Hello Again

I apologize for the long absence. With all the holidays, a trip to Hawaii (to celebrate a belated 1-year anniversary), and lots and lots of sewing, I have been negligent about posting. I am determine to do better. I find myself diving into one project after another and get so consumed with them that I fail to pause and take pictures. I have taken some pictures, so I will post some later to give an overview of  the projects I have been undertaking.

I should mention that my wonderful husband bought me a serger for Christmas. I am embarrassed to say that I finally used it for the first time a week and a half ago. I was so intimidated by the beast! Yes, it looks all docile but inside, it is a threading maze! Finally, though, I sat down and watched the DVD that came with it and read the manual and now I can successfully thread it (with the aid of the manual). Can I just say that everything I have read about sergers is true? They create an amazing seam and finish off edges so nicely! I still have much to figure out about my new machine but I am in love already. The machine came threaded with white thread, which was nice; however, white does not match everything, so I looked into purchasing some more thread. I tried Jo-Ann's, but I was very discouraged with how expense each spool was and I needed four of each color! So I did some research online and found this excellent place to buy the thread I needed: Wawak.com. I paid a $1.94 for each (you must buy four of one color to get this price or else they are a $1.99 for each). The more of one color you buy, the cheaper it is. I got four spools of six colors. I chose the colors that I would consider are the sewing staples: white, grey, khaki, blue, and black. I also chose a pink because much of the fabric I recently purchased has pink in it. Not only was the thread price great, the shipping price and speed are excellent. I was charged $4-something for shipping; shipping is free for purchases of $100 or more. Also, I ordered the thread Monday morning and it is scheduled to be here today! You can't beat that! 

Anyways, project pictures to come!

My Early Birthday Surprise! :)

Have I ever said my husband is wonderful?!?! Well he is and I should say it more often! He is wonderful for so many reasons, but right now, I want to acknowledge how wonderful he is for getting me my very own sewing machine as an early (a month early) birthday present! As I have said in past posts, I have been borrowing my mom's old Singer sewing machine. Now, thanks to my wonderful husband, I am the proud owner of a Singer 9960 Quantum Stylist. I was so excited when it arrived Tuesday night! I spent the whole evening reading the manual, just itching to sew something with it. I attempted my first project the next morning: these adorable baby Mary Jane shoes. (I promise to post pictures later of these adorable little creations.) The machine sewed like a dream. It does so many wonderful things! I think it will take me years to fully appreciate each of the 600 stitches and all the cool features. I can't wait to show you what I made on it last night (and finished today), but that will have to stay a surprise until another post. This post is about my wonderful husband! :)

There is Mr. Wonderful all ready for his game.

And of course, me with Mr. Wonderful!

 Click below to take a look at my baby, but beware, you might want one for yourself. 

SINGER 9960 Quantum Stylist 600-Stitch Computerized Sewing Machine

Cozy & Simple Baby Booties

I found the easiest pattern here to make little baby booties with three seams. You can make a set using one fabric quarter and still have fabric left over! Sorry, I didn't take pictures as I went along; however, the pattern provides pictures. I have made two pairs so far. Here is a picture of the first set I made.

These are the 3 to 6 month size.

Aren't they adorable? The only part I had trouble with was the third and final seem. The pattern calls for a zigzag stitch that goes off the right edge. I had trouble making sure both pieces were stitched, so there were no gaps. I probably just needed to cut better or line the pieces up better. It was easy to fix though. For the next pair I make, I might just stitch close to the edge but not off, and then trim some of the excess.

I made these little darlings for my youngest niece, Rihanna Rose.

Baby Feet = Adorable!

A perfect fit! I promise that I will take step-by-step pictures of the next pair I make. I am thinking about adding some cute buttons to the top. Also, I want to extend the size and make slipper booties for Hannah, Rihanna's big sissy.

The Ariel Dress (Second Installment)

I must apologize for my delay in returning to the Ariel dress. First, I successfully finished it, invisible zipper and all. Second, my niece loved it and she looked adorable in it at her second birthday party. In the first segment I wrote on the Ariel dress, I showed how I made a lining for the dress and how I attached to the dress.  In this post I will share with you the completion of the dress, which included installing the invisible zipper, sewing up the back seam, adding a hook and eye clasp, and attaching the ribbon straps. I did not finish this all at once. I tackled the invisible zipper on a Saturday, along with sewing up the back seam. Then the next Sunday, I attached the ribbon straps. However, I had to reposition the straps after trying the dress on my niece (the straps were spaced too far apart that they fell off her shoulders). I added the clasp and eye hook when I repositioned the straps.

So installing the zipper...... On the afternoon I finally attempted to install the invisible zipper onto the Ariel dress, I realized there was no way I could use the zipper foot I had bought at Jo-Ann's. For some reason, I failed to notice that it was a Vertical zipper foot (this was written clearly across the top). I still really do not understand what a vertical zipper foot is and if I can even use it on my machine but that is for another day. After doing some online searching about zipper foots and installing zippers, I came up with this bright idea to use a regular foot. Some people online said that it was possible to do. Well after breaking my first needle (which thankful I had spares), I successful got the invisible zipper installed.

Pinning the first strip of the zipper.

Beginning my attempt to attach an invisible zipper with a regular foot...before the n

eedle broke.

One side finished...Can you tell that I sewed as close to the teeth as I could?

Complete!

Practically invisible. :)

Sewing up the back seam.

Back seam completed!

Here are what the straps looked like after the first attempt.

Here is what they looked like after I repositioned them. On a side note, I do not recommend using this type of ribbon. It unraveled horribly and I really had to reinforce the stitches in order to keep them from continuing to unravel. I recommend plain ribbon or material. Still they were adorable.

Here is the clasp!

Here is the finished product on the birthday girl!

This was a fun project for me as a beginner. I learned some great skills, such as hemming, gather, and inserting an invisible zipper. Stay posted as I begin to share more about the projects I have completed since this.

How Many Times Can I Go to Jo-Ann's???

Well, I did it again. I went to Jo-Ann's, but remember I had to use my 30%-off-entire-purchase card between September 4th through the 8th. Today was the 5th, so I did wait a whole day to go. I should get some points for that. :) I found so many different materials that I really loved and so much of my purchase was this, from denim to some wild pink with black zebra stripes. Someone asked me if I was making a quilt with all the fabric, and I thought they must have thought I was crazy if they thought I was going to put my very diverse fabric together in a quilt. I let them know I had no idea what I would make with them but that they would eventually be used on some different projects. I also bought some yarn and a circular knitting needle that I need to make an adorable knit cardigan for my tiny little niece, the little newborn sister of my Ariel-fan-niece.

Tonight, my husband and I had dinner at his parents' house. His aunt and uncle from Wisconsin were there and I got to enjoy a long and educational sewing chat with his aunt who has been sewing since she was young. She made her own prom dress in high school! Seriously, how many people can say that? I am lucky to have two excellent sewing resources, my husband's mom and his aunt!

Hopefully, I will have some project posts later this week, which has been very busy.

A Moment to Laugh

Today, my husband had one of his rare days off, which are always a treat for us both! Being the wonderful sport he is, he graciously spent some of this afternoon helping me cut out material using the new tools I bought yesterday. At one point he mentioned that it might be more helpful to iron the material first because it had several creases where it had been folded. I agreed and instantly remembered the iron we had been given for a wedding gift (one we had never used yet, during our first year of marriage). So we hopped up and headed to the closest where we have several wonderful gifts stored that we just do not have the room to put out in our apartment. Excited we sat down to open our iron. As soon as my husband opened the box, he knew something was wrong. The first warning sign was the wedding tissue paper laying inside. "Strange," I thought to myself. Then, my husband pulled out the table runner that was wrapped in the tissue paper. We both looked at each other, thinking the same thing. He pulled out the last item, which was a vase. We just stared at them both for a moment, recovering from the shock of seeing our "iron." We laughed a little, thinking it was funny we had thought we had one gift for a whole year and it turned out to be something entirely different. That is when it hit me: "Honey, our thank you card said 'thank you for the iron'!!!" We died laughing, half embarrassed and half entertained. Now how many people can say they thanked a couple for the box they received their wedding gift in? Maybe more than I would guess. See, sewing can leave you in stitches. ;)

To Jo-Ann's I Went...

Is it bad that I went to Jo-Ann's for the third time since Sunday? Maybe....maybe not. After all, it is National Sewing Month and they have had wonderful sales for someone like me who is just building their collection of necessary sewing tools. Today, I HAD to go there, because if you spend $35 or more today through Monday, you will receive a card that is good for 30% off an entire purchase, including sale and clearance items! Seriously, can you blame me for going? Of course, I have to use this card between the 4th and the 8th of next month, so I suppose I will be forced to go to Jo-Ann's again next week. Alas....life is rough. :)

Today I expanded my tools to include a rotary cutting set, a chalk pen, a tracing wheel, an acrylic ruler, and a sewing gauge. No, it is not by chance that all but two of the tools I purchased today are used to cut fabric. Yes, all fabric cutting tools, minus like three items, were 40% off. Hurray for Jo-Ann's and National Sewing Month!!!