I AM SPOLIED!

I have the BEST HUSBAND EVER!!!! No, really, I do! We just bought my birthday gift. The big 4-0. It is only in August, but the sale ended March 1st, and I had my eye in the Husqvarna serger for months. That was the one I wanted and if I waited I would have to pay $300 more.
So here I am having fun tinkering with it. Then I have to work on my Singer Esteem. This machine B-L-O-W-S. It eats fabric, the buttonhole maker works for beans, it whines, it shakes, the thread gets all garbled up no matter what I do to the tension, it skips stitches, etc....
This past Friday my sewing class was a bust. All that I did on Simon's short was ruined. The pocket looks like garbage and the fabric slipped and I needed to rip out all my stitches. I was already in a pissy mood before the class, imagine me after the wasted 3 hours. 
Off to Excelle Machine a Coudre Saturday morning. We had previously gone in and looked at the Janome MC 6600. Later on I had Simon call and ask for the price for the Janome Memory Craft 8200. She quoted us plus the table. Simon thought I was crazy for having him call so many times and ask questions. When I call they say they don't give prices over the phone. But when he calls, he gets all the info he wants. In the end, I don't care (much), as he  got the lower price and the table included for FREE!

So I have this WONDERFUL new machine. It purrs and wurrs, it does all kinds of things I will eventually figure out. And I did not get a chance to sew this weekend :( Simon wanted to make a pair of underwear himself. He wants to use the Serger all by himself. He traced his pattern and he will cut out the material next. He picked a Jalie pattern. They are great. They include all sizes, from kids to adults. Very economical. And the paper is super thick. Wonderful. Plus Jalie comes from Quebec, nice to support local talent.

For now I do not know my machines enough to post anything on them, only that I am SPOILED and HAPPY.

Butterick 5510 pants, size Medium

After spending several weeks making Simon’s pants only to find out that they are way too big, I wanted to make someone in my family something they would be able to wear. 

 










I wanted to take an old pair of jeans and make Butterick’s 5510, but the pattern pieces did not fit on my jeans.

I took the left over material I had from the first pair of pants I made for myself (that were also too big, see a theme here?). I chose the jeans with mock fly and mock pockets. 





With my new Overlock it went super fast. In 2 hours I had a new pair of pants, dinner made, and kids entertained! I made a size medium, and they were a bit large. I have not put on the carriers yet, but with them they will be perfect. Sam has a new pair of fancy pants for Easter. They look so nice. 

 

This pattern is so versatile and it comes with 2 pants patterns. I have not had the time to make the shirts from this pattern, but it is on my list. The pattern I bought goes up to Medium. I also bought the large size pattern. Sam is 18 months and he still fits in the Medium (maybe even small). However we are small people, so please do not base your sizing on us. 

Jeans Kwik sew 3504 Completed - but too big

 So I have (almost) completed Simon's Kwik sew 3504 jeans. I have the buttonhole to do and hem them. Seeing as my Singer is the pitts, I will wait for my sewing class to do the buttonhole. I will use my teacher's machine.




 If you want to know how good your machine is, just make a pair of jeans. Putting to layers of denim together is nothing. Try sewing the 2 layers plus the pockets. Or try the 2 layers and 1 loop carrier that is folder 3 times and then folded again at the end. When I sewed the carriers I practically had to crank the wheel by hand. Yes, I need an upgrade (SIGH)

 I am rather proud of the work I did. I really hope that they fit Simon. If not, he needs to eat a lot more, lol!

 Don't look too closely at the fly topstitching. The next pair will be perfect. This is my first attempt at it and I am 90% happy with my results.

Now, for the fly. It is so simple, so easy, so perfect that it confused me. The instructions that I am used to are confusing and the illustrations not so layed out. Kwik Sew makes it so easy that if you are used to it, you are reading it, reading it again, and re-reading it to see what you are missing. Just read the instructions and follow them, you will get there.
It took me my whole 3 hour sewing class to do the fly and zipper. I printed off
Peter Lappin's blog post and read through it. He had done a Jeans sew-along in May 2011. He used Kwik Sew's 3504 as well. He did a great job of posting the fly portion with pictures and further instructions to complement Kwik Sew's. I read through a few times (my norm when I approach a new technique). The only problem was that I forgot it at home!!!! I was stuck on one step and I could not figure it out. The picture did not show you if you sewed to the left or to the right of the zipper. Eeks. It took me 3 hours, but I followed the instructions one step at a time. I think I did a good job. It all fits together and in the proper place! Thanks Peter for the help. It gave me the confidence to plunge forward! Really, check out his blog. Really great help. He also had a men's short sew a long. Seeing as I will be making Simon's shirt really soon, I will check it out.
Tonight I will have Simon model them and I will post pictures for you! I hope he enjoys the jeans!

UPDATE

There will be no pictures. The pants are WAY too big. i should have listened to my instincts and made him a size small. They are ridiculously too big. I guess his coworker will get a new pair of pants.All that time wasted.

To Upgrade or not?

So I Currently have a Singer Esteem and am having issues with it. It skips stitches and the buttonhole is worth beans. It does not like heavy material and eats softer, silky fabric (in comes the walking foot). When we purchased it we knew nothing about machines. Singer was a brand name that was well known for years. It was associated with quality and durability. We had bought cheaper machines and returned them within the same day. We thought the $350 investment would have been worth it. We thought we would be happy with the machine for years. 

 I just received my Husqvarna HClass 200s overlock. I bought it from Excelle. They offer lifetime free classes on the machines when you buy it from them. Plus you get a free membership for the fabric store located in the same shop, Club Tissus. I have a membership at Fabricville and KwikSew online for club BMV. Do I really need another membership? Sure, if it is free. 

The classes are worth a goldmine. Plus Simon really wants in on it as well. 

Now for the dilemma. The sales people are very good at their job. She suggests I buy Janome Memory Craft 6600p for what I want to use it for. She says this machine will take me through all my projects and last me a lifetime. I want to sew silks, stretch, bulky fabrics, duck cloth, denim, fleece, make buttonholes, I want it all! I do not want a machine that will balk, that will fault, one that is made of plastic. And I do not want to outgrow my machine in record time. 

I like the auto thread cutter, the 9 inch arm space, the integrated walking foot, the start/stop button. the buttonholes (OH MY!), the Knee Lifter (I could have used this!), etc etc etc. There are 163 Stitches across 4 modes, 7 one-step, sensor buttonholes, Block and script monogram stitches, AcuFeed: Built-in layered fabric feeding system, Jam-proof, magnetic, top-loading, full-rotary hook system.. I mean the list goes on and on (6600p) The question/dilemma is do I upgrade at the moment for something smaller/less expensive and then upgrade to this in 5 years. OR, do I bite the bullet and just go for the Cadillac for my second machine?

Oh, and it comes with the table! ARGGGHHHH! Decisions, decisions. If I wait there will be no more left. Then would I upgrade to the newer model? Is the new model better? Or is it made cheaper?

Update - me and my new Overlock

So, just a quick update on how me and my new Overlock are getting along. Apparently my whole house shakes when I use it! It is on a table over a floating floor. If we redo out sub-basement and I move there it will be over concrete and not a problem. I don;t notice anything, so I don;t mind. Just to prove how powerful it.
I have cut the threads and threaded it several times, no problems. My husband showed me how to thread it, no issues. I am happy with it. The only trouble I had was threading the needle.

I made Butterick 5753, but the small was too small around the waist. Medium was too big, small is too small. I may add a triangle on the sides to make it fit, as I love the fit everywhere else. Serging together seams was easy. I even practiced on curves. I kept true to my seam guidance. I even did the edge of the arms, which was a small narrow area. The fabric I used rolls a lot at the end. To do a hem is a nightmare on this material. I overlocked the edges and it not lays flat. I think I want to use bias tape to finish it off, so the overlocked edges will fit nicely with that.

So far it has been easy to use. I finished my son's shirt that I made him, the one that was too small at the head opening. He loved it! The only way I could tell was that said he wanted to wear it now. He was into his game with Papa when I asked him to try it on, so what do I expect? Jumping up and down? Well, yes, sorta..... :)

I am so proud of myself for being able to thread the Serger with no issues, especially after hearing nighmares on the subject. This one opens right up so easily that it is kinda hard not to thread it properly. It is so well indicated and laid out. I was thinking why anyone would pay so much on an upgrade for a self threading machine? Ridiculous! It has me wanting to upgrade my sewing machine, though. I did the buttonhole on my black Cynthia Rowley pants. Again, it ate my material. **&^%! I practice, practice, practice. It ate my material. The Singer esteem is not so good with buttons, worthless, actually. I am not happy with the thread tension either. And it is not as powerful as I need it to be. Anyways, in 6 months maybe I can upgrade my sewing machine to a Husqvarna!

My Husqvarna, it has arrived!

I have received my Overlock yesterday. I was so sick that I did not even play with it :( Today I have no voice and coughing, but I will make an attempt at using it.)
 Simon already knows how to thread it, he knew before we bought the machine. This intimidates me, but I will learn.







I am using my Butterick 5753 Misses Top. I previously used a size 14, and we all know that that is way too big for me. I liked the shape of it, so we will cut a size 10 (small) and see how my Overlock works. I have leftover blue fabric that I bought at Fabricville on sale. If I ruin it, I do not care.

I would continue with Simon's jeans, but I do not want to ruin them.

I will post later on to show you our first attempt at Overlocking!

Kwik Sew Jeans 3504, Wide leg Size Medium - a Work in Progress

After finally completing Simplicity's 4760, I was not happy with the results. The fit looked nice, but it wasn't what I was looking for.
What I wanted was a REAL pair of jeans for Simon. One where the pattern was easy to follow, clear and fun to sew. After all my research, it appears that Kwik Sew is the only company that still makes patterns for men that are relevant for today. The Big 4 seem to believe that men only wear pajamas or scrubs, or are Big and Tall or Husky.
So off to Kwik Sew I go. Seeing as I am in Quebec, I can not buy the patterns in store as they are in English only. I could drive to Cornwall, Ontario to buy one, but that would cost me $30 in gas, as opposed to $4 shipping. I waited until they were on sale on line, so not to pay $12. Kwik Sew will ship all their orders once a week bulk to their office in Ontario, then ship it out from there. This was we do not pay duties, but it takes 3 weeks to get here.

MenKwik Sew's 3504 are jeans that have a fly zipper, waistband with belt carriers, back yoke, back patch pockets, front pockets, a coin pocket, and
topstitching detail. View A legs are straight cut and View B
are boot cut.
I am making these is a size Medium with boot cut leg. Simon is in between a small and a medium, so we will make a medium. These pants have a proper waistband with belt loops, so he should be ok. He needs the boot cut to fit over his construction boots.

I am using a size 16 needle, with dark denim fabric we picked up on St-Hubert street this past Summer. I am using Gutermann's Jean thread, the navy blue and Gold. The Gold is what I am using for the Top stitching details.












 Look at what arrived. I emailed, no response. I called and the lady was not very helpful. She said she could send me out a new one, no apology, no show that she was shocked this happened. NOTHING. I email again, I get a VERY apologetic call that very same day, and they will refund me. I wanted to have this pattern for my sewing class starting that Friday, so I had to have someone pick one up for me on their way in from Ontario. Looks like you can't always avoid it.

I am used to the BIG 4 patterns, so the detailed explanations of Kwik Sew appear confusing at first. 
See the pattern piece shown here. "Place printed side of pattern piece UP on RIGHT side of fabric" On the explanations the diagram showed the piece greyed out as well.
Wow, extra explanations!
























One difference I DO NOT like is the fold placement indications. On the regular patterns you have the arrows. Here it is only "PLACE ON FOLD" I missed that the first time. You have to read everything on all your pattern pieces. They took the time to detail EVERYTHING!

 
The coin pocket was SO easy to complete and sew on. I was nervous of the pockets. They look like they have so much detail. But you know what, the pattern is kinda idiot proof! The instructions as so detailed and complete that my instructor and I took about 5 minutes to understand ALL that detail!

I am so pleased with my efforts. After these pants I think I will have the topstitching down pat! I love the look the yellow jeans thread gives. I am using Yellow jean thread for the top and blue jeans threads for the bottom thread.

Simon had asked that I make his pockets extra secure. He feels that the pockets on his other pair may not hold up to the demands of construction work. He wants me to double sew the pockets again.
Pauline told me to sew the pockets twice, then we Overcast the seams with the serger in our class. They are SOLID, SOLID AS A ROCK!

Before moving on to the Fly construction, I decided to see if there were any tutorials on the Internet for this pattern. Everyone who reviewed this pattern said how easy the fly construction was. I found a very detailed step by step blog by Peter Lappin.. Check out his blog post about his Jeans sew-along here. I looked it over, and I printed it off to read over during my lunch break.

After a full day out and about, 2 active kids, my brain is tired. I decided to skip the fly for today and concentrate on less taking things, like the back pockets! Tyler woke me up at 6am, that's sleeping in for us. So I had lots of time to work on the back part of the pants this morning.

I took my time. I did my best to have the 2 rows of topstitches straight and equal. For my first attempt, I am satisfied. 

The I sewed the 2 back parts together and now I just need to do the fly. Do I wait until I get my serger this week, or do I bring them into Friday's class and use the serger there? Decisions decisions. I will read the fly instructions and see if a zig zag stitch will suffice.

I put the pants up to Simon and they may be a little too large. I went against my better judgement and cut the pattern at Medium, as per Simon's request. I told him he's wearing them regardless, lol!

Sam's 1st haircut

So we are basically bald until 1 year of age on my side of the family. Sam is now 17 months old and was in need of a haircut. Off to Minimid we go! Tyler got his haircut first and Sam sat in the buggy beside him. Oh he laughed and played. When it came time to cut his hair he stayed still and was serious.

 

What handsome boys! Where does the time go?

Husqvarna Overlock HClass 200S

I had my husband call Excelle Machine a Coudre yesterday to see when their sale on Husqvarna Overlocks will finish. Good thing as it is TODAY their last day. Over $200 rebate! That is no chump change! I have researched and researched it, and this is the baby I want for my 40th birthday. I saved up all my gifts since last year. No Christmas gifts, no Mother's day gift, no Anniversary gifts. Just bank it for this year's 40th gift!
Voila! Here is the gift I REALLY wanted.
The problem is that they sold so many that there is none in stock. We put a deposit down, at the reserved price and once it arrives, it is all mine!
Oh, the projects I can get done with this machine.
We have 1 year guarentee , 2 years on the electronic, and 15 years on the fabrication. And we get free unlimied courses when I buy a machine from them.

Simplicity 1783 Cynthia Rowley Blouse

I have started Simplicity's 1783 from Cynthia Rowley. I am doing the blouse, view A in a size 10. I purchased a nice deep brown satin fabric with an off white bias trim. It has pleats and raglan sleeves.

I started this blouse during Friday's class and continued it during Sunday's class. I am surprised at how simple the pattern is. This was my first time working with pleats and I must say that I am impressed with my results. After 2 classes all I have left is to complete the bias trim, attach the sleeves and sew the one remaining side.

I have attempted bias tape a few times previously and I am impressed with my work. Practicing bias tape on those baby bibs I made really helped me understand how to work with bias tape!

We used the serger to finish all of the seams on this shirt as the satin frays something AWFUL! Another reason to buy my serger, hint hint!

It is done, I just have to install the button!