2 weeks ago my sewing machine exploded in a puff of flying parts. Bits flying to parts unknown around the room in a spectacular fashion. After retrieving what parts I could find (and identify), I packed her up in a huff and took her to the repair shop (although I may have been referring to it as a male at this stage).
TWO WEEKS to repair, that's what I was told. I glazed down at my obviously expanding waistline and mentioned the half finished quilt that my soon-to-be-born daughter NEEDED to be finished that was sitting on my sewing table. My machine was then placed at the end of the very long line and I was given a number. I'm wondering if maybe I should learn to cry on queue....
So while it was away of course I had the urge to sew. All I wanted to do was finish the quilt, it was SO CLOSE to having the binding sewed on. Thanks to some urging (possibly some daring) by Twitter buddies, I decided to be a guinea pig and see if it's possible to sew binding on a quilt using an overlocker. You know what... it is! plus I like it. The binding was sewn on and all the excess batting/backing cut off neatly at the same time. (I liked it so much I even used the overlocker again tonight to sew another quilt together)
Messy quilt top/batting/backing combo goes in one end...
... neat bound and trimmed edge comes out the other end.
I then broke into some City Weekend by Oliver & S knits that I had sitting to make up "one day", letting Bella pick a combo for a t-shirt and one for a dress while limited to only overlocker-making items...
Pattern: Oliver & S Hopscotch Top
Fabric: Oliver & S City Weekend Interlock in Park Ramble - Gold and Cafe Dots - Yellow Gold
Pattern: Oliver & S Hopscotch Dress
Fabric: Oliver & S City Weekend Interlock in Park Ramble - Pink and Cafe Dots - Pink
Pulling out another pattern that has been sitting in my pattern box for fear of all things jersey, I grabbed some gorgeous stretch fabric from Pitt Trading and some stretch velvet ribbon for a belt and whipped up a dress for myself.
Pattern: New Look 6697 view E
Friday night I got "the call" from the repair man that it was ready. I pretended to be deaf for the part about how much it was going to cost, how I should really get it serviced too (for extra) and he had never seen the needle clamp break off before. I don't care dude, stuff to sew, things to do, just give me back my machine.
Finally Monday in a mad dash between catching up with a girlfriend and picking Bella up from school I bolted to the repair shop and picked it up... just in time to come home to a charm pack of Moda's Sherbet Pips from Retromummy. I broke straight into the packet, plugged the purring machine back in and last night finished a quilt top. Today I did the hand basting and sewed on the binding, now just the binding to hand stitch on. Pics to come soon...
So see, I have been sewing... not just cooking and eating High Tea...
5 comments:
Why do repair men think we actually care about the blah broken blah service blah clean bit???
I'm liking that overlocked binding!
Love the dress for you and the ones for Bella! This is the reason I own more than one machine - my machine broke down the first week of term when I was teaching remote - my husband made me buy a spare one after a term of my whinging.
I think I need to put Layla into daycare 3 days a week... then I might get some sewing done like you!
Nice work as always. Can't wait to see the sherbet pips sewn up!
Where there's a will! Good on you for using the overlocker... Is this the far away quilt? I have lost track, you make so many lovely things. My turn soon!!
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