status report!

[yhlee]

I practiced with my sewing machine for the first time since my lesson last week. I had to download the manual for my Janome Magnolia 7318 (guess who cannot remember where the print one went) but it's still magic that it winds the bobbin for you. I wound SO MANY bobbins (probably very badly) for my mom. :)

Today's report is:
Me: Huh, I was great at sewing accurately and straight as a beginner, but right now it's ALL OVER THE PLACE and the tension feels weird?

Also me, five minutes later: OH. THE PRESSER FOOT WAS UP. :facepalm: :p

I'm hoping to practice some more and then book a "reading patterns, how do??" lesson Fair Fit Studio (Baton Rouge, Louisiana, local to me) as I loved the instructor's "baby steps n00b sewing machine 101, how do??" lesson. :D And then maybe I can destroy some innocent cheap muslin trying to sew a thing. :D

What are y'all working on, or hoping to try in January?

Comments

[nou]

(Photos below — all can be clicked to embiggen.)

I’ve been fiddling around with my sleeve pattern, trying to get it to hang more nicely (I gave up on that part for now) and also trying out a new way of doing the hem that’s curved rather than straight. Photo below (there is a dart in the middle, which is not usual for sleeve patterns but it works well for me).



I’ve also been working on embroidering the second of two panels that will eventually go at the bottom of a pair of trousers. I started these panels a couple of years ago and have been working on them steadily ever since. Unfortunately I have also been steadily improving my trousers pattern over that time (making it fit me better) so I’m going to have to do a bit of fiddling to make these panels work with the current version. I think it’ll work out OK though.



The next thing I intend to sew (as opposed to embroider) is a short-sleeved top made from cotton/rayon sateen. My top pattern is fairly plain so I’m embroidering it around the neck in silvery silk thread since I think it’ll look a bit weird otherwise. I’m embroidering the fabric before properly cutting out the pattern, to avoid stretching the edges out of shape, so I thread-traced the pattern edge and then cut out roughly around that and zigzagged the edges to stop them fraying. When I’ve finished the embroidery, I’ll cut it out properly.



The embroidery is what I call “fake blackwork”. Real blackwork is done on fabric where you can see the warp and weft, and you count “squares” to see where to put your needle. This fabric is unsuitable for that, and in any case the neckline is curved, so I printed a curved grid on some water-soluble stabiliser and am counting the squares on that instead. The thread I’m using is a very similar colour to the stabiliser, so this is a bit tricky, but I think it’s going to look good when it’s done.

[yhlee]

Oh, how cool! Your embroidery and blackwork are gorgeous. I don't think I did more than toy a little with blackwork years ago, when I learned of it through kate_nepveu, whose thing for a while was doing blackwork (bookmarks?) that worked on both sides, which is more brainpower than I've ever been able to manage. The curved grid is a great adaptation. :D

Similar color thingy: Guess who learned the hard way that cross stitch with sections of black floss on black Aida really sucks if you have terribad eyesight. XD

[nou]

I’ve seen the blackwork that works on both sides and it is indeed mind-bending! Maybe one day I’ll give it a go, but that day is far distant :D

I also have terribad eyesight. I actually use my old glasses for embroidery, since my shortsightedness is now so bad that my current glasses make close-up work harder. (This is definitely caused by the strength of the glasses, since I’m fine at close work without any glasses on and my optician says I’m not longsighted yet at all — so bifocals/varifocals are not a solution. But I don’t want to embroider with my glasses off entirely since I like to read/watch stuff on my laptop at the same time and I can’t see that far without glasses.)