Things I learned from Terry …
There were so many new ideas and techniques that I learned last week during the Rags to Riches Shopowner Retreat with Terry Atkinson, I have to get my notes out to even remember them all. But there were a couple of stand-out moments, first:
Everyone, including me, gave a collective groan when Terry announced that we were going to learn to do zippers. I’ve done zippers, eons ago in Home Ec, and I have gone to great lengths to avoid anything with zippers since! But Terry insisted we could do it, and once the challenge was issued we were off. Her demo looked simple enough, and the projects she had prepared for us to practice on were just too cute to resist. And you know what? She was right! Here are my completed projects to prove it! 
The two bags on the right are from Terry’s book, Big Bags Little Bags, and were a snap to make – even with the zipper! We even made our own beaded zipper pulls. I could see another addiction there; as a matter of fact, one of the first things I did when I got home was go to the Bead Shop and grab some tools and a few packages of beads to use on more bags! The drawstring bag on the left was a tutorial that Terry offered on her blog a couple of weeks back. It has a little zippered pocket on the outside. I think she called it a “Sock Sack” and it will be perfect to keep my sock knitting in; I can see more of these in my future, too. Pop on over here for the tutorial to make your own Sock Sack! I still have a couple of small bags from the book that I haven’t finished yet – they are addictive!
The other significant thing I learned from Terry is more of a “what not to do” moment. Terry’s sewing machine was making a “clunky” noise one afternoon and we all know what that means – clean it!
Here’s Terry about to start the task of cleaning her machine. Looks pretty innocent, huh?
Take a look at that mess! Can you see all the lint and threads in that poor machine? No wonder it was clunking!!!
Terry had all the right tools for the job. This is just a very small bit of what came out of her machine. Terry’s comment, after all was said and done, was “Here’s my hint for the day – never clean your sewing machine with an audience!”
Thanks, Terry, I’ll keep that in mind!
Tags: Atkinson Designs, Gift Ideas, quick gifts, tutorial