Quilting adventures

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...

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...

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...

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.