Not-So-Haute Couture

Cozy purple throws for snuggling!  Adds some color  to the living room.  Thick fleece trimmed straight with rounded corners.  I tried some overcast stitches with my Juki however I couldn't get the look I wanted so I pulled out my serger. Gosh it's been, like 2 years since I used it but luckily it worked (I've had it for quite awhile but I'm still kinda afraid of it 😜).

My baby's out of the shop and she purrs like a kitten 🐱. Just in time, too! Had To finish a history costume for the grandson before I head out out of town.

If you're happy and you know it clap your hem!! 😂😂

My main sewing machine is on the shop. Now seems a good time to see if I can oil up this little guy and see if it'll sew. 45 years ago (!) my sister and I each got a sewing machine for Christmas. I got a sweet little Singer Genie and my sister got this one. I sold the Genie hers ago (wish I hadn't) and my sis gave this to me. Been in its case but still needs a good cleaning. Will she fire up after a little TLC? Nope! It was fun and interesting to learn about this machine. It's a Kenmore 'Kennie' 3/4 machine model 158.1030. I cleaned it and oiled it but it still slips and the needle won't change positions. She'll go to the shop soon to see if she can be work again. It'd be nice to have a backup machine and my grandkiddos would probably like to use a little machine like this.

I am sew sad. 😩. My beloved dream sewing machine Juki F600 is misbehaving. She is skipping stitches and breaking thread. 😭. I have had her for 2 years and dreamed about her for 2 years before I got her. She was a birthday gift from my mom. I have changed needles, changed thread, re-threaded, changed bobbins, gently cleaned her and done all that three times. The last thing to try before taking her to the sewing machine urgent care shop is to replace the needles one more time with the exact needles specified in the manual. The needles I have been using were fine, or so the sewing store said, and indeed they have worked well until now. I ordered the needles and I hope they get here soon! I'm afraid it might be my fault because a few weeks ago she jammed up when I sewed over one of those little clothes pinny things I used instead of pins. The needle didn't hit it but the gizmo that raises and lowers the needle did and she stopped cold. So did my heart! I got the thing unstuck ...

Dontcha love a great ironing/Easter bunny/fabric content/questioning major life decisions joke!

 Sewing lessons...first project by the eldest granddaughter.

Dig the drivers' sleeve I made--it was a special request from hubby to keep the sun from burning his arm. It works!

8-year old granddaughter making doll clothes. 💖 Her cousin will be making a pillow on her next visit. Yay for the home arts and yay for grandkiddos! 💕

See and sew! My sweet husband always comes through--he installed track lighting to brighten up my sewing area. Thanks sweetie!

Sewing corner in progress--it all matches! Linnmon corner and small rectangular tabletops with Adsil legs. Alex 5 drawer unit, lamps, chair, and Trones wall mount storage bins all from....drumroll please.....IKEA! (Where else?)

My lovely, dear, sweet amazing mother gave me my dream sewing machine for my birthday.  I listed it previously: http://tamtaysews.blogspot.com/2014/01/dream-machines_4.html and also pasted a picture of it on my vision board. Here it is in my sewing corner: I can hardly believe she's mine!  The Juki F600 is everything I ever wanted in a sewing machine: Plenty of light Automatic thread cutter Automatic needle threader Drop in bobbin Decorative stitches Alphabet stitches Sleek look Knee lever Choice of needle stop positions All for under $999.  Here's the story of her arrival into my sewing corner: The Juki F600s first came out a few years ago. Some brave souls purchased and reviewed them over at Patternreview.com. I temporarily set sewing aside shortly afterwards and when I took it up again to with the intention of fulfilling my goal of creating a stylish wardrobe that looks like high-end RTW and fits much better, it was time to bring my dream machine into my life. The...

The SFD Swing Top draft calls for rotating the bust dart into the waist dart and adding another 2" besides. This creates the swinginess in the top. My bust dart is big. That is ALOT of swing!  We shall see how it turns out. It took me about 2 hours to draft the swing top pattern and I still need to do the knit sleeve pattern piece. I expect to get better and faster at drafting patterns from my SFD blueprint. I am releasing weight so I'll be re-blueprinting myself again in a month or so. I'll be making lots of clothes so I'll get lots of practice.

After three tries, each one getting me closer, here is what I THINK is my bodice sloper, from which I anticipate many well-fitting and beautifully sewn garments will start.  Drumroll, please: I followed the Sure-Fit Designs dress kit body blueprint instructions and it was a good fit!  Many alterations I have had to make to commercial patterns were dealt with by using Sure-Fit-Designs. I love how SFD guides you in making a pattern based on your own unique body.  Here is a list do alterations I used to do but are what AUTOMATICALLY handled with SFD: Upper torso petite adjustment Large upper arm Full bust alteration--that's right, folks. NO MORE FBA!!!!!!! widen waist  Widen hip Not having to wrestle with all those alterations allowed me to focus on refining the fit and I made these adjustments over the three tries: Forward shoulder Narrow chest and back (armcrease-to-armcrease measurement) Raised armscye I'm tired of sewing muslins and w...

Love this: Beautifully made up (not by me, yet) here:  http://imadethis-asewingblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/mocha-lace-top-and-cardi-vogue-8819-i.html

My next sewing-related purchase will be the dress kit from Sure-Fit Designs.  http://www.surefitdesigns.com/

Laurastar Steam Iron System Juki Exceed F600

My sewing stuff has been packed up for quite awhile and I miss it! It was packed up to make room for a season of extended visits by family which we have truly enjoyed so it was a worthy trade-off. Family visits will be done in a few weeks and in the meantime we decided that we'll be moving into a different house a few weeks later, so my sewing and craft things (other than sewing-related stuff I have just a few jewelry-making and scrap-booking supplies) will remain packed until it's arranged in our new abode. Focusing on family and transition decisions has taken up my mental space so it's just now, as I begin creating the vision of our next home I'm looking forward to having a sewing space again.

It's been months since I have done any sewing besides mending. But I am ready to jump back in and hubby needs new work shirts. I tried buying some but they were cheap, cheap, cheaply made. They did not have the pocket in the correct spot, did not have a divider in the pocket for his pen, and were too short. So I dug out some cotton interlock (enough, I thought, for 2 shirts), searched high and low on the internet for rib knit collars and finally found and purchased some at a very reasonable price at Joyce's Fabrics and got started. I guess it's been longer than I thought because I was completey out of practice. The cotton interlock shrunk a LOT and became almost too heavy for my purpose. And there was only enough for one shirt. Then I screwed up the placket--made it off center. Rats. Oh well. The fabric was too heavy anyway. I'll use it for something else. I ran to JoJos and bought some 50/50 interlock with a 50% off coupon and am ready to start cutting again....