Meissner 95th Anniversary Sale!

I have an announcement to make today! I am going to be an ambassador for Meissner. They are a family owned business based in Northern California. This year they are celebrating 95 years in business and to celebrate their milestone and show appreciation to their customers, they are having BIG sales event in whole month of September.

As their ambassador, I get to share exciting deals with you! Here are few things to remember:
The Anniversary sale can be shopped now online at meissnersewing.com. Because they are celebrating their 95 years, their customers can enjoy up to 95% off plus an extra 9.5% off every order when you use code 95years.

As a new ambassador, I received a welcome package! There I found the Oliso Iron and Liberty of London Fabric in the box; How did they know I always wanted to try Oliso iron and I am the biggest fan of Liberty of London fabrics?? They are just a couple of the new and discounted accessories in the sale! There are deals on sewing machines as well. Don't forget to check out Baby Lock Machine deals too – add to cart from the catalog for the best pricing!

Two - toned (Color block) Hoodie DIY

Several weeks ago, my daughter's boyfriend asked me to create a matching two-tone hoodie for her birthday. Since this was a surprise, I needed to be very careful not to spill the beans. Now, she has already received the hoodie (and yes, she really loves it!), I get to share a tutorial on how I accomplished this highly secret mission. hahaha.

He provided two hoodies and stay tape. I just needed to find the time to work on them when she was not around.

* You will need

Two different color hoodies
Stay tape
Jersey needle
Thread

* How to

1. I asked him to wash them first. I guess you don't have to, but I felt that it would be better. I ironed them and made sure they had no wrinkles.

2. Lay one hoodie on the cutting table completely flat; no wrinkles on the front and back. Make sure the shoulder seams and side seams are straight. These things sound tedious, but these things make the finished result much cleaner and better. Determine the cutting line. I decided to cut from one of the shoulders to the opposite side of the side seam line a few inches above the bottom line.

3. Use the part of the hoodie you just cut, cut the other hoodie the same way. I pinned the shoulder and the side together, so it will stay better when I cut. I used my cutting mat and rotary cutter for this. If you don't have these tools, you can draw a line and cut it with the scissors. Pining near the cutting line helps to keep the fabric aligned better.

4. Swap the hoodies to create two sets of two-toned hoodies.

5. Take one set of the hoodie parts and sew together. To prevent the fabric from stretching out and becoming wavy, I used stay tape. This one wasn't adhesive tape, so I pinned it with the seams. Take the right sides of the hoodies parts together and place stay tape on top of the one side of the seam line and pin all three layers together and sew. I used the jersey needle to sew with my sewing machine.

6. I used my Baby Lock Victory to serge all around the seam. Having the serger made this process very quick and I was able to sew with confidence.

7. Press the seam with an iron and do the same process with the other set of hoodie parts.

Mission complete! The seam lines are crisp and clean and my daughter and her boyfriend loved the result.

Sewing with My Baby Lock Victory ~ Skirt

As I mentioned in my previous post, all my projects in 2024 were quilts. After receiving the Babylock Victory serger, my desire to sew more garments increased by 100%! I have many Japanese sewing books and American patterns I bought from Joann's. I have many apparel fabrics and knits for future projects. I have no shortages there. All I need is to just start. I guess the hardest part for me is deciding the perfect match of sewing pattern and fabric. Sometimes this process takes months and years for me, because I see many possibilities with the fabric piece and I have a hard time making a decision. I don't want to cut into the fabric and go "oops, I should have used this for something else". But, I am starting to think differently… saving the fabrics for a "special" occasion or purpose doesn't do any good for me or the fabric. I am not getting any younger and I should just sew something I want, wear them and enjoy them while I can!

My first project with my Victory was a simple white t-shirt. Today, I am sharing a skirt I made. Nani Iro Sewing Studio is a great sewing book and it is translated into English. If you are interested in trying Japanese patterns, this is a great one. I thought this skirt was totally my style and such a great design for day to day living.

After I traced the pattern pieces, it was time to start cutting into the fabric! I just needed to get over the fear of messing it up and just enjoy the process.

This is a pretty simple pattern to follow, but having a nice and dependable serger makes the process so much faster. I love to look at the clean edges too.

I love the waistband of this skirt, the front is smooth...

and has elastic on the back. I think it makes a little more elevated look.

The skirt was done in one afternoon.

Mr. TRH and I took a quick trip to southern Utah and I decided to take this skirt with me. Cotton skirts are always my favorite. Even in hot weather, it was breezy and comfortable. I love how this skirt fits me, so I will definitely repeat this one. I already sewed a couple garments after I sewed this skirt and I am going to share them soon. :)

Baby Lock Serger Victory, Me and My First Project

I have been SO excited about my new Baby Lock Victory. Because it's all new to me, I had to read the manual and watched some videos, but I was able to figure out how to thread the machine and sew my first project with the serger! Seriously, the jet air threading and needle threading system makes threading the machine a breeze! I used to dread threading my previous machine, but not anymore!

I decided to make a simple white t-shirt for the upcoming season. I used one of my favorite t-shirts as a template, tweaked some things and made a pattern. I love the neckline and the sleeve length.

I wanted a t-shirt that is not so see through; I was able to use thicker material. It is a little oversized style with shorter length, which is perfect for my short torso. This reminds me of one of the reasons why I love sewing; you can customize your creation to your needs and wants.

I know I just sewed one of the most used t-shirts for this Spring and Summer. Stay tuned for more sewing projects in a future post! :)

Nightingale Quilt Completed and Gifted

I finished this quilt at the end of last year, but I didn't have a chance to take a picture until recently. I am finally ready to share it!

I made this quilt for my second son as a "grown man quilt". As I was browsing for design ideas, this came to my mind. You can find the pattern at Lo and Behold Stitchery and the shop has other beautiful patterns you will fall in love with! I just changed up the colors to make it more for my son and he loved it. :)

Guess what? Shortly after I started making this quilt, my son got engaged. Their wedding is in less than a couple months! I am going to start making their wedding quilt. I gotta go!

Meet My New Serger! ~ Baby Lock Victory

Hello everyone! This is the very first post of 2025 and I have exciting news to share. I have been an ambassador for Baby Lock for the last several years, and I created some fun projects with the sewing machines Aria and Sashiko. They are such excellent machines and I recommend them wholeheartedly. Now I have an opportunity to work with their serger, Victory!

Look at this beauty… decades ago, my husband bought me a simple serger as a surprise and it has been a good machine, but I always wanted to try a Baby Lock serger. I had a feeling that I would love their serger as much as I love my sewing machine.

Victory is on the more affordable side of sergers among Baby Lock, and it has all the bells and whistles that I wanted. The main feature that I was curious about and interested in for YEARS was the JET-AIR THREADING. With just the touch of a lever, thread is sent through the tubular loopers. The NEEDLE THREADING SYSTEM will make threading the top threads a breeze. Hold the needle threader in place for quick and easy threading. I really didn't care for threading my previous serger… Now I can spend less time threading and more time sewing and having fun.

Two bright LED lights help me clearly see every stitch, fabric and thread color. Having no tension adjustments and an adjustable presser foot height of up to 6 mm is AMAZING!

Also, I really love this ACCESSORY STORAGE! It's like when a girl is showing off her dress, and she says "Look! there are pockets!" Hehehe

I started looking through the manual and played with my new serger. I am already in love with my Victory. All of my major projects in 2024 were quilts. I have a feeling that I am going to do a lot more garment sewing this year.

R65 Cordless Stick Vacuum Review!

I have a pretty exciting post today! I was given the chance to review the Riccar R65 Cordless Stick Vacuum! I feel like an early birthday and Christmas gift came to me. I know some of you might say, "why a vacuum cleaner as a gift??". I used to think that way too, but trust me, having a great and reliable household equipment makes our day to day lives so much easier.

After I opened the box and set everything up, I had to wait for the vacuum to fully charge.

Normally I have such a hard time waiting for something like this, because I am so excited and I just want to start using it right away. I decided to run some errands and read the owner's manual (which I usually don't like to do) like a responsible adult. haha. Speaking of the manual, it had a detailed diagram, and was very easy to understand even for someone like myself where English is a second language. From the product video and manual I learned a few things about the R65 Cordless Stick Vacuum. Here are some key factors:

1. 2 HEPA filters - It features Two HEPA media filters that work together to keep particles like common household allergens out of the air. Some of my family members have seasonal allergies. I love anything that helps to keep our indoor air healthier.

2. Smart Sensor Dust Detection - Infrared dust sensor automatically adjusts suction power to the dust level of dirt and debris

3. Variable Suction - There are 5 settings including Auto. AUTO setting increases/decreases power based on the mess it encounters (What?! That is incredible!).

4. Longer Run Time - Up to 40 minutes* (Runtime depends on cleaning surface, power level, charge level and age of battery). An infrared dust sensor detects dust levels and automatically adjusts suction to clean with the perfect level of power, which also optimizes battery life.

5. Charging stand with tool storage – This is one of my favorite features. The R65 charges when you set it in the stand, so it’s always ready to go. 4 tools can be used on the R65 wand or directly on the vacuum. They lock into place on the charging stand. Always ready and organized. The 4 tools that came in the box are:

2-in-1 dusting brush and upholstery tool

12-inch crevice tool that extends to 16.75 inches

Soft-surface dusting brush for soft or delicate surfaces

Rotating dusting brush

There are accessories that are sold separately for specific needs like removing pet hair, cleaning hard floors and a spare battery with dual-battery charging base. I might buy the extra battery later on to keep them handy when I do a super cleaning day for my entire house.

After a few hours, The vacuum was fully charged and ready to go. To start off, I vacuumed the main floor living room which has carpet and a rug, also some of the carpeted stairs. To vacuum the stairs, I disassembled the vacuum body, metal wand and vacuum nozzle. Then attached the nozzle directly to the Vacuum body. The fact that I didn't have to carry a heavy vacuum cleaner up and down the stairs is such a plus! I was so surprised to see how much dust accumulated in the dust cup from such a small area, especially since I vacuumed only a couple days ago. This proves to me that the R65 Cordless Stick Vacuum is easy to use, powerful, and a great versatile vacuum.

Thanksgiving is behind us, but we still have some holiday gatherings coming up. I know I can rely on my R65 Cordless Stick Vacuum to do the job!