Oldies but goodies

Posted by on Jan 25, 2012 in Blogging, Books, Sew | 5 comments

Yesterday afternoon I got my new toy…

Ain’t she pretty?

This Brother sewing machine came with a wide table attachment, which will make my life so much easier when it comes to sewing big things. Like this.

I was a very good girl and decided to wait until I was done with my work duty of the day (i.e., second sleeve of the Secret Project) to play with it. And play I did. I played with all the stitches, most of the feet, the automatic buttonhole maker (no more switching stitches and length/width to make a buttonhole!!), and I can say, she is SILENT. Like a freaking ninja, this baby purrs and has an easy threading mechanism, which I appreciate lots! I didn’t need a superb state-of-the-art machine, I just wanted to up the game that my little starter machine had, and I think I made the right choice.

Speaking of the-coat-that-shall-not-be-named for it broke my old machine, I’ve realised that while this machine would most definitely sew the crap out of those buttonholes, the truth of the matter is, I am scared to put the final, finished, trimmed and pressed coat through it. I just cannot do it!

Arianne sent me a couple of links the other day to tutorials on how to make your own buttonholes and I laughed at her – I mean, c’mon, new machine coming over and she wants me to do the hard work myself?

Now, not so much laughter. I’ve put hours into this coat, money into the fabrics and threads, so I don’t really believe quick will be the answer – I will do them by hand with a couple of friends helping. Let me introduce you to them…

The top one, by Adele Margolis, will have a say about where I put those buttonholes.

The bottom one, the vintage Vogue Sewing Book I got out of a charity shop for £3 will say how I make those buttonholes.

So far, I’ve placed the areas where I want the buttons to be, and to be sure I put the coat on my dummy, belt and all and saw how the buttons would look. Perfect, of course :)

You weren’t expecting me to show you the buttons, right?

I’ve kept those babies hidden from everyone so far, they will make their big reveal on the date and you will have to wait!

In knitting news, the body and sleeves of Secret Project are now done, which means I’m having a party today – a seaming party. Oh the lines to match, the lengths to pin, the back and forth with the needle. I know for those of you who hate seaming that sounds like torture but for me, it’s like the relaxation minutes after a good yoga session…

Are you going to relax with your favorite thing to do today or are you putting work into a loving project?

 

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  • Anonymous

    Yay you’re going to do them by hand! For anyone else who is interested, I’ll share the links I sent to Ruth:

    http://www.afashionablestitch.com/2011/inspiring_me/how-to-make-hand-worked-buttonholes/ 

    http://www.coletterie.com/tutorials-tips-tricks/handmade-buttonholes 

    Hope they help! Looking forward to trying these out myself :)

  • Anonymous

    I have the same machine and absolutely love mine. It’s quite the workhorse. You’ll do just fine with the buttonholes. Just practice on a swatch first.

  • CambriaWashington

    I love seaming!  I do finishing work for customers at my shop (for a fee of course, lol) because it’s very relaxing to me.  After my first sweater disaster (knit perfectly, then seamed like a Kindergartener), I realized that all the skill in the world meant nothing if I couldn’t put the sweater together in a professional-looking way.  I got the Vogue Ultimate knitting guide (love those folks at Vogue) and taught myself how to properly seam a garment.  Best money and time I ever invested :) 

  • http://www.ShopYarnLove.com/ Katie @YarnLove

    Do them by hand if you have the hand sewing skills – it will give your amazing coat a really haute couture type finish. My machine does computerized button holes, but they can be a bit lack-luster, particularly on hard fabrics (like multiple layers of wool).

  • http://beckyinvt.wordpress.com/ BeckyinVT

    I don’t get knitters who fear seaming. It goes sooo much faster than the knitting! The stitches don’t have to be as precise, so I find it easier. And it’s like magic. One moment you have random, oddly shaped knitted bits – the next moment you have a sweater!