Week 10: Ruffle Top Romper

My on-time record hasn't been great these last few weeks.  In fact, I've not yet completed The Crinkle Quilt, and it's possible that it won't be finished until mid-week.  I wanted to make a dress for Darcy to wear on Easter, and had picked out Simplicity 2668, but after reading the directions, I realized that I wouldn't be able to finish The Crinkle Quilt and the dress by this Saturday.

Ruffle Top Romper and Dress from Make It & Love It
Image and design © Make It & Love It

Ready Set Serge Pillowcases Sew and Tell

I've delayed writing this Sew and Tell for as long as could, basically because despite most of the pillowcases made this week turned out great, I haven't been able to look past how badly the ruffles turned out.  But I'll try.  I'll do it for the good pillowcases.  Let's win one for the Gipper!

Ready Set Serge Pillowcases, Day 7

Somehow I managed to make two extra pillowcases.  I had planned on making two each of the regular Pillowcase and the Stepped-Up Pillowcase, and then when I saw how quick and easy the regular Pillowcase was, I decided to work on a UFO that had been sitting around for two years.

Night sky fabric that The Husband chose 2+ years ago.

When Sergers Attack

Sergeant Serger just tried to blind me.  There I was, running the last stitches for one of the pillowcases, when SNAP!  CRACK!  TINK!  I knew what that sound was, and before I could duck for cover, a piece of shrapnel hit me above the eye!  After I calmed down from the attack, I checked my serger and saw that one of the two needles had broken.  Sergers can run up to 1,700 stitches per minute, so that's quite a dangerous force behind those needles.  A good 3/4" missile had launched from the serger and was now somewhere floating around my house.  I tried looking for it as I was sitting down, but wasn't able to locate it.  I haven't looked in the mirror yet, so it is quite possible that the sharpened rocket is embedded in my forehead, but it's probably somewhere in the carpet, and with my luck I'll find it with my bare foot.  I had once considered wearing safety glasses when I was first told about needles breaking during sewing, but I didn't want to look like some poindexter while doing a supposedly safe hobby, but now, having had my life flash before my eyes (or was that the needle?), I'll reconsider!

Ready Set Serge Pillowcases, Day 5

When I asked The Husband what he thought of the new pillowcases, he said that he slept a lot better than he had with the other pillowcases.  You heard it here, first, folks!  My pillowcases will improve your sleep!

Ready Set Serge Pillowcases, Day 4

A serger machine (also known as an overlock machine) stitches up and trims the edge of your fabric, automatically creating an enclosed seam allowance as you run it through the machine.  I've had my serger, a Brother 1034D, for at least two years now, and I found it so intimidating that I only started using it last month.  If you're familiar with sergers, you probably can sympathize with why I had been too scared to use it.  If you're not familiar with sergers, then let me help you understand why sergers put the fear of God into even the most seasoned sewers.

Week 3: Ready Set Serge Pillowcases

I'm a little burnt out from working with batting, so I'm going to work on something with just fabric this week.  For Week 3 I'll be working on projects from Georgie Melot's book, Ready Set Serge.  Yup, I'm bringing out the serger!  I'll be making the Pillowcase and the Stepped-Up Pillowcase using fabric from Connecting Threads' Bed and Breakfast and Aqua Terra collections.