Sewing Gadgets Galore!

I did some playing with my new sewing gadgets!!!  It's the Hemming Presser Feet set.  They just snap onto an existing foot that I already own.  I'm SO glad it fit my machine!  

So here it is up close and personal.  The little screwy thing on the right let's you adjust where on the fold you want to stitch.  RIGHT on the edge or in a little ways.

There are no instructions with it so I guess find a Youtube video for instructions if you can't figure it out intuitively.

They come in small, medium and large.  I've got the RollBan for the tiny baby seams, but this will make any larger seams look slicker.

I cut some sample woven fabric and tried it out.  I slid the fabric into the little doohicky and rolled it around the metal pieces to make a double fold.  Then just kept feeding it as I sewed.  There was no prep on the hem that I made at all.  I just stuck it in and went for it.

The story of my sewing life...

And then I ironed it.  Looked even slicker after that! 

 

I pulled out some knit scraps that I had and tried it out on that too.  There is SOME ripple going on but it's not bad.  I think only on the curve.

I think I found my secret weapon to get better than Average scores at the State Fair! :)

YEESSSSSS!!!!!! Bwa haha!

Since the end of May I've been wondering why no one has commented on my blog posts as I hadn't received email notifications for like ever!...  Until one day on our way back from Wisconsin on the hottest day of the year with no air conditioning, I noticed that you wonderful bloggy imaginary friends ARE in fact posting comments and I hadn't seen them because I don't actually visit my own blog to check comments...  After I saw the comments, I knew there was probably a way to fix it, but hadn't taken the time until today so I googled it.

Apparently Blogger had done an update (as a programmer, I totally get this) and it roached the email variable.  SO...  If you're having problems like this, do the following:

1) Click on your settings button (it's on the screen with the listing of all your posts)

2) Click on email (because now it will show below the word settings)

3) In the comment notification email box, you'll see your email address.  delete the email address.

4) Click SAVE

5) Put your email address back in that box

6) SAVE again

You'll get an email asking if that was truly you changing that email address.  Do whatever the email says to do.  

Then TEST!  Go to your blog post and write a quick comment on one of your posts.

IT WORKS!!!!!!

ahhhh...  

I feel all powerful today!

And that's when I noticed this on the stairs...  

It's probably been there all week since Meri hasn't been home once since the weekend.  We've been empty nesters all week also...  Plus Robb hates anything coffee, MIL doesn't climb those stairs and I'm too cheap to buy them for myself.  

It takes powerful feeling to notice things around here....  YIKES I need to clean!

Ahem... A Hem

This tutorial is to make tiny hems on fabric edges with perfection.  Instead of the 3 seam thing.  

The old 3 seam thing, is below.

1) sew a stitch line all the way around the hem.

2) fold at the stitched line and iron.  

3) sew another seam as close to the ironed edge as possible.  

4) trim as close to that seam as you can.

5) fold over and iron.

6) sew another seam.

Seems redundant huh?  and time consuming...  That's how I've been doing the pretty tiny hems on ALL the prom dresses I've made so far...  And it's a nightmare!  If anything is uneven, you can see it all.  Sometimes it works slick, other times bombs miserably...

This Ban-Roll method was presented at our sewing meeting on Saturday and although I know there are a lot of pictures, it's so much simpler!

1) Buy some Ban-Roll.  This is a plasticky webbing about a half inch wide.  Purchase enough length for around the hem.

2) Prepare it by trimming off the edge and pulling (unravel) 3 strands of the webbing off so the edge looks like a comb.

3) On the right side of the fabric, line the "comb" edge up to the edge of the fabric.  You may need more if the fabric unravels easily.

4) Using a smaller than normal stitch length, stick on the comb side of the Ban-roll.  Be careful not to go into the woven part of the Ban-roll...  Because that is part of the secret...

 

5) Flip the Ban-Roll to the inside against the fabric.  The hem wraps around the "comb" part of the Ban-Roll.

6) Stitch down the center of the of the new hem.

7)  You're finished! No curling, warping, fraying or uneven hem bits!  

A hem that would win a blue ribbon at the fair EVERY single time!

8) Last step...  Just pull out the Ban Roll and it's going to slide right out and you can show off your perfect hem!  Use the Ban-Roll on the opposite side for your next project!  

Or use this side again for a slightly wider hem next time.

Yeah - a lot of steps, but they're baby steps.

For a perfect cute lil baby hem!

I need a prom dress to try this out on before I forget how!

Sew and Tell

Here is the scarf that I made Monday night. It requires just a little sewing, but a lot of braiding. You can find the tutorial here.
Maddy has already worn it yesterday, but it's going back in the stash for Christmas gifts today. She said she got a lot of compliments yesterday, so I guess it's a hit! And one of my nieces will like it... I hope... I think I'll be making another one tonight. Maybe in a different color.

I found it on Pinterest.com. Yeah I know. They don't pay me or ANYTHING to talk about them. But I'll give you a quick tutorial on how to use them. Someone asked that I do a tutorial on it sometime, so here you go...

First click on the website. Then start browsing through what other people think is cool. There is a Search box at the top if you're looking for something specific... like tshirt scarf... or caffeinated cookies... or hot celebrities...

Someone has found one on the web somewhere. Trust me... In order to be part of Pinterest, you need to get invited, so click on the request button. But they're not picky. It really seems like a no-cut type activity, so you're probably safe.

Once you get invited, you will need to install (very easy) a PIN IT button for your browser. Then when you hit a picture of something that interests you online or a blog tutorial somewhere that strikes your fancy, you can click on the Pin It button and the internet will automatically pin the website with your choice of pictures to your personal Pinterest board.

You can categorize them however you want. Be it People Who Inspire You, Food I Can't Get Enough Of, Recipes I Want to try, Crafty things I want to make, etc.

You'll start accumulating things and others will see them on the general wall and start following you. You can browse through other peoples things that they find interesting and repin them to your boards, or just like them... You can follow other people and see their items towards the top of your general wall whenever you log in. It's interesting to see what your friends think is interesting and just might give you ideas on what to get them for gifts!

There are some awesome craft ideas and projects out there. Oh! The beauty part is, when you set to pin someones blog site onto your board, when you click on your board, it will take you right to that person's blog so you can get the directions right off the bat! And you don't need to link everything yourself.

Just Pin it!

I did find another website similar to this JUST for craft things, but haven't had a chance to check it out yet. Do you think I would be allowed to pin their site here? Shoot, now I can't find it. I better pin it when I find it...