It's November! What’s up?

[nou]

Hello sewists! What’s up? Have you finished anything recently? Started anything new? Learned a new technique or read a new sewing-related book?

I finally got all the stupid crinkle linen cut out and have started assembling it. I’m using french seams because it’s very inclined to fraying, but I’m doing them a bit differently from usual. I stay-stitched all the edges on the individual pieces at (not inside) the seam allowance with soluble basting thread, then sewed the narrow part of the french seam at the width I wanted it to be, rather than sewing it wider and then trimming. The stay-stitching meant that (a) sewing an extra-narrow seam to start was easier than it would have been otherwise, and (b) I could see exactly where to sew on the second pass.

Still to do: bias binding on the bottom hem, elastic casing for the sleeve hem (I want to be able to push the sleeves up and have them stay where I put them).

I also made myself another silk pillowcase, since only having one was annoying (you’re not supposed to dry silk in direct sunlight, so getting it washed and dried in between getting up and going to bed could sometimes be challenging).

Comments

[nou]

Oh gosh yes, things are so much easier with better tools! I was using a hand-cranked Singer for a while until it just stopped working (I took it to the Croydon Singer shop but it was still not working afterwards, and I never got around to going back and telling them this) and it was really not ideal.

What’s included in the quilting attachments? Are you planning to do some quilting, or was it the other features of the machine you were most interested in?

[bugshaw]

I bought the machine because quilting is my main thing at the moment, I went to a class and their machines were so straightforward and did lovely neat seams with thin thread. I can use it for regular sewing too of course though I have as yet no dressmaking skills.
I get an extension plate,
a 1/4" seam foot for perfect piecing,
a darning foot for freehand quilting,
a walking foot which synchronises with the feed dogs to grip all quilt layers together,
and it has a quilt guide to keep the lines straight and a nice even distance apart.

And the new machine is full of knives! Almost everything you do where you need to cut the thread off, there's a snip or a sharp slot. When you've finished your seam, you can press a little scissors button and it cuts the top thread and the bobbin thread, leaving lengths just enough to start the next sewing run. When you've wound your bobbin you pass the thread through a slot and it cuts it at a sensible length. Magic.

[nou]

That does indeed sound perfect for quilting!

I’d like to try some freehand quilting on my machine, but I can’t drop the feed dogs (it really is a very basic machine, but it does 99% of what I want). But I saw a tip for covering them with an index card, and I plan to try it at some point.