Christmas 2010

For the past few weeks, I have been busy embroidering gifts for my family members for Christmas. This post is photo heavy as I show y'all what I have done. Not all of the gifts are on here as some have not been sent so I will hold off on publishing them until they are received. I hope everyone has had a good Christmas & will have a Blessed & Happy New Year.

Button Bibs

These are some "button bibs" which I created for my husband's friend. He had asked me to make him a set of 4 napkins with his initials & that of his wife on them. He asked that I add buttonholes to the opposite corner of the monogram. He called them "Button Bibs". They were quick & easy to make using a 3 thread flat hem on my serger to finish the edges. I used Embird software to create the monograms & a font that I had purchased some time ago called Script. They stitched out beautifully on my "Ellie". The only problems were caused by my being in too much of a hurry to get them done. I think that they turned out very nice.

My Birthday Gifts

My Baby Girl gave me this book on Patternmaking & Tim Gunn's new book on Fashion plus a lap desk for my laptop for my birthday on Tuesday. She swore that she wouldn't get me anything sewing related but in the end, she knew these books would make me very happy. I've got the sweetest daughter.

Ellie's a Dream

My new sewing machine "Ellie" is a dream to use. On Friday, I hemmed a top that I had made using the triple stretch stitch. It looked great. I did break a needle & got thread knotted up at the beginning as I started too close to the edge. Couldn't find the tip of the needle so I'll call the dealer later today to see if I need to bring it in. After I finished that, I wanted to try out the embroidery feature. So, I pulled out an old hand towel & selected a Nancy Zieman floral design & proceeded to embroider the towel. About halfway thru the 3rd color, the bobbin ran out of thread. Well, it was easy (so I thought) to wind a new bobbin. Got the bobbin thread all tangled on the bobbin spindle. I spent almost an hour getting that mess cleaned up. Finally got the bobbin wound & changed out & then lined up my design again. It would have been easier if I had saved the original settings but I didn't. The design may be a little off but I couldn't tell. Hubby thought it looked great. Will take photos later. I do love my new machine especially the auto threading feature which is great for my aging eyes. Even with bi-focals, I trouble seeing. Darn that old astigmatism. Hope everyone is enjoying their machines & creating some wonderful projects. Happy Sewing!

My Early Birthday Gift

My birthday is in 2 weeks but yesterday my gift arrived. My sweet hubby bought me the Babylock Ellisimo sewing/embroidery machine. Sadly, I gave up my Pfaff 7570, the manuals, the attachments, embroidery cards, etc. However, this machine is awesome. If you haven't had a chance to test drive one, I urge you to do so. I was mesmerized by it & that is how my hubby knew that it was the right for me. I had told him that I wanted a new serger for classes as my Pfaff 4874 is too heavy to lift. I had looked at some of the Babylock sergers & the Janome ones. I was thinking that he would get me one from Hancock Fabrics. Well, last Saturday, my friend, Harriet, called & told me about a deal from Babylock. If one bought the Ellisimo, then one could get an Eclipse DX as part of the package. I told my hubby this & he just nodded in his usual way when he is half listening to me. Never in my wildest dreams that I would get this. Later on, we went to Cokesbury bookstore & bought a new Wesley Study Bible plus another book that we wanted. As we were leaving,hubby asked if I wanted to go to Memphis Sewing Machine (Singer/Babylock/Pfaff dealer) & of course I said yes. He asked me to show him the machines that I was interested in & the one Harriet had told me about. Well, I showed him & played with the machines. I thanked the staff & we went home. We talked about it over the rest of the weekend. On Monday, he told me to go see what type of trade-in I could get for my Pfaff. So off to the dealer I went. I called hubby after talking to the owner & he came over to the store & bought me the Ellisimo which came with the Eclipse DX serger (has auto-threading). I am so happy. The machine is just awesome & can do so very much. I am still reeling from all of this & my new "Ellie" is sitting on my sewing cabinet for all to see when they come in the front door. By the way, I sew in the living room as we have no space for sewing room. I think I have the sweetest hubby in the world & he knows how to spoil me the best. In a few days, I'll post photos of "Ellie" in action. Happy Sewing!!!

A Rush Job

On last Tuesday morning, I got a phone call from Jan Hamilton of the Delta Fair & Music Festival who needed someone who could make 6 boxed tablecloths. I told her that I would do it in exchange for a donation to my church, St Luke's UMC. She brought me the fabric & measurements - 8ft x 2ft x 41 inches. I was able to start right away on the cloths & got them almost all cut out that afternoon. The next day, my friend Harriet came to help me out & I was able to get all of the end panels sewn plus the front & back panels cut out. Just have to finish sewing the panels & the tablecloths are done. It was a quick job & all sewing was done on my serger. I even had matching thread on hand. I love quick projects like this. Tomorrow, I'm cutting out a skirt & jacket using Textile Studio's Skirt Trio pattern & Loes Hinse Piazza Jacket pattern. I hope these go quickly too as most of the construction will be on the serger. I'll go thru my stash in the morning to figure out which fabric to use.
Happy Sewing!

My New Top

This is my new top that I made this afternoon/evening. I had cut it out in June & had set it aside. It is kind of weird since the front is cut on the bias & the back is on the straight of grain. The front has 3 pleats on each side of the cowl neckline & gathers across the middle back. The yoke on the back is fully lined but the armhole openings, front neckline, & hem are just folded over & stitched. The pattern was rated easy but the instructions were somewhat wonky so I just made it my way. The fabric is poly/lycra jersey from Jo-Ann Fabrics. My daughter liked it but hubby thought it was too snug. Maybe it would have fit a little better if I had used a 16 from the armholes down. I made it by straight size 14. All in all, I think it will be a cute top for these hot summer days.

Step by Step Tutorial on Full Bust Adjustment

My daughter has been generously blessed so any tops or dresses that I make for her must have a full bust adjustment. Over the past few years, using the book "Fit for Real People", I have developed some steps that must be done for her tops to fit. I hope that this will help someone who is struggling.

Step by Step Tutorial for Full Bust Adjustment
By Marty Cobb
1. Measure your upper bust by pulling the tape measure tight under your arms, around the back, & to the middle of your chest. This is your shoulder/upper bust measurement which is the number that you will purchase your pattern by.

2. Measure your full bust with your favorite bra on going around the middle & to the center of your bust. This will determine the amount of your full bust. The difference between the 2 numbers will be the amount of the full bust adjustment that you will need to make.

3. Measure from your shoulder bone near your neck to your bust apex (nipple). Be sure to measure each side as the measurement may vary. Mark this on your pattern piece.

4. Note where your darts are located on the pattern piece. Your darts should come to where your apex is so you will be adjusting your darts as well.

5. Add short strips of clear scotch tape along the seam line of the neck & armhole. Clip to the tape about every ½ inch so that the tissue pattern will fit like fabric.

6. Split the center of the side dart almost to the apex. Then from the apex to your waistline measurement, draw a straight line. Now open up the dart the amount needed to add to get your full bust amount. It will look like the dart is hinged. Note: you will be adding length as well as width to your pattern so that the full bust is covered.

7. Split the center of this line to the apex but not cutting thru. You will spread this open to accommodate any fullness needed below the full bust. Lengthen or shorten the pattern as needed for your body shape.

8. Add tissue paper underneath this & tape on top & your pattern will be adjusted for your full bust. Try it on to check that the dart is in the correct position pointing to but not ending at the apex. The center front should be lined up as well as the center back of your pattern piece. Make any adjustments for a broad back or sloping shoulders at this point. After a few tries, this will become easier over time.

This has been adapted from the book “Fit for Real People” by the palmer-pletsch corp & is written according to my understanding of how to make a full bust adjustment.

Clothing Repairs

I promise that I did not drop off of the face of the earth. I have been busy doing clothing repairs for my church members. During the past 2 months, I shortened a dress 3-1/2 inches & hemmed it & the lining. I replaced bra straps on a bra, fixed a bra with a broken ring, & repaired holes in a sweater for a child by sewing the hole closed & adding an applique to cover it. I ended up sewing a seam in another sweater & fixing some of the holes in it plus hemmed a skirt. I then added buttons to 3 pairs of pants for a child. When those things were finished, I shortened 5 pairs of men's slacks 4-5 inches, finished the edges, & hemmed them. I also cut out a top for me & worked on another top plus a dress that I had started a long while back. Today, I got a bag full of summer clothes to mend. That will keep me busy for a while. I also have taught several classes for my ASG chapter & now have a young lady who asked me to teach her to sew. We will start her lessons on Tuesday afternoon. It's been a busy time. God has blessed me in so many ways that I want to give back to others so I do the clothing repairs in exchange for a donation to the church. It's a win-win situation. Happy Sewing everyone!

A Little Mending on the Side

Sorry that it has been so long since I blogged about anything. Since November, most of my sewing has been on hold while my left hand healed. In January, I had surgery for a popped tendon in my left thumb (the one that was almost severed back in 2008). I had to wear a cast for 6 weeks & a brace since then. It kind of gets in the way my sewing especially when one's hand is immobilized. Having completed physical therapy last week,I now only have to wear the brace occasionally. Progress is good. During this time, I've done some mending projects for church members which was hemming pants (5 pair) plus lengthening bra straps. I do wish the local Hancock Fabrics & Jo-Ann Fabrics carried plush elastic as I think replacing the straps would have been easier. However, they do not. I ended buying some embroidered ribbon in a cream color (closest match) & adding 4 inches to each bra that needed to be repaired. The fix didn't take more than 10 minutes each. Deciding the best way to do it took the longest time. I've also started making new cushion covers for my DH's favorite rocking chair. The first set of muslins were scrapped because there wasn't enough fabric for the sides. Now, it's back to square one. Will get new muslins cut this weekend & hopefully the upholstery fabric. I'll post photos when done.
Happy Sewing!!!