Wow, I have not posted using this Craftster account since I was 15!! Crazy how time flies, but here I am and in dire need of some crafty assistance.

My mother gave me life, and also the gift of serging with her Babylock bl3-407. She had used it for many years when she was my age, then packaged it up around '97 and there it sat in her craft space until this year. When we unpackaged it, it was still threaded! So we cleaned some dust out of the parts and I set to learning how to stitch on it. She still had the original manual and more, so when it came time for me to change threads, I didn't have any problems.

But THEN.
But then I had to go and get cocky and try to change the needle to a different size and weight for my fabric. That's when all hell broke loose, because I changed the needle (with a proper needle, mind you!) and rethreaded and... nothing. The machine literally does not form any stitch of any kind. At most, the needle thread will make a faux stitch on the front side of the fabric, but because the bottom two loopers aren't doing anything with eachother, the "stitches" can just be gently pulled out in one long unbroken piece. I have spent several hours trying to diagnose what is going on here, and so has my mother and I'm torn between throwing the damn thing out the window, and huddling in a corner away from it crying.

Does anyone have any kind of wisdom or experience they can impart? I realize the machine is older, but I can't understand how it could go into a box in good condition, come out of a box in good condition, be used gently, be threaded correctly and work, and then when a single needle is changed, just refuse to do anything. There has to be something I'm just missing in the complexity of the serger, right? All hope is not lost, right? RIGHT? Ugh. Anyway, if any of you crafty ladies or gents have any suggestions, I would be most appreciative.

Cheers,
Marisa

Bought some canvases the other day and finally had a day off of work to play.
Am I a professional artist? Hell no, but I love this anyway.

I work in a scrapbooking store and have the chance to get a Bind-it-all for pretty cheap. But doing research on other binding systems has come up blank. I only know my boss who has a BIA, but of course she'll give me a good review because she's getting my money! Does anyone who have it have anything positive or negative to say about it or another binding system??

Lately I've been very very into painting, collaging, decorating and mailing out my own postcards - mini works of art. I know that the post secret swap is going on but I'm wondering if anyone is interested in just getting unique pieces of art in their mailbox right now - I know I'm DYING for some mail.
I can't organize yet, but I'd really love to see this happen.
Thanks!
Marisa

So I have this thing for paper dolls. I just love them to death. When I was younger, we were poor, and paper dolls were a lot cheaper to make than Barbie was to buy - so they were my primary source of entertainment.
A while back I had a crazy thought after seeing Meet the Sweetles (http://www.sweetles.nl). That website is a girl's pictures of her Blythe doll family and the house she built for them. I am just in awe of it, especially the house. While I was looking through I realized how much I wanted a Blythe - and how totally ridiculous it was for me to think I could get one.

So that's where I'm calling all/any Blythe or Pullip owners. I'd like to make a Blythe paperdoll for my personal enjoyment, out of a picture of a real Blythe or Pullip. I would need nude photos of your doll, maybe even a scan of some sort, in order to turn it into a printable paperdoll.
Please contact me if you've got the time and are interested.

Heya everyone!

So my sweet 16 is coming up in like..idk, a week. And I'm so excited because I was promised...a NEW SEWING MACHINE! WOO
So I've been looking around and stuff, been to Jo Anne's and looking online, but I went to Walmart the other night and saw the crazy Singer Ingenuity machine they carry, and I'm just wondering if anyone has it and if it runs as smoothly as it should?
Any reviews on it would be fantastic. =)
Riss

So in a few hours I'm leaving for a trip to Leadville, Colorado... which I'm not too enthusiastic about. To further postpone my packing, I decided to make some bookmarks, a much more rewarding experience.
I can include the images i made if you want to copy my designs =)

First of all:
Another idea shamelessly and horribly stolen from...
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=177375.0

Thanks a bunches!

the flash hit Malfoy weird, but it's the same color as Seeker. A color I had to custom mix cuz Im a loser like that. Also - 20 = silver glitter.


WOOHOO ONLY ONE MORE DAY!!

Ok, not quite stars and straps.

More like zebra print and polka dots.

This is my new address book / calendar / day planner. It's made from a one inch binder I sewed a cover for - then i designed the calendar pages and what not and printed it all out and put it together.








Thanks!

So I took on the task of making a tshirt for the boyfriend that has a Hello My Name Is sticker on it. So I make the blue part of the sticker and then realize - crap How am I going to iron on the Hello part, since it needs to be done as another layer in white.
So my question is, well it ruin my project if I iron my second freezer paper stencil on top of my already dried first layer of fabric paint? Im using Tulip Matte paint.