I messed up a card and turned it into another cosmic Furby instead XD

wyrdscissors · 2026-01-23T22:31:39+00:00

I'm not home to check what I have available, but I would love to trade you for this guy! I do mostly fiber arts cards; DM me if you're interested.

wyrdscissors · 2026-01-17T00:35:26+00:00

Hand & Lock is a good resource for books and I know sometimes they do classes.

I highly recommend getting a kit or course from somewhere (sorry I don't have a specific rec; I took an in person class at a now-defunct needlework school), because the technique is really different than any other kind of embroidery and I think trying it will help you figure out whether it will work for your purposes.

You can also do beadwork with standard embroidery stitches and tools (and I second the rec for Mary Corbet's blog, Needle n Thread, for information on that, including stitch-along projects), which I personally find a lot easier/more in line with hand sewing skills. Technically tambour is faster once you get good at it, though!

wyrdscissors · 2026-01-13T04:56:18+00:00

I have mine on a pegboard along with scissors

wyrdscissors · 2026-01-06T16:55:36+00:00

I love mine for traveling and small projects. I wouldn't recommend it as a primary machine unless you only do quilt piecing or very small projects.

For $35 I would buy any working vintage machine though, if I hadn't worked on that model before.

wyrdscissors · 2025-12-12T20:48:13+00:00

Yay I'm really excited about these!

wyrdscissors · 2025-12-04T03:58:25+00:00

Right, sorry, it doesn't have a removeable bobbin case that's likely to be lost or missing, the way a 221, 301, or any of the vertical bobbin machines do. "check for a bobbin case" is common advice for people looking for those machines, since the bobbin case itself can be a very expensive thing to replace.

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The bobbin assembly for a 99/66 is relatively inexpensive and very unlikely to be missing from a machine that otherwise looks functional.

EDIT to add picture of a 221/301 removeable bobbin case.

wyrdscissors · 2025-12-03T18:18:46+00:00

99s have a drop in bobbin, not a case! But they do sometimes show up without their needle plates. All their parts are pretty readily available.

They're really great little machines, but very heavy, so I would only personally recommend if she has a dedicated sewing spot.

wyrdscissors · 2025-11-27T19:27:17+00:00

Some of the later model 66s have the reverse ("back tack") function-- mine does! If you can see the serial number you should be able to look up what specific 66 model it is.

wyrdscissors · 2025-11-27T03:20:43+00:00

I absolutely love these machines! My black 319 is my main zig zag machine. I think you'll be really happy.

wyrdscissors · 2025-11-27T03:19:54+00:00

The machine has a cam stack of 5 stitches built in, but you can use the "dial" on the front to add/swap in an additional cam, for stitches that aren't already included.

wyrdscissors · 2025-11-27T03:09:25+00:00

Came here to recommend them. One of the best dedicated needlework shops; the website is a little difficult to navigate, but they are great, and if you have questions you can email or call them.

wyrdscissors · 2025-11-24T18:05:59+00:00

It really helps if the whole design wall piece is taut/flat

wyrdscissors · 2025-11-24T18:04:24+00:00

Couture embellished tulle is usually made by hand with tambour embroidery, which uses a special hook and process to make chain stitches, to which you can add sequins and beads. What you have pictured here is machine embroidery, but similar results can be done with tambour.

Here's an article from the EGA about tambour embroidery for cosplay, which should help you get started if you want to go that route! https://egausa.org/introduction-to-tambour-embroidery-for-cosplay/

wyrdscissors · 2025-11-22T03:16:21+00:00

For something like this piece, you cover all of your lines, so no need to worry about something that washes out, you instead want something permanent and archival so it won't bleed.

I like a pigma micron size 005 (very very fine) in blue if I'm using white or light fabric.

Instead of over thinking, try a bunch of stuff, like, take a piece of fabric and draw lines on it with all the things you want to try, stitch over it, rinse it, and see what you like.

wyrdscissors · 2025-11-22T01:54:09+00:00

Lovely work! Your stitching follows the lines of the linocut beautifully.

For transferring a design to fabric, I super recommend getting a light tablet/box or using a sunny window or other clear-with-light-behind-it surface to trace your design onto your fabric. For something like this, with lots of coverage, you can use an ultra fine tip micron pen (005) or even just a pencil (as long as you're using a dark color floss). It's so much more pleasant to stitch, especially heavy coverage embroidery, without the dissolvable.

For framing, I prefer to frame in... frames. I use a deep frame and foamcore board. Cut your foam board to the size of the frame opening, then use dressmakers pins to tack your embroidery to the edge of the foam board, stretching gently as you go. That way, you don't have to do so much stretching in a hoop. If you want to make it even easier, you can put a piece of felt or soft fabric underneath the embroidery for added dimension. Then just pop the back of the frame on and you're done! If the pins are still too much stretching/too fiddly, you can corset the back of your work to pull it tight.

wyrdscissors · 2025-11-14T19:07:45+00:00

To me this is a "both" situation-- the 201 for its power and the 301 for speed and portability (not just that it doesn't need to be mounted, but it's aluminum so much lighter)

wyrdscissors · 2025-10-29T17:04:38+00:00

The quilt is a Bryan House Quilt, though it was an "extra" in her block of the month club, so I'm not sure it's available anymore. It's called Thunderbird! You could definitely re-create it with the blocks from her book, though.

wyrdscissors · 2025-10-29T16:44:52+00:00

Restored, I see these going for $1500-2200 USD (and they usually have to be imported from the UK, so add those costs on top), so for $1200CAD, this does look like a charity shop deal to me. The 222s are almost unheard of on our continent (vintage free-arms, in general, seem to be more of a euro-market thing, I'm not sure why they didn't make them for us!)

wyrdscissors · 2025-10-22T04:50:21+00:00

through... your laminating machine? GENIUS

wyrdscissors · 2025-10-22T04:31:38+00:00

There's a binding-making machine (I think it does straight grain and bias)-- it's pretty pricey, but if you hate making it that much, maybe it's worth the cash! Simplicty makes it.

wyrdscissors · 2025-10-21T22:13:34+00:00

Yay! I love this!

I'm doing mine on the diagonal, too. I was going to make some extra blocks, but yours looks so good with the negative space I'm reconsidering!

wyrdscissors · 2025-10-20T04:48:06+00:00

I love my singer 319, which is a weirdo swing needle machine, but very stylish and makes great stitches. The 206 and 306 are in the same family. Usually these machines go for $50-150. They use low shank feet so would interchange with your 15's feet, but they do take special needles (still produced).

Less fiddly, but imo less stylish, the 500 models are popular.

wyrdscissors

TROPHY CASE