Ruffle Riot and a Reluctant Model

The serger is well and I have done nothing to jeopardize it this week. (see previous post) I am using pins MUCH more sparingly.  I used to avoid ruffles because of the tedious thread pulling, but with the soft gathering setting on the serger they are quick and easy.  The rolled edge makes the ruffles soft and flowy.  So I made some more of these skirts.  I love putting the color and print combinations together.

We were having the grand kids over for the weekend so I spent ALL day Friday with this pattern.

I am a big fan of patterns with lots of options and this one fits the bill. You get a sweater, two shirt versions, leggings and a skirt. And I made them all.















The cardigan is my favorite but I made it in polka dot instead of the solid.  I found this Riley Blake knit online somewhere and if I could remember I would tell you.


Darling grand-daughter proved to be her typical 3-year-old self and had to be sweet talked into even putting this on.

                     She really liked the purple shirt which was purchased and the leggings.

The pink ruffle and the flower pin on the cardigan were repurposed from an 18 month size tutu that ended up at my house.

I got the matching t-shirt on her for a short spell.  After the photo-shoot I re-serged the 

shoulder seams for a better fit.

I did a really bad job on the zipper because I did not read everything before I started and didn't
even realize it called for one. Bad me.  I think a zipper in a knit with a neck this large is totally unnecessary.

This is her favorite picture.

The her brother had to get into the act and really hammed it up.

                                       Turns out she REALLY wants a purple skirt and being a good grandma, I will be searching out the right shades of purple to go with that polka-dot purple shirt before their next visit.   Like on real models, the  skirt has been "fitted" by pinning out the extra inches in the back.                        

I wasn't done with the pattern.  I made the color-blocked shirt and another pair of leggings.


























But,  they look like pajamas so that is what they are going to be.





                    AND I did not put in a zipper and there is oodles of head room.

And then I made another ruffled skirt.  I really like the way the knit makes the extra ruffly lettuce edge.

                 Do you like to sew for kids?  Do THEY like what you sew?

OH, NO! I did it again!

Yes, I did it again. I broke my serger. I had recently gotten it repaired because I forced a way too thick  pile of fabric through it and paid the price to my very nice repairman, "Doc" Watson and then a few days ago I was working on some new items for my Etsy shop which involve lots of ruffles and I failed too extract a hidden pin in the three layers. BAM! A piece of metal flew into the air and all sewing ceased.  See new blades on left and obviously the old on the right.

"Doc" is out of town for awhile and I was too embarrassed anyway to admit my stupidity so I hopped over to Ken's Sewing Center (sorry Doc) and found exactly the blades I needed and they arrived today.

The manual is very vague about replacing the knives. Like many instructions, they dwell on the obvious while skimping on the tricky parts.

I read what I could find online about the process and one suggestion was to take photos before I removed anything. Great advice if you haven't already leaped into the abyss.

The first problem is that I cannot SEE the lower knife in the picture AND failed to note how it came off the machine. So I had it backwards. Luckily I prevented anymore catastrophes by making sure the serger was unplugged and I only moved the wheel SLOWLY by hand until all was in order.

The instructions also recommends adjusting the "clearance between the upper and lower knife to between 0.5mm and 1.0mm". Wah?  How? 

After about an hour I succeeded and feel very proud of myself and relieved that I won't have to face the pity and expense of "Doc" and I can get back to work before he gets back to work.

This is what I have been working on:

RUFFLES!

I decided that my Etsy shop could use some stuff for the kids and if they don't sell my granddaughter could wear them. I love doing the edged hems and gathering on the serger and the most fun is playing with all the patterns and colors in my fabric stash.

Now my next problem is how to photograph them.  Granddaughter lives an hour away and when I do  get her over here she isn't always in model mode.  For the purpose of the blog I plopped them over the neck of Francine, my adult display mannequin, which looks pretty weird.

 I also made little bags/purses out of the scraps which I think makes them more desirable.  In fact I did my second of only two craft shows that I do each year and one of these sets (not shown here) was the ONLY sale I made ALL DAY!!!*#@!*

The reasoning among all the sellers who were also bummed was that the weather turned out so great that day that everyone stayed home to rake leaves or found a more fun outdoor activity. We will never know for sure.

Its a good thing I do this for fun and not profit. I just support the habit...hopefully.

I have got to find a child size mannequin or a cooperative nearby kid.  Maybe Craigslist? Is that too creepy?

Italy and Inspiration plus Fabulous Fabric

Sorry for the reflections. This was i a store window selling ties.

Its been a few days and the jet lag has worn off so its time to post after several weeks.  Hubby and I took a trip to Italy that started in Sicily and ended in Rome.  Everything about it was great but the best was saved for our last day.  The tour did not actually include Rome so we just added it on and wandered about as we pleased. The big destination for me was a fabric store.

I had plotted out the two days as to exactly what we would do and on Monday we did St. Peter's and climbed the dome to the top. We got there early to avoid the crowds and got this shot.

 Above is the view from the dome and at left is the view descending the stairs. It was all I could do to climb let alone snap pictures on the way up. The walls lean in on you to follow the domes curve.











We did a lot of other touristy things but I was saving the visit to Bassetti Tessuti (tessuti is Italian for fabric) until late in the day so I wouldn't have to drag around a heavy bag all day.  So about 2:30 we arrived at Corso Vittrio Emanuele, 73 and found this:

THEY WERE CLOSED!  Seems they have very weird hours in that they open only late in the day on Monday.  We had been on our feet since 7:30 AM and just didn't want to wait around so we will be back on our last day of the trip.
After the Palatine Hill, the Colosseum and Piazza Navona we headed back to Bassetti Tessuti which was nearby and quick to find since it was our second time around.

The place is room after room after room.  I told a clerk I wanted knits and I think we ended up in the last room at a dead end.  It was overwhelming, especially for a short person.  Bolts and rolls to the ceiling.

Soon a clerk showed up to help and I selected a really nice red wool knit.  Then I needed something to pair with it and we headed back to the silk prints where he pulled out bolt after bolt that I rejected until suddenly he hit the nail on the head.

Here's what I walked away with.  Everything was luscious and none was cheap but the red was a relative bargain at 20 euro a metre. The silk was too hard to resist after the search so overall I remained in budget and didn't have to be weighed down with yards and yards (or metres and metres).

                           Check out the store on Facebook at Facebook.com/Bassetti.Tessuti

This is my small precious bag which was easy enough to carry that we continued on to Castel St. Angelo where we again climbed to the top for another great view of a beautiful city.

If you want to see more on the trip stop by my travel blog. I am adding the trip day by day.

Just had to include this smartly dressed woman who zoomed off on that scooter in her slim tight skirt and heels.

 The fabric was dragged around the rest of the day and smashed in my luggage for the long trip home and emerged without a wrinkle! Draped over my mannequin it almost looks like an outfit already.

Here is the extent of all of my purchases. Seven new additions to the thimble collection and a cheap scarf that might be turned into a top.

Note: There are other fabric stores in Rome but this one was located the best for me.  When I watched Project Runway this week I was thrilled to see them go to Rome and when they headed to a fabric store I was disappointed that they didn't go to "mine".  The one they chose looked really luxe and was probably much easier to film in. It was way out of the area we were in.  Maybe on my next trip :)

My Perfect Travel Tote

Just in time for an impending trip to Sicily, Southern Italy and Rome I completed the just for me traveling companion. Well, hubby is going too but since he is old news (literally) I am only presenting the self-sewn creation.

As you can see, this is a 3 piece set.  After completing the tote I was so happy with the fabric I just had to use some more.  The main fabric is a heavy outdoor fabric but it doesn't have that slick surface some of it has.  The straps are a cotton webbing and the exterior pockets on each side are trimmed with black and gray grosgrain ribbon.  Without the black and gray lines this fabric was a little dizzying to look at.  The lining fabric is one I used on some of my mid-century modern pillows (see here). Its a quilting cotton in gray with silvery dots that give it a cool shimmer. I wanted a light interior so stuff wouldn't hide in the dark.

The tote begins with the inside which I wanted fitted out in a certain way.  I had another bag that went to New York with me in May but it was too small and too deep. Stuff just sifted to the bottom and the one zippered pocket was sometimes difficult to get into.

 I cut a  piece of the exterior fabric large enough to surround the zipper on all sides. A little interfacing keeps it more rigid when operating the zipper.

The pocket is one piece of fabric with one side
attached to the bottom of the inside zipper edge and the other end folded over and then sewn to the top edge.

Then you sew up the sides of the pocket folding back at the zipper to catch that little triangle pice.

                                            Here is the placketed zipper completed. The inside is the same fabric.

The other side of the lining is fitted out with a special pocket just for my ever-present iPad.

Its  pretty straight forward pocket lined with the dotty fabric but I added a flap sewn above it to prevent the slippery little iPad from sliding out if the bag gets on it's side.  A bit of Velcro would have been nice but I didn't have any on hand.

 Now I was getting ready to assemble it when I realized that the exterior was limp as a noodle so I decided to add some fusible batting and quilt it. Since I had already sewn on the pockets and webbing to each side I had to work around them.













This is a free-wheeling wavy line I like to do.  No, it is not done free-motion. I am a complete dud at that and am not up to practicing and wasting time, thread and fabric.  I can echo shapes pretty well too.

 Here I used straight lines  following around the rectangle above the pockets.

Here is the back and you can see what I did.  It did give it more heft without weight or stiffness.
I don't back this with anything because the lining will hide it and more fabric would just make the seams bulkier.

 I also added a strip of batting inside the straps because I have learned that they are easier on the shoulders if I do.  I folded the fabric around it and stitched the webbing over the opening.  I like the effect of the little edge of print showing.

 I Hate "saggy bottoms" so I add some stiffener to the boxed bottom of the bag. This is plastic canvas which can be cut with scissors.  Its cheap and does a great job. I always cut against a smooth edge to eliminate any pokey parts. You can see them on the right.

I wrap the plastic in muslin and sew it in place. Goes through the machine fine. I attach it at each boxed end and then trim off the triangle.

Here are two other things I added.  This is a loop of wide black elastic sewn into the side seam on the inside.  Whatever for you ask! It's my upholder.  I can slip my covered cup in there and it stays relatively upright and in place.  I wouldn't trust it for a full steaming hot cup of coffee, but it keeps it from drifting to the bottom.

The little organizer bag has a D-ring on the side which attaches to a clip on a ribbon that is sewn into the side seam.  Its so easy (at least for me) when traveling and juggling your belongings to misplace something so this is my security.

The little wallet, shown open here may or may not go along this time.  When traveling in Italy, pick-pockets are ever-present so I will probably have my passport, cards, and most cash in one of those ubiquitous body wallets under my clothes or better yet, under hubby's.

So here it is packed with one of my essentials for an overnight flight.  That red thing is a knitted shawl that cam wrap me up or serve as pillow or armrest or even throw over my head to escape whatever is bugging me.

Ready to go on board.  Francine is modeling the last clothing item I made for the trip.  Without the folds, this fabric makes you dizzy.  I think it looks best under a black jacket. The bottom edge is served and I tuck it up, or in to create whatever length I need.

                I will not be posting while away but will return with entries to both of my blogs after October 15. I would love to hear comments but get them in before Oct. 2nd.  I screen my comments and that may be difficult while traveling.