Just Sew It

I need a serger with a coverstitch. My Pfaff is about 15 years old and works great but does not have the coverstitch. I have done without it but I think it would be a good idea to get one. I could get a coverstitch machine but I don’t have the room for three machines. Hmmm….. should I stay with Pfaff or should I check out Bernina, Babylock or Elna. Should I go computerized? I probably will just stick with the mechanical to keep the price down.

Pfaff Coverstyle:

Huskylock 936

Babylock Evolve

Janome Coverstitch Machines

Bernina 1300 MDC

I don’t know…. I’ll probably stick with Pfaff.

I woke up this morning deciding to change my sewing space. I need more room to accommodate quilts. I also did not like where my ironing board was sitting. I actually hated getting up to go to the ironing board. Besides, I get enough exercise dealing with kids all day. So while my cat Rocky watched nervously, I moved everything around and this is the result:

I put the table in front because I want my sewing machine facing towards my t.v. I enjoy watching or should I say listening to the t.v. while I sew.

This is a shot of the otherside of the room. The playroom.

Poor Rocky, whenever something is moved around he gets so stressed that he yowls. Poor old man.

During my dd’s dance lesson I registered for the finishing class on my sampler quilt. She said that we will never forget how to baste/pin a quilt together since we’d be helping each other. I thought I’d better take it. Besides, I enjoyed this class. This group of ladies were all very nice.

Tomorrow, I have to work on the sashing and border of my sampler. If I have time, I’d like to get some cutting done on my next quilt. Hope so.

I also bought the “stitch in the ditch” foot. I did some stitching in the ditch on my apron and found that my standard foot and applique foot did not work so well.

My mom seems to be interested in my quiltmaking. Interested meaning she wants one. I told her that everyone will get one. She’s getting one for Christmas. I also loves the colours I choose on my sampler quilt. So I think she will like the fabrics I chose for her quilt.

I have been wanting to duplicate my own body for some time now. I have had my dummy so to speak for about 13 years. Last year I took a class called, “draping on a dressform” and the instructor suggested to purchase ribbing and then stuff it with quilt batting to match our porportions. I found it did not work the best for me. Threads has an article on how to duct tape oneself and then cover it. I was stalling and stalling to do this and one day while reading my latest issue of Threads magazine, someone gave a much simplier idea for padding your dress form.

I put a bra of mine on my dressform and stuffed it to fill it out. I then put the ribbing back on and while the both of us stood in front of the mirror I padded her to match my body. Very close but not perfect. I measured her about three times to ensure she was the same size.

I had to name her and the name “Sheila” came to mind. Why Sheila? Not sure. I just like that name for her. She is such a trooper. Never complains and is always there for me.

Now Sheila is modeling my test pattern. It seems to fit great except I will be adding 4 cm to the length as I do with all tops and jackets. My body is a little longer than normal (what is normal?) and I have to make this adjustment. I find this a problem with RTW tops. Too short and my tummy will stick out at times.

I love Kwik Sew patterns. Very thorough and I love their instructions. I highly recommend using Kwik Sew to start with if you are a beginner sewer.

Rocky is my buddy. He is an old man with one eye. He hates kids and loves his mommy.

Many people don’t think of this when sewing but the needle you have in your sewing machine can greatly affect the stitch in your fabric. Each time you do a project you need to change your needle in your sewing machine. Sometimes I will change after two projects if they are small projects. It is also important to select the correct needle for your project. Schmetz needles seem to be very popular with sewing educators and I’ve been using them for the past two years. Many years ago when I first began sewing I used one needle and never changed it. Now I know better. Many sewing books will help you select the correct needle for your project.

I opened my mailbox today and my copy of Burda’s World of Fashion April 2005 issue was inside!

This issue contains the infamous Burda twist top and I can’t wait to sew it up. I have some cute stretch jersey just waiting for me to cut and sew it up. It looks like a flattering top and I haven’t seen one PR member who did not look good in their twist top so I’m giving it a shot.

I also purchased this Giant Non-stick teflon sheet from Bo-nash. I’ll be using this sheet for fusing applique together. This sheet is supposed to prevent any sticking. The net is a wonderful resource for products!

On another note, here is a pic of my furry buddy, Rocky.

Another pic of both my cats. These two are not pals. They tolerate each other but don’t like each other. I was shocked to see these two sleeping so close together.