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.