Day Dreaming

Day dreaming about sewing machines… yup that is the standard around here.
Have you been lucky enough to use a blind hemmer? If not, man oh man you are missing out. You know that loopy stitch that you can find on the inside of your pant hem? That is the job of the magical blind hemmer. There is a version available on most machines but it really does not compare.
I have only used full industrial hemmers that would be just unnecessary for me at this point to have. However I was browsing along Overstock.com and look what found me!
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A smaller portable version of this wonderful wonderful machine.
This is getting added to my dream studio list.

This machine works with just one thread (no bobbin necessary), it is a version of a chainstitch so you can easily pull out the entire hem if needed. The needle is curved allowing it to dip into your fabric just a smidge and back out to bite on just a little bit of the face giving it that “blind” look rather than a top stitched hem.

Sure beats hand stitching too!

 

Let’s Make a Match! Pattern match that is…

First off I would like to wish you a Happy Saturday! I have been looking forward to this weekend for a long time. Why? Sometimes you need a weekend without anywhere to be or anything to do (except projects of course.)

I wanted to share another thrift store barrel chair update – this project has actually been going very fast…when I work on it that is. I probably could have done the whole thing over a weekend but I guess I am on the 3 month plan?

So I have decided to pseudo slip cover then upholster the chair, this was how it was originally done anyway. I found this fabulous silver quilted curtain panel at BB&B a while ago that was marked down to $6 for this tiny like stain (stain that washed right out.)

*If you are trying to find fabric never underestimate the power of premade items, it may end up cheaper than any length of fabric. Think curtain panels, shower curtains, table cloths, etc.

My panel was 120″ long… you can’t find nice fabric for under $2 a yard (or if you can please share your secret!)

Anyway silver pattern means that cutting out my pieces will be a little trickier.

1. I have to be aware of the pattern, or your eyes will alert you to something very wrong when yo are all done.

2. I have to cut all my pieces in the same direction (even if there was no pattern, any kind of shiny fabric has a “nap” and if you change the direction of your pieces the you might as well have you used 2 different colors of fabric)

This applies if you are making clothing as well – so general fabric matching tips!

Anyway I had my pattern pieces laid out and I found where the widest section of the chair was (closer to the top) and drew a line across my pieces at this spot. This is where you want your pattern to match. When I say match I don’t really care about what it looks like at the seams, you can’t have a perfect match to the actual motif if you have any shaped seams so don’t stress yourself out!

What really matters is that this line/point is on the same area of the motif  for each pattern piece – visually you will see your seams but there will be a continuous run horizontally of your pattern across this chosen point (and for the most part it will fall into place elsewhere.)

does that make sense? think if you had a striped fabric and the stripes were going horizontal – you would want your red stripe to match with the red stripe at the seam otherwise complete chaos would be unleashed on your eyeballs. Image

I know the motif on my fabric is a little hard to see but it was pretty easy, I could draw a straight line through the diamonds and match it with my straight line on my pattern pieces.

If you are working on clothing, again pick some of the most prominent areas to use as a standard match point such as your bust line or hips.

*I know I previously said not to worry about what happens to the motif at your seam but I lied, just don’t think you need to try to match one half of a flower with the other half (or whatever your fabric may look like.) I would however just keep an eye on the surroundings of your seam, you may have a large motif and it can look a little awkward if you end up with the same piece of the motif close together.  Practice Practice, and you will get it.

Move Over “Runway”, We Are Saved by “The Bee”

I was a faithful Project Runway watcher for the first couple of seasons and on occasion will catch a new episode here and there. I don’t know about you but sometimes the drama is just a little too much, I would like to see more construction and less cattiness.

Thankfully the Brits have answered my plea! I have just stumbled upon “The Great British Sewing Bee” – you can catch it on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19Fq_X_xngU

They are on the search to find the greatest home sewer. The first episode has 3 challenges so there isn’t quite as much pressure as on Runway. The best part is that the judges also take on a teacher role to the contestants, host and us the viewers. They will show exactly what they see is wrong (or right) and explain the why and how of what happened and what to do to prevent it for next time. We even got a history lesson in the first episode, now that is my kind of game show.

Twist it, Hit it, Bop it, Pin it

quick post for today. While I really should be cleaning… I wanted to take a moment to introduce you to the mighty upholstery twist pin. Image

 

These things are AMAZING to have if you have slipcovers. I originally picked them up from Joann’s years ago with the intention of getting a slipcover for my sad sad sad sofa. As with most things, I completely forgot I had these until this weekend.

I am in the process of reupholstering/slipcovering a chair. It is easiest to just leave the current fabric on only to find out I could not staple where I had intended to. Luckily I remembered these hiding in a drawer and they are holding everything in place just great. It just twists into the the layers of fabric and a cushion will hide the pins from view.

So if you are tired of a slipcover sliding around or find yourself with lacking staplability… try out these wonderful creations.

 

p.s. I will share the chair once it is done and we can discuss working with patterns and repeats.

The Good ol’ Standby

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This morning while grabbing some fabric from my retired sewing room (attic), I discovered 2 things:

1. Our annual spring tenants, Doug and Lucy of the canadian geese variety have taken up their original nest from 2011 which happens to be right outside of my attic window (let’s hope the eggs hatch this year!)

and 2. My favorite sewing book was buried and hiding upstairs!

I love this sewing booklet from Simplicity Patterns – I got it from my mom but being from 1949 it probably belonged to my grandmother first.

I have a few basic sewing books (and many specialty) but by far the 87 pages of adorable illustrations is my go-to for most sewing needs. “Helpful Hints for Beginners and Experts” definitely sums up this book as it covers all the basics but leaves out some info that I feel has been lost in some modern publications.

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While every sewing book has it’s place, I love the ease and chart-filledness of this one. What are your favorite sewing resources?

 

Practicality Will Always Win

I finally started solving some of my organizational problems… Remember my fabulous cutting/pressing table that I made? Well those darn ironing board I used as the base made perfect sense when I thought I would not have the table up all the time and it could be moved. However in this place called reality, I soon realized that a table this size would be better suited to a more permanent place.

Previously with the ironing board legs, there was no room for any kind of storage underneath.

Things have changed!

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While browsing online I found these bookshelves that are the perfect height (for me, remember you want it to hit around your waist so you are not bending over so much.)

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Easy Peasy Storage… squeezy?

Looking at the last pic, you can tell that I put a couple of braces around the bookcases so the top wouldn’t slide around – the top isn’t attached but it definitely isn’t going anywhere.

 

 

Lovely Weather!

Woohoo, I was greeted by an almost 60 degree Saturday. However I spent most of it building a new raised bed in front of my porch. It isn’t quite done yet, but pics soon!

Apologies for my hiatus, I have been busy and promise to get back with some new posts soon.

Happy Spring