Machine Details and Etsy

I called a different small Sew n' Vac place in town and they had the Janome 350e stand-alone unit. Boy am I glad you guys steered me towards the stand-alone version. It is cool to watch the designs print out but it would not be cool if I was trying to get some sewing done. Now I have three machines lined up in a row. The Janome on the left, a Viking Madison, and my Viking Huskylock 936. I had to do quite a bit of re-arranging and removing to get everything back in place. I plan to make some pajamas for my kids so that will be a perfect embroidery project.

Which brings me to Etsy. Etsy allows people to sell handmade things or supplies. Last year when I found inexpensive roll ends from Patagonia, I went a little buck wild. I ordered five bolts and boy do I still have a lot of it. I just posted some of the fabric on Etsy. I just want to re-coup my expenses so I put it on Etsy for cheap. It's great fabric but I need the space and I have so much left. I'm putting it on in two or three yard sections. You've seen the fabric before. I've made several great jackets from it. I have five different colorways of it. Yes, I know, I'm insane. Anyway, if you want some high-quality fleece, there you go. And I'm not trying to work my way into the fabric-selling arena. I'm totally not trying to horn in on Ann but I have a butt load of fabric to get out of this room. My Etsy shop is cabinbaby.etsy.com if you want to stop by and browse.

Well, I lied . . .

There were two stand alone embroidery machines in town. I bought one. I have to go to a Girls Night gig so I'll let you know more tomorrow. :) This is my first one. Not bad eh?

More of #105

This is the best outside shot I could get. The camera wanted to focus on the trees. I even tried the manual focusing options but they didn't seem to work. Oh well. Notice the change in footwear and the snow. Brrrrr. I finished the neckline and clipped all threads. Although, I do see some up by the collar that I must have missed.

 

I also noticed when I sat down at the computer that this will be a scary dress to wear to school. I'll have to attach a couple of safety pins to the inside so I don't have any wardrobe malfunctions a la Mrs. Jackson.

Almost done and . . .

I was searching for embroidery machines online (tee hee) and happened upon AllBrands.com. Anyone ever ordered from them? They have several affordable options for embroidery-only machines. I decided that I definitely want that over a combo machine. They are much cheaper, especially on this site, and I already have a decent sewing machine. Plus, I don't want to have to wait for the thing to finish if I need to sew. You know what I mean. Sometimes you just get the urge. It looks like they sell refurbished, factory serviced, and new machines. I would want a new one because you just never know. Here are the ones I am looking at:

• Brother PE700 5x7" Emb Card Mach, Threader Trimmer, TouchScreen, Edit, 136 Designs, 6 Fonts, 120 BorderFrame, 3700 CD. 6 Threads -- $699 +s/h (seems cheap doesn't it?)
• Brother PE700II 5x7" Embroidery Machine, USB & Card Ports, Auto Thread/Trimmers, TouchScreen, Edit,136 Designs, Edit, PED Basic Box, 3700CD, 6 Threads -- $897 +s/h
• Janome MC300E Embroidery Machine 300E, 5.5x7.9" & 4.3" Hoop, PC Link Card Port, 100Design, 3Font, Resize Rotate Trace Zoom Count, 650SPM 25/5YrExtWnty -- $1198 +s/h

What do you guys think about these three? Do the prices seem too good to be true? They seem really low to me but maybe I'm not used to looking at the stand-alone machines. The Janome seems to have more options like rotating your design, changing the size, etc. It also says Upgradable Software. Do you think the Brother machines are unable to change the software? Or is the software something that goes on your computer and then you just download the designs to your machine? Sorry to keep asking so many questions. :) I called around Anchorage and there are no stand-alone machines in this town so I can't try anything out.

Mostly I just needed a break from sewing buttonholes. The dress is almost done.

Burda 02-2009 #105 Shirtdress

Sheesh is 10 button a lot of work. I did not put a buttonhole or button on the collar. This fabric is pretty bulky and I didn't want to struggle with that. I still have the handsew the collar down on the inside but I couldn't wait to show you. I really like it. I decided against the pocket because I like the plainness. This is a black leather belt but, as designerdream said in my last post, I can totally see this with a narrow red belt. This pattern is quite snug in the hips and I'm glad I am using a stretchy fabric and that I gave myself a bit of extra seam allowance in that area. You can barely see the topstitching because this fabric is kind of spongy. The stitches just sink in.

 

You can see a bit of extra in the back but I think it is mostly due to the weight of the skirt pulling down on the bodice. This fabric has 4-way stretch quite a bit. I did do my normal 3/8" swayback adjustment.

Here's a little bit of a close-up so you can see the topstitching. I just need to handstitch the collar and snip the threads on the buttonholes. Full review coming tomorrow over at, my favorite place, PatternReview.com.

This is what my girls look like when they are done playing outside. They pass out on the couch to warm up. Aren't they cute?

Springy Shirtdress

I have this black and white fabric that has been screaming, "Shirtdress! Shirtdress! Make me a shirtdress!" for quite some time. I've decided to give in because the sun is coming back and that makes it seem all springy. Yes, we still have snow and sub-zero temperatures but that's all just details. The sun is back, ladies and gentlemen and that means spring!!! This is an extreme close-up of the fabric. It's woven but it has great width-wise stretch and a little lengthwise stretch. From afar, it appears a dark gray but it's an interesting weave. I really like the fabric. It's a cotton/lycra.


Not so extreme close-up. By the way I use a scanner to get good fabric shots. My camera always overexposes close-ups. It's nothing fancy but it works really well for things like this.


#1 So looking through my BWOF, there are several shirtdress patterns. They seem to do one every few months or so. This is 09/2006.



#2 This is from 06/2004.

#3 This is from 05/2008 and I love Christina's two versions but I don't think the fabric is a good match for this.

#4 This is from 06/2008.

#5 February 2009

#6 January 2009

I'm leaning toward #5 right now but you never know what will happen. What do you guys think? I'm thinking the black and white fabric with a colorful belt.

Happy Anniversary to Gorgeous Fabrics!

And hello new fabric stash to me. Did any of you guys get some of the great fabrics at Gorgeous Fabrics the other day (the other week?) when she had her 24% off sale? It rocked and I did my part to stimulate her economy. I bought a total of nine yards in four different fabrics. First up, my absolute favorite. My colleague has this plaid straight skirt I love and I wanted to copy it. This fabric is a dead ringer for the skirt fabric. But . . . getting it home, I think it wants to be a jacket. Damn this fabric. This is one of those that is going to take a while to find the perfect pattern. The fabric is thick, soft, and so wonderful. This is like this beautiful purple twill I have from Ann too. I haven't cut into it because I can't find the perfect pattern and the fabric is too beautiful to make it into something just okay. I know some of you have the same issues. It'll have to sit for a bit in my stash.




Isn't it pretty? And thick?




Black RPL. It's nothing special to look at but it's super soft and drapey. I LOVE it. Yes, I'm shouting. These are going to make a super nice, comfortable pair of pants.




And now the burnout lawn (sounds like a bad South Carolinian summer). I originally chose a different red print for a dress but I think this one will suit it even better. I'm on a red dress kick and I don't know why. I have a few options for this dress but I'm still undecided. And really, seeing as we were blessed with 10" of snow on Saturday, I'm not in any hurry to make a light summery dress.



Ann says on her website that it's sheer and she ain't kidding. Check out the shells through the flowers. I think I'll be backing this with a white batiste.


Here are some of the dresses I like in my back issues of BWOF. This first one is from June 2008.

This is in the February 2009 issue.

And this one is from May 2008.

Oh, and are you counting? There is one more cut of fabric. It's a very cool denim but it's in the wash. I can see a great pair of jeans (Jalie!! Jalie!!! Go, Emilie, go!) made from this fabric.

Tomorrow I'll tell you about my current project. I'll need some help deciding on a pattern but I think I've got the fabric picked out.