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