jenbobblehead Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 i have found that most sergers are very similar, so you should get a generic serger book at the liberry or book store. they are very helpful in understanding the general workings of the serger. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
poppydawn Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 poppy-were the fabric layers tied in the middle and serged on the edges? i've got a fabric for 3 such blankets in my closet. i'd planned to just layer and quilt them. My friend didn't do any ties; she just serged the edges. They would have been even better if they'd had some sort of quilting, though. After so much use and a zillion trips through the laundry, the fabric has shifted and puckered a bit. If you want to see the blankets up close, I should have time today to take pictures of them. Just let me know. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
austrya Posted December 30, 2007 Author Share Posted December 30, 2007 The needles on my serger are uneven. I'm pretty sure mine is supposed to be that way...It works. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Reni Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 These days, it seems that the speaking of truth can be a revolutionary act. In many traditions the color blue represents truth. In wearing the color blue around one's neck, it symbolizes the speaking of truth. I have stitched the Hebrew word for truth "emet" into this. I am still messing with the lettering chart and am going to experiment with different yarns and gauges.....but I want to start a blue scarf revolution! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
poppydawn Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 That's so fab, Kate! You know about last year's Red Scarf Project, right? If you can make a color chart for those of us who are colorwork impaired, I'll gladly make a scarf and spread the word. Tomorrow morning, my hungover friends and I will be hitting the fabric store sales. I've got grand ambitions of making curtains for my entire house. Can't wait to see what a great job I do with measuring my windows tomorrow morning. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ms. yvon Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 The needles on my serger are uneven. I'm pretty sure mine is supposed to be that way...It works.thanks!i think that IS how it's supposed to be. the instructions call for the needles to be seated as far in as they will go. the illustrations don't show the needles uneven, but what'reyougonnado? as you say: It works. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
poppydawn Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 I'm in a foul sewing-related mood. I don't ask for help very often, but I'd asked one of my sewing friends to help me fabric-shop for my curtains and I'd asked my husband the engineer to measure the windows and help me figure out how much fabric I might need. They both flaked on me. Screw it. I'm saving myself the time and frustration by going to Target tomorrow and buying some sweatshop-manufactured curtains. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ms. yvon Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 oh, poppy! lame! maybe you should just go to the fabric store to just get the juices flowing. if nothing else, you can make rectangles, fold over a bit at the top and slip a pressure cafe rod in there. straight seams, no hardware. another option: sew the panels, add clip on loops at the top, use the cafe rod. (i've got these panels with loops and cafe rods in my living room, dining room AND bedroom. i'm in a rental apt. with vert. blinds. instead of having to take down all that hardware, etc, i just put the pressure/spring bars IN the window frame.) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
poppydawn Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 Thanks for the recommendtions, Yvon. I think I'm going to ditch the pattern and just go for simple. We've got 9' ceilings throughout the house, and I'm mainly looking to add some visual interest to all that space with curtains. The windows all have great coverings already (bamboo shades in the living room, vintage blinds and shutters in the master bedroom), so I don't have to worry myself with light-blocking fabrics and such. I can sew hems and a case for the rods, surely! At my old house, we had awnings on the outside of all the windows, so I did these snazzy no-sew cafe curtains. I put big brass grommets in the top for the rod, and pinking sheared the edges. They were so cute, but really wouldn't match the style of the new house. I loved them, though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ms. yvon Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 hooray! i'm headed out to this place today:urban craft center they have a washing machine that i can use to felt this bag i've knit, and table space to lay out a quilt. woo! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Clouds of Fluff Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 What a brilliant idea for a place! I would join you with my beads if I could. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ms. yvon Posted January 5, 2008 Share Posted January 5, 2008 the urban craft center is terrific! it's a big studio space with sky lights and a loft. i ended up spending five hours there! felted my bag in the washing machine, layered and pin-basted a quilt on one of the giant tables, then blocked the felted bag. it was terrific to have all that space. at home, i usually have to shuffle stuff around to create work space. one more thing: since jan 1 i've been sorting fabric. i've been stashing fabric for YEARS without taking the time to use it. everytime i want to find one type of fabric, i would pull all these cartons out of the closet and exclaim, "oh! i forgot about this!" and "this is gorgeous/hysterical/fantastic/fucking awful!" so. i'm on the last carton now. my couch is covered end to end with color coordinated stacks of cotton. and the floor. and coffee table... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
poppydawn Posted January 5, 2008 Share Posted January 5, 2008 I don't think I'd ever leave if I had access to the Urban Craft Center! That's too cool! I've been sick for the past few days, and it's been a good excuse to plow through some knitting. Today I started the Fetching gloves a friend asked me to make. I made a Calorimetry headband in just a few hours. Love this pattern! If I have enough yarn left over from the gloves, I'm going to make this to my friend, too. Here's mine: I love how the purple spot in the center is the same shade as the purple in my hair. I'm almost finished with this bag. Mine's black with hot pink squares. I'm hoping to finish it this weekend. There's been some sock work in there, too. I had to wait for a prescription yesterday, and the pharmacy happened to be next to Hobby Lobby. I decided to kill some time there, and hit the jackpot on fabric for my curtains. I got a lovely decorator fabric with a poppy print, clearanced to $2/yard! They only had three yards, so I doubt if I'll have enough to make curtains for my living room, but for that price and that design, I'll make it work somewhere in this house. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Reni Posted January 5, 2008 Share Posted January 5, 2008 ooooh nice!!! I am still waiting for my yarn to come for the calorimetry pattern...... I was hoping it would show up today. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ms. yvon Posted January 5, 2008 Share Posted January 5, 2008 poppy the head wrap looks terrific! i've been looking for yarn in my cupboard that fits the gauge. the vertigo bag is rad! love the anti site. never been there before. i've only felted one thing before. this time around i really understood the power of blocking. kate, i knit a bag based on the messenger bag pattern in "knitting for peace." i had to grapple with the felt once it was out of the washer. initially i'd tried to felt it in a commercial washer, only to have it go through a spin cycle. the flap is a bit distorted, but i'll just trim it up. also: i also knit this in lamb's pride. WOOLY with HIGH SHED POTENTIAL. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
poppydawn Posted January 5, 2008 Share Posted January 5, 2008 poppy the head wrap looks terrific! i've been looking for yarn in my cupboard that fits the gauge. I did it in plain ol' worsted weight on size eight needles. It's pretty big, but that's what I was aiming for as I have a watermelon-sized noggin and gigantic hair. the vertigo bag is rad! love the anti site. never been there before. She released a book recently. I don't know if I'll buy it, but it was fun to glance through. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
austrya Posted January 6, 2008 Author Share Posted January 6, 2008 I broke my new serger already. I tried to sew something a little to thick, ok a lot too thick, and it broke a needle and bent the upper looper. I had to spend $63 to get it fixed. UGH!! It's not as heavy duty as my regular sewing machine. I have to get used to that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Reni Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 all done! I am making a bunch of these for my friends' kids for Valentine's Day.....though I am going to go down on the needle size a bit if I continue with sport or DK weight......sitches are just a wee bit too big for colorwork. It's VERY stretchy too - so smaller needles won't be an issue. Already got another on the needles, but ran out of red!! Oops! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
poppydawn Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 Oh Kate! The cuteness! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ms. yvon Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 kate, you are are color work inspiration!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ms. yvon Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 I broke my new serger already. ...It's not as heavy duty as my regular sewing machine. I have to get used to that.bummer! you have to give yourself credit for taking the machine in for repair right away. one often hears tales of "*** has a machine but it hasn't worked in years." also, thanks for road testing the hardiness of the serger and sharing the info! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jenbobblehead Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 i think the tension on a serger is incredibly testy and if you have one needle too tight you can really screw it up, because it will break a needle which then drops into the timing of the machine. That happened with my regular Janome machine and it was $140 to fix! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
austrya Posted January 6, 2008 Author Share Posted January 6, 2008 Kate, if you want to make a hat like that for Grace, I'll pay you. Let me know! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Reni Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 Christy - I would love to make a hat like that for Grace....and pay me? puh-lease! your money is no good here. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jenbobblehead Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 Banjo has also asked for one. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.