Sew Inspired, LLC - Sleepless Crafter

My son loves tractors, and I had some scraps of material with tractors on it, so I thought it’d be perfect for a hat for him. I used pattern Butterick B5056 , hat C.

For my project I chose to create an HDR (High Dynamic Range) photograph. I found some good information at http://www.digital-photography-school.com/setting-up-your-digital-camera-for-hdr-shooting. Finding a good HDR photo was a lot harder than I thought. I took some photos at Jump Creek Falls and there were a bunch of rambunctious children there that kept getting in the way of my view. They were throwing rocks and tennis balls in the water, so I was a little frustrated and in a hurry. I didn’t do everything exactly how I was supposed to, but would like to try it again really soon. For starters, for HDR photography, the camera is supposed to be set to Aperture Priority Mode. This is to make sure that the objects in focus are consistent. Well, I was in a hurry and forgot to check the setting on my camera. I shot in Program AE Mode instead. The aperture used was f/5 and f/6.3, which accounts for the out-of-focus foreground. The aperture should have been at least f/11. ISO should b...

Indianhead Mountain, Idaho

I am very excited about a new technique that I learned today. I don’t have a micro lens, but I ran across a video today on youtube that shows how to turn two lenses into a micro lens. I went around the house, taking photos of everything. I was even looking for bugs!

I have been in a nostalgic mood lately and decided to restore my Mattel Bean Baby, “Booful”, that I got from my mom and dad for my first birthday in 1980 (which I just found out today as I looked it up in my baby album and thankfully my mom had written it down in there. Otherwise, I had no idea where or when I received it). I purchased one that was still in the box on ebay so that I could see how he was originally. (That's not the only reason I bought it.) The most unique thing about this restore is that I used my daughter’s hair for the reroot. I had trimmed about 2 inches from her hair last week, so it was perfect for the reroot. I know you’re anxious to see pics, so here we go . . .

My sister-in-law is having a baby in May, so I made her a diaper bag and blanket. I embroidered her baby's name, Ian, on the blanket. I went through 5 sewing needles before I finally got my sewing machine figured out. I had just bought a new sewing machine that does embroidery, and it was a pain getting it adjusted right. I was about to get rid of it. Then I started sewing with it and it worked like a dream. It put my old sewing machine to shame.

I am waiting until I get a new sewing machine to make any new projects. I found an excellent deal on a Singer CE250 fully loaded with extras for a better price than at Joann's. Basically, I will be getting over $1500 of free embroidery software to go with it, plus $126 of free products such as thread, stabilizers, and scissors. With my $100 off coupon, I will be getting the machine and all the freebies for $900, which is the normal cost for the machine alone. I am really excited about getting started with embroidery. I can get creative and make some really cool things. I've been dreaming about this all week since I found the machine.