I'm using Easy to Make Totes with Zippers by Cindy Taylor Oates to make this bag.

I tried out bobbin work. I wrapped some cone thread that I bought about 20 years ago to make a crocheted sweater around the bobbin, and tried it with one of the sideways motion stiches built into my Bernina Artista 180E. The stitch slipped around. I don't think the problem had anything to do with the yarn on the bobbin. I think it has to do with the stabilizer. Because it's bobbin work, the stablizer has to be on top. I was using Sulky Totally Stable, which is paperlike and slick. It's also rather lightweight. I think a heavier, less slippery stabilizer might be the answer. It worked fine when I turned the piece back over, with the stablizer on the back, and sewed with an embroidery thread.

I also use the yarn to do a decorative stitch along a seam. That worked well. I did a couple of seams with embroidery thread and decorative stitches. They came out good, so I got all cocky and did the next seam without a test. DISASTER!!! The stitches were uneven and the bobbin thread pulled to the top. Why do I keep making this mistake? Sure, I'm in a hurry to get this done because it's supposed to be a Mother's Day gift. It's going to be late. Fortunately, I can cover the ugly stitches with a ribbon and stitch that down.

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I went to the ASG neighborhood meeting last night. It was more of a stitch and bitch session than anything else. I think I'd like to go again. It's the only way I can meet other sewers locally, but I'm not sure. It was really hard on Tony. I've never been away from him in the evening. It was hard on Isabel, too. Tony refused to go to bed, so he was still up when I got home. Because he was still up, I couldn't pay much attention to Isabel. So, I dunno. We'll see how I feel about it in a month.