Little Pink Houses

Thank you for your compliments on my gorgeous Gorgeous fabric - I can't wait to cut into it and show you what it's going to be. There was some serious Frankenpatterning going on in the workroom last evening and . . . count 'em, two muslins.

I hate muslins, have I ever mentioned that? I know that at times they're necessary (way more often than I choose to take advantage of them), but I prefer muslins of the wearable variety so I get an extra piece of clothing out of the journey. Not this time.

In other news, the craft show sewing is FINISHED. Unless I decide to make something else, that is. I stopped at 60 pieces, and I'm okay with that number. If I get inspired to make more, or if - fingers crossed - something sells so well during the first week that I'm willing to do it again, that's a whole other thing.

Today was the last day of my long weekend, during which not enough sewing got done. But today, instead of working on my dress, I knocked out a gift for a co-worker whose wife is due fairly soon. It's the same BWOF pinafore dress I made recently for my friends' baby (the purple ladybug dress) except this one was made from a great shirt I found at the thrift store - minty green with little pink houses. I did all the topstitching in hot pink and used more of the endless stash of pink buttons I seem to have inherited from my non-pink-wearing relatives.

The whole thing, cut to final pressing, took a little over an hour. I think it's cute, but I'm almost over the clothes for small people thing. If I had an hour to sew, I could have knocked out another BWOF turtleneck, or a KS tshirt of my choice, or been well on the way to another pair of my favorite TNT pants.

Maybe tomorrow. Mario has a class tomorrow night and that means I have 3 hours of quality time with my new friend, who is performing just like my old friend.

An oddity in closing. I bought the shirt at the thrift store on Friday. They had a Black Friday sale. They had 6:00 a.m. doorbusters and 65% off all merchandise. The discount had dropped to 50% by 9:00 a.m. when all the sane people ventured out. They even had coffee and doughnuts for the early birds.

What does it say about the economy when the thrift store observes Black Friday???

Gorgeous Fabric

I saw this silk/cotton fabric on Gorgeous Fabrics when Ann was having a sale a few weeks ago. I loved it, put 2 yards of it in my shopping cart, and chickened out.

I didn't need it. I came home from work, thought about it, went back on, put 2 yards of it in my shopping cart again, and then smacked my virtual hand.

I didn't need it. I have plenty of fabric.

And then, of course, in the way that things work, an occasion came up that absolutely positively required a new dress - and of course this was the absolutely perfect fabric.

I did some mighty mental whining about why I couldn't have bought it when it was on sale, pulled up my big girl pants and went online to buy 2 yards of it anyway, only to find an email from Gorgeous Fabrics in my inbox, announcing a Thanksgiving sale, where the fabric would be on sale once again.

I put 2 yards in my shopping cart, clicked "buy" before I could again be overcome by stupidity and/or self control, and the fabric arrived at my office on Wednesday. It is, of course, gorgeous, and just what I wanted for Thanksgiving.

Details soon about the dress it will become - just as soon as I finish tweaking the pattern, which I thought was already tweaked. Silly me.

My Sewing Space

Happy Thanksgiving to all - I'm shortly to family dinner, but I wanted to note that Denise of the Blue Gardenia blog has posted my sewing space, for anyone who is curious about the messy world where all my projects come from.

And yes, I got what I wanted when I wanted it. The new machine is happily installed where the old machine was, and it's very happy to be among friends. No learning curve with buying the exact same machine, but I didn't realize how beat mine was - everything on the new one is still nice and firm, the foot pedal isn't mushy at all, and there are no dust bunnies in the interior.

Long weekend ahead, and much sewing planned. Happy Thanksgiving, and happy sewing, to all,

I want what I want

I spoke to Jack today. It wasn't good news.

He had given my Singer to another repairman who does "specialist" repairs, but I told him to pull the plug and bring it back when he picks up the loaner. I didn't want to spend more than the machine was worth - and it only cost me about $190 new. Sorry. I like what I like, but I'm not letting sentimentality rule my checking account.

So, say hello to . . . Singer 7426, winging its way to me for less than the price of the original. I want what I want when I want it. No nearby stores had anything comparable pricewise, featurewise, and which was compatible with all the bobbins and presser feet that I already had, and the online stores that did have anything were all saying 7-10 days delivery.

I checked Sewvacdirect. They had my exact model, 7426, factory reconditioned, and it'll be here on Friday. I love them.

There are better machines out there. I know. I have one. It also needs repairs. But this particular Singer (or at least its predecessor) turned itself inside out for me. And I'm loyal, when it doesn't cost me an arm and a leg.

Since this machine is at least partly intended for quilters, it comes with an extra long extension table which comes in handy for more than quilting. It sews leather, with no attitude. It has lots of decorative stitches, which I hardly ever use. It does really good one-step buttonholes, three varieties. And it will again.

Rest in peace, Singer 7426, it was nice knowing you. You gave good service, and I can only hope your successor does likewise.

So far, so good

Mr. White has settled in and is sewing along quite nicely, but he has his limitations. Like my invisible zipper foot (snap on) doesn't fit. So then neither will any of my other (snap on) feet. And I could just swap out the entire shank from my other machine . . . if I had my other machine.

I spoke to Jack today, and the Singer is still in pieces all over his table. He told me he hopes I'm a better mother to my cats than my machines; don't wait until it gets sick to have it checked out.

Apparently, using the machine every day might tire it out and cause it to want a Florida vacation. Go figure.

Come home soon, babies.

Clue

It's Mr. White, in the sewing room, with the pinking shears.

Meet my loaner machine, until the babies come home from the repair shop. He's a White 1523 "Blue Jeans Machine", he seems nice and sturdy and uncomplicated, and he's mine for another day or so. Apparently I did something complicated and unpleasant to the Singer.

Jack, my so charming repair man, suggested I might like a workhorse like this as my backup backup machine. I'm not acquainted enough yet to have an opinion.

Any of you out there have this machine, or a similar one, and want to give me a thumbs up (or down)?

Here it is

The BWOF 1/2008 #127 jacket on me, for those who need proof that I actually wear the stuff that I spend most of my free time sewing!

I wore it to work Monday, and I love it! I admit to spending a good part of my day petting the leather cuffs, and dropping things into my fully-functioning welt pockets.

I had a bad case of the unbearables, but it's beginning to wear off now.

Even the best case of unbearable can't last forever, not when you come cut out a bunch of projects for obligatory craft show sewing, and what does your ungrateful (tired?) wretch of a sewing machine do?

It wheezes, pulls briefly to the left like a balk supermarket shopping cart, and slows to a sludgy crawl. Grr. I open her up, pull out the bobbin case, blow a small cat worth of fluff and rubble fromthe inside, reassemble, try again, and about 3 inches later, the same thing happens.

Apparently I'm meant to take a break.

Whether I want one or not.

Ask me if I want a break.

I dare you.