Posts by Yvette:
Imagine it no more! It IS here!
July 17th, 2010Remember in my last post, I was dithering about whether to get a serger or not? Dithered I No More. I got it.
Went to Ban Soon to grab a couple of packs of needles and ended paying the deposit for the machine. Hubby said those were very expensive needles indeed.
I brought it home on a Friday evening, after an hour at the shop with Helen, going through the set-up, the features and Q&A about the workings of the serger. Before I set off to collect my machine, I had my projects cut up, ready to be serged.
Over the weekend, I had it set up and while Hubby was entertaining Benji with trains and DVDs, I had some time to complete a table topper and a bathroom window cover-up (it is not exactly what I call a curtain). I started to work on some bedsheets for Benji too!
Apparently Ikea has discontinued the fitted sheets for the expandable mattresses. Armed with a measuring table and some wide-width fabrics, I set out to make about 3 more sets of fitted sheets for Benji’s toddler’s bed. Here’s one made from a duvet cover, also from Ikea. I followed Dana’s baby crib sheets tutorial loosely.
The Babylock is a dream to work with. It was easy to thread (jet-air threading) through the loopers and you don’t need to follow any sequences (thread upper first, then lower, etc), and best of all, i don’t have to worry at all about adjusting tensions for different stitches or fabrics!
Here is a view of a 3-thread narrow hem, serged on a linen-cotton blend from Ikea fabric. This fabric frays A LOT and with the serger, I was able to hem it neatly, fold over about 1/4 inch, iron and machine sew the hem down.
Looking forward to more serging adventures with the Imagine 😀
Fabric Stash Report – Summary for Weeks 8 through 12
June 22nd, 20105 weeks’ worth of Fabric Stash Summary. This post is FULL of fabric goodness. If you are on a fabric diet, look away now 😉
I ordered more fabrics from my favorite local fabric sellers again in May. Unfortunately, when they came through the door, I hardly had time to go through them. Today, I took some time to get them out of the bags to breathe some fresh air and of course, to take the pictures.
All Stars by Riley Blake
Lantern Bloom by Laura Gunn
Poppy by Lara Gunn
Dots by Paula Prass
Daisy Chain by Amy Butler
Michael Miller & Robert Kaufman
Cherish was kind enough to help include a special order for RK’s essex linen which I’m in love with. They are little trickier to handle, compared to 100% cotton, but easier (and cheaper!) than 100% linen. They are almost impossible to find locally and I would buy in bulk from the U.S. when we do a shopping spree online :p
Fat Quarter Bundle - 3 little bears
Fat Quarter Bundle - Mingle
Collect 'em all!
221 colours...
Cherish also helped me to source this colour chart as I’m deciding on stocking up on my Solids. Gosh… I absolutely adore EVERY colour! 😀
As for what went OUT:
A few more custom-order crayon wallets
Fabric wrap for Benji’s friend’s 3rd birthday.
A few Matryoshka doll appliqued totes
Weeks 8, 9, 10, 11, 12: 24 May – 20 June
In: 126 yds (Ooops!)
Out: 2 yds
YTD total:
Purchased: 176 yds
Busted: 17.75 yds
net: -158.25 yds
Besides the usual work and family matters, we took off for a short get-away at Cameron Highlands and KL in Malaysia for about a week. It was a great road trip with friends and it felt like an extended playdate for our kids!
Hopefully I can get back into the sewing swing of things this week.
Imagine… how wonderful to sew with this baby
June 10th, 2010I know I’ve been behind my stash reports – there are so many ‘ins’ that I could hardly keep up! I will save that for a later post.
Anyway, I’m taking a break from my work to share a little bit of what’s been on my mind for weeks!
Meet the Baby Lock’s Imagine serger. I visited Ban Soon a couple of weeks before to take a look at the Eclipse DX. The only difference between Eclipse DX and the Imagine is that the Imagine has the automatic tension feature. I’m inclined to go the idiot-proof way, and the price difference is not too big.
But STILL, it is going to be a hefty investment and I’m still dithering on whether to buy now or later (I mean, whether to buy one or not!). I really want one now, so that I can start cutting and sewing up projects for home. And I can still wait because I have a great sewing machine and I don’t see myself taking much time from work to work on my existing projects, let alone start new home decor projects. Am I going to crazy enough to pay S$1,800 for a machine to make pillow cases, cushion covers, napkins, etc? I think if there are friends who know me and reading this post, they are probably nodding their heads off. Sigh.
Perhaps I should do a ‘Serger Fund Raising’ sale, as discussed with a friend earlier. With the sale proceeds from selling what I make, I would feel a lot better shelling out for this baby. 😀
Sewing for Baby L
June 3rd, 2010A couple of weeks ago, I had a few quick finishes. I remember being really happy, working on these projects. Because I got bust some Japanese fabrics that I was in danger of hoarding and also trying my 1st bias binding, and my virgin attempt at crafting with the baby strap hardware.
Cot-sized quilt made with ultra-cute Anpan man pre-quilted fabric, hand sewn bias binding
Stroller-sized blankie made with 100% cotton and backed with flannel.
I remember spending quite a bit of $ on ugly binky straps and general straps to tether items near Benji when he was little. So, I whipped up a couple of straps for Baby L that not only function as binky straps, but also as the tether strap for the stroller blankie.
Kawaii fabric tapes (for stroller blankie and binky straps) from Moopie Fabrics.
Cot Quilt
May 31st, 2010
Peek
A
Boo!
Machine appliqued doll label
I’ve been waiting to do an applique with the little girl prints. And I found the perfect excuse in the quilt label! 😀