My serger has been under cover

There are several projects that scream serger.  I just need to get to them.

A black fleece lap quilt for DH.
Several robes for me.
Etc.

Let's see what happens.

Have a blessed day.

I have a new serging project on my to do list

A few weeks ago DH and I purchased a new love seat with a console.  We have two dogs, a Rottweiler puppy that just turned a year old at the end of September.  The puppy has destroyed two arm chairs and the love set is the replacement.

To prevent damage we have been covering the love seat with beach towels but they keep shifting and falling down.  I have a very old double bed fitted sheet and I am going to use the serger to cut it in two, keeping the elastic where it will be useful.  Wish  me luck.

Have a blessed day.

It has been a month

Currently my serger is living under it's new cover.  I have been busy getting a quilt and an afghan ready for the Cure for Breast Cancer raffle in the IT department of my former employer.  I still have connections and gave the quilt and afghan in three days or so after the start.
Have a blessed day.

Boot Camp Robes

I have separated several fabrics out of my stash to make robes.  The actual pattern has been delivered to my local quilt shop and I need to pick it up.

Still unable to find my Do Sew.  That should be priority one.

Have a blessed day.

Why didn't I bring my serger?

Yesterday was Boy Scout badges and uniforms for our grandson and daughter.  Daughter needed red shoulder loops since she moved up with our grandson from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts.  When I looked closely at the old ones I saw that they were serged.  Oh, Well.  A tight zigzag worked and they were finished in under 15 minutes.
Keep on Serging!

The serger cover is completed

I ironed the interface to the top of the cover and it has provided some stability to it.  Since the top of a serger is not truly flat this will have to do.

The robes are still sitting in the stack of not started but needing to be done.

Have a blessed day.

Progress slow on Serger Cover

Yesterday was under productive.  However, I did get the heavy Pellon (r) interfacing pined into the top of the cover.
Don't know what I will do today.
Have a blessed day.

Serger Machine Cover

The elastic has been fastened to the bottom of the cover.  I need to top stitch it for a finished look.  I plan on adding a heavy fusible interfacing to the top so it won't look so sloppy.  Also, I need an opening in the top for the handle.  I plan on making something similar to a button hole opening without the special edges.  Simple. Do you agree?
Have a blessed day.

Back to Serging

Monday I finally got the serger out of the box and put it onto the machine table that is it's new home.  A friend from my LQS (local quilt shop) had a sewing table with a cut out for a sewing when the tray is removed and place the arm in the open area.  Unfortunately my Baby lock Molly will not fit so I improvised and am using it for the serger.

Last year at  my annual retreat (Annual Crafty Ladies Retreat) I was able to pick up several pieces of fabrics that one of our members had brought for us to choose from.  I got greedy.  Now I am in the process of using the fabrics in various ways.

The first need was a fabric cover for my serger.  I measured the height and the serger base that I use under my machine and the results were 15" X 15" X 15".  I cut the fabric out and sewed the cube shaped cover.  Now the remaining sewing is the application of an elastic similar to that in a pair of shorts.  I still have that to complete.

When I retired I had the intention of making small bags with a corded shoulder strap made of cording and beads.  I finally finished several of the bags.  I need more cording and then I will contact my co-workers and see if we can do lunch.  I will have several bags for them to choose from.

Helen (former co-worker) gave me a length of fabric as a going away gift.  I have already decided that I will make a robe from it fashioned on the class I took after my Serger Workshop.  I would like to get this completed prior to meeting with my friends so I can show Helen how her gift was used.

In the intervening weeks I have bought or found several lengths of fabric.  Therefore, I will have several robes to wear over my nightwear.  I am really excited about.

Keep on serging and have a blessed week!

My Serger Has returned Home!!!

I picked up my serger last week.  However, I have not unpacked it from it's shipping box.  Yes, I had kept the box (don't ask me why) and the quilt shop asked if I had it as it was the safest way to send it to Baby Lock.  I looks like I need to keep boxes for my expensive purchases.  Now I need to figure out how to keep them in a minimum of space.

I have some serger projects at are on my UFO list.  These will be among the first projects to work on as well as the robe with real fabric that I planned on after my Serger Boot Camp class.  Since the robe made out of the muslin I buy by the bolt fits well I think I can go ahead and use the fabric that my co-worker gave me as a retirement gift.  I cannot wait to get to it and then show it to Helen.

Have a great day.

Serger is still at Baby Lock for repairs

I haven't heard anything from my local quilt shop about my serger.  I am going to stop by today and see if they have had any news.

Have a great day.

When will my serger come home?

I found out yesterday that the serger was just shipped out on Monday.  Oh when will my serger come home?
Have a great day

Serger Boot Camp is over and my serger is back at Baby Lock with a tension issue.

I had a great time at Serger Boot Camp.  We learned how to adjust our machines with various adjustments to the stitch length, stitch with the type of stitch and differential feed.  We made many examples to staple into the text book.  After class it was determined that my serger needed an annual service. Not only that but there was something wrong with the tension discs. The machine repair man tried everything and called

The shop was having a class on the Thursday after Boot Camp to learn how to make a robe in three different lengths.  Betty, the teacher, was extraordinary with her help and oversight of our projects.  I was tentative about sewing on "the good fabric" and had brought a bolt of unbleached muslin.  When I was finished it fit perfectly.  Now I  have to wait for my serger and make the robe from the good fabric.
Keep on serging.

Serger Boot Camp

This weekend I am attending Serger Boot Camp.  Betty from my local quilt shop is teaching the three day class. Friday evening was a combination of learning about needles, threads and the basics of our individual sergers.  We did several exercises from the test "Title to be added" learning more about the basic 4 thread overlock stitch.
Two more days of classes and getting to know new customers/students from my local quilt shop.
Keep piecing and quilting.  Karen

Serger Boot Camp

This week I signed up for Serger Boot Camp at my Local Quilt Shop (Seams Sew Easy).  It is scheduled from Friday, April 26 through April 28.  My expectations are to learn more about my serger and it's capabilities.  I am excited to have this opportunity.

Have a blessed day.

It has been a long time since I entered my blogs.
I will be retiring the end of March, 2013 and my intention is to blog at least three times a week if not weekly.
I have missed my blog friends and look forward to reconnecting.
Have a blessed day.

NEW SERGER

I have outgrown the Singer Serger that I purchased in March 0f 2010. In November I started bi-weekly payments on a Baby Lock Serger. I picked it up Friday, March 25. It is still looking for a new home in my Sewing Studio. I need a separate table for the serger. Have a great day

Napkins for Christmas Present

The napkins are not totally square. I discovered it after I had put the tags of thread into all four corners of all nine napkins. I will let my daughter make the decision of whether to properly square them up or leave them as they are. LOL I sure will be more careful about my sewing lines the next time I make napkins.

Have a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful Happy New Year.

Another Christmas present completed.

Saturday was serger workshop. My LQS allowed me to use my serger in layaway again. I made 9 napkins for my daughter. They were on her Christmas list last year, but I couldn't get my Singer serger to work on a rolled hem. The Baby Lock serger just winged it's way through the fabric. I have pictures at home that I will attach.

Boy will she be surprised Christmas day when she gets the napkins.

Have a great day.

Wel I did it

In September my LQS had several Baby Lock sergers left over from a craft show. My machine (a good but low end Singer) wasn't behaving so they let me try out one of the machines. That was a mistake on my part!

I made payment agreements and they are holding the machine.

This coming Saturday the LQS is hosting a serging trunk show and a serging workshop. They are going to let me use my new and almost paid for serger for class. Boy am I one excited chick!

Serger Workshop for Rolled Hem

Oh may goodness. My machine doesn't want to do a rolled hem. I spent the entire class re threading the machine and playing with the stitch length and stitch width to no avail.

I need to get a really good flash light and get too familiar with the guts of the machine! There is a three thread rolled hem and a two thread rolled hem. I have tried the three thread until I am red in my face. Now I will try the two thread rolled hem and see if I have any better luck.

Have a great day.

2nd Serger Workshop

Saturday we made makeup bags. We started with prequilted fabric about 8" by 15" and a 15" zipper. First we serged the zipper to the 8" in sides of the fabric by placing the right side of the zipper to the right side of the fabric.

After the zipper was completed we turned the tube of fabric inside out so that the lining was facing out. We pinned the side of the makeup bag with the extension of the zipper top with the pull tab poking out. We unzipped the zipper and serged the side seam. We pinned the side with the extension of the zipper bottom poking out and serged the remaining side closed.

The next step was to reverse the makeup bag so the right side was out and make sure the points were good.

I learned a new technique that isn't used in regular sewing. In regular sewing you back stitch to hold the end of a seam in place.

In serging you take the tail of thread from the serving and using a tapestry needle sew the tail through the serger threads on the inside of the object. It is so neat!

Have a great day

Saturday is Serger Workshop

This Saturday in Serger Workshop we will be working on a zipper bag. I cannot wait. This will provide me with the serging tools to make various bags to carry my quilting and serging tools in. How nice it will be to have them coordinated.

Have a great day.

Lingerie Bag

When I did my laundry yesterday I used the new lingerie bag for the first time. I now know that it needed to be double the size of what I made. Since it is four layers on mesh on each side I can take it apart and make it bigger. Still, it worked exactly how I wanted it to work. Hooray.

Serger Class

I attended at 3 hour serger class. It wasn't about learning how to use a serger. It was about making a small purse using a serger.

The first thing the instructor insisted on was learning how to thread my serger. I watched her thread three and I did the fourth. I understand the mechanics of the threading and feel relatively sure that I can do it again. After all I need to change thread color and although I could just tie on the new thread to the old thread and pull it through it will enable me to really get to know my machine.

The purse turned out pretty good. Since the shop wasn't closing for another hour I begged the instructor to help me make a lingerie bag. I had the zipper and the material. I learned a lot from that little bag!

Now I have to decide what my next project will be.

Procrastination

Well here it is March 17. The serger has been on my sewing table for over one week. I started reading the instruction book. That's as far as I have gotten. I seem to find anything else but to try and learn the serger. I have a project that needs to be done using the serger.

Still I procrastinate.

By the way, procrastination is one of my pet peeves and I am the best example of procrastination. That seems very funny until I run up to a deadline. Then it isn't funny at all.

Wish me luck on the St. Patrick's day.

Still not doing what I should be doing

I realized that the serger class isn't until March 20. I have a week and a half to get friendly with my serger.

The first thing I want to do after I understand how a serger works is to make a lingerie bag with a zipper. I have gone through three in the last few years. The zipper and the fabric are ready. The operator of the serger still needs some more education.

My very first serger experience

This week I have to get ready for a serger class. I bought a serger and now I have to learn to use it. The manual is out and I am reading it. I have the thread I need for the project we will be doing in class.

I have never used a serger before. This may be very interesting. Multiple spools or cones of thread and multiple needles. How confusing.

Wish me luck.