2010 - Race Day Fun!

Our family is full of Formula-1 racing fans, so I decided to make some Race-Day outfits from all the yards of these fabrics I have laying around.

Mr. Precious gets a shirt

When I tried it on him, I asked if he thought his sister would like a matching one. He thought for a minute then said, "I think a dress!"

So....

rear view

This might be the cutest dress I've made to date. My new BabyLock Espire, and my refurbished BabyLock Evolve serger combine to make things SO much fun! The ruffling foot on the serger lets me gather and attach to the other fabric simultaneously--so now I don't mind gathering!

After finishing the dress I was concerned that Mr. P might feel a little slighted, so I asked my husband for some ideas about what I could make him. He pointed out that race drivers 100 years ago in England wore "flat hats". This was a bit more of a challenge than fitting his wide shoulders and long, narrow bod.

The center portion is a combination of pieces (as in a quilt) and applique, which I used to balance and break up the large squares.

Top view

Inside view shows lining of white fabric (all serged as you go to prevent later inaccessibility issues). It also shows the soccer ball grosgrain ribbon used for the band inside the hat.

"Gentlemen, start your engines!"

2010 - Sharing with Friends

A friend was visiting from Sweden in April, and I wanted to send his little girl some fun things.

They are also big F-1 fans, so she gets a special outfit, too. Hers is 2-piece, because I don't know her exact size and this will fit her for longer.

Don't make the solid piece less than a finished length of 2-inches! It gets tricky to use the ruffling foot.

Close-up of decorative stitching

You see elastic hanging out here and there--I left extra long pieces pinned with safety pins so her Mommie could adjust the size of neck, sleeves, and waists.

She's inheriting a pink cowgirl hat from our Princess, so she needed something to wear it with...

I couldn't find just what I wanted, so I made the lace trim (not the butterflies). I did a tiny rolled hem on a long piece of sewn together strips of thin white fabric (same as the white top with black stitching fabric). Next I sewed baby pink ric rac on it. Then I used the ruffling foot to gather the trim. I sewed it onto the garments in a separate step. Then I sewed it down firmly along the top edge using top stitching.

And she really NEEDED a dolly with a matching dress

It can be difficult to gauge just how wide each piece should be (especially on dolly clothes). It would look better if the upper row of b&w checks was narrower than the bottom row, but still wider than the plain white row, but it's still cute.

Back view

Close-up of diaper/panties (velcro fastened) showing two sets of triple rows of ric rac

Dolly's complete layette

Fleece bunting begins with top/dress pattern widened under the arms to allow for other clothes underneath. Add the hood, add a strip down the front, also around the bottom for interest (you could just extend it all the way to the bottom if you like). Just be sure you make it at least 1-1/2 inch longer than the doll.

And the nightie (open down the back with velcro closure), with self-ruffle, and decorative stitching

I wanted our friend to see the fabric from the jamies I had made for our kids earlier, and her little girl could care less that her dolly's dress is flannel. (The lace on the bodice is used to create the effect of an empire waist--it is really all one piece of fabric.)

And what may be the pièce de résistance...

My first overalls--so I had to add a bib and straps to the pants pattern. I left the waist very wide for easy of putting the dolly into the pants. It could be a tad narrower. (If making this for a 5-yr old or older, I would make a velcro fastener on each side at the waist to draw it in nicely.)

Back view

Full shirt

I LOVE modular pattern design!

2010 - March - New Machines!

Oh, my goodness gracious, I bought two machines! Each of them came with a 6-hour "machine" introductory class, plus 3 years of 1/month sewing project/classes. (That's 74 classes all together. So it's back to 'school' for me!)

My first computerized sewing machine is a BabyLock Espire (Quilter's Dream Series). It does quite a number of stitches I never knew I needed, plus decorative stitches which look like embroidery. (You can't call it embroidery though--it doesn't have a "hoop"!)

It is FABULOUS! Perfect tension on the stitches, automatic threading and cutting, automatic bobbin winding and stopping, sewing without using the foot or knee pedal, automatic buttonholes, automatic tie-tacks, the list goes on... (and I think it might serve me breakfast if I can figure out how to tell it to do so!)

I have already found very useful a number of those stitches 'I never knew I needed'! yipee!

And a 6-year old, refurbished BabyLock Evolve serger which has automatic threading! (Am I in heaven??? after spending two hours at a whack pouring over diagrams, threading and re-threading my old Bernette, it feels like it!) The Evolve can do everything the new Evolution can do except one decorative "wave" stitch, which I can't imagine ever using anyway.

The Evolve can use up to 8 spools of thread. (I doubt I'll ever do that, but I regularly use 6 spools, even though they tell me 4 is sufficient and 5 is definitely enough. I got used to my 4-spool serger's stitches, and now that I've added the chain stitch for the seam, I prefer to retain the security of the 4-thread overlock stitching. However, on light weight knits I might use only 5 spools to have less potential for stiffness or buckling.)

In class they showed us using just the 4-thread overlock for seams, but my old one pulls apart a little at the seams when you do that. It looks very ugly and makes me think the garment will fall apart, so Miss Nail-it-Down likes 6-spool serging!

I got both my daughters' inexpensive machines (which I had been using) repaired and maintained. I happily gave up my old Singer which hadn't worked for several years, but I was very sad to find that my Singer Featherweight could not be repaired. I was NOT, however, sad to see the departure of my buttonhole attachment!

Of course I had to get cutting boards, rotary cutters, quilting rulers, and all sorts, not to mention they told me NEVER to use Coats and Clarks threads in my Espire (I only have 100-200 spools of it!). I tried to comply, but I've reached a compromise. I will use C&C when I need an EXACT match for top stitching, etc. (I just can't deal with a less than perfect match.) Otherwise, I will stick to my new Aurifil. And I will vacuum EVERYTHING very frequently. So far I'm doing well.

I needed extra feet for the serger, and embroidery threads... you know how it goes! Major investment time!

Of course, each new class is another bunch of $ for patterns, fabric, and supplies...

I prefer to sew mostly "by inspiration", and my inspirations often "hit" when it is not convenient to go to the store, so I like having most of what I could conceivably need on hand so I can do whatever I want whenever I want. Sometimes I simply stand and ponder my inventory, which stimulates my creativity--and sometimes cute things happen!

And I've lost some sleep because I kept waking up with new designs for stuff in my dreams, but it's so much fun!!! Now if I just had time to sew....

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P.S.: I really should share the data on the best iron I've EVER owned!

I read a bunch of reviews and the consensus was that an iron needs to weigh at least 4 pounds for good results. I bought the most highly recommended. I found a deal for $89, as I recall. After using this one for maybe 8 years, I absolutely concur!

One also needs great control over the "steam" and "spray" functions of the iron. This one gives the greatest surge of steam I've ever seen, and sprays really well, too.

It is a Rowenta Professional Luxe (DM-80)

Not every Rowenta fills these specs, so do your research on current models.

It automatically shuts off fairly quickly, but re-heats amazingly fast! It has no "off" switch; you unplug it at the wall, which may be a German safety feature. That took a bit of getting used to, but I do think it is safer than a switch. Anytime I walk into the room I can readily see whether or not it is unplugged.

2010 - Play Clothes for Summer

Then I was off! Outfits came flying from the machines. Here are some of them.

Capris (more like pedal pusher length)

Denim shorts with decorative stitching around the bottom

Close-up of 2-spool decorative stitching

More decorative stitching to do two jobs: mark the front so she puts them on the right way around and to stabilize the elastic so it won't roll

This has turned out to be the favorite so far

with matching capris (almost full length, so she can wear them 2 years)

two pairs of capris which match several things

such as this top (made from her great grandma's long-ago top scraps)

and this sundress

Cl

Close-up of the puffy pockets I designed for the sundress. I could not find a way to sew them on with a machine, so I tried to nail them down by hand (something I really try to avoid).

2009 Christmas Sewing (belated)

I was sick during the fall. Just before Thanksgiving I managed to make Mr. Precious and the Princess matching jamies, but I have no photos without people. All Christmas sewing was delayed, but in early January 2010 I began to play catch-up.

Our Princess has a "Christmas dress" I wanted to match. This is the result

I could not rapidly replicate the rhinestone buckle, so I used medium silver ric rac. The "ribbon" is braid tape.

White fleece forms the trim at the neck, sleeves, and hem.

Rear view, showing diaper/panties

I made the ruffle on the panties by gathering the same braid trim used on the dress.

I couldn't leave anyone out

Buttons are self-covered with white fleece to match the trim. You can see the velcro fastening under the decorative buttons.

Complete set

Then came dolly jamies to match the ones I made the kids in November

Someone was turning four, so I experimented on a top and short set with scraps from the Advent Calendar (2008) and fabric I'd had for 5 years.

The top is not long enough. I made a 2-inch self ruffle for it, and it was perfect. (no photo available)

The top is self-bound. It was too wide as shown in this photo, so later I inserted elastic--not something I recommend! (All future tops made from this pattern have elastic inserted through a casing formed by simply "hemming" around the top, and I cut the sleeves deeper so they would not bind under her arms.)

Of course her dolly needed a matching outfit

I actually made the dolly outfit first, and thus got the inspiration for the top and shorts for her.

Back view of top (it is shorter than a dress made from this pattern)