Brother Sewing Machine - Zigzag Stitch Issue SOLVED!

I never posted my recent sewing issue, however, I did spend WAY too much time trying to find the answer on the internet.  Luckily, I was able to find an answer, but I can't remember where, so I thought I'd share it here in case anyone else has the same problem.

 I was trying to make a Christmas stocking, (a major pain in the butt project, as posted earlier), and the zigzag stitch on my Brother CS-6000i sewing machine was not working.  Not unusual for this POS machine. Specifically, the right side of the zigzag would not pick up the bobbin thread, so I ended up with a straight line.  

I found a few people out there online who had the same issue and the responses were mostly related to changing the needle, changing the bobbin, changing the tension...the usual.  Anyway, I happened to find one brilliant response that mentioned that only Schmetz needles seem to work on her Brother.  Desperate, I switched out my cheapy-cheap needle for a Schmetz (I can't actually believe I had some) and my zigzag nightmares were over...almost.  I still had a lot of problems with the tension.  It's always something with that machine!  Arrgghhh!

In bloem...

Holiday Gift Tags!

I just listed a small line of handmade gift tags to add a special touch to your holiday gift giving.  These tags are stamped with rustic, charming snowflakes. 

Enjoy :)

Gift Tags in bloem

Baby is Almost Here!

Today is my last day at my REAL job.  The job that pays.  Which means, it's getting close to time for Baby B to make his grand appearance!

The last few weeks (okay, and months), we've been wondering all the things you wonder when you're waiting for a baby to come;  What will he look like?  Will he be healthy? Can I do this? Can we do this?

I'm looking forward to the time off, and hoping that I may be able to squeeze in some crafts between napping and last minute to-do's.  AND, I'm really looking forward to Baby B's arrival!!!

Boo!

Rainy Days

I'm loving the rainy weather right now!  It's such a relief from the scorching hot days we had here in SJ just about a month ago.

The rain is bringing new freshness to everything.  It's time for lazy mornings in slippers and pjs, curled up on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate (no coffee for me right now).

The shift in weather has really given me a new burst of creativity, and while I can't wait to showcase what I'm working on, I have to have some patience.  So in the meantime, here is an image board that fits my cozy, crafting mood right now.

-Sarah

My DIY Baby Shower Favors - Take 1

So I had a mental block for a loooong time over what favors to give at our upcoming baby shower. I even went shopping a couple weeks ago to get inspired and came back empty handed! But today, I gave it a second shot, and came up with an idea that I like.

I wanted to incorporate the mini wooden shoes (Rogér, my husband, is Dutch)that we didn't end up using at our wedding. I bought some "baby" ribbon, as well as some blue and some green ribbon at Michael's. I also bought a Sharpie Paint Pen (it's a pen with oil based paint!!)

Here's the results:

I'm thinking of adding a magnet to each shoe so guests can put them on their fridge.  Any opinions or suggestions??

An Autumn Wedding

A bloem origninal was just featured in a beautiful Etsy treasury by GrievousAngelDesigns.

 Click on the picture to go to the this treasury