2018 Make Nine #2 Garment

I managed to finish a blouse for 2018 Make Nine. I hadn't sewn clothes for myself in a very long time so I was a little nervous about sewing a very sheer polyester fabric I bought specifically for the pattern. I just made sure I had put a sheer fabric needle in my machine. It all worked out and I'm very happy with how the blouse turned out. Beautiful fabric!

Sewing Machine Addition

My sewing machine collection keeps growing. Yikes! Saw an old Kenmore for sale in my local area and decided I would go see it. It was bought in 1988 but it didn't look like it had been used much at all. It was very clean and had lots of accessories. I couldn't pass it up when the owner told me she was selling it for $40. Had to adjust the tension and stitch length and after greasing it and oiling it was running very smooth. It also makes beautiful buttonholes.

I then saw a Janome New Home 23X for sale online. I've heard Janome machines are good and even though this one was old it had lot's of sewing feet, the needle down/up button, the low/high button, a needle threader and an automatic buttonhole maker. I jumped at the chance and bought it for $100 shipping included. Every time I buy a machine online I hope I'm not going to be screwed and receive a broken or no good machine but I just keep positive and know that most people are good people. The machine arrived very well packed and looking it over I was very surprised at how clean it was. Not a dent or scratch on it. But, when I tried to make a buttonhole on a scrap of fabric, it wouldn't and the reverse button wouldn't work. My reaction was,"NO! I've been screwed!" I wasn't going to complain because that's probably why it wasn't more expansive. Anyway, I calmed down and called a local sewing machine serviceman and they were wanting to charge me between $100 and $200. I told my husband, "There's no way I'm paying that much money to have this machine fixed that's highway robbery so you and I are fixing it." We opened up the machine and hubby started tightening up this and that and we greased and oiled the heck out of it and low and behold we freaking fixed it. I knew that once we fixed the reverse part the buttonhole maker would work too and that's exactly what happened. I told my husband, "If you're able to fix $80,000 + Nasa machines you will fix this little machine." Everything is working perfectly now. The foot paddle isn't even dirty and no scratches on it either. I guess some people buy sewing machines and then realize sewing just isn't for them. 

The electronic part of Janome machine

Top guts of the machine.See how clean it is.

In there is where we had to get to fix the reverse button. Had to put all the different screws in marked baggies.

Fixed

Nice compartment for feet. Not too crazy how to the thread sits though. Have to get used to it.

Binding On My Mom's Quilt

The quilt is finally off the quilt frame and am now finally just folding over the backing towards the front folding under about one inch and just sewing it down with a blind stitch/applique stitch. I'm doing it by hand because it's not as stiff. As you can see on the first picture I didn't remove the old torn backing. It was too much trouble to do that with all the hand stitching it had.

Another Singer Sewing Machine

My birthday is coming up and when my hubby asked what I would like I told him all I really wanted was to add to my sewing machine collection. I'm sure he didn't understand why but he just said OK.
I had been wanting a sewing machine attached to a table with drawers for a long time and when I would see one online and I would inquire about it they would already be sold. This time I saw one on a FB garage sale and I immediately said I was interested. This past Saturday husband and I drove 45 minutes away to see it at a resale shop and I made sure we got there before they opened. I saw it and fell in love with it. It's a Singer 403A built in 1958 and it's all metal inside and out/ It has a zig zag stitch plus it comes with 10 other different very nice stitches. I never use fancy stitches really.  it doesn't even have a scratch on it and neither does the table. Not a scratch nor water marks from glasses. Oh, yes it even came with a sewing stool. I already reupholstered it and looks great. The machine is sewing beautifully after I oiled it, greased it, and put a new needle in it. This metal machines should last for many many more years as long as I oil them on a regular basis. There was still lot's of old thread spools and a very old heart pin cushion with lot's of needles on it. Kept the needles and thread but threw out the old dirty pin cushion. I got such a good deal.

First 2018 Make Nine Finished

Finally made my first Make Nine for 2018. I chose New Look 6556 view B. I forced myself to use fabric I already had and that was hard because part of the excitement for me is shopping for the fabric.  I just have so much fabric I just couldn't buy any more. Had the elastic, thread and buttons too. The fabric is 100% cotton and the wrong side looks just like the right side. The fabric is some years old but I still like the color and I love the way the romper turned out. It's a loose-fitting and so so comfortable. Cotton rompers are the way to go when you live in SE Texas so I look forward to wearing it throughout the summer. It was such an easy pattern I finished it within a couple of hours. I do regret adding the pocket to the bodice because the fabric lines just don't match. In order to get the pocket from the amount of fabric that I had I had to place the pocket pattern in a different area of the fabric so I wasn't able to match the lines of the bodice and pocket.  Lines not matching does kinda of bug me a bit but I prefer a pocket even if it the lines don't match. That will sometimes happen if you don't have enough of fabric with lines.

Thriftshop Fabric

I haven't finished my first Make Nine garment. Thursday night husband and I were out eating and I cracked a molar eating a salad. Pain not letting me concentrate much on sewing. I did manage to find the fabric that's in my header with the scissors, though.  A beautiful chiffon-like fabric that I found at a thrift store a few weeks ago. It's a 3 yard 60-inch piece without any defects. No funky orders or anything. Just can't believe my luck. I keep changing my mind on the pattern for the fabric. I keep going from a short kimono to a blouse. I like both. I also think that if I make something longer from the back that it's more likely to tear.

1st of 2018 Make Nine

Today I cut the first pattern of my 2018 Make Nine list. I'm not going to make them in the order that I printed them out on the 2018 Garment sheet. I'm just going with what I feel like at the moment. I'm starting with the pattern Burda 7340. The pattern is one big piece and the blouse has only two seams, the shoulder, and right side seam. After that the only sewing I have to do are hems.
I had the fabric for a while and knew it was perfect when I saw the color and sheerness of it.. I'm sure it was happy to finally see the light of day. Hehe! It's very sheer so I will have to wear some kind of tank top underneath. I'll probably look for an orange or peach colored one or maybe make one if I find the right fabric. I'm not crazy about sewing sheer fabrics because I always have to be more careful and slower when sewing. Hopefully, I won't be ripping out stitches.

I'm making the short blouse. Perfect for summer.

Found what looks like an ink spot on the fabric so I'm just going over it with some gold or orange marker. It's tiny but it kinda stands out with the bright color in the background. 

My Sewing Machines

I've had this machine for about 15 years. The only stitches I ever use are the straight and zig-zag I wish it had an automatic buttonhole maker but I have to put the attachment on and then make them. To me, that's wasting time. I paid about $400 for this machine and it has never given me trouble. I always clean it after a big project like a quilt and especially after sewing flannel. I also oil it about every two months. I really need to get an attachment table.

This is my Singer baby, it's 10 1/2 inches wide and 11 1/2 inches tall. It's pretty heavy and it sews great. I bought this one to use at any quilting classes I would go to since I didn't want to be hauling a big machine. This one was sold in the early 90s and for a limited time. I'm glad I bought it.

This is my quilting machine that I got from an online bid. I got it about 10 years ago.  I love it!  It's got some power I tell ya

. I don't sew clothes on it nor piece quilts on it I only use it for machine quilting.  I've been very happy with it. The iron

next to it belonged to my mom and I believe it to be about 30 years old if not then older. It gets super hot and it not a steam iron

. This machine is just a straight stitcher.

This beauty is a Singer 500A  also know as the Rocketeer.   This machine came out in 1960 and it was the last Singer machine to be made of all metal. There are no plastic parts on it at all. It works with all gears which is why it doesn't

need a belt. It has all the attachments it originally came with and it's doesn't have that many scratches. It still has the singer paper on the front. My husband totally surprised me with it. I had been looking at them for months on Youtube and I guess he was paying attention or he felt sorry for me because one night the FedEx guy just came a knocking at the door and dropped it off.  I still can't believe he did that. Anyway, the reason it's called a Rocketeer is because it came out when America was just starting its journey towards space and Singer came out with a machine that resembled a rocket. This is a very powerful machine with a perfect straight stitch and can sew through about five layers of fabric. It has many fancy stitches that I will probably never use. It weighs about 30 pounds.Very heavy. When I got it I cleaned it really well or as much as I could. I tried to clean up some of the old black oil and then put in lot's of clean oil on every moving part and greased up all the gears. Now, it sounds perfect.

This is a Singer 237 and it came out in the mid-60s.  This will always be my favorite machine because it belonged to my mom and she made a lot of clothes for me on this machine. I brought it to my house after she passed away and I hadn't touched it in about 16 years until January. I took this picture before I cleaned it up so it looks a lot better now. I cleaned it up really well inside and out and oiled and greased it really good in every moving part. More oil than grease. I ordered a new belt for the big wheel and for the bobbin tire.It sounds and runs awesome now. This was the last machine singer made with metal gears and is probably why it still works. You can tell the wear and tear it got in the front from my mom's hands rubbing up against it, and the other spaces it has no paint on is from the scissors banging on it year after year. I feel like my mom is over my shoulder every time I get in front of this machine. It's a good feeling. Of all the machines I have this is the only machine that came with a cabinet. Ha, five sewing machines and I still don't have a serger. 

Well, that's it for my machines.  Actually, I am always on the lookout for another good deal on a vintage all metal machine. My husband doesn't know that. 🌝🌝

Pattern Tracing Paper

The reason I haven't purchased any PDF patterns is the having to cut the pattern from printing paper. Well, yesterday I went to Staples to look for folder labels and while I was browsing I saw a basket full of pattern tracing paper rolls. I grabbed three as fast as I could because I've been looking for some and I almost ordered some online but hadn't cause I hate to pay for shipping. I was still hoping I would find some in a store. I feel so lucky having found the paper. It's thin translucent paper perfect for tracing patterns and it's 50 yards long. I'll print using regular printing paper and glue the pages together then use the brown paper to trace out the pattern. I can use the thin paper pattern on the fabric and store the printed pattern in my files. Lot's of good sales at Staples but unfortunately, it's because the store is closing for good. 😞
I made a trip to Joanne's to see what I could use my coupon on and bought a French ruler hoping to make my pattern making a lot easier. In all the years that I have been making clothes, I've actually never owned one.  It was $19.99 but I used my 40% coupon so YAY!! for me.

2018 Make Nine Sewing Project

It's almost the end of February 2018 but not too far into the year so I have decided to do the 2018 Make Nine Sewing project.I figured I have plenty of time to finish all nine pieces.  Anyone ns is suppose to choose nine garments to make throughout the year.   I saw this on Youtube and thought it was a great way for me to get back into sewing my own clothes again after not making anything in two years. When I decided to do this I started looking for fabric in my closets, cabinets, and containers. I found plenty for everything I want  to make + more. I'm a pretty fast sewer so I'm pretty sure I can make more than nine garments. In order for me not to forget about it or start something else I am organizing everything into a binder that I specifically bought for this purpose. I need to have a written plan to work with,  or my ADD will kick in and I'll jump from project to project and before I know it I have seven or eight things waiting for me and then I get overwhelmed and it goes back into the closet of no return. This is just a goal I'm setting for myself.
This is the binder I bought for my Make Nine organization. I'm sure I will be adding things to it once I start sewing the clothes.

1st dress row 1, 2nd dress row 2 are very old patterns but very comfortable dress that I made a long time ago.

Due to my being older and having lost some weight I have to take all these measurements again.

I got this croquis off line I erased her clothes so I can draw on her any changes I make to the pattern.

 A sheet with lot's of info I must fill out so I can remember exactly what I used.

I'm going to try and not buy too much for each garment since I have all of the supplies I need.

The more I look at the Make Nine Batch 1 garment choices the more I'm convinced they are not very

challenging so I have created this second garment page of my other garment choices. If for any reason I no longer want to make a garment from Batch 1 I can only replace it with something from Batch 2. I have chosen lots of blouses that's for sure! If you noticed the garments on Batch 1, row 1, #1, Row2 #2.  Batch 2. row 2  #1  are very old patterns that came out in the 90's or 80's, but they were also patterns of dresses that I liked very much. I have so many patterns it's ridiculous!