Serging (surging) ahead....

As a young parent I owned a sewing machine. My mother had always had one and I thought that it was a household essential. She would make clothes (mostly summer) for me and for herself.  She never really taught me any techniques and I cannot remember us even discussing sew, but I vividly recall her cutting out patterns at the kitchen table.

As I began my own family I purchased my own machine.  It was used primarily for sewing curtains, pillows and hemming pants (into shorts) that my children had outgrown.  As the children got older I started thinking about sewing apparel. I wanted to teach my daughters how to sew and so I took a home sewing course for apparel and received a new computerized Brother sewing machine at “graduation”.  

After a couple of years of occasional sewing, I began to seriously want to take my sewing to the next level. I was discouraged by the lack of classes available in my area. I found a group on meet-updotcom and joined, along with my mother. That did not last long because of conflicts in dates and travel difficulties.

I started purchasing how-to books, but many of the ones I really wanted were too expensive for my meager hobby budget.  I would ask for gift cards to Joann’s for holidays and birthdays to support my growing fabric/pattern obsession.  A few years ago I asked my husband to buy me a serger for Christmas.  I really tried to use that serger but fear held me hostage….fast forward to last night..

I was determined to figure out how to use it so I could finish the inside of the linen pants I am making for my youngest daughter using Simplicity 2700. Lately in church I have been hearing a lot about being bound by fear. I prayed about all of the areas that I can identify where fear is keeping from the best God has for me. I decided NO MORE. Last night I went in my basement, and dug out my serger. I cleaned it, re-threaded it and read the owner’s manual, and two other books that I had (one is The Easy Guide Serging Fine Fabrics and the other I cannot think of right now.). After about three hours total of cleaning, reading and trial and error, behold the fruit of my labor:

 

 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

I did finally finish the pleather skirt for my oldest, but I am having a hard time catching her to get a picture. Of course the zipper was not installed as perfectly as the original one.

 

Blessings,Dawn

The Great British Sewing Bee

I really like the BBC's reality show about home sewer. I read a comment on you.tube and I could not disagree more.. The commenter thought that perhaps this show would discourage the beginner home sewer. I think just the opposite, at least for me. It has really given me the opportunity to see mistakes that others make and help me to not beat myself up when I make those mistakes. I am already encouraged by the awesome work that may bloggers share. And although people speak of their wadders it just does not speak to me as watching this show does. Helps with my personal condemnation...

Check it out here.

I learned of the show on FB, butI learned of the you.tube video from Carolyn of  Diary of a Sewing Fanatic.

Love and Blessing,

Dawn

Pleated pleather panic...

My daughter turned 23 yesterday. She asked me to make her a pleated pleather mini skirt for her. She told me that she needed it for the weekend after her birthday.

On Monday past, we (two daughters and a cousin) went to Mood to look for prom dress fabric and the pleather. We found the pleather but the prom dress fabric is a story for another time.

On Tuesday she told me that her co-workers were throwing her a party on her birthday and that she really wanted to wear the skirt. Well, I had women's ministry on Tuesday and so I did not have much time to work on it.
Yesterday after work, I started working on the skirt. She told me that she was leaving out at 10:30, so I put the petal to the metal and tried to grind out the skirt.... I always make dumb mistakes when I rush. ......

I was watching a tutorial on inserting a zipper and I wanted to keep the slide out of my way... so I placed the top of the zipper up over the desired insertion spot, but I forgot to create a new stop!  I did a great job. The zipper was great zipped up! the best I ever did...After sewing the waist band facing and the waistband along the short edge (right sides together then trim and turn) to create a clean edge to the zipper tape, I pulled the zipper up again and right off the top of the skirt. I screamed NOOOO and my grandson, asked me what was wrong. I told him and he told me not to be too sad. He just turned four last week. I few minutes later my daughter came in to get dressed and he said "You cannot wear your skirt because mom- mom pulled the zipper right off the top of the skirt!"

Needless to say she wore something else and I will be spending a lot of time with my seam ripper this evening.

You can see the zipper slide on the pattern envelope

 

 

Love and Blessing

 

Dawn

Best laid plans...

FIT museum is closed on Mondays!! One of the reasons I wanted to go back to NYC is to see the Shoe Obsession exhibit...ugh!

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Ayyy Matey....

So I finished McCall's 6470 view b.  I will call it a wearable muslin.  The shiny fabric (satin)  that I used and the design of the blouse made me think of swashbuckling (and Seinfeld's puffy shirt).

My machine was acting up during the topstitching of the neckband so I had to do a lot of pulling the tread through to the underside, because each time I stopped stitching the tension of the top thread would leave a loop. I must get my machine serviced soon! I tried adjusting everything from the stitch length and the tension to another sewing needle.

However, I do see the potential in this. I will make it again in a gauze, lengthen the bodice and remove some of the width in the sleeves at the wrist. I like the elastic that I added at the hem so I will keep that.

Here is the blouse on Dee:

 

 

On to the next one.

 

 

Love and blessings,

 

Dawn

Shopping in the City...

 

My mom and I had a great time in NYC. Mood was amazing and overwhelming. I had a picture from Mood on my cell but I can not rotate it. Also went to M & J Trimmings.

Already made resevations to go back next month.  I have a formal event and my daughter's prom is in May.

 

I am currently working McCall's 6470 view b.

I should have lengthened it but my goal is to sew and if I come out with something wearable I am going to call that a plus!

 

Love and blessing,

Dawn