Small Projects

Thanksgiving day was a bit lonely, yet provided some quiet sewing time.  I wasn't feeling well enough to make anything too involved, so I played with my new serger.  The 3 thread rolled hem is beautiful and finished my latest purchase perfectly.

I love wearing scarves, and this fabric gives me the boost of color I need.  I am so fair skinned, when I read to my daughter as a toddler, she would say "Mama" if she saw a picture of Snow White.  Winter and summer alike, I need color.

I went on to copy an idea I found here on Pinterest.   I recently purchased a new car!  It has a unique color scheme.  The exterior is black and the inside is a beautiful tan color called Cashmere and a brown color called Expresso. 

I love the three colors combined and wear it often in my apparel.  Wanting to keep the interior clean and like new, I made this great trash bag.

I think the next one will be shorter and I will hang it on the gear-shift.  I also want to line the very thick interface that I used inside to hold the shape.  I used an inexpensive storage bag from the dollar store to line it.  The bags come with twist-ties rather than zip to lock.  It is folded over the top of the interface which shows through with the zigzag stitching I used to seam it.  The bag is cute, but the interface bugs me.  My "OCD" will make me line it sooner or later.

I used buttons to attach the strap making it easy to attach anywhere in the car. I just love the two, cotton prints intended for quilting that I found at JoAnn's.

The entire thing was made with a 4 thread serging stitch with the exception of stiching in the ditch and the zigzag to create an overlap seam on the interface.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing all a very happy Thanksgiving!  I am not sure whether a day at home alone on a holiday would normally be looked at as a blessing, but it sure helps one to recognize what is important--those people for which we are thankful.  I was not feeling well enough to enjoy the festivities (nothing serious), and I did not want to bring down the mood of everyone else.  I am so grateful for the family I am missing.  I guess I should look at this as an opportunity.  After sleeping a bit, I may now feel well enough and have a few hours to begin a new project.  We can always find blessings about us.

Still here just gleaning from all of you

I need to thank those of you who commented and supported me when I was going through a very difficult time.  You are all so wonderful.  I have kept up with your blogs and love the way this online community cares for one another across the miles. I am ready to blog again and hope to hear from you often. 
Thankfully, I finished my sloper class at Haberman Fabrics taught by a very wise woman.  I have decided to forgo the next class until the summer.  I haven't had time to create anything since school started and it is stressing me out.  The sloper will wait, but my new coverstitch machine is calling me!  I am so excited to experiment with some knits on this amazing machine.  I attended The American Sewing Expo with absolutely no intention of buying anything, but I sort of lost my mind.  My 1986? serger stopped working the day before the expo.  I thought I might just investigate prices a little.  Then I walked into a booth with a Babylock Evolution.  I asked some questions, and the very savvy saleswoman invited me to thread the machine.  I simply put half an inch of thread into a small hole and pressed a button.  Whoosh! It was threaded!!! The machine used an air injection system that makes threading as much fun as sewing.  Well at least until I have done it a bit.  I was immediately buying this machine.  I risked divorce, but I didn't care.  Let me tell you, I think it is worth it.  Luckily, my husband was also fascinated by the inginuity of the threading system and forgave my impulsivity.
I am looking forward to posting my first creation.  I have been practicing every stitch and setting I can.  I think I am ready to make something now that the sloper class is over.

I have missed the blogging world.

It has been fifteen days since I last posted.  I would like to tell you that I was away on a fabulous vacation.  Fortunately, I did get away to one of Michigan's most beautiful spots: Mullet Lake.  However, the real reason is that sometimes life gets really sad, and it is too hard to blog without spreading gloom.  That is not what this blog is about.  It is my happy place, and I want to keep it that way.  Now that I am feeling a bit better, I hope to show off my latest project.  I have made a pair of pants from  a sloper.  They are almost complete, so tomorrow may be the day of the reveal.  Can't wait to catch up on the blogs of all of my friends and followers.

Friday Finds!

My dear friend Laura got me into some delightful trouble today.  She took me to two estate sales full of sewing goodies.  I thought I hit the mother-load at the first sale.

This bias tape was ten cents a package.

The sewing basket might be for one of my nieces if I can find another one for the other niece. 

 It was $4.00.

The flannel is for pillowcases for the annual church bazaar.  It was $1.00 per piece.

I thought the two top pieces looked like remakes of vintage prints.

I couldn't leave the Holly Hobby fabric even though I don't know what I will do with it.  There is about a bolt's worth and it was $1.00!  I had a Holly Hobby birthday cake when I was young.

Isn't this beautiful?  It will likely become a cherished pillow for my guest room.

Muslin, muslin, and more muslin.  Yahoo!  I need it for my next sloper class.

25cents a piece!

Then we went to another estate sale, and I knew that I had truly found the greatest sewing deal ever!

This is mostly seam binding and bias tape with just a few packs of rick-rack. It was only $4.00 for the entire box and included the box with a pretty purple top!

 But, I can't really put all of the blame on her because she dropped me off a 1:00 p.m. and I went off on my own.  I actually went to my favorite home consignment store to find tiny shades for my chandelier project, but I hit a garage sale or two on the way.

This is a Singer Press Magic 4.  I paid $2.00 for it.

There is some rust on the top, needs a new lining and board cover that I can make inexpensively, and the words are rubbed off.

Nothing that can't be fixed with a Sharpie.

Well, thanks for sticking with me.  It was a great day.

Social Sewing!

What fun I had today.  My friend and colleague, came over today to sew.  We had a riot and the time flew by.  About 5 to 6 years ago, she was given an enormous amount of decorator fabric ends from a student's relative.  She used as much as she could for student projects, but couldn't make a dent before more came in.  We talked about using some of it to make grocery bags.  Well, fast forward to August 3rd, 2011, and we finally found the time.  We used a Meijer bag as a model.  I think they are beautiful!

They are both made out of the same toile, but have different straps and different colors of grosgrain ribbon for trim.  She is going to be one stylish shopper.

I hope there will be many more days like today in my future.

Is there such a thing as SADD--Sewing Attention Deficiency Disorder?

     I think I have it.  I become so involved in my thoughts about what I am sewing or planning to sew that I lose my materials (instruction sheets.)  I also have difficulty working on one project at a time.
     No luck so far on finding the directions for the Muse dress pattern.  The only answer I can come up with other than that I threw them away, is that I slid them into another patter envelope.  I will begin that search soon.  Unfortunately,  I have several patterns.
      In the mean-time, when I am not working on my pants-sloper class, I started a fantastic online class with Gertie.  I love it!  I learned about the class through Oonaballoona who made an adorable bombshell dress.  The class is half price through Oonaballoona's blog.  I am sorry if this gets confusing, but here it goes.  The class is actually through Craftsy.com.  It requires a free membership and offers fantastic knitting, crocheting, craft, and sewing courses online.  I am amazed at how easy this class is to follow and how much fun I am having.

     This is the first time I have used a PDF pattern.  So far, it has been really easy.  I look forward to using more of this type of pattern.  For those of you, like me, who haven't tried it, you have to print it out on your computer and tape it together.  I felt like I was putting a very simple puzzle together and enjoyed the process.  Gertie suggests folding the edges which is easy enough, but I have a paper cutter and sliced the left-side and bottom of each page before taping them together.  It didn't take long to put it together at all.

     The first sheet shows the layout, so you will know if you have done it correctly.  When I finished, I began tracing the pattern size that I will use rather than cut it from the paper.  Optimistically, I am doing this because of the weight I will soon be loosing.  I will be needing  a smaller size the next time I make this dress.

     My grandmother gave me some of this wonderful patter-making or tracing material before she died.  It is not woven and comes on about a 45" wide role.  Since then, I found a big box of it at a garage sale and scooped it up.  It is really easy to pin on fabric and allows you to see through it.

     Now, here is my question.  Promise me that you will be honest in your answer.  I have the perfect amount of a cotton print in my stash.  Cotton is what is recommended for this somewhat vintage looking pattern.  Take a good look at it and tell me if you think it would be interesting or hideous.  I don't want to make a dress that I either won't wear, or other people are questioning when I am not looking because I have convinced myself to reduce my stash.  The print is of coleus leaves.  I love them in gardens and beneath shrubbery.  It reminds me a bit of some vintage prints that I have seen, but I am not quite sure.  My other choice would be plain black cotton.  This is the pattern provided with the class.  I will be adding a thick halter-style strap to the dress--and will probably wear a little cardigan with it.