Iron, I Love You

I always hated ironing, but since I've started sewing, I find it both enjoyable and relaxing. I have a lot more crisp cotton in my life, and I enjoy making an item that is freshly laundered look freshly laundered. (Confession, I'm terrible about hanging the laundry once it dries.) Turns out ironing is even better than pinning when sewing. I can measure as I go and make sure things are nice and even. If I iron correctly, I don't have to pin. If I don't have to pin, I don't have to worry about stabbing myself or about remembering to take out the pins. Yay, iron!

A Place Of Her Own

Since April, I've been sewing on the dining table. Well, to be honest, most of those days my machine sat unloved on the dining table while I glared at it. As my sewing paraphernalia grew, it took up more and more space until we were eating dinner on the couch each night. My fabric was spread around the house, my tools were usually out of reach, and bunny fur was getting everywhere.

My mannequin lived by the bookcase, make a creepy silhouette in the window.

No more! For Christmas, dear darling hubby got me the Expedit desk from Ikea. It's a pretty sweet sewing station. It's wide enough for my sewing machine and ironing board. Like most Ikea goods, it's modular and you can add new cubbies or buy door and drawer units to change the functionality. He set it up in the basement in an area we'd painted and carpeted. It's very comfy and well-lit.

Yes, I hung tulle form the ceiling.

What looks like cardboard tubes under my mannequin is really postal paper for patterns.

I have all my tools and fabric organized and at hand. No more searching for my scissors or seam gauge. My sewing box, which doubles as my pin cushion, is both out of the way and easy to get to. I don't have to walk to another room to get a book to reference. I know exactly what fabric and threads I have. My bobbins and fasteners are tucked away in drawers. So tidy!

Books and pins at hand!

These wooden boxes can from my parent's business. It's special to me to be able to reuse them.

Cotton waiting to be transformed into clothing.

We had an ornate card table in that space, so now it's my cutting station. My mat's a little large for the table. If I don't get a new table, I'll paint this one white.

I need to make some curtains to add to the hominess and subtract from the basementness. I like the white and brown, but I want to add touches of pink to make it like a cute French chocolate shop. And if you happen to be someone who sleeps in this area when you visit, fear not. There's still plenty of room for an air mattress.

Blast You, Machine!

I've learned a hard lesson about dull needles. Of course, I should have checked it before over six months had passed. I was on the last few stitches of a onesie I was appliqueing for Christmas when my machine ate it! It needed to go in for servicing anyway as tension settings no longer seem to matter. I knocked it up to eight at one point but it was still crazy loose.

Tools Wishlist

I've been sewing this week, but I can't post pics until after January. (Secret Christmas projects!) In lieu of a project update, I thought I'd make a list of the tools I need/ am lusting after.

Wrist Pin-Cushion I'll most likely be keeping my pins in magnetized containers on the wall (<3 Ikea.), but moving to put the pins in their proper place while I sew disrupts my rhythm. I'd really like a wrist pin cushion so it's all by me as I work. (I guess could make one, but it wouldn't be as cool as this embroidered sugar skull from Etsy.)

French Curve I'm a curvy girl and will be making clothing accordingly. A French Curve helps alter commercial patterns and draft patterns for the shapely figure.

Scarf Hem Foot Chiffon is lurking in my basement, and the mere idea of working with it intimidates me. My sewing yoda told me there's a foot that will roll the hem of a fine fabrics while you sew! As I have big plans for fine fabrics, I'd love a scarf hem foot.

Ruffler Foot Pulling the bobbin thread gets the job done of ruffles, but a ruffler foot would do this faster.

Sleeve Board Sewing means ironing has become part of my life, and I rather enjoy it. I do not enjoy, however, ironing sleeves. Puff sleeves are the worst! When I cant' get the sleeve on my board, I end up with one smooth side and one creased side. A sleeve board would fix that.

Tools

One of my favorite part of Stitch by Stitch is that tools are broken down by necessity. Great! I'm totally clueless. Guide me!

I already had a seam ripper, measuring tape, iron, and scissors. Those are no brainer items, but I've been careful to note what frustrates me as I work and then purchase a tool to help with that frustration.

So far I've purchased:

- Seam gauge. This is a great little measuring tool with a slider. I found it especially helpful when trying to get my hem exactly 3/4 inches deep.

- Seam guide. It is so freeing to not need to stare at the throat plate guide lines. I do check the edge of the seam guide every so often, but I can focus more on odd bunching with the guide in place. Even if you abandon it later, newbies should try one when starting out.

- Rotary cutter/mat. After making my tutu and trying to cut a straight line for some bias tape, I felt like scissors were my enemy. I even got those for-either-hand deally-dos, but I still veer and get ragged edges. A rotary cutter will help me make continuous and swift cuts.

- Acrylic ruler. This stands on its own and pairs with the rotary cutter. Mine is 18 inches long. For quick measurements, I like it better than measuring tape, plus I can use it to get a perfect edge with my rotary cutter.

Next on my to purchase list is a wrist pin cushion, a ruffler foot, and a scarf hem foot. When I start making more clothing, I'll get a sleeve board, tailor's ham, and french curve.

The Bunny Inspects The Dress Form

Kinkajou is convinced that this adjustable dress form is her new plaything. A lady from my church gave it to me, and while I'm not really at the making my own clothes stage yet, it's really exciting to have it waiting for me.