The Toile Liberty is Complete!

Just in time for Halloween!

It took  a while for the final steps. I do most of my sewing on the weekend, but DH and I had some other activities lately that took me away from the Sewing Cave. Plus, I was running low on the thread I used for this project and needed to restock. Isn't that often the way it goes?

Ultimately, I decided to go basic with the buttons. I decided on some simple pearlized plastic buttons that I had on hand. There are six in all. Buttonhole placement was a breeze, thanks to a new-to-me tool that I recently purchased from an estate sale. It's a Sim-Flex:

I can't believe I didn't acquire one of these long ago! It's so easy to use by simply expanding it. No measuring required, so it's easy to change your mind.

I used little Audrey for the buttonholes since my Bernina doesn't have an automatic buttonhole function. Go figure!

I really love this pattern, so I anticipate making at least one more even though it's fairly distinctive. Here are a couple more shots from the side

and the back.

Disappointment

This pile of nothing is the wool and rayon jersey that I paid too much money for in Santa Fe. I'm done with it, enough is enough.

I washed it in preparation for cutting...and the grain got wonky.

And yet, I soldiered on. I decided it was too thin for my original project. OK, fine. And I picked an alternate pattern.

...which took just a wee bit more fabric than I had. But still, I kept going and made it work.

Then I sat down at the serger and could not thread the lower looper. The BabyLock air-jet threading had gone kaput at that setting...

Yet I still kept going, and figured out an alternate way to thread it (note to self, remember to always check the accessory pack for your machine). That long wire with the loop on the end? Guess what that's for!

I'm at the machine, making samples. So far so good, they look great. I pick up the front pattern piece to start sewing...

And discover 2 holes at the center front of the top. I considered mending them for about 30 seconds before giving up.

Enough is enough. I'm done. This fabric is beautiful but cursed, and I will not waste any more of my time with it.

I know there are those of you out there who'll try to come up with ways for me to salvage this project. I appreciate it, but please don't. I will not feel comfortable wearing this garment given the condition of the fabric, so I'll trash it and move on. After all, it's not like I don't have other fabrics to work with. And I have 2 other projects cut out and ready to go, courtesy of last Sunday's Material Girls gathering.

Live and learn...

JAM 7: Simplicity 2154 is Done!

I finished up the retro cardi yesterday with minimal drama.

I made the vertical buttonholes with Babylock Audrey's automatic buttonhole function--just straight onto the fabric, no stabilizer required. I think the grosgrain ribbon facing really helped in that respect. I made the top buttonhole manually with zigzag stitching. It's not perfect by any means, but it's functional and the the stitches blend into the animal print so it looks ok at a glance. I couldn't use the buttonhole function because of the neckband seam. I made a bunch of samples and couldn't come up with a way to make it work. I'm going to experiment with this technique some more so I can use it on other garments--this happens a lot with machine buttonholes, so it would be worth having another option. I wouldn't want to manually make a whole set, sometimes you need another way for the occasional buttonhole near an edge or a seam.

The sweater came out pretty well for a prototype; I'm happy with the style and fit. I wear a lot of gray so I'll have plenty of opportunities to wear it. I also feel comfortable using this pattern for the expensive wool and rayon sweater knit. Mission accomplished!

The fabric is an acrylic and rayon blend sweater knit that I've had in the stash for several years. I think it came from Jo-Ann's. I was in Hancock's Friday, and it turns out they had some so it's back in production again. Since this project was working out so well, I bought a couple of pieces for future knit projects in green and purple prints.

BTW, my camera's battery was running very low, so bear with me on using this quick snapshot of the corner of the Sewing Cave. I think I owe you all a couple of "styled" photos of recent garments, and hopefully can do something about that soon.

TSW Now Shirt and Kwik Sew Cardigan: Done at Last!

A partially frustrating day yesterday--I pulled out the Christmas decorations and discovered that the "pre-lit" Christmas tree would not light. And on top of that, I ended up with several scratches on my hands and forearms from wrestling with the stupid thing. Ultimately, I decided there would be no tree this year. In the future, yes, but not in 2010. DH isn't a big "tree" person, and I don't feel like spending the money on it because I'm still not working. As a result, the old tree is in its box on the curb waiting for today's charity pickup. The house still looks festive for the season with the remaining decorations, so no worries there.

DH came home exhausted from work and decided to go to bed early, giving me the opportunity to work on the Now Shirt and Kwik Sew cardigan. I had made the buttonholes over the weekend--thanks for your encouragement for helping me to power through!! Many samples later, I used the automatic buttonholer on the BabyLock Audrey. It worked surprisingly well for both garments, considering that it's  a relatively inexpensive little machine and the fabrics were so different.  Last night, I cut open the buttonholes and attached the buttons--there are 5 on the cardigan and 5 on the shirt, so a lot of button sewing! Well, that's one of the reasons we have TV, right?

Photos later--

Button, Button

I now have two projects at the buttonhole stage: the Now Shirt and the Kwik Sew cardigan. And yet, both are just stalled.

What gives with me? I know how to make buttonholes. I have two good sewing machines with buttonholers.

I think I'll set up one of the machines and at least make some samples. Perhaps that'll kick-start this phase of both projects. Sigh.

Sewing Equipment

Recently I received a question about what serger I used, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to talk about my sewing equipment.

Catherine asked:

"Do you use a serger? What brand and are you happy with it? I am very unhappy and discouraged with my Pfaff Hobbylock 756. Just won't hold the tension. Repair person can't even help me in Santa Fe."

I'm on my second serger. My current one is a BabyLock Evolve, and I love it. I bought it from Ann Silva's in Albuquerque, which has an excellent repair department. This model was recently replaced by the Evolution, which I haven't tried yet because I'm not much of a trader. I tend to hang on to my machines. It's true that the BabyLocks are pricey, but since I use my serger a lot, it's been worth it.

My first serger was also a BabyLock, a Protege model that I had for 14-15 years. Finally, the stitch quality deteriorated, and it was too difficult to keep it adjusted. I sewed a lot with it but it was time to let it go.

BTW Catherine, the Pfaff dealer in Albuquerque is Bob's Discount. I think they have a pretty good reputation. I don't know if they can fix your Hobbylock but that's another possible repair resource for you.


My primary sewing machine is a Bernina Activa 140 that I've had for a couple of years. It's a basic, but well made machine that mostly suits my needs.



I bought this BabyLock Audrey last year as a secondary machine to use for travel, classes, etc. I have to admit I haven't used her as much as anticipated. It's a nice little machine, though.

The Last Butterick 4194 of Summer

As I mentioned yesterday, we're 2 weeks in and things have settled down enough that I had some time to sew this weekend. I chose to make this using "known" machines, so alas, Audrey is still waiting for her turn to sew with me. However, I was looking for a simple, stress-relief project so I wanted as few unknowns as possible. Hopefully next time, girl.


I've already made several versions of this skirt so there aren't a lot of sewing details to share. The fabric is an embroidered linen blend from JoAnn's. The fabric speaks for itself so I kept the skirt simple, with no cargo pockets, etc. to distract. And due to being pastel, the fabric tends to shadow through, so I made the pockets from some beige voile that was in my stash--no show through and minimal bulk:


I don't know if I'll get much wear out of it since it's such a summertime design on the fabric, but it was a nice little project to end my summer sewing on.

Moving...

No, not me!

DF is moving in and I've been busy trying to prepare for his arrival. I haven't even had time to try out Audrey yet!!

I've pitched/donated a lot of my things so he'll have some room for his. Have I mentioned I'm something of a collector when it comes to stuff? Which is a more polite way of saying I have packrat tendencies. I have a 3 bedroom house with an office, and it was full after almost 5 years in residence, including the garage.

It's still full but now it includes DF's stuff. The guest room is now a Man Cave, and the office has been reconfigured to for both of us. His motorcycle, his car, and my car all fit into the garage. Amazing!!

However, there are some additional items that really must go, such as the ugly futon chair and matching ottoman that he wants to put in the office. Umm, no. There is a perfectly nice love seat in the office already. He also believes that they will convert into a guest bed Also no--unsuitable for anyone over the age of 8. It's enough that I'm letting him keep one set for the Cave.

By and large, moving has gone well without a lot of drama. Well, there was the Direct TV incident, but I think it was harder on the technicians than us. Let's just say this...those gentlemen had a 12 hour day just on our service call! The faulty equipment has been replaced and we're up an running with nary a missed Project Runway or Real Housewives episode.

I hope I can get some sewing done this weekend. It would be a nice way to relax, although the project I cut out is a little summer-y given that fall is in the air. Oh well, it's simple and I can always wear it next summer.

Oh, I wanted to mention that DF is now fully aware of my fabric and RTW buying habits, having discovered the results when checking closets for the Direct TV guy. Frankly, I think he was shocked!! He's a minimalist so not used to the habits of a clothing nut like me. There probably is too much, but I'm not in the mood to purge for purging's sake. However, this is the perfect excuse to make some things for the upcoming season. That, and the fact that I now have a lot more time since we're not commuting back and forth and "dating."

Meet Audrey

Audrey is a new machine that I first saw at Material Girls last month--cute little machine, lots of functions, and on sale! Then last week, the dealer sent a postcard that the demo machines were being cleared out. Hmmm...

So I went by on Friday, tried her and picked her up for $365! She's a nice little travel machine with lots more features than the Janome Gem I also have. Actually, there are even some features my Bernina doesn't have. So I expect to be using her for travel and classes, and as a buttonhole and invisible zipper station.

Today, I've been playing around with the skirt I bought on the Santa Fe tour. I took the lower flounce off, an improvement, and now I'm trying to even up the skirt and the lining. Both are very uneven.

I also have another modified Butterick 4194 cut out and ready to go. This one is a linen blend with an embroidered border design.

Here's my latest picture of Smudge. He was enjoying the sunshine coming through the bedroom window this morning, and was so cute I couldn't resist a portrait.