Sew Inspired, LLC - Sleepless Crafter

I have a Singer Futura CE250 with AutoPunch Software. The capability to take any graphic image and convert it to embroidery is the main reason I purchased it.  The problem is, it doesn’t do a very good job converting the images to clean, good-looking embroidery designs.  So searched online to find a better program. I like to try before I buy. The programs I’ve found range anywhere from $50 to $2,000. Here are some samples of what some of these programs can do. There are many more programs out there, but they don’t have trial versions or the trial versions that they have do not allow auto digitizing. Click the images to see them larger.

I had some really soft fabric that I’d purchased at Joann’s last year and wasn’t sure what to use it for. Then when I saw my niece at the hospital and she had a swaddling blanket, I decided to make a couple. It was pretty easy, and fun. My oldest daughter wants me to make one for her doll. And my other daughter wants me to make one for her baby when she grows up and has one.

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 . . .