New machine! And a bit of withdrawal.

First the withdrawal. My trusty Bernina is in the shop for its usual checkup and, gasp!, the feed dogs are not working as well as they should. Keep my 20-year-old machine in your thoughts. Make sure it is in the good thoughts column of your brain. I really want that machine. I bought it back in the 80s and started a business sewing and adapting clothing for people who needed special assistance - Handicapable Clothing it was. I made a few caps for premature infants, sewed Velcro where there were buttons that were hard to fasten, and took the back seams out of skirts for women in wheelchairs. I'd still love to do that type of sewing, but there are many more of me out there these days and the internet makes it much easier to find someone to make adaptive clothing. When I bought the machine, I spent way too much money, but justified it because of the business and the fact that it came with a 3-thread serger, a really new thing at the time. I also got classes to learn how to use both machines. It was great and I've loved the machine ever since. I recently replaced the 3-thread Bernette with a 4-thread Bernina serger I picked up on eBay. I neeeeeed my machines!
In the interim, I've been searching for a Janome 4000 MC to make buttonholes with. I've been doing a lot of research on buttonholes, and posted about it earlier. There seems to be a love of this particular machine for its buttonhole function. Again, I kept my eye on eBay and finally found one that was a good price and in good condition. While my baby has been at the shop, I've been learning to use the Janome. It's not hard, but I'm an old dog and learning new tricks is rather interesting. This thing will write the alphabet if I figure out how! I haven't tried the buttonholes yet; I did get the tension the way I want it though. That took me a while and a half. I've made a doll outfit and played with stitches on scraps so far. I think it and I will be good friends.
It's amazing how we become attached to certain sewing machines and our sewing "stuff." I use a certain seam ripper, certain scissors, certain types of pins, a certain type of rotary cutter, and of course have preferences for certain types of patterns. I hate to sew knits, I won't sew a fly ever again, and I shy away from zippers. After 35+ years, I guess I just know what I like. But right now, I'm going through withdrawal. I want my machine back - whine, whine, whine! The good news is, it will be in better shape when I get it back than when I took it to the shop. My friend and I have a lot more years together. A lot more years.
Here's to all of our machines and sewing stuff. Long may they survive.

Scissor Tales

Scissors. Is there any more important tool in our sewing box? Maybe the needle and thread, the thimble, seam ripper, etc., but who's counting?
Memories of scissors: Growing up, you best not use mom's sewing scissors for cutting paper. There was no worse infraction of the rules than that. Even if you snuck them for one little wrapping job, she knew. It was like there was a secret scissor-watching gremlin keeping track of their every cutting task! How did she know? I'm not so sure how she knew, but now I'm the one who knows. My kids, now grown, know that you best not use mom's scissors with the black handles for cutting anyting other than fabric. And if you value your future, you're better off not using them at all. Those are my scissors. In a world of sharing just about everything, scissors are sacred. They are in my sewing area and that's that. Leave them right where they are or I'll hunt you down, wake you up, whatever it takes to get you to confess to having pilfered them. Lesson learned: Don't mess with mama's scissors.
Missing: Woe be to the people in the room when I discover my scissors are not where I left them. A hunt will ensue and all within hearing distance will be recruited. First will come the "Where did I leave them?" moment. Then, most likely, Who took them?" will come next. The search will go on, looking over, under, in, and out of furniture. And if they're not found, the "pouting" phase will begin. Lesson learned: Don't mess with mama's scissors.
Scissor vacation: My husband recently had the wonderful notion of taking my scissors to be sharpened. He had called me from work and said that the hardware store near his job said they could do them and have them back the next day. Really a nice thing for him to do! That night, I gathered all my sewing scissors, including my small snips and a pair of pinking shears, and put them in a box. Five pair of scissors total. Entrusted to the man I love and the hardware store I didn't know. It was a risk, but it was one worth taking to have a nice sharp edge that would cut through fabric like a hot knife cutting butter. Right? Every day I asked, "Are they done with the scissors yet?" Every day he would say, "They haven't called yet." A week went by. No scissors. I couldn't cut any fabric. I was starting to get the shakes. This was getting serious. I only had one pair of snips and an old pair of pinking shears at home. Of course, my rotary cutter was in the drawer with fresh blades nearby, but it isn't the same. After a week passed, I asked him if he had called them since they didn't call him. Feeling my scissor withdrawal, he decided to stop by the hardware store. And lo and behold, they never sharpened them. I asked him to bring them home, where they'd be safe, cared for, and loved. That night, he did bring them home and though they are in the same nonsharpened state, they're ready to be used anytime I feel like it. No more jonesing over scissors. Lesson learned: Don't mess with mama's scissors.
Bottom line: All in all, the lessons are the same. Our scissors are an important part of our sewing lives. All of our tools are. We're the surgeons of fabric and design. They are our scalpels and we need them to perform our magic. The bottom line will remain the same for ages to come. And we all know what that is - Lesson learned: Don't mess with mama's scissors.
Got any scissor tales to share? Click on comments and feel free.

Learning to sew - Mother's Day

I learned to sew primarily by osmosis. My mom did a lot of sewing when I was little. That's her and me in Washington when I was 7. Dig those legs! She sewed because of necessity. She was a working woman, not so normal in the early 60s, but she also had four daughters. All of them needed clothes on a budget. Often, my older sisters would get the grooviest clothing made and I would get it second hand. I was always on the run as a kid and didn't really care about those things anyway. The sewing machine did fascinate me though. I learned to use it while she was at work. I wasn't supposed to use it, but I did. I had Troll dolls (remember those?) and I used to make clothes for them - simple things with seams at the shoudler and sides. But I learned to make seams. I would watch my mom sew and see her do fancier things, but I stuck with the simple things that I could handle. She made clothes for Barbie. Those teeny tiny clothes. She made clothes for us kids. She made crocheted afghans, and of course, I wanted to learn that too.
We had doilies around the house that she had made or that my grossmama had made, and I learned to make them too. My biggest project was to make a tablecloth. I planned it and worked on it for years, but never finished it. This was crochet with thread, not yarn, so it was long, tedious, and kept me occupied like nothing ever before. I gave up crochet later, but still, from time to time, crochet 2" strips of fabric.
Somewhere in there, she did cross stitching. Not the counted cross stitch of today, but printed cross stitch patterns. I did those a lot. I graduated to embroidery after seeing my older sister's work. I learned that on my own, but the roots were in the embroidery and cross stitch I did with my mom. I've never done counted cross stitching or machine embroidery.
I always come back to the fabric though. When my mom died, I got the famed button box, the box we kids would sit on the floor and rummage through, sorting, remembering what garment they came off of or were put onto, and in general, make a mess with. I used several of those buttons on my own daughter's clothing when she was little.
When my first son was born, I decided to tackle sewing. It was time. I learned from Simplicity patterns and from my Reader's Digest sewing book. I made overalls and graduated to shirts with front buttons and collars. I made a few things for myself and learned about binding armholes from a friend. My younger sister got pregnant, and I threw myself into making several maternity tops for her, some with zippers. I made my son a pair of slacks with a fly closure (never again). I learned how to mend knees and legs of jeans from my mother-in-law. I took a short sewing seminar from Clotilde locally. I started getting Work Basket magazine. I tried cutwork, patchwork, strip piecing, playing with color and texture, and then decided it was time to make a quilt. I made a quilt for my older son using graph paper to draft a design out of squares and triangles that looked like a firetruck. I used only old, recycled fabrics, a blanket for the batting, and some leftover home dec fabric for the back. It's 27 years old and still with us, though in dire need of mending.
Long story short, my sewing roots go back to my mother. I watched her do it and I wanted to do it too. I don't have specific memories of her "teaching" me how to sew, but it had to have been her, whether by true osmosis or not. One of my sisters kids that I have the sewing gene and she doesn't. This could be true. I've been chasing the perfect needle, thread, and fabric ever since. I truly do love to sew and think that part of the reason I do is that it invokes a memory of my mother that I want to hold onto forever.
And a happy Mother's Day to all of the moms out there, alive or in memory. And may all your stitches be even and fulfilling.

My baby grew up and flew away...

Ah, breaking up with a project is hard to do. Do you find that to be true? I make tee shirt quilts and sometimes other items for folks on commission or just for fun. I've been working on a tee shirt quilt since February and yesterday, it took off for Texas, to its new home. The process is a long one, from birth to flight, but worth every minute. I start with plain muslin, tee shirts, and an accent fabric to tie it all together, and lots of thread and batting. I make them all in a quilt-as-you go manner. I've never mastered the art of traditional quilting with a frame, so this makes it easier for me to complete a project rather than making a quilt top and going "What now?"
The birth of a project, be it tee shirt quilt or item of clothing takes place in my mind - with an idea. My newest ideas involve making clothing for little girls. I loved sewing for my daughter. I've been picking up patterns from days gone by and using fabrics I have on hand to make outfits. I finished an outfit today that I'm not 100% happy with, but I need to look at it a while and decide what I'm going to do with it. It's made from a feedsack fabric quilt top in odd colors. The quilt was hand sewn, so I reinforced all the seams with zig-zag stitching, then fully lined the skirt and vest with a blend. Both the vest and the skirt have pom-pom trim on them to keep with the retro look. I also made a small "purse" to go with the outfit, and for the button on the purse, I used one of the pom-poms. My plan is to make a similar outfit for an 18" doll to go with it and then sell the whole set. I haven't cut out the doll outfit yet. That's for tomorrow or the next day or the next day.
Regardless of what project I undertake, I know that some day it will be done. Whether I keep it or it goes elsewhere, there's always that odd feeling of complete. It's done. What do I do now? What should I do next? What idea is bouncing around up there in the brain that needs to be unleashed on my stash and Berninas? I'm sure one of them will come bouncing out of my head soon. In fact, I'm meeting with someone Friday who wants a memory quilt made out of her grandparents' clothing. I'm thinking Dresden Plate, but then..... who knows!

Preemies - Our littlest population

There's been a bit of discussion on message boards about sewing for premature infants. I'm the mother of two premature infants who are now 21-year-old adults. Yep, twins. I didn't do much sewing for them when they were below 7 pounds because my time was taken up caring for them. Premature babies require close attention, transportation to a lot of appointments, lots of small feedings, monitoring, etc., etc., etc., that is in addition to that you would provide for a full term infant. Many premature infants don't make it, and there's the added grief of a baby's death. And here's where we can help.

Parents of premature infants don't have a lot of time to do anything other than take care of their children. Organizations that provide clothing for the little ones abound on the web. Do a quick Google search for "patterns for premature babies" or "sewing for preemies" or any permutation of the phrase. There are free patterns on the web for tee shirts, sleeping gowns, blankets that fold and swathe a baby, as well as clothing and burial gowns. Any thing you can do for your community or for an organization line is more than appreciated by the parents who receive the items.
If you do sew for premature infants, remember to keep the fabric extra soft. Their skin is not as developed as a full term infant.

The best "help" I received when my twins were infants was anything that helped save me time. Many parents, such as myself, have another child as well as their preemie. That child needs to be remembered too. Stitch up a small stuffed animal or something unique for the sibling of the preemie if you have some time. You can use scraps you already have and stuffing you have stashed away.
Sewing for preemies is relatively simple and it's definitely something we call can do.
Feel free to browse around Google's free preemie sewing listings and try out an item or two. You'll feel really good that you've done something positive for the littlest babies.

Update 11/2018: My twins are now in their 30s and doing fine. 

Buttonhole, buttonhole, who ' s got the buttonhole?

We're looking for the perfect buttonholer. I have an older Bernina machine. I love it. I adore it. I wouldn't be without it. But it makes icky buttonholes. My second sewing machine, one from Montgomery Wards, made excellent buttonholes with an attachment. I let a friend borrow said attachment some years ago and haven't seen it since. I've also been chasing the perfect buttonhole since then!
Alas, the ultimate buttonholer is an elusive creature. It hasn't come knocking at my door and the internet seems to only sell machines on an industrial basis, and they're huge and expensive. I'm thinking I may have to suffer through buying a second sewing machine. Could it be? Oh the horror and the torture. Okay, I said that part for my husband. He doesn't "get" why I would want more machines. I have four already! (Two sergers, neither of which are plugged in right now, the Bernina, and an older Montgomery Ward machine that I keep around in case my friend returns my buttonhole attachment.)
All kidding aside, the buttonhole is an important detail on a lot of items. I'm making a wrap skirt for a friend and it requires two buttons. I have done everything but that. I guess I'm going to have to bite the bullet and make so-so (or is that sew-sew?) buttonholes on the skirt with the Bernina. Unless someone sends me the perfect buttonholer today.
Rounded, bar tacked, or keyholed - the buttonhole is a treasure.

Sewing for charity

I've been thinking of sewing for charity lately. We have so many talents that can be put to good use. After Katrina, every year around Christmas, and other times throughout the year, we hear about people who need our help. What we may fail to remember is that there are people every day of the year who could use an item or two that we could make as individuals or in groups. While the community manager at Sewing.com, I posted some links, just a few, about sewing for charity in the hope that others will follow suit. I plan on making some items for premature babies. I had two of those, yep, twins, who have grown to be strapping adults, but I do remember when they were both four pounds and below and there were very few items available for them to wear. I was too busy being mom to twins to have time to sew for them. A few things here and there for a new mom or dad could be a wonderful gift to receive, and it could also be a way for me to "give back."

Battered women's shelters. Ever think about the people there? Moms and kids. They could use blankies for the little ones or even just a nice pillowcase of their own. Some people end up in the shelters with nothing other than what they could carry when they left home. The same goes for homeless shelters. Blankets are a big need. Scarfs for a cold neck. Anything at all. I know that some sewing guilds make gift bags as a project, fill them with toiletries, and give them to faith-based charities for distribution.

There will always be someone who needs something. We have a talent. Shouldn't we share what we can do with others? Oh, and don't forget our furry friends in animal shelters. They need comfort blankies too.

Here are a few links to get you started:

Newborns In Need - Sewing for the smallest of babies, including patterns.
Project Linus - Providing security through blankets.
Ugly Quilts - Sewing for our homeless population.
Cancer caps/turbans from Sewing.org.
Sew Much Comfort - "to provide custom-made adaptive clothing at no cost, to injured service members from all branches of the military and national guard, injured while serving in our current conflicts."

There are many more - Google "sewing for charity" or "sewing for our troops" or whatever interests you. There are many people who need our talents.

(Updated 08/08/10)