Good morning Cuties, I had an amazing day yesterday doing a trunk show here in the Zig Zag sewing shop at Waratah.
Dawn Johnson, a renowned machine embroiderer showed us all the samples of things she’s made. Dawn is an amazing woman and told us the story of her life. She travelled the world as she was a Travel consultant, lived in the country and was always in the sun!!!! Well our Aussie sun is not very kind! She ended up getting skin cancer - had a spot on her nose! She had surgery and after 6 months of reconstruction has been scarred for life. She has written novels and if you have the chance check out her book called “Face Value”. To say she is energetic is an understatement.Anyway, I had a frustrating day doing my design. First of all Sally just put the design straight onto the machine so I didn’t get to save it - I found that out later at home!!! My thread kept breaking, broke 2 needles, etc etc. so I changed needles bought new thread. I left at 4.00 ‘ cause I knew I wouldn’t get it finished. I came home turned on the machine to finish it - the design wasn’t there!!! So a quick visit to Dawn Johnson’s website and I bought the design and a couple others. I sat up till 1.00am this morning to finish it. I’m thrilled with it and will finish this pillow ASAP. Please check out her website. Love Chris
Next time. I’ll do white on the design instead of the blue. https://dawnjohnsondesigns.com/
234506
Chris it looks wonderful. A lot of work and 5 hoopings? I had a look at her website, great designs! liked the waratah cushion as well, but this one's lovelier (and a lot more work, I think).
145304Wow, I can see why you wanted to finish it. I have not heard of this digitizer. I will have to check out her website. So glad you had a good day despite a cantankerous machine!
1 comment
by pennifold
11 May 2018
Thanks Debbie. I doubt anyone from overseas would know her, she is one incredibly gifted and talented human being. Love Chris
P.S. she sells a lot of her designs on the Echidna site from Queensland.
14637Amazing Chris I thought yours would be blue. I wish I had been able to meet her, maybe next time she's in town. What is the name of this one.
1 comment
by pennifold
11 May 2018
Hi Marian this one is the Gumnuts design. All get designs are based on Australia’s fauna and flora. Love Chris
45918Wow! I enlarged the picture to see the design better and the detail is amazing! Dawn sounds like an amazing woman. I'm so glad you got to spend the day learning. I wish the stitching had been more successful in the shop, but so worthwhile when you managed to finish it.
1 comment
by pennifold
11 May 2018
Hi Karen, yes, it's beautiful. If you look at the leaves, you'd swear they were little bitty pieces of fabric, but she's actually done the leaves so they look slightly serrated. I kept thinking I hadn't cut the fabric away from the stitching. I've also bought her Wattle design and the most beautiful Waratah I've ever seen. The Waratah is the state floral emblem of New South Wales. Love Chris
169064This will look great in your room with the blue quilt you're doing. Very nice job, Chris. I'm glad you enjoyed meeting the designer and hearing her story. I had skin cancer removed from my nose over 14 years ago and my mom had some removed from her face at the same time. The dermatologist told me he hoped to get a clear margin and save my nose. I thought he had to have been kidding/joking...he was not. Thank God he was able to get a clear margin though.
1 comment
by pennifold
11 May 2018
So glad your surgeon got it all. The pictures in Dawn's book are so horrific. She had to endure an "elephant looking flap", If you look her up on the net there is a Channel 7 story on her from 8 years ago. I'll add the url here and hope you can check it out.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/my-batt...
My Mum has lots of scars on her nose from skin cancer surgeries and she's never been happy with it.
Love Chris
109780Will make a great pillow! Terrific job.
1 comment
by pennifold
11 May 2018
Hi Kay, yes, I think so too and it will look great in any of my rooms! Love Chris
85867
145791Wow, Chris. This will make a fabulous pillow. Some projects get done in baby steps. Sorry you had to buy the design, but it is gorgeous. Where are you on your big quilt squares?
1 comment
by pennifold
11 May 2018
Hi Betsey, thank you. I was only looking at them this morning and thinking I should get some done - well you know what think thought!!! I'll get around to it soon I hope!!!! Love Chris
66915Lovely design. Sorry you had problems though. Hugs
1 comment
by pennifold
11 May 2018
Thanks Shirley, once I was home and re-did the design here, the machine was better, but during the last few thousand stitches I had lots of breakages. It is a very dense design. Love Chris
52686Looks amazing Chris.You have inspired me to finish my started project. Janette
1 comment
by pennifold
11 May 2018
Great Janette, it will look awesome, I love all the flowers you have on yours. It's blowing a gale here today and only 16C here at the moment, very cool day for us.
I should be sewing, but I've just done the grocery shopping and have to put it away. Love Chris
1290Interesting design...it looks like part of the blue is actually applique fabric...unfortunate that you had to go and pay again for a design you should have received in your class...did you ever figure out why you had so many problems with the design in class?
3 comments
by pennifold
11 May 2018
It is applique Kim, reverse applique. With regard to the problems they kept saying it was my thread! My thread was a stunning blue, a bit deeper than the one in the picture, I only had it less than 2 years and I opened it up in class, so it had never been used. Then they said needles, so I changed them too! Dawn suggested size 75 needles, but my machine didn't like them on that design, which has over 75,000 stitches and in some places it was quite thick. I ended up using size 90 to finish off the design.. Love Chris
by pennifold
11 May 2018
Yes, I thought the same about the design, we had to pay $60.00 the class and $10.00 for the trunk show in the morning. I'll have a chat to Sally when I go back there to see why we didn't get a USB with the design on it as we were given the design, the White Fairy frost fabric and the Parlan which was already fused together. We had to bring our own 10inch square of fabric. Luckily mine was also Fairy frost blue! Love Chris
by dragonflyer
11 May 2018
Well, it certainly is stunning...perhaps Dawn will let you select another design of equal value from her website at no charge to make up for the fact that you did not get the design from class...I have not heard of her but I will check out her website!
318516Wow this is beautiful - looking forward to seeing it in white!
1 comment
96283