country, for both in-person and catalogue shopping.
These beautiful machines are robust and reliable, simple to operate and easy to service on your own. Even though this one had sat for untold decades, it needed only a wipe-down and a little oil, and it was ready to sew a perfect stitch, through multiple layers of denim.
My photo doesn't capture how stunning this machine is: its decals are pristine, and the finish is shiny and gorgeous. It's a joy to sew on too.
I figure that I own around 35+ straight-stitch machines, and all of them are lovely stitchers. I don't know how on earth I'll be able to choose which ones to keep and which ones to move along. Some of them will have to go, but this one will surely be among the keepers.
I sometimes use baker's string in my projects, so happily grabbed this pack for only $1.
It's some kind of synthetic and not the genuine cotton kind, but it will do for ornaments and such.
I know staples aren't expensive, but a full pack of 5000 for only $1 caught Santa's eye.
I have a hunch this pack might end up in my stocking come Christmas. (I'm good with that: I love staplers and use them regularly).
Double-stick tape (not the foam kind) is handy in the craft room, but it's not always easy to find, so I snatched up these two packs as soon as I saw them.
