Special Tools and The Bunny

I often make or improvise my own tools for the sewing room. I figured I show one to you today that I use often. I often try to use embroidery thread on my sewing machine and sometimes doesn’t work because the spools are too big and heavy. My go-to machine (an older Necchi that I loooooooooooooooove) has a thread holder in the vertical position and the embroidery spools don’t spin like say, a smaller Coats and Clark spools would. The thread gets pulled super tight and then usually breaks. So I created this little guy so the thread would be taken off the spool from the top instead. No pulling, no broken threads.

All that it takes to make it is a stout piece of wire (mine is copper) and a wooden block. I drill a hole in the wooden block, push the wire into it and voila. A new sewing tool. This one just sits on top of my machine and pulls the thread up and then I thread the machine like normal. (Pardon the window, we are still in progress with the house remodel)

 

Here’s the complete picture. I use this guy for a lot of things. I have really large spools of embroidery thread in black and white that don’t fit in my embroidery machine. I do the same thing except, I put the wire/wood do-hicky in my thread rack above the machine. It does the same thing there.

 

 

Like I said in my last post, I’ve been making jammies for little people. I used a pattern from Urban Threads called Happy Bunny. It’s cute isn’t it? They have the best embroidery over there don’t they? I thought I’d show you how I use my zipper foot to get really accurate results on stitching around said bunny. I first embroidery this design on wool felt. Now I’m attaching it to the front of the shirt.

 

 

Cute, eh? This is a very happy bunny. I pin the crap out of it knowing it’ll shift around while I’m going around it with the sewing machine. When you pin stuff like this, make sure you pin it horizontally as well as vertically. That way, it can’t shift in any direction.

I should be done with the whole outfit in a day or two to show you.

Cool YouTube videos

I don't know if you guys have even seen these videos. They are short videos of Pfaff sewing feet. There are 55 videos in this collection and some pretty cool feet. Have you guys ever seen the ruffler foot in action? It almost looks like an alien. If you've ever wondered about a specific foot, this is a great place to check it out before you buy. Of course, they are Pfaff feet but they'll give you an idea of how it works. I found these because I am looking for Nechhi topstitching feet. I found some awesome industrial feet on eBay thanks to a comment. I love my readers/commenters!! Thanks you guys. (eta: I'm having some odd text problems because of these embedded movies. I hope it is better now.)

Researching Waterproofing Options

I'm making my son a Green Pepper raincoat from this pattern. I've used this pattern before as a winter coat. This time it will just be the fabric and a lining. Because of that, I want it to be waterproof even at the seams. There are several products out there that claim to waterproof a seam. I bought them and tried them out.

I'm a science teacher. I like experiments. I like being methodical. Yes, I'm type-A in a very big way. So, I made four samples and tested the waterproofing ability of each product. First up, Seam Sealer 3. It's a water-based product that claims to "put an end to leaky seams and joints." This product is super easy to apply with a dauber cap and dries quickly with little odor.


K-Tape is a "universal repair tape that can be used on all smooth synthetic fabrics, fleece, and vinyl." It's 18" by 3". For this sample, I cut it to a width of about 1/2". This is a very easy product with which to work. It's just like masking tape that stretches. I did notice that if you stretch it when you apply it, the fabric will gather as the tape shrinks back to its regular length.



Seam Grip is like rubber cement. It smells similar and had a similar consistency. You use a brush to apply it and you should be in a well ventilated area. It "permanently seams, bonds, and repairs tents, outerwear, and gear." This one has to cure for 8-12 hours. If you want to glue two things together you apply a light coating of Seam Grip to both surfaces, let them dry for a few minutes, and then stick them together. Sound familiar? Rubber cement uses the same directions.


Here they are together. I had high hopes for the K-Tape but I think Seam Grip won out in the end.

Here they are after a good washing. I wanted to see how they held up under a washing cycle.

After washing the seams on the Seam Sealer 3 sample started to peel up. And, I think it's actually okay. It's not a glue, it is supposed to soak into the thread itself and make the thread waterproof. It's kind of like Fray Check.

The Test: I pinned all the samples and applied about 3mL to each sample. This fabric (Nylon Burlington DWR) is so waterproof, it was hard to stop the beads of water from rolling off. The bottom, my control, is a sample with no sealant on it. On all samples, I tried to concentrate the water to the seams. Like I said, that was hard to do because they wanted to roll off.

This is what it looked like an hour later. Notice the control sample has visible water spots along the seams.

These were pinned to a cardboard tube to test for water leakage. Of all the samples, the only one to leak was the control (ignore my goof-up at the top).

Overall, how did they do? Well the easiest to apply was the Seam Sealer 3. You just dab it on. I think the most effective one will be the Seam Grip. It acts like a silicone caulk that moves with the garment. I think it will be the best overall. I may use the tape for a large area though. If I decide to embroidery something on this coat, I will probably tape it inside with the K-Tape and use the Seam Grip around the edges of the tape.

Helpful? I figure someone out there has gotta be into outerwear like I am. :)

Meet Fat Max and Other Crap

First off, happy Mother's Day to you Moms! My kids and I went to Grandma's house, ate a lot of food, and hung out at the park. My husband is in Houston again (yay fabric!!!) and Grandpa is out Bar Hunting (bear hunting for you non-alaskans). Here are some requisite kid photos. Awwwwwww . . .

Son.


Sad daughter #2. Nice bruise, eh?



Happy daughter #1.


Happy daughter #2. They are 2.5 YO (someone asked me that in an earlier post).

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Next up: Meet Fat Max. I use this chisel to slice open buttonholes. I bought it at Lowe's and it stays in my sewing room. This is not allowed in the garage or near my husband. He'll actually use it for something chisel-y. I bought the smallest width I could so it will work for very small buttonholes.



To use this, put a board on a hard floor, put your jeans on the board, carefully line up the chisel and whack it with the palm of your hand. This puppy is sharp enough that it slices through just about anything. For a long buttonhole, lift, shift, and repeat.

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Speaking of jeans, I finished my third pair of Jalie jeans. These are the second item for my mini-SWAP.

And you guys are addicts like I am. Lots of you knew that Rocketboy was my inspiration. He's a jeans-making badass.

Pockets are the pink/purple silk duppioni from the dress. This picture shows the most accurate color of the denim.

And yes, they have a pink zipper. I couldn't resist.

Burda 05-2009 #108 Vest

I feel like I've been working on this forever. I cut it out last week and finished it up today. With all this neighbor business, I've been pretty stressed out and busy. Then I had Kindergarten Round-Up with my son. I really need to get crackin' on the mini-SWAP at PatternReview.com. Yikes.

I love the cropped length of this vest. It will be perfect with turtlenecks in the winter too. It's a mini-houndstooth that my husband picked up the last time he was in Houston.



Here it is from the side. Does this make my butt look large or what? Sheesh. It doesn't bother me but wow, I forget it's back there. ETA: I guess I should say prominent butt. It's not large but it is very sway-backish and sticky-outy. How's that for scientific? :)



This finishes just below my natural waist.


I really like the wide collar pieces but got rid of the cap sheets.

Here it is turned inside out. I made sure that the lining was a little smaller so that the fashion fabric would be pulled to the inside.

I am so pleased with the Necchi buttonholes. Aren't they perfect? I'll have to show you my new chisel too. I went to Lowe's for sewing supplies the other day. More on that later.

The lining is shown up above and then pressed down. This make a little tuck in the lining fabric.

I'll do a proper review a little later today. I'm off to the library book sale. I am hoping to score some sewing books. We'll see what they have to sell.

Burda 04-2009 #118 Bell Bottom Jeans

So I told you guys I was itchin' to make jeans right? These aren't jean-jeans. They are more of the trouser jean variety. I really like them. I used BWOF 04-2009 #118, a slim bell-bottom pant with patch pockets on the front instead of the back. Here's the line drawing.


The model photo. This woman has no butt. None.

Here's my version. I only put one patch pocket on the front but added two slightly larger ones to the back. I figured this woman did have a butt and there was a lot of blank real estate back there with no pockets.

I used my new embroidery machine to add tone on tone decorative embroidery to the pockets. I really wanted them to be mirror image but my embroidery machine said they were too big to edit on the machine. I'll have to get some embroidery software so I can do that on the computer. I assume you can do that right? Change it on the computer, put the new file on the thumbdrive, and stick it in your machine? The embroidery doesn't show up this much, it's the flash that makes it stand out.

Front detail shot. I topstitched with Coats and Clark Heavy Duty thread in a warm copper tone. I added a jeans-style button and topstitched the waistband. I did modify these slightly so they were below the waist. The original pattern stops at the waist but I like my pants an inch or so lower. This is a good height for me.

Here's the back view. Sorry for the oddly angles shot. I was doing this myself. You can see the pockets are about 1/8" off. I waited until I had already put the pants together before placing the pockets. I wanted to make sure they were in the right spot. Oh, and the embroidery is from UrbanThreads.com. It's called Delicate.

I've got some sort of front thigh thing going on here. You can see how it looks snug in this picture. Must run more and lift weights less.

Here's a more accurate shot of the fabric. It's from Gorgeous Fabrics and it has an almost teal cast to it. It's a lightweight material and has no stretch.

I took this shot so you could see how wide these are at the hem. I added a deep hem to the bottom.

Here they are in their bell bottom glory. In this picture you can barely see the embroidery. That's the look I was going for.

I played with my other "new" machine too. I set the Necchi up as a buttonholer and topstitching machine. Doesn't it make pretty keyhole buttons??!?!?

Here it is in action.

I'm still waiting on the Jalie patterns. Harumph . . . . maybe tomorrow.

More Loot for the Necchi

Remember way back when when I got that note in my mailbox? One of my teacher friends gave me his wife's old Necchi. It works like a charm and it was very stout. I was planning on setting it up as my topstitching machine. But then I realized that it had no feet. Right now, it is under the stairs because I bought another machine last weekend and didn't have room for four machines. Well yesterday another two boxes showed up in front of my door. One was wool fabric (yes!) and the other was all the original stuff for the Necchi. Included in the box was the original manual.




It also contained the plastic discs for the AZA Attachment which "offers the possibility for completing automatic embroidering any ornamental design by simply running your machine!" I love the text of old manuals.

His wife also had a buttonholer with all the fixin's. The original instructions are under the buttonholer.

From left to right: buttonhole presser foot, quilting guide with clamp, zigzag hemming presser foot, and straight stitch hemming foot.

L-r: looks like a zipper foot (it's not in the manual), cording and zipper foot, darning presser foot, blindstitching foot, plastic invisible zipper foot, rolling foot (??this isn't in the manual -- is it for leather?)

L-r: needle foot plate for embroidery and darning, needle plate for straight stitching, straight guide, levers for the wonder wheel, don't know, assorted screws.

I'm super excited about the feet and the buttonholer. I'm hoping to use the buttonholer with my jeans for the sew-along. It does keyhole buttons too. I've never seen one used and know nothing about it but I'll see if I can get it working. Speaking of the Jeans Sew Along. Want to join?? I set up a thread over at PatternReview.com. All the information on rivets, fabric, pre-treating, etc. is being discussed over there! Join us!