Great, another hobby

It might be more appropriate to call this a hobby within a hobby - collecting sewing machines. When I found out about the Singer Genie, I had to have one. And eBay auction and $10.50 + shipping later, and yes, it was mine. It's That 70s Sewing Machine! Look at its adorableness! It should play the theme from the Austin Powers movies!

Sadly, it came without a presser foot so I haven't taken mine for a test drive yet. I'll let you know how it sews though.

celebratory sewing

I passed my prelim exam! Yay! To celebrate (yeah, this girl knows how to party!) I did some sewing - I worked on Advance 9427. I had an issue on the bodice in the front and the back, where the center seams meet the facing - what a mess. I'm not too good at seam intersections like that. I have enough fabric to cut out another bodice if I need to, though I may move on to another pattern; those little kimono sleeves built into the bodice may not be the best choice for a full figure.

Sewing is so relaxing...

...except when things don't go my way.

Case in point: I figured I'd take a little break and cut out a skirt, Butterick 4743 (view E). I figured I had enough fabric, since it called for 1 3/4 yards and I had maybe an inch or two to spare. So I start the layout (following the directions exactly as I've learned the hard way not to try to outguess those layouts) - and I can't get the pattern pieces to fit. ???? Could there be a typo? Not according to the Internets. Finally, in desparation, I took the liberty of measuring the width of the fabric ("Little Ladybugs" by Alexander Henry, cute but not cutesy), and guess what?

The fabric is 43" wide. Not 45" as the pattern calls for. Just two inches short. Two inches! Well, that was an hour spent fruitlessly, and now I have to get back to studying. Hrumph.

messenger bag - see&sew 4583

Here's a messenger bag I recently made up for a Swap-Bot swap. I have so many tote bag patterns; they all look great, but when it comes time to make one up, the directions all seem confusing. I blame all the reading I've been doing for prelims. This pattern, Butterick 4583 (a See & Sew) was gentle on the ol' noggin. I love love love this fabric - whenever I can, I pick up a few more yards of it, I love it that much. I will make a dress out of this one day, oh yes, I will.

I need to find a better interfacing for heavy-duty jobs like this, lately I haven't been happy with the results of the stuff I've been picking up at JoAnne's. It's not awful, but it's not perfect.

Adventures in the A-Line Zone

I recently completed a dress using my first vintage pattern - Butterick 5681, an A-line dress from the late 60s or early 70s. It's not an exaggerated A-line, that's for sure, it nips in nicely at the waist and the darts are flattering too. It does need a belt though for optimum effect. It went together easily, except for the fact that my serger came unthreaded, which is always a major sewing heartache, though one that really can't be blamed on the pattern. The other snafu concerns the zipper. It's been a while since I've installed one, and forgot that there's a real good reason the directions specify that you sew in one direction only. Yeah - a bit wobbly on the top. But that's fixable.

The fabric is a Tracy Porter design I spotted on clearance at Jo-Anne's. I'm not sure why it called to me, but it did. It was one of fabrics that you see and instantly adore, even though it's nothing like what you usually gravitate toward. (What? I'm the only person who does that? Never mind then.)

I prefer more of a scoop neckline, so I'm not sure if I will use this pattern again. I would give it three out of four thimbles.