(AKA Liddybuff) Lilypad, Just as a followup. You will find that if you sew your seams in certain sequences it will become easier. Eliminate trying to sew seams in really tight areas. For instance, when making pants, I sew the 2 fronts together at the front seam, then the 2 backs at the center back seam THEN sew the inseam together by beginning at the inside pants cuff edge...go up to the crotch seam...and back down to the other pants cuff edge. Then I sew the hem for the legs and last but not least sew up the side seams joining front to back. If you have ever tried to hem Barbie pants AFTER the seams are in place you will see why I do this in this order. (unless you want to hem by hand) Make sure to leave your placket open in front or back for fastening. If you are using elastic I would apply it before sewing up the back seam. Then when you do sew that seam you can include the elastic with it in your seam. You have probably finished the project you were on when you wrote this but i may help or someone else in the future.

I don't have any of the dumplin designs,lollipop lane or crochet corner but I would like to have them. I want to make some for my little girl for Christmas. Can anyone help? Have some bed doll and others patterns to trade. graygirl graygirl.61@comcast.net

Linlilly, I've not used that machine, but I've heard from lots of people who know sewing machines that newer Singers are complete junk. Of course you may get it and love it, but I have heard from numerous people that the quality just isn't there... hopefully someone with direct experience with the machine will respond. Lots of people like the moderately priced Janomes and they do tend to be work horses, but you lose a few features for the same amount of money you'd pay for that Singer... Anyway, have you seen any reviews for the Brother PC 420? I've had this machine for about 5 years now, and it seems to have most of the features the Singer has (like the automatic thread cutter), but it also has a knee lifter which that Singer lacks... For 400 bucks, you get adjustable presser foot pressure, drop feed, one touch needle threader, thread cutter, speed control, stop start, needle up down... not to mention an included walking foot, button attaching foot, button hole foot, teflon foot, zipper foot, patchwork foot, open toe foot, stippling/free motion foot, and the standard zig zag foot. I think that Singer has lowercase letters in the monogramming function where the Brother only has capital letters, but for real monogramming, you really should use an embroidery machine (again, just my opinion). I watched Darlene Cahill demo that Singer on HSN (which is also how I found out about the Brother PC 420, by the way), but it's been a few l years so I may have forgotten a few things about it. The needle threader on the Singer is the fiddly kind that requires two hands and doesn't work well... the one on the Brother is a one touch thing that works the first time, every time. You don't even have to think about it! Anyway, I'd strongly encourage you to at least read reviews for the Brother PC 420 before deciding on that Singer. Mine has been a reliable work horse and a solid performer for the five years I've had it and it comes with a ton of feet and accessories. I'm relying on it once again as my Bernina is in the shop and there are several things I like about it better than the Bernina... Sorry I don't have more personal experience, but maybe someone else here does... I just wanted to give you another machine in the price range with a similar feature set to consider... one that I have experience with and truly love! You'd think I work for Brother the way I plug the machine, but I've just been really happy with mine and want to share my joy with others :o) No matter what you get, it's always fun to get a new machine... good luck with your search and let us know what you decide!

Bright and cheery sunflower quilt, Sharon. I finally found fabrics that I hope will be right for my Compelling Women quilt, which is made of the Idaho Beauty block. I have been looking for the right combination of fabrics for months. I made the first block, being very careful to measure as I went, as directed. As you can see, the four background squares in the center of the block lost their points. I have been resizing the individual pieces and adjusting the "1/4" inch seam allowance, trying to get the points to line up properly. What a pain! I hate it when you follow directions exactly and the block doesn't work out. I'm sill trying to adjust my seam allowance wide enough so I don't have to trim 1/8" off the hundreds of blocks I've already cut. This quilt is turning out to be quite a challenge.