Zippity-Doo-Dah

This week is all about zippers. Some of it is work and some of it is just play.

First the work of shortening a metal zipper.  These things look cool but are a potential disaster for your sewing machine needles.  I buy my zippers before I even know what I am going to use them for so I have quite a messy lot of them.  One time I bought a bag of 50 random zippers for $7.00.

I tend to buy longer ones so they can be used in more applications so many of them get amputated.  The nylon coils are no big whoop. Just don't use your best fabric scissors.

BUT, the metal are a  b@$%& !

I searched online for the best way to do this and came away even more frustrated. I found THIS.

It seemed reasonable, but when I tried to "twist" the tiny little teeth loose with my needle nose pliers absolutely NOTHING resulted.  Now I'm not saying this isn't possible. Its just not possible for ME.

So here is my lame solution which I do not consider a tutorial, Im just saying'.

Using non-fabric scissors,  carefully cut between the teeth to shorten up the zipper and then trim off the teeth

Then I stitched across the fabric tabs to keep them in line

Next I made a tab over the end as I usually do.

And repeated at the other end

 AND THEN, I discovered the problem with this method.  Because the tab didn't completely cover the end of the teeth, the tab could come off the teeth!!!  So, I hand stitched my own version of a stop by sewing this :  Yes, it looks messy. But is basically hidden later.  JUST SEW VERY SLOWLY when you get to the teeth and you can maneuver through them.

However, I did manage to get both tabs on the end and got the zipper to work in the little bag I was making.

         Now for play time

My 3 1/2 year old grand daughter in the sewing/computer/play room

 I told you I have lots of zippers and more are on the way from my favorite supplier ZIPIT on Etsy.
 That open drawer contains a tangle of zippers and Mom's old button box. I gave up on keeping them in some sort of order.

Just throw them out on the floor and hunt for the color.

 She measured them.

 She tested them.

And then we played THIMBLEFINGERS!


I have a bag of not-collection-worthy thimbles in a zip-lock bag which she was allowed to unzip and sort, stack and wear. (I have over 400 in my collection - see previous post HERE. )

Seven-year-old grandson is occupying that black
desk chair in the background damaging his eyesight playing computer games.

I'm thinking she should be my LOGO. 

Do the kids you know find your sewing supplies fun?  What are their favorites?  Hopefully not your rotary cutter!

Love to hear from you but I do moderate my comments before they appear.

A Wasted Week...for the most part

I spent more time with the seam ripper than the sewing machine this week.

My first big letdown was when I stopped in at a Joann Fabrics that is not one of the usual two larger Joann stores that I frequent.  As soon as I walked in I saw a nice display of printed knits and BOOM
there was this fabric.

I just whipped this little drapey cardigan after I returned from my trip to New York City where I  found it at Mood for $10 a yard and was very pleased with myself.  Well, there it was at Joanns for $5 a yard!  My guess is that the manufacturer way overproduced this and its going to be everywhere.

I don't usually visit this particular store because it is smaller than most stores and tends to cater quite a bit to the Amish and Mennonite that populate the area.  Bet they won't be grabbing this up.

GRRRRRR.  Has this happened to you?  Do you feel ripped off?

But the $5 a yard was too good to pass up and I bought this eye-crossing print. 

It looks great with this heavier weight charcoal knit. I am "taking" an on-line Craftsy class in how to make your own patterns from ready-to-wear and I may copy a top I have with this.

Some failures were just so dumb.  Little bags for my Etsy shop are usually a snap, but for some reason I seemed to get everything cock-eyed and crooked.  Top-stitching also gave me fits.

This is the only decent production for the week.

Love the way it matches the one climatis bloom.  There are a zillion buds that haven't opened yet. 

                              It has a recessed zipper. The lining color photographed way too bright. 

A matching zipper bag with lace and a bike on the other side

My plan is to make more stuff from this till the fabric is gone.  I have done this with other fabrics lately and have come up with some nice coordinating pieces and when its gone, its GONE which will help cut down on the fabric overflow.  And speaking of fabric overflow... 

A trip to Target today was rewarded with more storage.  I had those two shelves side by side and they were spilling over.  This cute little glass-doored cabinet was marked way down for clearance and they even gave me another 10% off for a mar in the finish. Even better, I did NOT have to assemble it.  

      I simply set one of the cases on top of it. Now I don't have to crouch down to see all my thread. Several bags of scraps were sacrificed because this is not ALL of the fabric in this room. Everything looks pretty organized...for now.

Evolution of the Sewing Room

I've been seeing lots of interesting blog posts and Pinterest pins lately about where you do your sewing and so I am adding another one to the mix.  My space has been evolving ever since moving into this house almost 12 years ago. This room would have been a dining room but I never intended it to be one. Notice the chair rail the builder put in by mistake. I didn't ask for it.

NOTE: I did not put the casters on either of these pieces as I am barely five foot tall and they added two unwanted inches. Perhaps I should add the casters to ME!

For the first years it was known as the computer room because when I was working as a school librarian I needed it for lesson planning and research and communication. But NOW it has almost been completely transformed into a sewing room.                                                                                                                                                                                            :

When I recently acquired my new sewing machine I got the new table (see here ) . Immediately after getting this all set up, Joann Fabrics offered this "ironing center" at a great price. I love that it has storage.

The large surface serves as my cutting board when I place my large mat on top and I can move around three sides of it making it easier.
If you sew apparel this large rectangle with no pointed end probably won't work for you. I have to get out the old ironing board to do my clothes.
Another  down side was the ridiculously inadequate ironing cover. It came with a thin piece of that shiny silver stuff with a pad of foam about 1/8 inch thick. I was sure it would melt! Since the surface is solid without holes as are most conventional boards, a better padded and heat reflecting/surface was necessary. First a thin cotton batting then a quilted heat reflecting layer. The next is the thin wimpy cover with a nice cord and toggle for tightening and finally the aqua and white polka-dot to dress it up.

 

styrofoam packing from the box the sewing table came in. It's so light I can hang it with just a ribbon.

 Now, I really got on a roll...literally with this ribbon organizer. It was on sale for 1/2 off. Problem is I still have all of this:

 And then there is THIS!

As I said, it is an evolution.

Next weeks blog post will be late. I am doing an artsy/craftsy show. If you live in northern Ohio check it out.

VineArts

It is being held at a winery so I am madly producing wine related items.

 

Out with the Old, In with the New

Okay, if you have followed my recent posts you know that I have been adopting and caring for elderly sewing machines.
This week is a complete turn around. Elna went in to the sewing machine hospital and I have pretty much had her "put down". After spending time on my daughter's newer Baby Lock and enjoying all the spiffy features, I could not see myself paying for a repair on old Elna. 

 After much contemplation and research ,but mostly due to a fabulous unexpected windfall that is more than the cost of a new Janome, I went back and retrieved Elna and bought a Janome 4120 QDC!  I tried it out on all kinds of fabrics that I took in with me.  Jim  "Doc" Watson the owner/repairman at Doc's Comstock Sewing and Vacuum in Medina, Ohio was so great. He knows his stuff and he is super nice and not high-pressure.  It was a pleasure to give him my money!
Now I have this great machine but no great place to put it. This is Elna's table.

The picture was snagged from Etsy where one just like mine was sold. No idea of the price. It is made so that no other machine will fit into its cut-out fold back top. I tried to remove the top folding panel but it is attached with screws requiring a non-existent tool. So what to do? Go shopping online where you can find tables from $99 to $9,000 (slight exageration ). The only thing they have in common is that they all must be assembled by ME!

Fate stepped in again this morning with an email from Joann Fabrics announcing  that all sewing/craft tables are on sale for 40% off. So I came home with this a box full of this stuff:

Which turned into

And then hubby stepped into to tighten up the screws that my weak grip couldn't handle. I however have better knees (note pillow under his).

However, three hours into this I had to take a break and went for a swim and sun break. My back was aching. I finished up after another hour and a half of aching wrists and this is now what my sewing corner looks like.

I vow that I will be extremely neat since I have four more drawers to fill.

I know that I will have less thread mess with this new machine because my favorite feature, so far is the automatic thread cutter which means I don't have all those tails of thread to trim off and end up on the floor and into my vacuum cleaner.

 

By the way, on another visit to Doc I told him I might need a new vacuum cleaner as it didn't collect anything in the bag. He told me to check the hose for a blockage. It had a huge blob of pins, thread, fuzz and tiny fabric scraps stopping it up.

Now I need to sit down and sew as I have another stab at a craft fair next Saturday. If you are any where near Seville, Ohio between 9 and 4 come to the Seville Art Walk.

 

I just realized that I began this blog last August and it has now reached its first birthday. I guess a new sewing machine and table is a blog birthday present to me. I hope I can keep posting once a week because I need the discipline. I did get it done today if only a bit tardy.

This and That

 This week's post has no central theme, just a gathering of little stuff that filled my week. First came the clean-up. After numerous projects the fabric stash had exploded. The carpet has become multi-colored with thread ends and fabric fluff plus old stains of an unknown source.

 It usually takes a fire under me to get into a cleaning/organizing spree and this time it was a tornado! Not here - the one in Oklahoma. As I watched news coverage, I though WWID - What would I do?
We have a basement so, of course, I'd  go into it. But what else goes besides other humans in the house at the time. Having no pets, I realized how I wouldn't like all the important papers to blow to the next county. I'd grab the purse and hubby's wallet and then there is this file drawer in the sewing room. But it's not so easy to grab. However, at some point we put a large 3 drawer file cabinet in the basement and it has NOTHING in it.
So I moved all the important papers to that file cabinet. Now I have a whole empty file drawer to put patterns, transfer papers and other flat stuff. 

The drawer above the file was filled with obsolete computer and electrical wires, cinnections and hardware. OUT!

Now it is the home of interfacings and battings.

 

The tall narrow cupboard was made for three pullout shelves for CD's and DVD's. I used it to stuff all manner of junk into, but now it houses stacking boxes of notions and some of my ribbons. Phwew!

 

But I'm not done yet.



THIS

BECAME

THIS

Then after the floor was cleared it was obvious NOW was the time to get the carpet cleaned. Wish I had a pic of the guy and the giant hose that came and took all the filth out of here. Now I have to keep it clean. I love my Elna and my used serger so to keep them dust free, I clothed them. How do you like their new outfits adorned mostly with images from THE GRAPHICS FAIRY? 

 

On Friday I drove to my sewing machine service store to pick up 15 genuine metal Elna bobbinsthat I ordered.  The metal ones I have been bought and given do not fit and I really do NOT like the plastic ones. I also had asked about a walking foot. For a non-sewist this may sound ridiculous - don't all feet walk?!  Also a button-hole attachment. The Elna CAN make buttonholes but not as easy as with an attachment. I was excited to try them out and it is a good thing I did because neither one really fits my machine. I can't get the walking foot on and the buttonholer leaves NO SPACE to get the fabric under it because I have to use a cover for the feed dog (another silly term). I have to go back. The owner said to bring my machine and she will make sure it fits this time.

But all was not lost with the price of gas for the 40 minute drive. I learned that I was only five minutes from a decorator fabric store I had gone to before and picked up samples scraps for cheap. Well, they moved all the scrap to the back of the store and they are going to throw them out. I rescued half of the box. Now where to neatly store it (hmmm).

But that is not all I got for free. The left turn signal bulb had burned out on my car and I was really nervous driving without it. I considered hand signaling, but I'm not sure anybody knows anymore what they mean and someone might just think I was making rude gestures! So I pulled into a Goodyear Tire place that I saw near the highway and inquired about the fix. The guy came out and took off the tail light assembly to check what bulb he needed and proceeded to replace it AT NO COST!!  Thanks, GOODYEAR!

Watch this blog next week for a real hand sewn wardrobe extravaganza with:

Meet Francine

My hubby and the grandkids have all been models for me on this blog but I needed a really attractive woman to display my lady-like stuff. I found her last week on Amazon.com and she didn't demand a high price. As soon as she came out of her box I knew her name was Francine. Don't ask why. She just IS Francine.

I'm slowly transforming my kitchen into a somewhat Provencal style and that room has the best light and available picture taking spots, so I set her up there in an apron made of fabric from France. I have traveled there but didn't have the forethought in 2010 to bring back a lifetime supply of this hard to get fabric. I have found a great online  source in Cincinnati called French Rendez-vous .

 

 

 

The fabric picture here just arrived a few days ago and it is a coated fabric that wipes clean but is not nearly so heavy and glossy as an oil cloth. I plan to make placemats with it.

 

My weekly bow to the Graphics Fairy is the pillow shown sitting on my French farmhouse-like chair. It is made from an old damask tablecloth and Battenburg style lace adorned by the great hydrangea image. The back is made from a fat quarter of the perfect hydrangea print.

 

 





 

Messy Madness

I am doing a craft booth to earn a little cash back to support this hobby and I only really have a month to prepare. I have a friend who has a book selling business and she was just lamenting how out of control things have gotten at her place. (See http://booksartlifeandacat.blogspot.com/ ).

To make her feel better I am posting this picture. What you can't see are all the tidbits on the carpet...pins, needles (ouch!) threads, bits of fabric, scraps of paper, pattern pieces. Most of that stuff sitting around has no decorative purpose. It is just waiting to be used in some creation.

I did create these:

 

 

The images from the fabulous Graphics Fairy inspired the caption "Let's Eat Cake" and I thought they were a complete turn around from my last post's retro images. I'm trying to appeal to all tastes.

 

 

Dealing with Doo-dads

Sewing and crafting makes for a general mess because I need all kinds of stuff around to inspire and fulfill my projects.  The lucky thing is that I have a room of my own to do all this in.  In a normal home this room was meant as a dining room, but we have a perfectly wonderful large open area in our kitchen much more suitable and formal dining is not our thing.

The room is great but what do you do with all the fabric, ribbon, lace, paint, glue, buttons, etc. that need a place?

I took the dresser from my daughter's vacated room and moved it downstairs and somehow thought that it would be sufficient. Think again!
It filled up in no time.

Then I found a little shabby $10 baby dresser at a garage sale. Sturdy but ugly.  I got out my Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in duck egg which I still have a LOT of after painting a jelly cupboard and quickly spiffed it up. But the best part are the Omni Gel transfer method I learned here .

 

I used the lovely oval ornate frame from the Graphics Fairy and added my own text to create this and others with equally silly names.  I didn't want to have to be specific about what went in each one!

 

Next came the knobs.  The original wood were a real mess and I needed a fairly large coverage for some damage I didn't want to spend time on.  I found these at Hobby Lobby.

 

BUT, I am not really happy with the look so this is still a work in progress. 

 

 I want to find some pretty glass knobs.  What do you think? If you have a suggestion, please leave a comment. Maybe rubbing a little color on them would help.  They are already not solidly white. Please leave a comment if you have a suggestion.