I've started another series to add to my "Classy Trash Caddy", "Sassy Sniffles & Sneezes" and I'm calling this one "Fancy Functionals" :) A set of 4 coasters created in the same manor Rebecca created the hot pad :) I'm working on some other things to add to the Fancy Functionals & hope to finish them tomorrow so I can post them.

🧵 It’s Saturday Show & Tell time in The Sewing Academy! What’s something you worked on, finished, learned, or felt proud of this week? I’ll Go first in the comments.

Piggybacking off of yesterday’s post @Christa Karim asked a great question in the comments and I thought I’d answer it here in a regular post also. After I posted this: The general Rule of thumb is EVERY 8-10 hours of sewing time. Less if you are sewing on thicker or more abrasive fabrics like denim or canvas. Christa asked: Do you know why we're supposed to do this? What does it change? My Answer: Needles will get dull, blunt and sometimes just the tiniest bit bent over time. This causes a couple of problems. 1.Causes the machine to work harder than it needs to which in turn can cause excess lint/debris buildup and overheating. 2. Dull/blunt needles can cause damage and snagging to your fabric. I will also add that a damaged needle can throw off the timing, tension and stitch accuracy of your machine and over time can cause a myriad of annoying and possibly expensive problems. A TELL-TELL way to know FOR SURE that a needle needs to be replaced is if you start hearing a thump every time the needle goes into the fabric while sewing. That means the tip is dull. Think of it like trying to cut steak with a butter knife. You will also notice your thread breaking or shredding more often. I am posting some pics here of examples of dull/damaged needles

Who’s up for a little quiz today and some honest confessions???? HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU REPLACE YOUR SEWING MACHINE NEEDLE???- Answer below in the survey PS..no shame here! I once sewed for a year before I knew that you were even SUPPOSED to replace the machine needle. Drop a comment below if you have done anything similar I will post the answer And a little more info later tonight. 🕰️

It’s Monday and GUESS WHAT?! We are 5 members away from having 100 MEMBERS!!!! Can you believe it??? I am seriously excited about how quickly our little Sewing Family is growing. Speaking of growing… 🗞️Please help me welcome the new sewing friends that have joined us this week; Say hello to: @Lelia Powell @Linda Lowe @Christa Karim @Oscar Vazquez @Kimberly Cintron @Ashley Ross @Kirstin Chapman @Lauren Sharf If you’re new here, tell us: What made you decide to learn how to sew? OR Where you are in your sewing journey? We would LOVE to get to know you 🥰 💵DON’T FORGET: You can help us grow! YOU can earn 20% MONTHLY commission when someone joins Premium ⬅️ (only $7) using YOUR personal invite link. You can find your link by clicking: Community → three dots → Invite People → Copy Link → Paste Link in your Social Media. There’s even a cool graphic down below that you can download and save to use in your posts. If you’d like to invite a friend who wants to learn sewing, this is a great way to do it. 🗞️NEWS!!- The Intermediate Sewing Class has been created and is slowly being uploaded into the classroom. MY goal launch date for this level up course is TENTATIVELY August 1st. Just like the Beginner’s Basic Level Course this one will have 4 Modules. Module 1: New & Different Stitches and Techniques Module 2: Zippers Module 3: Buttons & Button Holes Module 4: Interfacing *Each Module will have its own mini project that will reinforce the skills learned with a larger project in the last Module that will bring it all together. 💬 Sewing Quote of the Week: "I drive (my sewing machine) fast and bare-footed!” 💨