Without thread, embroidery is just a piece of fabric. . .  The thread can make a great design m [More]

Wristlets are great if you have lots of other stuff to haul around (like kids and diaper bags and laptops...) and don't want the extra weight of a purse.  But after a hard winter the ones we have been using look pretty bad so I decided to surprise the girls with new ones this week.  I ... [More]

     Individual characters (letters, numbers and punctuation marks) from my alph [More]

These tips can be used for Windows XP and Vista - Operating systems vary, if in doubt, check with your provider and/or technical support.  It seems like everyone needs to save time. It is just a fact of life these days.  The following "Control Key" list is to help you do just t... [More]

Yes, I know - I do lots of baby stuff.  I can't help it - my girls and all their friends are at [More]

Every day I see digitizers trying to create something new for machine embroidery.  I see things [More]

(Baby Bibs and Burps are now available at AnnTheGran.com.  Click here , also click here to vew other new blanks on special)   Just recently we’ve had two customers call us to let us know they were unhappy with our baby items.  They said they “fell apart” and t... [More]

I have never been certain why Microsoft does not place a calculator on a computer screen. There are a number of them on the Internet, and I have one that I like for several reasons. For one, I can turn off or on the keyboard. With the keyboard off, I can just use my computer numeers. You can find it... [More]

Occasionally you may be working with a dense or very sheer fabric and experience what is called hoop [More]

Doll Making and the Ndebele Tribe- a special African Art form  The Ndebele, one of the smallest [More]

Newborn photo shoots are fun.  But what do you do with all those pictures?  Here is an ide [More]

       Make a HoneyBea Thread Doll set for your little Honey – No Batteries Required! When I was little, I loved the Betsy McCall paper doll in the back of McCall’s magazine, and I even cut out paper dolls from the pages of my Mother’s Sears Roebuck catalog.... [More]

I am a big fan of free computer software. Some of it is worth free and some of it is quite valuable. One that I like, and have found to be praised by many computer professionals is CCleaner by Piriform.com.  This one has a very nice Pedigree - - If you are not using this software, you may wa... [More]

     Individual designs can be found on my Stock Design Page.  My designs a [More]

Thread colors and names inspired by African Savanah  From The COLORFUL world of African Folklore Embroidery we bring you a complete selection of multi-colored hand dyed variegated threads from House of Embroidery, South Africa.  Our exquisite hand-dyed threads are suitable for all types... [More]

Frankly, when it is cold outside, it is also cold inside. I remember living in Phoenix and the air c [More]

Mural Painting- The Ndebele women-Creative Inspiration- Enter to win 4 African Folklore Embroidery kits  While there are many tribes in Africa, the magnificent beadwork, doll- making and wall mural painting of the Ndebele tribe are a constant source of inspiration. The houses of the Ndebele... [More]

Embroidery on knits can be tricky, but the real secret is in the hooping.To get great results on knits, you must stabilize this stretchy fabric. You probably know that the text book rule for fabrics that stretch is to use a cutaway stabilizer.This should be followed, except in rare instances. If it ... [More]

 You know that WWW stands for World Wide Web. Typing in WWW tells your browser that you are connecting to a Web server. However, as the Internet and related-technology evolved, prefixes became mostly unnecessary. But we are creatures of habit and many Websites use both WWW and non-WWW addresse... [More]

Hello, Granners! It has been a while since I've been able to write to you, and I'm sorry about that. For the last year or so we've been working hard on some new products. But while products are under development I can't really tell you much about what we're doing.... [More]

Many embroiderers enjoy reading magazines on line. The latest thing is to put them there for your co [More]

Some days I cannot find my keys, or my glasses or whatever I really need. Too often, I cannot find a file I need and that presents a lot of problems for me. I am always on a schedule and get frustrated with delays!  This small application is really worth its weight in gold and then some. Check... [More]

There are times when attaching a patch or emblem is a lot easier than trying to apply embroidery directly to a difficult item. Other times, it’s helpful to be able to change or remove the embroidered identification easily.  For these times, it’s nice to know how to make emblems... [More]

I hope your holidays were full of fun with family and friends.   I listened to people make their New Year's resolutions   the other night.  Some were new but many were the same old ones they make every year and find so difficult to keep.  So, we talked with the girl... [More]

Your current scissors are probably not going to make it to a museum, I know mine won't.  But a [More]

     Individual designs can be found on my Stock Design Page.  My designs a [More]

Quick Coasters in the hoop- Designs Included Ever need something right now!  Well last year one of the charity craft bazaars in my mom's neighbourhood needed lots of little things to fill in.  So we made a bunch of these in one night.  In sets of 4 of these quick coasters, tied i... [More]

If I had one item that I would have liked to really have been knowledgeable about from day one, it h [More]

Well, the Christmas music is playing everywhere, most of the shopping is done but the sewing pile still looms, at least at my house.  I have at least four more gifts to make before Christmas Day.  November and December have been busier than usually with things unplanned but just part of li... [More]

I started this project over a year ago and for various reasons, I did not want to proceed with it.&n [More]

Hi, from Texas! I'm James Raymer, Vice President of Dalco Home Sew. I am excited and honored to be part of your “Community Circle.” I can still remember when I first met Ann. Ann and I were invited to a retreat at Myrtle Beach. This being my first show I was in awe of meeting a real... [More]

There are a lot of good things about working for myself at home. I can come and go as I please. I can work in my pajamas. There’s no commute. There are some downsides. I work on the week-ends and in the middle of the night. The work is always there; I can’t walk away from it. But the big... [More]

Is this the most magnificent swan you have ever seen? Free Standing Lace (FSL) is a technique uniqu [More]

It’s interesting how you can have a great idea during a very busy day and then when you sit down to write….you draw a blank. I am hoping that I remember what that great idea was before I get to the end of this blog.  In the meanwhile today was one of those busy days at work that yo... [More]

The weather in New Jersey this week is snowy and really cold and to some folks that may not seem so wonderous but when we had an unexpected family gathering in New York last week it made one little girl happy.  My 16 year old niece was visiting from Ocala, Fl and she had never seen snow in her ... [More]

In beginning this blog, I realized that I need to back track and talk about something I left out some time ago. You really need to straighten the fabric before you begin any project.  That doesn’t include quilting alone.  It includes any kind of sewing.  Because of the nature of... [More]

Packing our bags...It's official, we booked our flights and made hotel reservations: we will be teaching / demoing at the upcoming AnnTheGran Community Circle event on March 27 and 28, 2009 in Orlando!And what a great coincidence it is that we will be at the AnnTheGran event, in the "roots&... [More]

We’re trying to pare down here at the old homestead. I have no idea where all this stuff came from but it’s gotta go! Okay, I know where it came from . . . . Live in the same house for 47 years and stuff piles up. Plus, Bill has a habit that I’ve heard that a lot of men have: Somet... [More]

Until now, I’ve talked about the things we use in our furniture such as the hardware, the sewing machine lift, and even the dowels and glue we use to put it all together.  But that comes after the cabinet comes off the drawing board and proceeds to construction.   Other than things... [More]

  Special Offer - This Week Only- Buy Catalog Xpress and Get Alphabet Xpress Free! Click Her [More]

I hope everyone had a really great Christmas/Chanukah/holiday season.  As well the happiest New Year since January 1, 2008. ;o) Before I began this blog, I checked with the folks at AnnTheGran to be sure you all want me to continue with my ramblings.  Since this is the first time for me in... [More]

Happy New Year!Can you imagine? A new year, again? It feels like it's only a few months ago since we all watched the fireworks going from New Zealand / Australia / Europe and finally USA to welcome the new Millennium! And now all of a sudden we're in 2009...Time is one of the things in life ... [More]

Quality Made Sylvia Sewing Furniture Our commitment to quality extends to, what some might consider, even the most mundane items.  I’m talking about the hardware we use in all of Sylvia’s sewing furniture.  In the past few blog posts, I’ve talked about how we assemble o... [More]

Long about New Year's Eve I was hearing a lot of mumbling and grumbling about 2008, talking heads saying that thank goodness 2008 is over. Well, yes, the economic messiness of the last couple of months of 2008 was bad thing and embarking on a brand spanking new 2009 is a good thing, even though ... [More]

I have been thinking about doing embroidery on lingerie for some time now.  I might be doing so [More]

     Individual characters (letters, numbers and punctuation marks) from my alph [More]

I am sure that each of you are just like me and you are running around trying to get as much accomplished before the year ends as you can.  Whether it is trying to get the last-minute gifts made or find the perfect gift, they would often look better if they were personalized, wouldn’t the... [More]

Battenburg (Battenberg) lace has also been known as Renaissance lace.  Created by using loops o [More]

Greetings everyone! Can you believe it?  The end of the journey and all the gifts you're making are nearly complete, right?!?  Now I am quite sure there are some of you who actually DO have your gifts finished, neatly wrapped, and waiting under the tree for the lucky recipie... [More]

  Special Offer - For free shipping within the contiguous United States and Canada, click here to view these cabinets in our online store. In the early 1980’s I was approached by local sewing machine retailer about building a good quality sewing cabinet. At the time none w... [More]

       Individual characters (letters, numbers and punctuation marks) fr [More]

  Special Offer - To get free shipping and handling on Pre-Design Studio, the software mentioned in this post, click here. Wow, my first blog at AnnTheGran.com This week I will try to solve a problem that will be familiar to many of you - well, at least I hope that I'm not the... [More]

  This is going to be a quick post, but I just was working with the Pashminas that I sell on Et [More]

Yes, I know the holiday season is a time for joy and counting your blessings but it is so much more enjoyable when everyone stays well.  In our family 2008 has been dubbed “the year of the tissue”.  As I walk in the door with my load of tissue boxes my husband just shakes his h... [More]

This week I am the host of my semi-annual Education Team meeting at my corporate headquarters  in New Jersey and I have to say that to be among so many talented and fun ladies who have managed to make a career out of doing something they like is really amazing.  I know that many of you mig... [More]

(Me singing) "Rain drops on roses and whiskers on kittens; the smell of leather and warm woolen mitt [More]

  Trust me when I tell you that hankies are not a left-over relic from the fifties!  The handkerchief category continues to be a strong one for us especially around holidays and wedding season.  Personally, I love to take a hankie to weddings and I haven’t met a bride yet who h... [More]

  Special Offer - For free shipping within the contiguous United States and Canada, click here to view these cabinets in our online store. Furniture makers agree on this – spend the extra effort to do things right the first time and you won’t have to go back to fix or ... [More]

Almost everyone has reason to be excited about this coming weekend, not just because it's Thanksgiving in the United States but because, for retailers that sell in the U.S., it's the kick-off of the Christmas selling season. Pretty much anyone who shops is aware of that Friday is known as Bl... [More]

Can one paragraph be about current events, information, an embroidery project, a gift idea and a travel story?  Last week we in the US celebrated Veterans Day. Most holidays in the US fall on Mondays so as to provide long week-ends, but Veterans Day is always celebrated on November 11. So this ... [More]