Eyelets in the Seams

FMQ Pfaff in place...

2011-12-11T18:59:00.013-05:00

Pfaff in working mode - I decided to make a pattern and make a tree skirt for our small white tree. Although I thought I had fabric, of course I had nothing really perfect, so off we went to Joann's. Finding a holiday patterned fabric in red and white was perfect, as the decorations are also red and white, plus some gold silver, we got a yard and came on home. I grabbed the large roll of pattern paper, and my trusty long quilting ruler, as well as my design ruler with the nicely curved side. I measured the diameter of the circle I would need, added a tidbit for seaming and then drew right angled diameter lines around the starting line until my perfect circle could be completed using the design ruler. Then I cut the two pieces of fabric - turned out the fabric wasn't quite wide enough so I used a side piece to piece two wedges to complete the circle at the back of the tree skirt. I cut my batting. Then I placed my batting on the wrong side of one piece of the fabric (after sewing the pieced pieces on) and then placed the fabric, right sides together and sewed all around the edge, except for one side of the very back. Then I turned it right side out, smoothed it out, smoothing the batting as well, folded it in fourths to cut a perfect middle hole, and pressed it. Pressed the raw edges into the inside at the open back, and after pressing was ready to FMQ this. The quilting works also to close that back opening, so no other sewing needed there. The quilting went very well, if one doesn't use a microscope to examine my very beginning skill. The process was fun from beginning to end!

Free Motion Quilting (3)...the Sew Steady and the threads...

2011-12-03T21:03:00.009-05:00

The table came! I ordered from Nancy's Notions on the 5th of November and got the table on the 2d of December. I call that excellent on the part of both Nancy's and Sew Steady Tables. I am pleased. This is the first accessory I have purchased for my Pfaff in all these years. She loves it. I decided to leave on the little leg holder thingies. The table might break if I get rough trying to take off those, and there is a warning against it in the information accompanying the table. SO, yes, I wilted right away and left them. There isn't much problem doing that as the thing now sits only about half an inch up off the Arrow table, so we are good to go. Meanwhile, I have ordered three times from Superior Threads. You almost get your order before you hit the final BUY button - those folks are that fast. I love it. Of course now I have to get on the stick and practice, practice, practice. But now I have these lovely threads to practice with. I bought the Try Me Specials, including a few bobbins pre-wound. I hope they work in the Pfaff. SO adventures are looming. Meanwhile still working on that blue print summer shirt. Maybe by Summer 2012?

Free Motion Quilting (2)...the machine...

2011-11-15T21:20:00.007-05:00

Bedeviled with conflicts over how to position the tables in here for optimum FMQ functionality, I decided to arrange the old Pfaff on the Arrow 601 (also known as the Gidget I now). So here is the first deployment. Then while lurking in and around Leah Day's Free motion Quilting Project, I saw her Janome Horizon in its own Gidget II table with a Sew Steady table as it's insert/extension table! A wonderful idea, and one I decided to borrow. I ordered up a custom table from Nancy's Notions, but I ordered the small table because the Gidget I hasn't that huge hole in it, and I did place my Pfaff in the well of the table, found I needed to add some height to add the Pfaff's own little extension table while I await the arrival of my Sew Steady, and there it is - ready to go. For height I took one of my Janome Muffling Mats and cut off about three inches and put it under the Pfaff on the platform in the table. I can still get the bobbin in and out although it isn't the very best task that way. I am never going to have a vast landscape of space upon which to do my quilting, but this is workable, and I kind of like the smaller scale anyway. I am even considering snipping apart my quilt top and rearranging the squares resulting and making it another look altogether. Quilted in pieces it could turn out interesting. I don't say pretty, I say interesting. But, rather than that rather quirky idea, I think I'll just cut it to about twin size of full size and quilt it. Get that thing over with. Update will follow when the Sew Steady table comes. I am excited.

NOOK cover...

2011-10-09T17:00:00.000-04:00

The second cover was too large, and that sort of bugged me for awhile, so yesterday when I spotted the sale at Joann's for 30% off the double sided fabric, I got some in the chartreuse and made the third one. The third time is the charm , as they say. After looking at the Vera Bradley eBook cases, which are $32, I wanted to make this one with the wrap around zipper and make it to fit as snugly as possible without being too tight or too roomy.
Adding a strip of fabric as a sort of "spine" took care of the little bit of room I needed. This is the case that gets to stay! Case #1 holds my chargers, case #2 is awaiting a re-purposing and case #3 happily holds my NOOK!
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I whipped up a cover for my NOOK. It's a bit too small, so I whipped up another one. The first will now house my NOOK and mobile phone chargers and cordage. Since I learned to insert a zipper in a bag of any sort, I have just loved to do that, so look out all devices I own....wonder how large the frig cover would have to be...hmm...HUMOR. As long as my hot pink double-sided fabric holds out perhaps my Christmas gift list will be shortened. Who knows. I have also blogged the NOOK specifically on EphemeralWisps.

Ukulele Bag with double-sided quilted fabric...

2011-09-10T16:46:00.007-04:00

This is a very nice gig bag for which I drafted a pattern by just tracing around the ukulele. Then I cut the pieces, and also cut 2 pieces for a zipped pocket so that when I sewed on the pocket I would have an extra non-zipped pocket on it as well. I happened to have a short turquoise zipper so I used that as a contrast to the hot pink of the fabric and the side zipper.The side zipper was a long invisible zipper I bought at Jo-Ann's to match the double sided quilted fabric. I just sewed in the invisible zipper as I would have a regular one, and I love the look. This was a "wearable muslin" for my own pattern, and it turned out to be the one to keep! Later - very much later - I may make a self-quilted bag from special musical or tropical fabrics, but now this has turned out well, and I like it very much! A couple weeks after I bought the fabric, there wasn't any left at JA's so I am glad to have purchased it when I did! I didn't put a handle on this, so maybe next time I will sew in a handle. I rarely take it anywhere so I don't need a shoulder strap. This case protects it a bit more, and in the end I found that my basic nylon gig bag the ukulele came with will fit inside this hot pink case, so the instrument is now doubly protected. I do leave the uke laying around my den, so it's good to have it now only protected but very visible!

Free Motion Quilting (1)...and the Ukulele...

2011-07-27T21:46:00.016-04:00

The two topics are closely related. Both are my new main interests. Yes, they seem disparate. No, they aren't able to be done at the same time. Yet. But I have hopes. :) The Vermont Quilt Festival rolled around again the last week of June,
and as usual I was all excited and looking forward to it with the highest of expectations. It is the one really big event I ever go to, and I love love love it. This year, as a leap into adventure, I chose to register in advance, get the name badge (the prestige don'tcha know) and register for a class. It was worth every penny. I loved getting in without hassle, getting the free tote and book and all that stuff. The class - well, that topped it all off I must say. Sue Nickels is just about the nicest and sharpest lady ever to learn from (AND she has a DVD for sale on her website). She is organized, friendly, knowledgeable and ready to answer questions All this while sticking to her organized syllabus. That isn't easy to do so gracefully as Sue does it. For once, I was good. I listened, I tried everything and strove to really try hard to learn the free motion and straight line quilting. As a very beginner, I had only a tiny bit of experience with free motion before I knew there were rules. I had done a few sets of placemats and I know I like to free motion, but I had no idea of the intricacies I should have known about. Now I have my Pfaff set up for quilting at all times. It is the go-to machine for quilting because it makes the best stitch possible, top and bottom - you cannot tell the difference. The machine we had for class was a Bernina - there was a room full of various models. The one I got was a new B380. Beautiful machine cosmetically and mechanically. Computerized machine with lots of very nice stitches and it too makes a wonderful straight stitch. We learned so many good tips I cannot begin to enumerate them. Sue also has a book out, which I have, and which she signed. Oh to be a quilt celeb! :) So I came home and now I get in some practice, but I have a set of place mats to get done, and then I intend to finally quilt the flying geese quilt I made over the period 1993-2008, but never actually made into a quilt. I am not fast with my sewing projects. There are also a few other quilt tops around the house that need me to make them whole. And of course I will be making a pattern and trying my hand at a nice quilted Ukulele bag. What else would reasonably be next? Here's the story on the ukulele. A friend at work plays, and she brought in her two ukes, and also showed us bits from the film, The Mighty Uke. It is a contagion. We all had the biggest smiles, and right away two or three of us ordered ukuleles from music sites on the web; entry level but decent instruments, and mine showed up with a case and a pitch pipe. I had also ordered plenty of music and instructional materials from AMAZON of course, so here I am with two new interests to add to my already plenty dilettantish life. Keeps the mind from rotting out. I have been practicing the uke since she came on Monday. An hour at least a day. Since I already read music, having been a trumpet player for years and piano as well, and then dabbling in the guitar years back, well, it is a heck of a lot of fun. Getting the hands to move when I need them to and play nicely - well, that will come. I do not hope to reach the virtuoso level of Jake Shimabukuro or even come near, just play for fun. It would be nice to be halfway decent at it. And I have to agree with Jake, "If everyone played the ukulele, the world would be a better place!"

Multisnit pants and Burda pants done...after long last...

2011-07-24T12:23:00.007-04:00

I finally finished the pants. WOW. It seems that for me there is a huge gap in time between cutting and sewing, and then between sewing and hemming! I have lots of projects and the way I tend to flit from one to another is part of the reason for the time gap. I have come to allow myself to be this way, though! Multisnit pants here from pattern number 8.3, with a nice range of large sizes - all too large for me except the smallest, and a nicely done pattern. I ordered this pattern from Fjolner in Denmark, and I really love the site I ordered from. There are so many lovely fabrics there, as well as interesting notions! However, even though they deduct the VAT from US orders, it is very expensive to buy and ship from there. But I will do it again I think. Here is the Burda pant and the pattern illustration as well. Finally got the two pair of pants hemmed and reviewed on PR. Bot the Burda 8264 and the Multisnit 8.3 are nicely drafted European patterns whose fit is a nicer fit than the usual Big 4 pattern companies. I used a green all cotton luxuriously made double knit for the Burda and a nice soft medium bottom weight cotton twill for the Multisnit. I like both pair and will probably tweak them a bit next time for a bit smaller through the legs.

Seattle Trip 2011...Fabric and Friends...

2011-05-24T14:27:00.012-04:00

Great trip to Seattle for a few weeks, and this is my haul from Pacific Fabrics Outlet. A lovely PR member was so nice as to escort my daughter and I shopping for a whole afternoon of Pacific Fabrics, the Asian market Uwajimaya, including
the Japanese bookstore Kinokuniya and lunch. Diana is a fantastic person, and we had such a nice time. As far as fabrics, none caught my eye on this trip, although my DD purchased a couple lengths for dresses. I look forward to seeing the results! Diana tells us that the fabric selection does vary from trip to trip because it is a real outlet. In addition to fabrics and patterns, they also have all sorts of notions, threads (Metrosene too!), and a large section of upholstery fabrics, knitting supplies and yarns, and a lot more interesting things. My patterns all came from a 50cent bargain table, and the selection there included many crafty patterns as well. Lots of cross stitch. Now, don't get me started on Kinokuniya Bookstore. My only regret is not having the ability to read Japanese because I bought two sewing pattern magazines, and gave one to my daughter, and I kept Mrs. Stylebook for myself. After finding the directions for enlarging patterns in the magazine, I was faced with a mathematical quandary out of all proportions, and unless someone comes up with an easy fix I will never make these fit. However, the magazine comes with ten patterns bound in of real size, so that is a project for later this year. The issue I bought is a Winter issue 2010. Lots of lovely things in it! The other book in the photo was purchased at Half-Price Books, another Seattle landmark I love. It's a chain, and there are more than one in the Seattle area. Did I mention Seattle is rampant with bookstores? Several Barnes & Nobles, Borders, Half-Price Books and books at thrift stores, second hand stores, and my personal favorite, Third Place Books in which you find used and new books inter-shelved which I just love! I look forward to the next trip and another day with Diana! It's great to meet PR members in other places, and so far all I have met are such nice people! Since I spent several weeks in the Seattle area, family time was good as well! Seeing grandkids is always a great joy, and I visiting my son and his Julie is always a lot of fun and a good family time. A few days after our visit to downtown Seattle, we prevailed upon my DDIL to take us to the Uwajimaya store in Bellevue as well, so we went and had another nice shop. Of course there is no Kinokuniya store there, although there are many colorful packages of goodies, lots of teas, Asian cookware, dishes, kitchen supplies (more rice cookers than I have ever seen, and I LOVE rice cookers), and Julie's name on a whole line of cookie of goodies! The fresh seafood was impressive! the cleanest tanks I have ever seen. Even one beautiful tank full of fish that looked more like a lovely permanent fish tank than a fish-for-sale-to-eat tank should! As far as sewing, I was able to make two pair of cute jammies from the KWIK SEW Sewing for Children book, but the largest size is now going to be too small in about 6 months! Anyway the two pair fit well, with some room to spare for the boys, and they are happy as clams in their jammies! The KWIK SEW patterns are so nice - they don't have all the extra voluminous room that the bog 4 put in their kids wear. The fabric is from Hancock's and is a Seattle print with the Space Needle, coffee, trees and water, a large Ferry and so on, very Seattle and environs. It seems to be gone from the website at Hancock's now! Glad I got it when I did. It handled and ironed very well, the weight is a little heavier than a routine quilting cotton, and it sewed up marvelously. I did the sew-turn-sew thing for the elastic waists because there is no need to allow for growth because the boys will be bigger all over by the time that is a factor! Layout is always better with a KWIK SEW pattern as well. Love them.

Tiny comparison of mechanical, electronic and computerized machine function...

2011-03-21T16:09:00.012-04:00

Here's the circuit board that controls a computerized machine - one whose stitches are controlled by this array.

This is how Computerized machines are controlled.

An "electronic" machine is one with a few electronic FEATURES, and there are a lot of mechanicals with a few electronic features - the foot pedal being the most common, and auto buttonhole, needle up/down etc. There is a small circuit board or two for a few special features, but the stitches are produced with mechanical cams built into the machine, and some machines even have cams available to insert into a place on the machine for special stitches. This is a simplistic overview of the differences.

An all mechanical machine has no circuitry and also uses built in and/or added cams. So a mechanical machine can be electronic or not, but a computerized machine is all circuit boards connected to step motors that control the various innards of the machine.

Here is a camstack which controls the stitches on a mechanical Pfaff. Most mechanicals have a similar internal cam stack, and they could be larger or smaller with less stitches. The cams move into place as you turn the external dial or push an external button, and control the needle bar which gives you your stitch of choice.

Long in the making...Lutterloh princess top

2011-02-19T00:14:00.010-05:00

I wanted to do number 48 on this Lutterloh sheet because I loved the princess lines and had not made a top with princess seaming probably since I was a teenager, except for the Lutterloh shirt I made a few years ago from the much heavier cotton Lycra poplin, and that was altogether different. Since I had drafted this pattern last year, and then cut it last Fall, I was happy it got a review on PatternReview.com sometime in the same few months. As with all Lutterloh patterns, you use your bust and hip measurement to then enlarge the small pattern from the pattern sheet, using a special measuring tape. After the first few times, you can do this pretty quickly. You use the bust measurement for all above the waist and the hip for the waist and below, unless you have a small waist, and then some people prefer to use the bust measure there as well. If this works - do it, there is nothing set in cement. I use my hip measurement and then have to make the waist larger anyway. I make shoulders smaller and waist larger. At any rate, then my cut out fabric sat there and waited for me to get to it after I had made a cotton broadcloth muslin. It has taken me awhile - sewing sporadically - but it is finished. Interestingly, others have found that this pattern runs large, and I am no exception. My top is too large, yet I wore it yesterday and people loved it, so that means a lot. I will make the pattern smaller, which will pull the seaming somewhat farther into the bodice front because it could use that and at the same time make it all over somewhat smaller. It is drafted for knit fabric, and I used a very light cotton knit print with Lycra in it. The fabric was difficult to say the least, as far as sewing on it. I used several feet trying to get one that worked best, and ended up with the regular Viking foot B. Top stitching around the collar I used the left-edge-stitching foot. I didn't want the neckline of this pattern, nor did I want the low loose cowl collar on the on the other view because I wanted it to be a transitional wear garment, and I wanted to wear it now in the winter as well as the Summer, so I drafted a loose T-neck collar. Finding a book with directions for sewing a T-neck was interesting, as none of my books really address this in a knit. Online there is a wonderful video by Sarah Veblen at the threads site which is just what I wanted. I am thinking of getting rid of almost all my sewing books because they haven't been of much use with modern fabrics, whereas the web is full of videos now! So, using that video I sewed on that collar. I used a Burda pattern for a turtleneck to use as a guide to cutting and assembling the collar, and it all worked out very well. I see I could have made it even smaller, and then it would be a regular T-neck. I am happy with the outcome, and the topstitching around the collar. For a free brochure and instructions, see the Lutterloh New Zealand site and sign up for the Newsletter. Also at the New Zealand site Sonja gives sewing classes online and is available certain periods of time each year to answer your email questions. Wonderful classes, and Sonja and Andre are terrific about customer service and wanting you to become a really good Lutterloh sewer!

Shanks...sew complex...

2011-02-13T17:29:00.005-05:00

This first photo shows another thing I love on the 8050. The markings on the machine bed. All the way out on the side. Very handy. Now a shank that fits. Janome seems to have the two types of shanks because the bars they fit on have different shapes. The ones with the beveled out bar that thins toward the shank (as in the Kenmore 19110, the Janome 2010, the Janome 115110) and the full bar without the narrow part as in the 8050 and some others that I don't have a clue at this point. BUT this is the shank that fits the 8050 in case anyone wants to switch to a metal snap on foot shank as in the picture. The shank with the red button fits the J2010, the Kenmore 19110, etc. interesting. O.K...pretty picky posting here, but maybe someone will want to know. It isn't easy to get this information from the website, and even in the listings of these shanks for sale, they repeat the same machines, so how is one to tell without trying them. The Janome website is vague about this sort of thing. And now the low blow of only allowing partial downloads of manuals from the Janome site. Too bad. The Janome DC1050 looks to be the same machine as the 8050, with different cosmetics, and the stitch panel arranged horizontally rather than vertically - same stitch patterns as the 8050. Same other features as well. Downloading the manual would be very handy.

More on the 8050...

2011-02-07T13:37:00.010-05:00

Last post I said that it had the same stitches as the 115110/19110. However, that's not the case. I began to compare the stitch patterns and just gave up - there are some the same and rather more than a few that are not the same. After making a detailed comparison, there are 15 stitches on the 8050 that aren't on the 115110 or it's fellow machines. So that is a cumulative Janome stitch count at my house of 65 available stitches! :) One example is one has the heart satin stitch and one doesn't and one has different blanket type stitches than the other, and the 8050 has a meandering stitch and the 115110 doesn't. Now the stitch patterns on the 115110/19110 is the same as the Janomes: 2008,2010 and 2011. So my two machines complement each other well. I sewed on a pair of fleece slippers this past weekend, and the 8050 toughed her way right through. I am used to the Start/Stop button now and LOVE it. :) Oddly, the shank for the 19110/115110 doesn't align the feet properly on the 8050, although they both use the same feet - the newer synthetic shank is a differently machined shank. So I contacted SVC and they are sending me one that is supposed to fit and align the feet properly. Not that I NEED another shank, but I thought it would be good as a spare part - you just never know! I will report back on the fit. Since I have the pictures here, you can see that the display areas are not the same, and the buttons to use the display differ as well. Both machines are nice, and I think I would love to have one of just about every model if that were possible! :)

Janome 8050

2011-01-16T19:56:00.007-05:00

Better get on an update to this machine or time will stand in my way! I did two projects on her in the last several weeks. The cover she looks so cute in, and a pair of pillowcases. She sews very well. I am using her without the foot pedal to make myself learn to control the machine with the Start/Stop button. So far so good. I have only run off the edge once! It looks like a person could use a few more hands or maybe just a few extra fingers using the S/S button, but it is fun, and it rids me of finding a place for the foot pedal in my small space. One less cord is a great help sometimes. The feet that slip in like my Viking feet are a nice touch. No problems so far, and using the same top loading Janome feet as other Janomes, the machine is very versatile. Since it only comes with the few feet it came with I ordered a few more Janome feet. I will need the Overcast foot and the 1/4" foot and an embroidery foot, so she needs her own. Of course I ordered them from Sew Vac Direct in Texas, my favorite online dealer. The machine has a nice array of stitches, as far as I have been able to tell, the same as my Kenmore 19110/Janome 115110. I have checked out several stitches and they stitch out just as nicely as Janomes should! The display is a personal favorite of mine and one major reason to buy this machine. You can use a two digit method of stitch choice, rather than keying up all the way to your stitch of choice. Very handy. Nice bright display as well, which is really a fine thing. The brighter the better. As I think I already mentioned in my previous post, the light could be brighter, but it is placed in the best position of any sewing machine light I have worked with. So additional lighting will be nice, but not essential as it is on so many machines. All in all, a nice machine, and a lot of fun, and a finished preliminary report!

1,000 Clever Sewing Shortcuts & Tips

2011-01-08T14:43:00.008-05:00

The book came out last year, and I didn't think to blog it. Deepika Prakash gathered up the tips and did the hard work of crafting the book. I am on p.11, Tip 7. There are so many great tips in the book, as well as articles by master sewers on sewing knits, sewing lace, sewing special fabrics, doing a rolled hem on a serger, and bead embroidery. But the wealth of the book is in the tips rounded up from members of PatternReview.com, which, as of this writing, is over 244,000 strong! On the very same page as my tip (p.11) there is a suggestion to buy a 54 beverage cooler on wheels to use as a machine rolling tote - inspired! I don't need one, but if rolling ever becomes a sewing necessity for me, this idea widens the prospective pool of merchandise. I love the Brother Universal case I bought - fits sergers and sewing machines. The huge embroidery machines won't fit though, so if you have one of these this case won't do. But I digress. Get the book, you won't be sorry!

Sew many things...

2011-01-07T13:16:00.004-05:00

Blogging should be fun, not a task, and lately it is a task I feel. But, this is a new year. Last year was a struggle in lots of ways, but I thought an update on the Babylock a nice idea, and then I thought I'd mention the Christmas present! Having nabbed a Janome 8050 on cyber-Monday, I thanked my husband for getting it for me for Christmas and put it under the tree. :) Now that I have tried her out - she's a sweet ride! So to speak. Very light, very capable, nice stitches, new slip on feet. Not the quietest Janome ever, but not loud either.I will write a review on PatternReview.com in a few months. Now for an update on the Babylock. This is a nice workhorse sort of machine. Very noisy by my standards after my Pfaff 1222E, and my Janomes and Elna, but she means business. I have done a few projects on the Babylock, and am satisfied. A great mechanical backup. This is a heavy machine. I'd say she weighs only 5 pounds less than my Pfaff, and the Pfaff is one heavy machine.The thread tension on top has to be rather high - around 5-6 most of the time, and this is probably due to wear on the tension disks over the years. As I suspected, the machine is from the early 90s, and had an owner who actually used the machine! So I feel lucky to have her. As far as sewing goes, I have finished a couple of easy valances for my kitchen and one bath, and have made a sewing machine cover for the Janome and two pillowcases. I am still working on my Lutterloh princess top, but that will be finished this weekend! WOW. After only about 5 months.

Babylock Companion 1550...

2010-08-21T21:14:00.007-04:00

Yesterday I added to my stable. Babylock isn't a common brand around here - there is no dealer for probably a couple of hundred miles. But this one was in my sewing tech's shop for a long time, and he knew the history fairly well. Originally this machine had snap on feet and when I bought her she had a screw on zigzag foot on, and was somewhat in need of a cosmetic exterior cleaning. My sewing tech gave me a snap on shank, made sure it fit correctly, and then we tried her out. All the original feet were there in the accessory case, all except the original zigzag foot! She also still has her cover plate for the feed dogs and a couple of the original plastic bobbins. It takes the same bobbins that my Elna 2100 does, as well as the same feet. The Elna is also a vertical front loading machine with snap on low shank feet. It's nice to have them share feet, but I bought a snap on Zigzag foot today at Joann's for $4.99 because you really do need an all purpose foot! And I don't want to mess with the screw on foot it had on when traded in. The manual is good, all in English, nicely done and from that I knew that the machine came with a snap on as standard because all the feet it came with snap on. :) Having a 5mm stitch width max, she makes a nice delicate stitch in all the stitches. Nice straight stitch, very very nice - and the back of the fabric stitching looks as nice as the front, which is nice - or is it that the bottom thread looks as nice as the top?! She sews just fine - not the quietest machine ever, but this machine is a heavy solid machine probably from the early to mid 90s. Probably a lot of metal in there. Some quirks of this Babylock that I am not used to - although it has a one step buttonhole, on the other hand you cannot drop the feed dogs. Odd combo of features. There are about 14 stitches and that one step buttonhole. It is an adequate buttonhole, and the functionality is solid and the foot is better than the Janome-Elna-Kenmore and more auto-buttonhole foot you see everywhere. It does work the same - you put a button it the back and that sizes your buttonhole. It works flawlessly, first the bottom bartac, then the left side, then the top bartac and then the right side, and a finishing stitch.The machine has a bit of a clacky sound which my tech said seemed to be relatively common in these Babylocks. A web friend mentioned this also, and she hadn't heard that my tech had said this. So that is a validation - it certainly isn't a problem in the needle-bobbin area. It makes a nice bobbin with a very solid bobbin winding function. The only odd thing that stands out is the accessory case. On the positive side, it is capacious. It is a long rectangle and has a nice deep storage compartment without any division or anything to be awkward when adding items. On the down side, it fits in under the extension part of the bed which removes for a free arm. It is attached in under the extension part and you must detach it to use it and you have to do that before you start to sew because there is no other way to get at the accessories. Another plus though, the storage is right side up and opens on top so things can't slide out at you like they can on some of the cheaper bottom line Janomes and Kenmores of the last several years (the ones that have the accessories in the tube of the extension, not the ones which open out). She's cream with that pebbled finish on top and on most of the body that was popular back in the 80s and early 90s, and she has pinkish to maroon lettering and trim. All in all a lot of fun to get another machine to play with, and a good solid machine.

Brother 1034D cleaning and threading...

2010-07-11T16:14:00.004-04:00

The Brother 1034D serger is an inexpensive but tough serger. At the price point it sells for, you cannot go wrong. I bought mine in 2005, and it is working just fine. One of these days I will take it for professional cleaning, but so far I have kept it running well with the occasional oiling and frequent cleaning. For cleaning I use some cheap artists brushes I bought - I think they are just the right size - nice and thick, and I also have a nice makeup brush I use. I thought I would post a picture of the mini-vac attachments and the brushes in case that is a help to anyone. I got my mini-vac at Nancy's Notions online.

Vermont Quilt Festival...

2010-06-26T17:00:00.014-04:00

Yesterday was the annual Vermont Quilt Festival in Essex Junction, Vermont. Good friends and I were lucky to be able to attend and to see many lovely quilts.All around the large exhibition halls were vendors who had come from all over the USA and a few from Canada to exhibit and sell their wares. I always enjoy browsing the sewing machine booths, and all the major sewing machine vendors were there. Husqvarna Viking, several long arm quilter sales folks, Bernina, Janome and Pfaff were all there. The new Horizon by Janome seemed to be the crowd favorite, as there was an animated group around that machine for the entire time I was there! It was being happily demoed. Bernina had prices on the machines - the "Big" one at $9,999 and the "Little" one at $649. I get a kick out of $9,999! YEOW. That's my next car or more! Those long arm quilters are quite mesmerizing. Watching them as they follow the programmed patterns illustrates the meshing of old fashioned quality crafting and modern technical and digital tools. There were people there from YLI and other thread manufacturers or importers, and the colors blaze with brilliance, engulfing me in a rainbow of pleasant! It was a lovely day weather-wise with sunshine, light breezes and not too much heat, but the walking around for hours on the concrete flooring and the excitement quite wore me out. Several of us drove into lovely Winooski, Vermont for lunch at the very cool Peking Duck House. I especially noted the book related quilts in the show and on the vendors booths, as of course we library people tend to love book related stuff wherever we see it. I didn't buy fabric, but there was a plethora of it available, even from a shop from North Dakota! One of the long arm quilter booths are folks from Utah, and one fabric and notions store was here from California! So this isn't just a regional show. This is the fourth year we've gone to the Festival, and the last two years we have met with online friends from PatternReview.com whom we would never have met without PR!

Janome Elna Tricot Foot

2010-06-07T22:35:00.011-04:00

I am going bleary eyed here! On into the night with my sort of obsessive examination of the Tricot Foot. Here it is connected to the Janome drop-in bobbin machine, and then the Elna front-load connection. This foot is cleverly designed to hold the fabric down firmly as the needle comes down and pierces the fabric and then let up on the fabric as the feed dogs rise and carry the fabric along for the next stitch. There is a little rubbery plastic blue "stopper" piece that is controlled by the flange on the side of the foot. This flange fits nicely over the needle screw-bar thingy. It moves as the needle bar moves, and there is a little spring that makes it - well - springy! Here are some more photos of the foot at various angles and you can see how this works. The last two pictures are the foot actually sewing a piece of very light knit fabric as I was testing. I think this foot is going to be a lot nicer to use for my purposes than a walking foot because I rarely use the walking foot and it is cumbersome to attach though handy to have. For lightweight knits and very slippery lightweight fabrics of all sorts - this tricot foot will be my choice. The term "tricot" here referes to the process of knitting in the tricot style, and isn't specific to nylon tricot with which Americans are mainly associating the word tricot. You can see in the picture with the needle down in the fabric that the lever is then in the position where the spring pushes the plastic down on the fabric. Then, as the lever rises with the needle bar, it forces the plastic piece up off the fabric and another stitch is on the way!

More PJs...Fun with KWIK SEW...

2010-05-12T23:07:00.003-04:00

Sewing for little boys when I actually had them in front of me to measure was a pleasure. Little rhyme there! I was also fortunate to have a chance to shop at a Hancock's Fabrics store, and there was a nice selection of flannel. Of course that meant more jammies. I am not sure they are on the right way in the pictures because little boys seem not to care about front-to-back jammies! Being away from home, I needed a pattern. I purchased the KWIK SEW Sewing for Children book, and I love it - the patterns are much better than the Big4. The legs aren't voluminous, and the pattern sizes are true to measurements. I wanted to use the directions for the "one seam leg" but the width of the flannel precluded that ploy. I love KWIK SEW for kids. The book is well worth the price because of all the options available - it has patterns for boys and girls and I couldn't think of anything you couldn't make except possible a formal suit or exceptionally ornate party dress, and you could probably do that as well. The pants fit - and the boys differing size was only an inch or so off (2 years apart in age) so one has a little more ease, but that works out fine in PJs. I counted the patterns in the book with some leeway on the side of the lesser number (differing styles) and came up with 14 but could have made it a larger number. There are pattern instructions for new sewers, and master patterns for making shirts, tee-shirts, outerwear, dresses, blouses, sleepwear, pants and many variables within these categories. I hope to make a couple of shirts out of cottons for summer for the boys as well. And maybe some pants - who knows! By the way, I decided to reinstate comments - I miss the good ones! ;)

How do we set off our fashions? WOMANLY DEPORTMENT...

2010-05-04T15:12:00.004-04:00

Looking through some posts in my other blog, I came across this one and just couldn't resist posting it over here. Such a good laugh...really....WOMANLY DEPORTMENT..... SO much good advice here, and think how much nicer we will all look in our creations if we just observe these basic lady-like principles.

About comments...

2010-03-25T16:22:00.001-04:00

Lately I have been seeing and moderating odd comments, and this has sadly led me to stop comments on this blog. I would not like to have to quit blogging, but there is a temptation to do just that. Not quite yet though. To my PR fiends - so sorry I had to take this step.

Quilting adventures

2010-02-06T13:58:00.007-05:00

You may well ask where I have been. I have been doing some very small projects, and for me that takes as much time as large ones! Oh I am slow. I think, then plan, then do and do very slowly at small bursts over time. First, before Christmas I did some glasses cases as gifts. Nothing stupendous there, but for me, crafting isn't something undertaken lightly. I wanted to make a few special gifts for folks who had gifted me with this and that last year, so I chose the online pattern for the felt glasses case. I changed it to quilted fabric. I did some of the quilting with scraps I had, and used a few scraps of two sided quilted fabric left over from place mats. They turned out rather well, although not really as nice as some of the gifts I had gotten. I made one for myself as well, and the softness of the fabric really makes them a nice soft glasses case. The next project is a tea cozy.It was going to be tea cozies large and small (one for the teacup) but the small one turned out like a tiny cat's dunce cap, and of course my tiny cat won't wear it. SO - it is now re-cut to a circle and will be a small pin cushion. Just for using right by the sewing machine. For the large tea cozy and the pin cushion, I made a pattern based on my measurements of my large teapot, and sort of pointed so I can just pop it on and off by the top. I found quilting cotton scraps and I have batting, so I made some free motion quilted pieces, and then serged them up.The only thing left is the binding on the bottom of the large tea cozy, and sewing the little pincushion and they are good to go. I used my Elna 2100 for the free motion to see how she would do. After letting off the foot pressure, setting the stitch length to 0 and dropping the feed I attached the darning foot. I found I needed to up the thread tension on top to about 7 or 8 to get a nice even stitch. I am just a beginner at free motion, but I liked the result. I have done it before without knowing what you called it, and by just stitching all over in circles or pattens as I went. I had no clue you weren't supposed to cross already sewed lines! I tried to do it right this time and had a good time doing it. :) The stippling effect, only a larger pattern than some I have seen. I just meandered around. Not strictly a quilter you know.

Cabela's Top redo and Project Runway...

2009-11-09T22:56:00.007-05:00

This past weekend's project was creating a cardigan from a Cabela's pullover. My pullover is in cream, but the same as this berry colored one. I cut it straight up the front, removing the small zipper and sewing in a separating zipper from Joann's Fabric. Turned out fine. I sewed the zipper in by laying it down face down on the right side of the top, then sewing it up with the narrow zipper foot on the Viking 770. Then I did the same on the other side of the zipper - a bit more tricky. Thus the edges were finished at the same time as the zipper was sewn in. I may do this on my other pullover which is the berry color in the photo.

Small mention of Project Runway related content! Chris March has a blog at the Project Runway website. He is just so right about this season. Moreover this has been the most boring and worst season ever. Hope to see some improvement after reading the Threads article.

Commencing a few more projects...

2009-10-21T19:24:00.013-04:00

I finished a muslin for Petite Plus 104, the Shapely Shirt.It is a very well drafted pattern that fits almost without a problem. The sleeves are wonky though. I did alter the pattern with my usual shoulder alterations, and then I had to do three renditions of a muslin sleeve before I got it right. I have to select fabric and cut this out and sew it now. The thing about this pattern is that it is supposed to be for knits, but looks like a great woven top, so I am making it out of a woven material and even making the armholes a bit larger because of that. The ease in the pattern works for me, and I think it should work. We'll see. I added ease because the pattern illustration on the package looks like it is too small for the model. There is a terrific review of this pattern here. The review is by Debbie Cook, and her blog Stitches and Seams has even more! The only other news is that I am doing a few top secret projects for the holidays, or trying to get them together anyway! More to follow on that effort...OH, and I did acquire a new baby. Here she is, my new Elna 2100.She isn't really little, but she's the bottom line. Vertical bobbin, several nice stitches, and pink! And yes, the 2100 is the newer cosmetics and new number version of the 2110 I bought in Seattle last May. I couldn't resist when I saw this one on Sewing In USA online. Very well made stitches as well. I have purchased several front loading feet for her from Sew Vac Direct since then. She will take the front loading Janome feet. There is nowhere to get Elna feet around here, and since Elna is made by Janome, I purchased Janome. She came with an adjustable zipper foot (which was not listed as an accessory for this machine, only for the 2300 but came anyway!, a blind hem foot and a buttonhole foot for her very nice four-step buttonhole. So far I have a 1/4" foot, an adjustable buttonhole foot (new and sort of cool), a satin stitch foot and a teflon foot and have ordered a walking foot and a darning or quilting foot and an overedge foot. I am going to let her virgin run be on some of the projects for the holidays and I need that walking foot! I could use my Pfaff with IDT, but that machine hasn't got the stitch I need! My goodness, but the multi-machined home has that advantage!

Wool knit top...light and comfy...

2009-10-01T06:30:00.006-04:00

Lutterloh 2008-58 is done. Although the graphic says #60, I used the long sleeved version. I am very happy with the results! I had two pieces of fabric. One cotton-Lycra and one wool-Lycra and both very lightweight tee material of nearly the exact same color. Being a bit afraid to cut the wool blend, I thought I was using the cotton blend for this top. As I cut it out though, I began to think I had the wool, and I smelled the fabric. Sure enough there was a clean but wool smell to it! The hand of this fabric is the softest and nicest and smoothest I have ever felt. After assembling the garment I was so glad I had used the wool! I bought the fabric at our late departed and mourned fabric store, and that will probably be the last of this wool-Lycra I see because if I get more I will have to order it online from a nice place like Gorgeous Fabrics, and I won't see it first. The wool blend was easy to sew, and the only thing I will try to do better next time is to make the neckline band even shorter so there is more stretch necessary. I always use the tutorial at Threads to do the neckline. I watch it every single time I do a neckline in a knit top! As to the pattern, I drafted the Lutterloh, then shortened the pattern and used my shoulder template as I always do, and cut it down to my shoulder measurements, which wasn't a whole lot of adjustment. I love my Lutterloh patterns! I can wear this top over a turtleneck for Winter or I can wear it alone in warmer weather. It does provide a lightweight layer of warmth. I will be sewing this pattern again, and may make it a bit smaller for wearing alone.

Lutterloh Silk Blouse part Three...The finale!

2009-09-05T21:17:00.011-04:00

Finally this blouse is all done, and worn happily. It will probably not be worn so casually all the time, but it can go from casual to more formal with ease. Finishing it was a matter of buttons, cuffs and hem. Making the buttonhole on the collar was something I had wanted to do before I added the collar to the blouse,
but as it turns out the collar really needs to be in place first so you can get a fitting and mark where you want it. The cuffs were fun and rather work intensive, but they turned out nicely. I have a few ideas of how I can do them differently next time I make this sort of cuff. I used three layers of the silk for the collar and also for the cuffs as self interfacing.Working on silk was an experience I had not had in decades, and it was tricky but not as much as I thought it might be because it wasn't a slippery silk, but a crepe. As I wrote in the previous post, the Teflon Foot made a huge difference in the feed of the fabric, and made the sewing almost as easy as sewing cotton. For the most part, when sewing on silk you must do it right the first time because pulling out stitches can leave tell tale signs in the fabric. Ironing is not to be steam either. And I find that creases once ironed in remain in so caution in ironing is key as well. There is quite a lot of hand sewing that you should do with silk. I did the inner collar, the inner cuffs, and fastening the front facings to the shoulders and front seam by hand, and made sure the facings were anchored but not sewn tightly. I did machine hemming by turning up about 1/4" and sewing that and then turning up about 5/8" and sewing that. The blouse will be worn tucked in with a blousy style.

Lutterloh blouse part deux...

2009-08-10T22:52:00.001-04:00

More on Lutterloh 2005-16. Silk crepe is a tricky fabric. Every now and then it wants to catch the needle and pull a fiber. However, after consulting my Betzina Fabric book and then my other various books, I chose to use the Viking teflon foot. It is hard to believe what a difference the teflon foot makes. No pulls, holds that silk and sews like a charm. I love my extra Husqvarna Viking feet. I know I have referenced them now several times in these writings, and they are all well worth the price. The Teflon foot came with my machine, but I would buy it in a minute if I had to. Now I am working on the plackets for the sleeves, then to apply the cuffs, buttons and finally the hem, and this will be a lovely wearable garment. Pictures of that last step will be forthcoming when all is done.

Cindy Taylor Oates

2009-07-30T22:36:00.002-04:00

Updated to add that I did finally finish those pants! I love them. One pair is sage green and one is navy, both weaver's cloth. I am glad the ladies on PR mentioned weaver's cloth because I had been missing kettle cloth, a fabric I loved in the 1970s.

Cindy Taylor Oates - I have a couple of her books, and I keep meaning to make a dress, an apron, and a skirt. Today I Googled and saw her blog. Very pretty and very inspiring! Now, to get all my present projects done and move on to a few more. I think a whole day of cutting out would be the thing to do again in a few weeks. Then the back will recuperate while I sit and sew! Almost done with the sage green Lutterloh pants - they will be plenty roomy. Working on the Lutterloh blouse for Kate, then to sew the Lutterloh top I have had cut out seemingly for years, but it's only months!

Lutterloh Blouse

2009-07-22T16:09:00.004-04:00

Daughter has picked this NOT beginner pattern for her first shirt project, and we have a lovely print silk crepe for it. THINK BIG! Well, so far so good, layout and cutting went well, although I must say Sandra Betzina's fabric book wasn't much help because she doesn't describe the FEEL of various silks she lists, so we weren't sure about our silk crepe. On to sewing - darts went well, as did the shoulder seams. As with any Lutterloh, no instructions, so I had to figure out the facing for the front opening, that's done. Now I am working on the collar. Here is the lucky break. This very pattern is the one used in the Collar Class I am taking from Lutterloh NZ for the standing collar. This is a great help. I am in the midst of making the collar. Kate sewed the other things, and I am doing the collar. This is a good opportunity for her to learn garment construction sequence. I particularly love the sleeve style - there are two tucks in the top of each sleeve and they are so pretty when done - I did them in the muslin. There will be follow up on this project!

Kwik Sew skirt done!

2009-07-12T12:53:00.005-04:00

The Kwik Sew skirt 2954 is done. My daughter's first garment and she did a terrific job. The natural linen was such a joy to sew on, though a bit slippery. Thank goodness for the Viking Sewing machine feet! Several edge stitching feet came into play. We used the regular edge stitching foot and the newer plastic wide guide foot with the red markings as well. That foot allows for some nice wide stitching with a guide. And you can use several lines for several lines of stitching. The ties went on very oddly though. They go on and then you must pick out some of the seam and cut a chuck out of the tie on the inside! I think I can manage a better way to attach those when she sews the next skirt. Already there are two lengths of fabric waiting!
I did purchase the plus version of the skirt only to find out that is is NOT the plus version. It is plus, and it is A version, but the pattern differs in a couple ways. 1. The Plus version has a waistband, not a faced waist. AND it is cut differently with a difference in pattern pieces as well. I may or may not make it up, but I might get to it some day. In the meantime, we are drafting Lutterloh patterns for a blouse for my daughter to sew, and a couple of pair of pants for me(yes, the ones I keep talking about). AND, I have signed up for Lutterloh NZ's classes on Collars and Zips, so I have to get busy with that. The plan is to make muslins of necklines with collars and learn a couple ZIP inserts I haven't bothered to learn over the years. It's a good challenge. In fact in the blouse pattern(2005 #16)we've selected, there is a band collar and a cuff setup on the sleeve that will require me to review cuff making. And the blouse is going to be silk. Quite a selection for a second project...silk, cuffs, facings, band collar and a button or three along with the holes for them.

Sewing lessons and Planning...

2009-07-01T01:47:00.007-04:00

Planning, that's what I've been up to! My daughter wants to learn to sew garments, and she has picked KWIK SEW 2954, the wrap skirt. A nice neutral toned linen is the fabric she chose, and we've begun the process. I'm not such a good teacher, but I am trying to teach a combination of the way the books say to do things, and the way I do things. It's easier to learn it the "proper" way, and then go out on a limb later. For the seam finishing, I am serging that for her. Serger learning comes later on after the sewing machine gets mastered.Meanwhile, I do have the Lutterloh top from Supplement 271, #60 of 2008, ready to go - all cut out and sitting there waiting for me. :) Last week I went out to the art supply store and got a piece of 1/2" foam core about 48x60" to use for drafting Lutterloh's. My cardboard Superboard is fine, but I think the pins will better stick into the foam core. It isn't so easy to find the 1/2" (they had only the one type) but I think it will be worth the $18.00 investment. It is amazing the materials at the art supply store though. They had several types of the thinner foam core, and those may have done the trick as well, but I wanted to make sure I had a good pinning surface. The XL pants are in the works before the top, and all I have to do is wash the fabric, get it laid out and cut out, and then sew it! Yes, that's ALL...

Finished skirt and lazy Summer me...

2009-06-16T21:38:00.004-04:00

Finally - a finished skirt. Fabulous rayon fabric from Threadneedles and Lutterloh 2005-14, as previously pictures here. All I had left was the hem after several weeks of non-finishing, so I whipped that up the other night, and here we are. It is a very comfortable skirt and has a nice flare down from the hip which provides a better fit in the waist and hip, rather than the sort of pattern which is really one large rectangle. I will make another of these. Meanwhile there are two shirts waiting in the fabric for release, a couple of pairs of pants and a skirt in progress that my daughter is making. Lots of plans, although Summer has come, and that makes me a bit lazy! Somehow I just want to sit on the deck and read. ;) On the pants front, there there is really good news! The pattern drafted to my measurements from the XL Lutterloh pattern fits. I did a muslin, and the thing is fine except for a bit of length in the CR seam. That is such good news! Sonja at Lutterloh NZ drafted this for me and was kind enough to send it to me snail-mail along with a flyer for the vest with blue ruler attachment to copy and attach. Meanwhile, I bought the XL-XXL set. I will see how a few other things fit, although the tops will be too large. A basic TNT pants pattern in Lutterloh drafting will be such a wonderful thing to have! I have two lengths of Weaver Cloth (thank you PR members for letting me know about this at Joann's) ready to go for these Summer pants!

PR Weekend Montreal 2010...

2009-06-08T11:44:00.004-04:00

SO this event is in the planning stages. I merely report it because I am fairly close and just might go. Sounds like such fun! Read all about it here at the blog! Also here on PatternReview.com if you can. Some content is blocked unless you register, so REGISTER! Uh....I mean that in a good way! There will be activities, fabric shopping, and fabric shopping, and maybe a pajama party and - OH - did I mention fabric shopping? So it does really sounds like a lot of fun!

Buying a Sewing Machine...how to shop

2009-05-20T13:51:00.024-04:00

Having written a lot about this topic on PR, I thought I might add it to my blog and then update this post as time goes on with even more ideas on getting that machine you really feel comfy with.
First, spend some time looking at the various brand websites. Some are easier to manipulate than others, but at least you get a feel for the brand and a look at the machines exteriors. Some manufacturers, like Brother, Janome, Kenmore, Bernina, Babylock, and Elna provide web access and download of their machine manuals. Kenmore's are on a separate website: managemy home.com. I believe for Bernina it is for older manuals, not current models, and for Elna and the rest it appears to be mostly the current models. Manuals are usually available for purchase (not online usually) from manufacturers for many many years after a machine is no longer current. Viking is one manufacturer that doesn't provide manuals online at all. Pfaff, while they don't seem to provide the manual online, has many pdf format informational things you can download, and is a very responsive and informative site. Singer has a good website as well, and some great presser foot videos, by the way, that help in the use of each type of foot they illustrate, being transferable information to other brands as well. Juki doesn't have a very good website, but the machines have a good reputation after all the great sergers and industrials that company has produced both for their own brand and for others.

PRE-SHOPPING: Get a notebook you can easily carry with you to jot down prices, impressions and all other data you care to remember when shopping. THEN:

1. Pick a reasonable budget - don't be swayed into the TOL machine just because...:) Ask to try machines at any price point you want to try - TOL and bottom line - then compare feeling.

2. Identify what sort of sewing you will start with. Have you need of classes? If so - classes for life sounds great if you have the time and inclination! Buy a machine with a few features you don't know you need yet - like Needle up/down for example! Do you want to embroider with this machine as well? If so look for either a combination sewing/embroidery machine or get one each, stand alone machines.

3. DO you want a large machine or a smaller, more easily carried one (like a Janome Jem)? Some people like to carry a machine to classes or quilting programs, and a smaller more portable machine is handy for this, as well as for small spaces. As one who owned a Jem Gold and a Jem Gold II, I can vouch for these machines as a main machine as well for people with light sewing needs, or for quilting except maybe very large quilts. They are sturdy machines. Other manufacturers as well make smaller machines.

4. SHOP DEALERS! Some people buy the machine sold by the dealer who is most proactive and friendly! Not a bad approach.

5. Try machines out at different dealers, and see how you "feel" about sewing on various brands and models. Do go to the Bernina, Pfaff, Viking, Janome, Babylock, Brother, and or Juki dealers nears you, and whatever else you see, and then look at machines at a Sears store near you. So many options are available, but at Sears, and other large merchandisers you will get very little support. Sears, however, does provide a warranty and service on their machines, whereas WALMART, KMART, COSTCO etc. won't do that beyond the usual 30 days or whatever to return an item. While you are trying machines, note what bobbin system they have (vertical or drop in), what the maximum width of stitching is, if you can chance needle position manually if you want to, where the needle is in relation to you because some machines have the needle up front and the accessories in the back (Viking) which I personally like, and others have the needle set farther to the back and the accessory thingie in front. A removable part to convert the machine to free arm is pretty much standard now, but look to make sure this feature is there is you want it because some of the higher end fast quilting machines are flatbeds. Just see how these features play out for you, and what you seem to prefer! The beauty of it is that there are various ways of making machines and various people to like each way!

6. Try some serviced used machines at dealers who seem to stand behind what they sell. I bought a great mechanical New Home some years ago that was from the early 80s. I bought it in 2006 and it is a great machine still working really well, and solid! A friend has it now and loves it.

NOTE: Someone asked about Elna and Janome and if they are really different. I can say this about the Elna line vs. Janome or Kenmore - they are all made by Janome, but to different specs in some cases. The manuals are easier to read and more slickly produced, and the bottom line machines have a few nice features not found on the bottom line Janomes as a rule, like presser foot pressure on the outside of the machine easily dialed, and a place for a circular stitching attachment, and a nicer accessories case, as well as the nicer manual in one language (so far - manuals are getting sketchier in general it seems to me). BUT, the needle assemblies and machine innards seem to be identical to Janome and Kenmore machines I have seen from $100 to $1000 in price over several models. I could be wrong, there could be something inside that also differentiates that I can't see or wouldn't recognize!

If you are lucky enough to have several dealers in your area, have fun and take your time. If you can use a machine for some classes before you buy, to see how you like sewing, then that's a great idea too! And remember that a really solid well made machine that you like will be better even with fewer features at a higher cost than a machine with more glitz and features but less expensive and not as solidly made, so be careful and really look at the machines, and try not to fall ill with the very common "SMAD" - Sewing Machine Acquisition Disease. It has afflicted more of us than you know!

When you get back from these rounds of trying machines, go to PatternReview.com and read reviews of the machines that you have seen, and that appeal to you! Then go for it!

Now a Skirt...

2009-04-30T13:47:00.012-04:00

Last night I began sewing this skirt, Supp.257, #14, 2005, copyright Modeverlag Lutterloh. This pattern has one piece which is cut twice for the two pieces - FRONT and BACK. So it is so simple. I am serging it so it really goes fast. I am of course making it an elasticized waist, and using the sew-flip-sew method of applying the elastic! My fabric is nothing like the pink in the photo. I am using a rayon print in turquoise and brown. This is one skirt in my Sewing with a Plan project which is becoming an historical document! It is the second item in on the top row of my plan. Originally I planned on using the simple skirt pattern in the KwikSew Easy Sewing book, but decided to use one of my Lutterlohs instead. So now the side seams are sewn and the waist and hem will be done tonight. I am going to attempt a lettuce edge on the serger if I think the fabric will give enough. That would be a first for me. I so enjoyed learning about Serger Basics on PatternReview, and last night I reviewed my lessons and my samples so I am sort of geared us, as it were, to try! Note that the class is now renamed and taught by Shannon Gifford. I am thinking of retaking it! This garment and the summer nightie I made are going to Seattle with me soon. Call them part of my very embryonic travel wardrobe.

Lutterloh and Amy Butler...

2009-04-26T22:07:00.011-04:00

Photo Copyright Modeverlag Lutterloh 2003. I finished The nightwear item from my Lutterloh pattern 2003, Supplement #251, top #237. I should add that I added plenty of ease, as I do like comfy nightwear. I got the pattern altered with my shoulder muslin, all cut out and this weekend I finished sewing the nightwear. I widened the sides and made seams rather than ties. I lengthened the garment as well. I used the longer sleeve, as I want this to work both Summer and transitionally. The Fabric is an Amy Butler print, new this year, and just lovely to look at and to work with. I love cotton nightwear, and this fabric was perfect! there are several patterns which use these colors and all are fabulous. I got this at Threadneedle Fabrics, my local fabric store. I wanted to have a nicely finished neckline, so I drafted front and back facings. The serger is an immense help in finishing seams and I used it for the side and sleeve seaming as well. It does speed things up a lot, and even more - it is fun! As to cutting it out, I had so little material left after the pieces were cut out that I had to piece each facing piece. Not even the smallest bit of space left on the fold to cut facings. But I had enough. PHEW! I drafted this pattern large because I made an error in measurements, but after I used my shoulder template to alter it, that didn't matter, and I do have a lot of ease. Note added the next day...you know, this picture doesn't do the garment any favors, and it really does look better...perhaps I may replace it one of these days...or not. The neckline is very niftily done, if I do say so. :)

Patterns drafted...

2009-03-31T06:32:00.004-04:00

I got all four of the previously mentioned Lutterloh patterns drafted last weekend, and one skirt cut out. I used my shoulder template from my PR Muslin Class to alter the bodice and armholes. The skirt fabric is the rayon brown/turquoise/white print for the SWAP skirt. As slowly as I am moving on these projects, I hope to get another top cut out this coming weekend, or maybe two if I get to it. I want to definitely cut out the cross over top. Meanwhile I did another grocery bag! Now all I have to do is remember to take the bags to the store when we shop. The grocery bag, and two more ready to go, are being sewn on the Janome, and so far my observation is that this is the quietest machine in the world! It is quieter even than the Kenmore 19233 (made by Janome) I had. I could sew all night and no one would be disturbed. The Viking of course is not really noisy, but it has that high pitched Viking growl-whine sound that I personally love, but may be perceived by others as more noisy. So for night sewing you can't beat this Janome.

SWAP lives on 2009...

2009-03-09T07:13:00.005-04:00

Almost a year ago I wrote a post about the SWAP I planned for Summer 2008. Well, I decided to finish that for Summer 2009! Luckily I have finished several pieces, and luckily I have the fabric for the rest! I also decided to update a few of the patterns, and draft a few Lutterlohs in their place. The skirt or maybe two that I have left, I will make a sort of A-line, and one of the tops I have left will be a criss-cross. I actually made two of the turquoise tops, so I am ahead of that game! The jacket I haven't decided on yet, and I also want to make a vest. I have some lovely dark green cord with paisleys on it that would make a nice vest and since it was a large remnant at my local fabric store, there is just enough for a vest. It is pretty muted in tones, so not a screaming paisley at all! I photocopied four Lutterloh patterns over the weekend, and put them in individual pattern envelopes. After all that arranging I am ready to draft. The skirt out of the print rayon, but I have two pieces of print rayon, both lovely. Maybe I will do one from this pattern and then chose another, or just do both from it. I don't have plans or fabric for the PJ pants, but they look comfy and I just might give them a go with light weight flannel if i can find some! I have a length of light green Bemberg lining fabric I thought I would make a PJ top from of that pattern. And a nice piece of pink silk charmeuse I could use as well. [All Lutterloh Pattern photos copyright Modeverlag Lutterloh]

New Baby...Janome 115110...

2009-02-28T20:53:00.009-05:00

Meet Jannie, my new refurbished Janome 115110. Bought it from Sew Vac Direct in Texas. Checks out very nicely. This Janome machine is the model sold at Sears as the 19110. The Kenmore name is removed, and the manual is an amalgam (I think) of the HT2008 machine's manual, and the 19110 Kenmore manual. This machine is identical under the paint to the Janome Heart Truth 2008 machine and identical under the body casing to the Janome DC3050 and the Janome Harmony 8080. It is so simple to choose a stitch, and the computerized machine sets the width and length for you. You can override this easily enough with the width and length settings though. Stitch choice, width and length are set by the buttons up top of the panel of the front. The one critique I have is that to get to a high numbered stitch you have to run through all the other stitches which makes the machines needle bar move around a lot as it sets each stitch on the way as you fly though the choices on your way to the one you want. No big deal though. I love the plain white pretty looks. I did a trial run of several stitches, and you can see the results in the picture. I am not doing a full review at this point. In 6 months, after a project or two or three, a full review will be forthcoming on PatternReview.

Taste of the Southwest...

2009-02-21T22:55:00.012-05:00

Finally, the Mexican food themed place mats are done! After checking out a couple of my machines binder feet, I opted for the old-fashioned method of applying the bias tape. Sew one fold, turn item and sew. Went faster and looks better. Wrestling with the binder feet I am not familiar with seemed silly. I guess I will capitulate to doing things the way I know how!I used the Viking to sew the bias tape on. I love the edge stitching foot and used that.The PR stash contest is almost over and my paltry 2 yards will stand unless I finish these placemats and hot pads before next Saturday night at midnight! These are my South Western and Mexican Food placemats. I have quilted the three hot pads and three of the four placemats. After the free form quilting comes the binding. I didn't know that the quilting was going to make my right hand sore. I guess it is the holding it steady and guiding the fabric motion, but it did make my hand hurt, so I will resume the last placemat tomorrow! Usually I have been too lazy to even put on the darning foot, but guess what? The darning foot works better and of course the feed dogs are down. The Pfaff is behaving like the Queen she is, and we've had some sewing fun today! Here's the other side of the mat's fabric. Both are Hoffman fabrics. I should possibly look for some pasta fabric and do Italian food too. I already have the Chinese food ones, so that makes a nice set of table eye candy for all the ethnic food we love!

Lutterloh pants 2003-#250-01...

2009-02-08T12:55:00.010-05:00

Are done! Due to the abundant sunshine today, which I am not abjecting to, the photos don't show the lines of these pants too much, but you can see they are basic black pants, straight with some ease in the leg. They are comfy because they are a rayon-poly blend as far as I can tell. I have had this fabric in my stash since 1997 when I took it home from my Mom's stash after she passed away.I have waited for a good pattern to sew it up. The back view is what made me happy. These fit better than the last few pair of pants I made, and I may be looking at my TNT pants pattern. A bit more ease in the hips and I am good to go with this one. I might try a bit more width in the leg next time as well. I whipped these up yesterday, after having them cut out a couple weeks. I am pretty happy that this time I got the length right. I tend to make the hems too short, probably a carry-over from a past era, since I have lived in a few of those. I don't like walking on my pants. See this pattern and more on the Lutterloh site. This one is from 2003, supplement #250, pattern 1. The shirt I just made was pattern 2. My future Lutterloh plans include tees for summer, and finding a skirt pattern I like. I have some fabric for both those purposes in my small stash.

I think the next thing I am going to sew will be Southwestern themed placemats, and those don't need fitting! A nice break!

Shirt/Blouse is finished...

2009-01-25T22:32:00.002-05:00

Well, well. I finished the shirt tonight! So I thought I would blog it because if I wait, I won't get to it for days and days! Review is up on PR as well. I got out the button-sew-on-foot and had more fun making the five buttonholes on this shirt. On the last button something caught and I had more fun getting the needle out of the fabric and the fabric off the machine! With gentle coaxing, it all finally came out well. A new needle and all is well. I am happy with the fit of this garment, and will make one more in the next month or so. Not being a fast sewer it will take me awhile to get that done, but there is no rush, and I will sew the pants from this same pattern sheet next. They are lying here all cut out and waiting! A few people have pointed out that I didn't include the pattern number itself. They are so right! It is Supplement #250, 2003, pattern 2!

Kreativ Blogger...

2009-01-25T14:21:00.016-05:00

Sherril Miller has so kindly nominated my sewing blog for this award! TOTALLY surprised. I will try to blog more often now! There are a few things to do when you are nominated for this award, and I am copying the directions directly from Sherril's website, being unable to improve on her wording. So - Here are the rules of the award~

1. Copy the award to your site - 2. Link to the person from whom you received the award - 3. Nominate 7 other bloggers - 4. Link to those on your blog - 5. Leave a message on the blogs you nominated. In no particular order I present this award to:

The Rusty Bobbin Excellent tutorials, lots of information. Vintage machine info.
Mary is SewFast Mary's most creative sewing!
Donna's Den Donna quilts like a pro...oh - she is a pro...and has a lot of vintage machine savvy...
hemmin' and hummin' Quilting, sewing and cross stitch! Cathy has fun and does a lot of different projects.
Sew Intriguing Liana is a serious seamstress. Professional results and challenging patterns are her.
tiny happy Tiny happy is a blog with lovely creations, not just sewing, but lots of inspiring scenery and interesting observations. Lovely children's items here.
Mary Sews Interesting blog about more than sewing...
I am taking the liberty of nominating an 8th lady here. I don't see this award on Debbie's site, and oh BOY does she deserve this! So here goes:
Stitches and SeamsDebbie has more information and help here than I can talk about.

All the blogs I have seen have helped tremendously. Even if I won't ever do some of the things these creative people are doing, I just love the energy out there to create and I love the knowledge that these arts are passing on to a younger generation as well.

Princess shirt/blouse...

2009-01-25T12:20:00.004-05:00

I've been working slowly on the fitting and sewing of the Lutterloh blouse/shirt from August 2003, #250 with a different fabric than I planned on for the first version. The princess lines are new to me. These particular princess lines are not over the bust on the pattern, but more like side panels. Being short as well as smaller through the shoulders than the rest of my ample frame, I used my template from the Making a Bodice Muslin class on PR to fit the shoulders and armhole area. Then when I sewed the two panels together on the front I just cut off the "tails" that stuck up from the princess seams.I am sure this is not the approved way to do it, but WOW...it worked. On the back princess seaming it was a better armhole line, so didn't seem to need that. The blouse is a good fit. More fitted than I usually wear for sure, and my son says it is flattering. That's good to hear. I am getting use to the fact that Lutterloh isn't going to have the ease of our big 4 patterns, I think the euro-style in general is more fitted. So next time I may make this a bit larger on the side seams. BUT, the fit is the best yet on any shirt I have made. I am going to make another. I am not done with this one yet though. I did the buttonholes with my sensor foot on the Viking 770. That worked well after I again reviewed the user manual and the video that came with the machine - funny how a year later you need to re-review the instructions! Now to drag out my button sew on foot and do the buttons. Then for the final picture. I am sorry the print on this fabric seems to just obliterate the lines of the shirt! Perhaps I will make a solid color one, or one with a less bright and busy pattern next time.

Grocery Totes...

2008-12-23T11:25:00.013-05:00

It seems like grocery totes are the easiest thing to make. You can go simple, as I did, or complex, which I can't really see a point in doing! I wanted to make it simple, so I thought about making a pattern myself. I have a Trader Joe's tote I bought there, and I thought I would just copy it. I drew a pattern, more or less the size of the side, and then did two sizes - one of the totes is larger than the others. I used a fabric shower curtain I found at the nice resale shop here in town, and cut out three totes. Of course you need two sides and then four strap pieces for each tote. I chose to make my straps the other way on my totes, which allows more ease of carrying I think. You could put them where ever you please. You sew the straps together, and then turn to the right side. I thought using double fabric for the strap would add some strength as well. I finished all the straps first, and then attached them to the bag after I turned down the top of the bag twice to make a nice little finished edge. I sewed double seams on all the sides and the bottom and I reinforced the straps and the bottom, making faux flat felled seams. This adds a bit of strength. On the first grocery run, I found that the store baggers were familiar with people coming in with their own bags, but the cashier was amazed that I made three of mine! She seemed to think the idea was right up there with the light bulb! I didn't really think so myself, but I let her admire my skills. HA! I might make a few more, as I have enough for a couple more out of that one piece of fabric. It has sort of a plasticized backing. Not too thick, but enough to give the fabric a bit of body. They are working fine for our routine weekly grocery trips. Easier to carry than plastic bags, and more ecological. Try making your own bags, you'll like it! Your main problem with these bags will be remembering to take them with you when you leave the house.

My Sewing Space...

2008-12-13T08:59:00.001-05:00

Now it's the next day! Here is a morning shot with the light from the windows. And another as well! I share my space with books in bookcases, various oddments I have accumulated over the years, lots of pictures, filing cabinet, large desk, computer and peripherals, shoes, sweaters, and a lot of knickknacks I didn't mean to collect. I guess I like chickens...But I also like sewing machines, so for the first time ever, I have double furniture. Yes, two rows on two walls in here. Sigh. I cut out my patterns on the dining room table, and this is what we call the den. Mainly my den of course. My desk, my sewing, my books, mixed in with family magazine, books and file cabinet. Also the lifetime collection of family photos except for the ones I have all over the house as well. And stored. It is amazing how many pictures you just have to have around to give your den that homey feeling! I find drawers and organization help immensely with sewing in this room. I don't tend to have a stash, so one set of drawers is mainly fabric, and some fabric is on a chair as well. I like to sew it down to a minimal level, but lately I haven't sewed as fast as bought it would appear.Perhaps someday there will be an empty room in which I can just have a sewing room, but in a way this room is where I can hear the house and the family, and still be cooped up in my den, a retreat from the maelstrom of family life, yet close enough to get into the maelstrom should that be my wish.

Lutterloh and Burda...

2008-11-29T11:54:00.003-05:00

I compared the curves on the two patterns I have, and the drafting on the two patterns is almost the same. I love both patterns. The Burda pants I have made are the most comfy pants I have ever made, and I have high hopes for the Lutterloh pants as well. The first ones I made are a bit tight. Measurements that are dead accurate are critical. I have a pair of black pants ready to go, and have just not sat down to sew them, but will update here when I do.

Shoes...aren't they about apparel?

2008-11-17T23:10:00.004-05:00

Excuse a foray into shoes. I mean what good is sewing our nifty wearing apparel if we don't have fashionable shoes as well? I have been strictly tire-tread clogs for so long now. And one pair of dressy shoes for emergencies. This past weekend I happened into the Danform shoe store near me, and these babies actually fit my feet. Lovely brown tone, nice studs, great heel; they are from Ecco shoes. Nothing usually does fit, it's a width situation. And then, lo and behold two more pair fit? Could I leave two pairs that fit there and only buy one? No. I could not. So I bought the red pair here only in a dark tobacco brown, and they are Børn shoes. So comfy, all padded inside, just the hint of a back on them, and good for a bit less casual working shoe than my usual clogs with the no-nonsense sole. I've worn each pair now for a whole day, still the feet are fine. Happy happy...joy joy. Then there's that third pair...but they were felt clogs...must not...must not...

A bit of a quiet time...

2008-11-14T07:11:00.006-05:00

Lutterloh pants are in the works, cut out and ready to be sewn when I get to it. Black material of unknown content, but I think it is a cotton/rayon blend. The fabric was in my mother's stash in 1997 when she passed away, and I have waited to find a suitable pattern. There is also enough to make a jewel neck top to match, but I haven't decided on a pattern yet. I want this to be a semi-dressy outfit for those very few occasions when I want to look a bit dressy. The top pattern in this photo will be a princess shirt, and I do have fabric for this.

Lutterloh Vest and Pants...

2008-10-16T07:00:00.003-04:00

The vest and pants are done, pressed and already worn! The reviews are up on PatternReview. The pants pattern will need tweaking, and in fact I have already drafted another Lutterloh pattern for pants which is a few years old. This time I want to do a few more alterations. In these first three garments I wanted to do them more or less "as was" to see how the Lutterloh system worked. They turned out rather well, so I am going to press on with more tweaking in the next couple of patterns. I have a princess blouse drafted and that other pair of pants. Meanwhile I have two cuts of lovely rayon for skirts, so I will be looking for a skirt pattern, and all of a sudden I want to make a couple of dresses, so that search is on too! I think it's been many years since I have wanted another dress. We don't wear them often here. But all of a sudden...:) Is it that Fall is here, and the sewing area is a cozy place to spend my time? I bought a new seam ripper over the last weekend, and another bunch of really nice hand sewing sharps with large eyes. Made a trip to Joann's. I go there about twice a year. They had buttons on sale! 50% off! WOW. I got a lot of various colors and textures. Ferreted them away for some garments that in the future they will adorn gracefully. A variety of colors. The new seam ripper is the indicator that I will be doing more sewing! More sewing = more ripping!

Viking Sew On Foot Fun...

2008-10-01T22:31:00.007-04:00

I didn't extol the virtues of my Viking Button Sew On Foot in yesterday's post?! What was I thinking? To save me time and energy, I will point you to the best place to learn all about that foot! I agree wholeheartedly with Debbie Cook about this foot, and she has done such a tremendous job of blogging it. I never before sewed buttons on with the machine because I never thought it would be better than by hand or would save any time. But Sunday I just whizzed through sewing on five buttons. Great foot - worth every penny!
In other developments, I have finished the Lutterloh vest. It needs a good pressing, and tonight I'll do that. It will just be a cute little accessory over beige, cream and white, or a very mellow pink turtleneck. I think might also add three buttons and of course buttonholes. The vest won't add much warmth. I am going to make another one in a more Vermonty warmth since winter is coming on sooner than I want to think about.

Lutterloh Shirt complete...

2008-09-28T23:04:00.005-04:00

Here's the shirt, reviewed over on PR, and I like it! Here is a bit of the collar, showing the stand/collar as one piece rather than the two pieces of pattern and fabric the pattern indicated. That's one piece too much for me to bother with. The pieces of this pattern fit together so well. The collar was a perfect fit, and the rest of the garment went together well. The sleeves are a bit puffy for me, but I like the shirt. I did five buttonholes and five plain white buttons. My Viking sensor buttonhole foot decided to go off on its own and just do whatever length it wanted half way through a couple of buttonholes, so I switched to the regular foot, and used the memory feature for the last two. If I cannot count on that glitzy sensor foot, I won't use it at all any more, as the regular foot is actually easier. The shirt is a little large in the shoulders, but the next time I make a Lutterloh I will make my usual shoulder adjustment, using the shoulder template from Shannon Gifford's class on bodice muslin making. That template is extremely handy! Now I am working on getting the vest binding on, and that's going nicely. The pants just need hemming, and then they will be done as well. So - two more Lutterloh reviews this week I hope. :) Juliette on PR reviewed the Lutterloh pajamas she made a few weeks ago, and they look warm and fuzzy. Maybe I will make some winter warm nightwear. Those of us interested in Lutterloh are hoping that some other people will review a few more patterns each month, thus raising awareness and interest in the system. With computerized pattern software as popular as it is becoming, many people probably would rather buy one of those systems. They are, in my opinion, both too time consuming and too expensive to think about. I wouldn't want to bother with printing and having to assemble all those pieces of regular printer paper. Think of the bills for paper and ink! Lutterloh just needs paper, markers and your little patterns. Of course, I will make copies of the ones I use because I don't want to put little pin holes in my actual patterns!

Yes, I am still sewing...

2008-09-22T12:51:00.004-04:00

Lutterloh is this month's theme. I have been working on my Lutterloh online class. Three garments are not finished, but pretty far along. The fitting issue is that the pants should have been a bit larger. This was caused not by Lutterloh, but by my use of the wrong numbers when drafting the pants. I am going to draft another pattern soon and give it another shot with a better measure. You have to be careful and measure really carefully with the patterns. Honestly might be another way to put it. ;) However, the pants fit, and I am very happy with the fit as well. They are cut rather like Burda pants are, which is a great Euro-fit in the most important places. The vest is a bit snug as well. I am going to try a full figured pattern, but I think this vest will be cute over a nice knit top, and I am going to make another Ottobre top out of some ecru fabric I bought from Gorgeous Things. The shirt is on the way to finality, but has a collar and facing to finish and the hems. Progress report to be continued.

Quilt 15 years old and the top is finished...

2008-08-31T15:50:00.004-04:00

My Flying Geese Quilt is becoming a reality. it is an old fashioned use up those remnants quilt, and I can see some garment bits in there. I love that. Although the quilt is now 15 years since inception and the first square, the top is finally finished with the piecing and the sashing on the edges. It is a very odd shape. Extremely long and not that wide! It turns out to be 67" wide and 115" long! Backing and batting and tying come next. I hope to make this this winter's project. HHmmm...did I forget to mention the binding? I think I did. I have cotton from my mother's stash (that I inherited) which is the fabric I will use for bias binding. It is the dark version of the sashing fabric. So the sashing and the binding are a reverse effect. The tying and the binding are a long hand done project. I have bound one quilt in the past and found it wasn't so difficult, merely time consuming. And a good excuse to sit and watch the telly on those colder winter nights.

Ottobre tee time again!

2008-08-24T20:11:00.003-04:00

Thinking about using up the left over fabric from my last tee, and remembering that I had bought a remnant of the same stuff on a recent visit to the fabric store, I thought about making the little guys jammies. but looking at the yardage I found there wasn't nearly enough. But, there was enough to make another tee! This time around with Ottobre Woman 2-2007 pattern 2 I raised the neckline over an inch and a half. I really like a higher neckline than I had been making. I cut the fabric yesterday and began to sew right away. Finished the complete garment today, hem, sleeve hems, and neckline. I used self-bias binding, and that really made a nice neckline. I have used this pattern so much. Ottobre does clothing for real people. Each issue has at least several things I could conceive of making. I haven't made anything but the tee so far though.

Burda dress is finished...

2008-08-23T21:43:00.003-04:00

And a lovely dress it is! The instructions for the neckline binding were new to me, and it worked out very well. Burda has a few different ways of doing things. The dress fits perfectly. The fabric is a very light batiste, and that required some careful handling. This was my second Burda pattern. The first was the pants pattern reviewed at PatternReview.com. Both patterns have impressed me by their excellent drafting. The pieces actually fit together like they should. This hasn't always been the case with my big 4 patterns. the only alteration we did was to petite this pattern between shoulders and mid-armhole. The great part of this dress is the bias sections of the skirt and the back skirt. It hangs so very nicely, and the bodice fits so well with its four tucks. I will certainly do another Burda or two.

Pfaff 1199 comes home...

2008-08-15T21:21:00.002-04:00

Many years ago at the same time I got my Pfaff 1222E, my mother-in-law got her Pfaff 1199. We inherited it a few years ago, but the search for a foot pedal took a long long time. Finally we got that, and then there was the hospitalization for a complete checkup and a new gear or two. Finally she is home again and sewing smoothly and beautifully. There isn't a lot of information on this model on the web yet, and the manual isn't readily available. We have the manual for the 1222E and the same threading and bobbin arrangement are common in this era of Pfaffs so that's no problem. She joins our little family of sewing machines, and has a cosy nest in her fantastically 1970s ORANGE retro case under my sewing table. You can see the fabulous case. YES, though made of metal, she is a COMPACT machine. Weighs a good bit more than my heavier Viking platinum, but way less than my 1222E. :) For her day she was a lean mean sewing machine! And spectacularly groovy in her case!

Just a Catchup...

2008-08-04T22:52:00.001-04:00

Added a few more great links to sewing blogs...so much talent and fun out there! Yes, I have been working on the sewing too! How's this for a shirt? In the planning...the fabric is cotton medallions from Gorgeous Fabrics. So, my sewing blog seems to have overtaken the regular blog now. MORE TIME...more time is really needed in the day. To whom do I send the petition for the 35 hour day?

Burda dress...and Lutterloh

2008-07-07T19:25:00.001-04:00

The Burda summer dress is coming along well. I did two muslins, the first didn't fit, being just a tad small. Believe me a tiny mini-person could make a dress out of this. So I cut a size larger, whizzed up the muslin and it was a GO. Now I am half way through the finished garment, and Burda is wonderful. The pieces really match, the bodice darting is so very clever on this pattern. You sew the darts, but then when the bodice is sewed and the band is applied to the neckline, you release the darts and they become tucks. Very nicely done.

First I read the boards on PR, and there was mention of the Lutterloh System. I had seen this some years ago, but didn't even want to concentrate on how it might work, it looked far to complex. Now, from a different perspective, I see that I would love to try it. I priced it out on the Lutterloh U.S. site and on the Lutterloh NZ site. Then I searched eBay. Old sets go on eBay for upwards of 50-100+ for fairly recent (with in the last 20 years?) sets, and the vintage sets go for a lot more. So - wasting time today I looked once again at Google. I had Googled the heck out if it over the weekend, and never saw HSN. Well, today there it was. HSN has it! And at a far lower price than even the Lutterloh website. I bit. Now lets see if I can do it!

Summer dress project...

2008-06-30T20:42:00.006-04:00

Beginning right to fit a dress for my daughter. First the shoulder muslin, then the shoulder template out of poster board so that it keeps well, then the alteration of the pattern. We are using Burda 7798 and a lovely pink/white fabric from Gorgeous Fabrics - the Sew Sweet Cotton. I haven't gotten to the altering the pattern step yet, but that's next. The shoulder template will make the shoulders of the smallest size just a bit smaller. then the petite adjustment and the muslin. Keep tuned for more!

Vermont Quilt Festival 2008 visited...

2008-06-27T20:48:00.002-04:00

With a couple of intrepid friends, I took on the Vermont Quilt Festival. You do have to be intrepid because after you schlep around the two large buildings of the Champlain Valley Exhibition, visit vendors, enjoy a bit of quilt admiring, and look at all the sewing machines, you suddenly realize you need to sit down. By that time everyone else has had the same realization, and all the seats are taken. So, you keep going. I picked up a bargain on last year's Quilt Festival tote (I was there last year!), and on a beginner sewing book aimed at the kids, but FUN! After seeing the demo for the Miracle Ironing Board Cover, (actually, we saw it at least twice), all three of us bought a cover. There was a press of determined quilting ladies slowly constricting the area of the demo, and the phrase wait your turn was apparently an unknown concept to several women. After waiting patiently like the good Vermonter she is, one of my friends finally got her cover, and we escaped the mob, dragged our aching feet out of the show and headed out to lunch. Any more than half a day and I would need a week to recuperate! As it is, my feet are nothing but foci of pain!

Quilt in its fifteenth year...

2008-06-24T23:39:00.008-04:00

When I was 9 or so my grandmother and my mother taught me to do a simple square patch quilt. Some years later...in 1993, I began a somewhat ambitious project - I decided to make a large flying geese quilt for my first real quilt. Calculating the number of pieces now is a good reason never to have started! I modified a pattern from one of the quilt magazines and onward I trod. I cut and sewed some pieces, then put it away. I took it up again every few years. Then this year I decided to finish all the strips. The strips are the length of the quilt top, and there is a wider strip in the center, and there will be sashing around the outside edges, then binding after the quilt is assembled. I am not sure that this won't be in the running for the most ugly quilt, and certainly the technique can be critiqued by the real quilters, but this is a traditional quilt. There are pieces from old garments I had in my teens. Material I brought from my mother's stash after she passed away is in this quilt. I did buy some of the fabric in it, but most was intended for some project and I used the left-overs for piecing. The Flying Geese pattern is my favorite of all quilt patterns. I could make them one after the other as far as piecing goes, but I don't think I will make another quilt any time soon. Surely not a large one. This one will probably be another year in the finishing. Right now though I feel like finishing it this summer! I am able to have my Pfaff 1222E up and running as my quilting machine now, dedicated to that purpose as long as I want it to be while my other machine sews other projects. That's fun. Having a machine just for the quilt is a blessing.

Notes on added links and my pictures...

2008-06-18T13:24:00.008-04:00

I added a couple links on the right to blogs which are of real interest (as are ALL the links over there or I wouldn't put them there...). Today I added Quality Time and mediatinker. Both sites have some tutorials and both are a lot of FUN. To mediatinker I linked to her creative link, but the whole site is fascinating. Not all sewing - in fact mostly NOT sewing, but eclectic and interesting.

As to the pictures you see on this blog, they may or may not be directly related to the content. If I am talking about a project, they will definitely be related, otherwise I tend to eclecticism myself (the model today is wearing his GramJammies!).

Some nifty aprons....free patterns

2008-06-10T22:53:00.000-04:00

White Sewing Machine Company published a pretty little booklet back in the mists of time with aprons and apron patterns. Dorothy's Aprons & Handmade Memories offers the pages from this booklet as scans which you can download and print free. What a lovely booklet it is! I love the Mardi Gras pattern, and may even attempt to make it! Have a look, and while you're there, look at the lovely work Dorothy's does!

Projects accomplished and Deco Fun...

2008-06-03T20:37:00.005-04:00

I finished the Ottobre 2-2007 top in turquoise, with deco top stitching, and I also finished the rayon silky fabric skirt in brown with leafy jade print.These pieces are part of my Summer 2008 Wardrobe plan, and I reviewed them tonight as well on PR. I don't think I will do a wardrobe this way again because the cross-posting involved on PR to link each to the wardrobe plan is too much. It is a lot of time that can be used in other ways. Just a review of all pieces individually will be my future way to go and a plan for myself that I can have here on the blog, but not trounce to death having to cross post time and time again! The top stitching was really fun. Trying out all the stitch banks to see which deco stitch I wanted was both experimental and fascinating. They can be mirrored side to side or top to bottom, and they can be combined. In the end I went for the simple stitch #11 in stitch back 3 on my platinum. The viking certainly frees you up to concentrate on the sewing. I used four presser feet on this top alone! Edge stitching foot, Left edge stitching foot, Presser foot A and Presser foot B.

Vermont Quilt Festival...

2008-06-01T23:00:00.004-04:00

Once again it is time for the Vermont Quilt Festival! End of this month, June 26th through June 29th, and SUCH FUN! I go to make the rounds of the sewing machine vendors and see all the machines, just to look and admire all the features. There are so many nice sewing machines out there now. I try to stay away from the fabrics because I don't quilt! As to the quilts themselves, they are works of art. Although there are some traditional quilts there of course, most of the quilts today are art works, art quilts, art with fabric. I haven't the patience for the precise work they take, and I would feel trapped into a project that size. My mother was a master quilter, and I know what dedication and work it takes, and how much quilters love their avocation. The Festival is well worth the time and money to visit, even if you don't quilt. It's nice to be there under cover when you're a garment sewer!

Delicate alteration...

2008-05-31T23:00:00.007-04:00

I was asked to shorten the shoulder straps of a lovely white summer dress. The material is an extremely light white cotton batiste and the straps are wider in the front, gathering into the back strap as they meet at the shoulder (rather like the dress Marilyn Monroe has on on that famous picture of the air vent!). I had to take out the incredibly tiny hemming on each side of the straps, then cut the straps off at the shoulder, press, run gathering lines on the front and sew the new seam between the gather lines as I gathered.Then redo the side tiny hem along the edges.

I have to tell you I was nervous about this. There was no room for error on my part. I planned ahead: I used the straight stitch foot for the gathering and seaming, I used a #10 sharp needle, I used the regular zig-zag foot for the edging so I could see what I was doing, and I used regular tissue paper as a stabilizer on the gathering stitches and the seam itself.I think it took me as long to finish this as it would have to zip up a tee (not counting the finishing edges on the tee). I did this all on the Kenmore 19233, which behaved marvelously, and only had a minute or two of impatience with me when I managed to break a needle - you guessed it - when I forgot to change to the zig-zag foot fast enough. Thankfully, the machine, the dress, and I are all fine, and so is the straight stitch foot!

Bobbins...storing bobbins...

2008-05-28T00:10:00.009-04:00

After waiting for these bobbins for several weeks after reading about them on Sue Houseman's blog
I even looked for them on a recent trip to Seattle! After I came home with none from there, I tried my local Viking shop again and there they were! They are just a pretty as I thought they'd be. it's not like I needed more bobbins, and to tell you the truth my favorite Viking bobbin color is still the green, but now I have plenty of bobbins and some color on the subject!The winning feature of the new bobbins is also that there are twice a many in a bag for much the same price! 20 instead of 10! that's a good deal. Now I need a really innovative and clever way to store bobbins. After much searching, I found that Artbin makes bobbin boxes, and Joann's has them online, so I ordered four to try them out. There is no perfect bobbin storage. The rings are awkward to find a place for in my system of drawers, so I hope the boxes will work out.

Wardrobe sewing...in progress...

2008-05-26T23:21:00.002-04:00

This is the plan. My first SWAP, yet it is not a pure SWAP because I won't be able to wear every top with every bottom. The jacket should go with everything though, as will a brown cord jacket I made a few years ago, and a top or two already finished. The skirts are going to be McCall's 4657, which I used in Making a Skirt Muslin taught by Shannon Gifford on PatternReview.com, and adjusted throughout the class. However, the skirt pattern is much changed. I do a sew, flip and sew elastic waist and make it more A-line than the fitted skirt in McCall's 4657. The tops are Ottobre Woman 2-2007, and the pants are Burda 2614, and the jacket (probably modified some) will be Kwik Sew 3531. This past long weekend, I finished a print skirt, the first one on the top row. The blouse last on the top row has been reviewed on PR, and the link to my reviews is over on the right. The pants on the middle bottom row are finished, and they are another color from the same pattern as the Burda mud green pants reviewed already and on the link on the right. I have cut out the blue pants bottom last, and they are the same Burda pants. I just bought gorgeous fabric from Gorgeous Fabrics! A lovely ecru for the ecru top, the ecru jacket fabric, and a lovely print of tan, ecru, and pale jade blue-green. The print is not allocated to a pattern yet. I am caught between wanting to make it a jacket and wanting to make it a skirt, and will probably do the skirt. As full a skirt as I can make it. As slow as I sew, I still hope this wardrobe comes to fruition this summer!

Pointy Kitty has a nice day...

2008-05-02T19:43:00.003-04:00

Today while I was at work, Pointy Kitty found the door and hopped outside in the sun! The massive amounts of cat food were like manna to his little pointy soul. Then he frolicked in the grass among the tulips...a fine day. Good thing my daughter was there to take his picture having such a good time. Sometimes a less serious sewing adventure works to lighten the spirit!

Hello to Pointy Kitties...

2008-04-30T23:56:00.005-04:00

Pointy Kitties are finished! Albeit a bit lopsided, and perhaps there was an ear injury along the way, but they are standing and facing the future bravely! Reading Threads has to be fun for the little guys. I wanted to show the relative size of Pointies to give an idea of how teensie they really are. Sewing the section between the sides was a bit of a squeeze. My results aren't professional in the least, but they were a lot of fun! Maybe I'll make an Ugly Sock creature next...

Pointy Kitties...the long road to finishing...

2008-04-29T22:59:00.001-04:00

Pointy Kitty is a free pattern which has fascinated me for awhile since I downloaded it. As I have not the talent for assessing the finished product from a pattern, I hadn't realized how small, and for lack of a better word, delicate, the Point Kitty is! I cut two out of this cute fabric I got at Home Sew, and then I let it lay around the sewing cubbie awhile of course. By awhile I mean a few months. That's my pattern with projects, as a rule. When I began to sew them together I realized how tiny the pieces were. If I do this again I am going to enlarge the pattern on the copier and go for a larger Kitty! :) Originally they were bound for the children, but my daughter, collaborator on the project, and I decided to keep these due to the delicate nature of our little Pointy Kitties...heh.After much searching, we located eyes for the Kitties at our local independent fabric shop. She has an amazing array of lovely buttons, and she actually had three eyeball-like styles. Now the kitties looked like something! A heart button for each nose, and the eyeballs sewn on and somehow I felt more like sewing them together, disembodied as they are.The finished product will be seen here in the next installment of Pointy Kitty - Life at Last.

Reviews on PatternReview.com...

2008-04-21T22:35:00.006-04:00

PR has a myriad of reviews of sewing machines, notions, patterns (of course), web sites, web merchants and brick and mortar stores, as well as forums, sewing tutorials and online classes. The site has brought a lot of fun into sewing for a lot of us. Since joining, I have written a number of reviews there myself, including numerous sewing machine reviews. I find I just love sewing machines. I have a weakness for any of them that you can define as real sewing machines. Old, new, mechanical or computerized. I don't collect them though.I sold one a few years ago. I loved that machine. It was (and still is) a New Home. One of the heavier, metal, solid machines from the 70s. It is still running in a friend's home. That machine has some really nice stitches. Even my Viking doesn't have one of the stitches I loved on that machine. The stitch looks like a line of stitching on one side with "Vs" climbing vertically up the line of stitching. Bad description I know, but the only one I have!

Purse modifying and other thoughts...

2008-04-20T17:39:00.011-04:00

Not satisfied with the quilted bag in the last post, I have been making more pockets and installing them, as well as a redo on the strap and some squared bottom corners. All in all I am much happier now. It will be hard for me to pay money to buy a bag now that I have discovered how creative you can be making them yourself. I'm not sure you have to buy patterns for a lot of really nice bags. On the tote or hobo principle you should be able to make many different looks. I will spend some time doing this over the next month or so.

Meanwhile, Pointy Kitty and hemming and that sort of thing have taken up some sewing time, but it's both neccessary and rewarding to do. I finally located great buttons for the eyes on Pointy Kitty. They are buttons that look like eyes! Surprise! Clear with black centers. I can't wait to get that done and get pictures of Pointy up here!

Pillows and Space...

2008-03-24T23:26:00.003-04:00

Slowly I began to add a machine here and there to my sewing space. Then I reorganized a bit, and later added a nice office chair as my sewing chair. Looking for tables at a good height isn't easy. I love the 27" to 28" height and most sewing furniture is about 30". Recently I added the Arrow 603 table from Sears which is just the right height. Here is a link to the posts in my main blog on sewing and sewing machines. Included are short reviews of the Platinum 770, the Madison and the Kenmore 19233, with pictures, plus a few observations on my serger. Sergers are such fun!

Last night I made new pillow covers for our feather pillows. Had 2 yards of really dense cotton fabric called Bohemian Ticking from Home Sew. This made two pillow cover with just a bit left over. A strip about 4" wide was all that was left. I sewed up both pillows right into the new cases on the machine. That took some interesting logistical machinations. I am very satisfied and am in hopes the dratted feathers don't come out and pierce me in the night as they were doing. I washed and dried the pillows first of course. Dried in the dryer with a couple of tennis balls. It really works!

On to sewing...

2008-03-23T14:24:00.006-04:00

First, you will find posts on my Viking machines, and my Kenmore 19233 on my main blog over at Ephemeral Wisps, but I want to talk about sewing more than that blog can really be expected to handle, so here I am over here in the pink. Since the renaissance in my sewing in 2005, I have learned to value taking my time. Sewing takes me away from the computer, and that's a good thing.At the same time, Patternreview.com takes up a lot of FUN computer time, so I am in the same boat I was before, only enjoying it a lot more! I find sewing a restful pastime, a remembrance of good things from childhood. My grandmother Lillian and my mother Isabel; the skills they tried to teach me that I so woefully did not master. I did absorb sewing though, and had them as my best teachers.I have been trying to fit the perfect pair of pants lately, though this is not an endless battle because I have found that Burda patterns, adjusted just right, finally fill the bill as well as anything I could ever hope for. Pants have been a challenge, but I can remember making many pair over the years which fit, and which were fine. As one ages, the old form changes and fitting becomes more of a priority. I look back now on some of the complicated garments I made years ago, and I am astonished! I wish I had a picture of the Vogue caftan with the piping trim all over the font opening, the frog button closures, and the trim on each sleeve and on the bottom. The red caftan I made my husband had a hood attached and string ties on the front. A hood is an interesting bit of sewing! I won't try here to go back in time for any garments but these, so hereafter what I am currently doing will be what I include as projects. I am finishing up a couple of Pointy Kitties now, and then it's on to sewing a small wardrobe of a skirt, pants and a few tops.

Honoring the 1222E...

2008-03-23T13:40:00.001-04:00

Having finally decided to open a new blog just for ruminations on sewing and sewing machines, I am giving the place of honor to my venerable Pfaff 1222E. She has seen me through 31 years of sewing, and until my recent epiphany regarding multiple sewing machines and the possibility of owning several, she has been the only sewing machine to travel with me throughout the years. She has always been a cool, rather elite machine, well deserving her reputation for German craftsmanship and the beautiful simplicity of form she exhibits. I never named her. This machine doesn't really invite that sort of familiarity, keeping aloof and regarding my sewing prowess as not quite what she was made for. Her IDT has been wonderful, and her stitch quality fine. She is growing older now, and though she still sews with precision, she has some wear and tear on her gearing and needle-threader. I still sew with this machine now and then to keep her from freezing up, but now she has company in the sewing space. I would never exclude her from that space, no matter what other machines I have.