When 5/8" Isn't 5/8"

I'm still getting used to my nice new sewing machine (not the Pink Singer).  I learned a little something yesterday.

I'm making an apron with a curved seam between the bib and the bottom.  I'd been postponing this part of the sewing, because I didn't feel like doing all that easing.  Turns out that wasn't the hard part.

This being a garment pattern, it called for a 5/8" seam allowance.  No problem - there it is, clearly marked at the top of the throat plate.  Up where the mark is, it looks like I'm not lined up, but that's because this is a curved piece of fabric.  When you look at where the needle is, you can see I'm lined up correctly.

The good news is that the seam came out nice and smooth.  The bad news is the seam allowance measured 1/2".  Huh?

After some analytical thinking, I moved my needle to the left position.  Sewing this way, you'd get your  5/8" seam.  But who's going to sew like that?  Maybe someday I'll understand the purpose of a needle left position.  

I moved the needle back to center position and kept my seam gauge in there.  And then I noticed that the little orange arm was clearly pointing to the white line on the bobbin cover.  So that's the guide I need to use!

I sewed another seam using the newly-found mark.

And now it's just right.  Instead of ripping out that 1/2" seam, I just trimmed right next to it.  That double seam will keep the allowance nice and neat instead of all frayed.

Pink Singer

A few months ago, I saw that Jo-Ann Fabrics had inexpensive sewing machines in pink, aqua, and yellow.  They were all lined up on display, one color just as pretty as the next.  However, I had no need of one.

But when they went on sale, I realized I did need one after all.  After much thought on the color, I went with pink.  I already have lots of pink in my sewing room, so it seemed like the logical choice.

As soon as I got it home, I got it set up and tried it out.

Things were going well until I encountered the front-loading bobbin.  I was able to wind the bobbin, and knew how to get the bobbin case in and out.   But the threading directions regarding how to pull the bobbin thread through the bobbin case were incomprehensible to me.  All they had was a picture and the parts didn't look the same.

I eventually wandered over to YouTube and found just what I needed to make it work.

I bought this pink metal box at a garage sale a few weeks ago, just because of the color.  It's the perfect size to store the foot pedal in.

Speaking of the foot pedal.  After I had everything threaded and everything plugged in, I stepped on the pedal.  No action on the sewing machine other than a very loud sort of groaning noise, which scared me.  Foot off the pedal to reconsider.  Foot back on the pedal.  More scary noises.  Holy cow, not sure what to do.  Foot back on the pedal, this time flooring it.  Success!  Guess it just needed more power.

So I sewed a few stitches, admired the tension, then moved the pretty pink Singer to a cabinet top.  It didn't cost much more than toy sewing machines I've seen in antique malls.   And that's how I justified my need - not quite, but almost a toy.  And definitely decorative.

Monday Is Fun Day - Dog and Cart Pincushion

Over the weekend, I bought more pin cushions made from vintage ceramic planters.

Here's a dog pulling a cart.  I have it paired with a vintage postcard...

... and some other fun objects.

Tablecloth for My Writing Desk

I have two desks - one I use with my computer; the other I use when doing longhand writing.  Used for different purposes, I like them to have different looks and feels.

This is my writing desk - a nice $5 find at a garage sale years ago.  Simple black, and the only change I've made over the years is to swap out the drawer pull to match whatever the desk happens to be sitting next to.  It's not that I move the desk that much, more like the decorating around it is a moving target.

My new favorite color is mint green.  This year I picked up lots of mint green accessories: wall clock, desk lamp, rolling cart, and lots of baskets.  I recently consolidated all of them together in this one room.  And since the room gets a lot of sun, I wanted to cover up the hot black wood with a cool-colored tablecloth.

These are the blocks I picked out from my first layer cake.  I chose twenty of the blue, green, and grey, plus one pink.

I added the pink strips to tie in with my stool.  This tufted and well-padded ottoman is so comfortable that it's the best seat in the house.   

There's also a little bit of pink in the ribbon board (not sure what you really call those things), where I like to stick notes.  These ribbon boards are so much easier than push pins on a bulletin board, plus I don't have to worry about the dog scarfing up any that might drop to the floor.

In case you're wondering about my color sense, I know this desk lamp is turquoise.  The mint green one is elsewhere in the room.

Not all of the blocks are visible, because the desk is tucked in next to a bookcase and other furniture.  Since all the fabric is non-directional, I can turn the cloth around and see different sides if I ever feel like it.  

But right now when I belly up to it, this is what I see.  Much cozier than a slab of black paint.

  

And here I am, all set up for some longhand writing.

My First Layer Cake

I bought a layer cake earlier this year, for a project I no longer want to make.  It was my first layer cake and I don't know why I waited this long, since it's nice to get such a well-coordinated set of fabrics.

It's the "For You" collection from Zen Chic.  When I picked it out, blues were on the top.  It's hard to flip through 42 pieces of fabric that like to stick together, especially when they have a big paper band around their middle.

It wasn't until yesterday that I laid them all out and was surprised to find orange in there.  And I knew there was grey, but not that much.  

Lucky for me, my next project needed blue and green, which are the most bountiful colors.

Cut into strips, this would make a pretty log cabin.

And it was only yesterday that I noticed they give you all kinds of other cutting ideas.

That's something I might try in the future, but for now I'm making a tablecloth and decided to leave the blocks uncut.  Well not all of them.  I picked 20 of the blue, green, and grey, plus 1 pink.  The only block I cut was the pink one.

Monday Is Fun Day - Chair Pin Cushion

When I bought my three sewing baskets a few weeks ago, I also bought this chair pin cushion.

This is where I keep it.

Bottom of Boutique Apron

I thought my Boutique Apron would be a quick sew, which I was in the mood for after spending two months (!!!!) on my last quilt.  But once I got going, I realized it had lots of components.  So I broke them down and made a list so I would feel productive as I finished each of the five components.

We already looked at Component One, the shoe fused to the bib.

Yesterday I sewed Component Two - the bottom.  The pocket is fully lined.  I left too small of a hole for turning, so that was just a little bit challenging.

This pattern is weird.  For the black trim on the hem, it would have been nice and simple to line up its raw edges with the boutique fabric, then stitch and flip it down.  But for some reason, the pattern wants ALL of the black fabric to be on top of the boutique fabric.  Plus there are 3/8" seams everywhere.  So there was some weird alignment going on before sewing the seam.

Luckily, the bottom hem (white fabric) was a normal seam with no overlap.  Still a 3/8" seam, but I have a foot on my new sewing machine that is 3/8" from the needle to the right side of the foot, so that's easy.

Next step - sew bodice to bottom, and add straps.  Then I have to LINE the darn thing!  Well, I'm sure it will all be worth it in the end.