To Serge or Not to Serge: Not So Much a Question

A comment on our Thanksgiving crafty things post made me think about sergers. Sewing machines and sergers. And the many conversations Adrianna and I have had about them.

We both have pretty basic sewing machines. Nothing too fancy. 

We'd get together for crafternoons and talk about projects and what we'd like to work on next. And whenever we'd talk about how we'd like to make t-shirts, Adrianna would make a sad pouty face and stare off into imagined craft utopia, wistfully saying "but I don't have a serger."

I really hadn't thought much about getting one until then.

But I decided to do more reading and research and pondering. Well, the pondering lasted about 30 seconds. I decided I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. And I didn't want to see any more Adrianna sad face and feel like my crafty-sewy potential was being obstructed by lack of critical equipment. Or what might be critical equipment. 

I loved the reviews I read for this serger. Because I was overseas and anything I used would have to be run through a transformer, which is hard on machinery, I wasn't ready to shell out big bucks for a fancy one. Not that I was ready to anyway since this was sort of a whimsical decision. I mean, I figured I'd love it... once I figured it out.

So I chose this one because the reviews sounded like what I'd want-- works well, affordable, accessories included, instruction video included, ... and free shipping. As another reader commented recently, "I'm allergic to shipping". 

So the really important part of this post: it arrived. The dials and wheels and spools are fun to look at, but I'm fascinated by the double needle and the looper thing-y.

I watched the video for how to thread it, even though I didn't actually HAVE to thread it initially because it arrived already threaded with color-coded threads. I studied it. And studied it. And took a deep breath. And tried it. HOLYMOLY THE KNIVES! The knives are totally scary at first. KNIVES. Like, look, we're making a sweet little baby blanket and there are KNIVES involved. See? Look under the presser foot:

But once you get past the knives, literally, looooook at the fabric shooting out the other side! Like literally SHOOTING. And the finish is so amazingly neat. And so amazingly fast. And so amazingly beautiful. Well, the front side. But even the thread chain that the machine makes is cool.

The memories start to get fuzzy at this point because I got a little frenzied. I called Adrianna. I'm pretty sure she was stomping her foot with impatience to come over for a crafternoon at this point. And her serger-jealousy-phase began. (That didn't last long. She got her own for Christmas.)

The moment we were both sitting with the serger and checking it out was blissful. I loved watching A's face as she did the first serge (?) with some scraps and saw the resulting seam. It was one of those moments where the clouds parted and a beam of light shone down magically through several layers of roof and fell upon the dining room table. Angels singing and all that.

The fact is, neither one of us knew exactly what we'd do with it. We just knew we wanted to try. Since then we've made skirts, dresses, pants, shirts, naked dressform outfits, spaghetti straps, tablecloths, napkins... loooooots of really fun awesomeness. The rolled edge is particularly fun. The better part of our tutorials post-serger-introduction involve serging. Not that they HAVE to, we've just found it pretty useful. (We're working on moving tutorials to their new spot on a page, by the way. Now located on the upper left!)

Oookay, there's occasionally some cursing about re-threading. It takes a few rounds to get the hang of. But the video that came with the serger was great (and a fun fashion flashback!) and the plentiful online tutorials and tips for this machine are really helpful. Adrianna chose a Janome serger, and while she loves it, she did find that the Brother model is so widely used that it has lots and lots of how-to's online that she had a hard time finding for hers. She can edit this post at will or write her own to discuss as she sees fit. As soon as she's done getting over jet lag, since she's just landed on the other side of the world.

(originally posted here)

A reader's comment about not knowing what to do with a serger started this train of thought and I thought I'd share. (Thanks for the inspiration, Tara!) Since we didn't know what we'd do with them either. And the answer is: you may not know now, but you can do eeeeeverything with one. Once you get past the knife thing. And I thought the thought had some good timing, because if you're not sure what to ask Santa/Sweetie/Mom/yourself for... this is my/our recommendation.

P.S. Julie's 20% discount is active until Friday. She noted, however, that you need to enter the code in the special box at checkout rather than in the notes to seller to get the price adjusted automatically.

P.P.S. A, hope your trip was easy-peasy!

Strange Little Girl on crafterhours: A Tutorial

When Susan asked me to write a necklace tutorial, I was a little befuddled.  My first thought was “what can I try to teach someone that requires following directions more than luck to make it turn out well?”  Really, most of what I do is the result of happy accidents because I create for fun and not necessarily to pay the bills.  Bill paying is a bonus. 

But a “roll” necklace is something we can make together I think.  I’ve seen a lot of really beautiful ones lately and while the basic idea is simple, the possibilities for making it uniquely yours are endless – plus you don’t need much in the way of specialized tools and it doesn’t have to be expensive.

Supplies:

·       1 open link chain necklace (the length/material is up to you; by “open link” I mean one where you can fit a piece of wire through a link.)  I’m using an 18” gold plated chain for this project.

·       5-7 beads (here is where anything goes – but my favorites are faceted gemstone rondelles or Swarovski bicone crystals).  I’m using some cool red-orange Swarovskis for this project.

·       A 2-inch piece of wire (you can use inexpensive craft wire, but sterling silver or gold filled wire labeled “half hard” or “full hard” will work best and give a longer lifespan to your piece.) I’m using 24 gauge, full hard, gold filled wire for this project.

·       Wire cutters (you can buy a small pair of Craftsman cutters at Sears for $10 and they have a lifetime guarantee.  If they ever get chipped or dull you just take them into the store and they give you a new pair.)

·       Flat nose or round nose pliers (round will give a little better end result but if you only have flat they will work and there’s no reason to go out and buy round.)

1.     Decide on necklace length.  If you have an 18” necklace, it will be @19” when you are done.  If you’re cool with that, just take your wire cutters and cut the link at the center of the necklace.  If you want a specific length of chain on either side of your “roll”, simply divide that in half and measure from each end.  Remember that carpenter’s saying about measuring twice and cutting once!  Be sure you are cutting evenly on each side because you can’t really fix that without making the whole thing shorter.

2.     Take your 2-inch piece of wire and thread one end through the end link of one of your necklace halves.  You can make a loop here one of two ways: the simple way is to take your flat or round nose pliers and, grabbing the end of the wire, make a simple loop with the end link still in it.  I don’t think that’s as secure so I do the complicated way.  I grab the wire with the pliers about a ½ inch from the end and make my loop there.  This gives me some extra wire to wrap around the base of my loop 1 or 2 times.  The harder your wire, the more challenging this will be but it’s not impossible so don’t give up.  Then I cut the extra wire at the base of the loop and squish the end with the pliers so it doesn’t catch on anything.  

3.     Thread your beads onto the wire.

4.     Now place the end of the wire on the remaining necklace half and make a loop the same way you did the first half. 

Voila!  You have made yourself a very fun necklace, and now you know how to make one to match any outfit or occasion. Once you feel comfortable making the wire end loops connecting to chains, experiment with different materials and sizes of beads on your wire. 

If you have craft stores around you it’s very easy to find tools like pliers and cutters as well as Swarovski and other beads.  I’ve also seen sterling silver wire and open link chain necklaces at Hobby Lobby.  For items like gold filled wire and gemstone rondelles you may have to go online unless you are lucky enough to live in a city with a bead store nearby.  One of my favorite places to shop for supplies online is Fire Mountain Gems because they have $5 flat rate shipping and the more you buy, the less the items cost.  They also have a giant selection of everything and lots of free video tutorials.   If you like to shop on etsy.com, just type what you are looking for into the search box and search supplies – great for when you need small quantities. 

And if you’ve already decided that’s too much to deal with, this necklace will be in my shop until it’s gone!

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This is Julie's second Black Friday appearance on crafterhours. Well, not sure that the first one counted, since I didn't ask her first. I just sent people to her store. Since I *did* consult her this year, she's offering crafterhours readers one week, starting today, to shop at her store and get 20% off of their purchase. (Shipping costs are not discounted, but they're not unreasonable, either!) Just enter the code CRAFTERHOURS at checkout.

Thanks, Julie!

Crafty Things We're Thankful For, Part 2

To continue (or start?) a tradition, we're back this year with another edition of Crafty Things We're Thankful For.  Or, Crafty Things For Which We Are Thankful, if you, like Adrianna, are a member of the Grammar Police.

The #1 thing that we are both thankful for this year is our super de duper awesome followers, lurkers, commenters, and bloggy friends.  We just love you guys.  You always leave such nice and encouraging comments and really let us know that we're not talking to ourselves.  We try to respond to comments made by people with email addresses, but sometimes life just piles up and we don't get a chance.  But we definitely read (and often reread) each and every single comment.  We also love discovering your blogs and seeing what you're up to, crafty-wise.  So, thanks for making this a dialogue rather than a monologue.

Adrianna is thankful for:
- the fact that most projects don't have a deadline.  I'm rounding the year mark on the projects I said I would start last December with materials I received for my birthday.  Thank you for not pestering me about them :)
- the fact that some projects do.  A few of my favorite projects this year were from the Carefree Clothes for Girls sew-a-long, and would probably not have been made otherwise.
- my serger! Used on approximately 98% of the things I made in the last year.  (The other 2% were made when my serger was on the fritz.)
- not living in the United States.  But just in this instance.  Because if I did, I probably would not ever sew.  Did you know you could get the cutest little girl clothes ever at Target for like $4?  But I would probably craft more.  I got about 20 craft ideas in each aisle of Michaels.
- wovens not fraying when cut on the bias.  I just think that's cool.
- Oliver + S.  I think it's been a week or two since I last proclaimed my love.  Just don't want our relationship to grow stale.

Susan is thankful for:
- the fact that Adrianna has not divorced me. You know, in a craft bloggy relationship sense. It's been a rough few six months, and she's put up with my craft slackerness and general whining about packing, unpacking, sorting, renovating, reorganizing and surviving while baby daddy travels.
- a return to the US that means I now have any craft or sewing supply I cold ever need within a five mile radius. I'm certainly glad I got to renew my interest in sewing while living abroad, but it's nice to not feel like I have to stock everything myself just in case I might want to use it and have to wait weeks to get it. And in theory I can send fun things to A. Umm... once I renew my relationship with the post office. But that's a New Year's resolution post.
- thrift stores. Returning to the states also means I have found lots of things to refashion or repurpose. You'll see more of that in the coming year, for sure!
- Spoonflower. I'm still amazed by all of the possibilities for designers that digital printing offers.
- the readers that think I'm funny. I'm quite clear on the fact that my sense of humor does not resonate with everyone. I'm always nervous when I post something that I think is funny. And the people that comment and voice appreciation make my day.

And while this is ostensibly a list of crafty things we're thankful for, we would be remiss if we did not thank God for blessing us with our wonderful husbands, children, families, and friends.  And Target.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Goldfish Turkey

This is an unnecessarily long story.

I apologize in advance.

On Sunday, while visiting my mom with K, 4, and M, 18 months, I decided that they could handle an overnight with my Mom, Mimi, without me. We'd been at Mimi's house for a few days and everyone seemed fairly settled and happy. And for the first time in nearly five years, I was neither nursing nor pregnant. For two or three weeks M has been quite happy being all done with nursing. I was a tiny bit sad about that milestone, and it came six months earlier with M than it did with K, but they're different kids and... it was her time. Random personal information, I know. But we're close. I feel like I can share that with you. (Adrianna, reading this, is probably nervous that I'm going to throw in a reference to breasts. Chill out, A, I'm not.)

So looking at them playing with Mimi, and knowing that I could make a two hour drive to attend a party at my brother's house and be back the next afternoon without traumatizing anyone... I decided to go for it. My first night away from both kids.

I had decided to attend at the veeeery last minute, so all the party needed was some ice. Everything else was covered. While I picked that up, I decided to bring a party craft. Because in my world party crafts are always fun. Nevermind that I was the ONLY person at this party with children and. I thought about that likelihood, but decided to stock up anyway.

There are lots of versions of these turkeys out there, and I was planning to go with the standard candy corn variety. I figured if the party wasn't craft-hospitable that the supplies would go home with me and K would love it the next day.

Gathering Double Stuff Oreos, Whoppers, mini Reese's Cups and icing, I headed to grab the candy corn. I hate candy corn. I think it's super gross. I like to look at it, I hate to eat it. But I'd use it in a craft, no big deal. Except... there was none. Just a big empty hook where the candy corn should be.

Sigh.

Cross words.

Looking around.

Seeing yummy things.

That would not work.

Except....

Goldfish.

Pizza ones are a deep orange. Baby ones are tiny and a lighter orange.

Winner!

So we did end up making them at the party. And with just two extra Whoppers we figured out that you can make a Chernobyl turkey (invented by a doctoral student who studies the effects of Chernobyl on wildlife!) or a Dolly Parton turkey. I'll spare you those photos.

And the leftover supplies did come home with me so that K could both make and eat her turkeys.

And now I think in the future all of my edible turkey making endeavors will include Goldfish. Maybe the rainbow ones next time.

The end.

P.S. Construction particulars:

• 5 regular goldfish for feathers
• 4 baby goldfish for feathers
• 1 regular goldfish to slice the tail to make a beak
• 2 Double Stuff Ores
• 1 Whopper
• 1 Reese's miniature
• Chocolate icing for glue, eyes, waddle

Movember

Movember is almost over. You know about Movember, right? It's a month-long challenge to (mostly) men to grow mustaches to "change the face of men's health". (Guys don't have boobs to be witty about, so mustaches were the next best thing?) And we happen to be married to men. Who we'd like to be healthy forever and ever and ever.

So I've tried to convince Adrianna to pledge her support for Movember by growing a mustache. So far, I've been unconvincing. But I did convince her finger to participate. He's an easy-going guy.

Along with many other readers, when I first saw this post I thought this guy would make a great mascot for fearless seamsters everywhere.

I liked him so much I made a few variations and put my favorites in the crafterhours zazzle shop just for fun. Proceeds, should there be any during Movember, will be donated. 'Cause we're Mo Sistas.

Ladies Who Lunch Dress

A while back, I bought this nice thin, drapey wool blend fabric at the 1 euro/meter store.  I love that place.  Don't know how much yardage to buy?  Get 4!  I pulled it out, fully intending to make Christmas dresses for my daughters, but after feeling the loveliness of that fabric, I said forget you guys, I'm making something for ME!

Luckily I had the perfect pattern on hand for a nice autumn wool dress, Simplicity 2579:

I made the short, sleeveless "Day" version as-is with no variations.  It was pretty simple, as patterns go.  And to make this project even quicker, I just cut out my size from the pattern paper.  I figured the pattern was only $1 on sale, and when am I ever going to make another size, or even another dress from the same pattern?  I'll trace patterns for kids since they change a lot, but I'm not wasting my time on that for me.  It saved a buttload of time and I'm glad I did it.  

But, per usual, it ended up being way too big.  Luckily, I anticipated this problem given my many many MANY frustrations with patterns in the past, and didn't pre-wash my fabric.  The wool content was enough to shrink this puppy down to the perfect size.  Now it fits like it's tailor made!

Plus it makes me look like I have boobs.  Well, the boobs of a 14 yr old girl rather than an 8 yr old boy, at least.  I'll take it. 

I wore it to a lady's tea luncheon hosted by the Ambassador's wife in their fancy house with their fancy china and felt very very fancy.  And I remembered to keep my knees together the whole time.

Now I just need Susan to come back and be my photographer again so she can roll her eyes and say, "Adrianna, you look like an idiot.  Stop posing like that.  Stick your leg out.  Tilt your knee 13 degrees east.  I need more negative space between your arm and body.  Your shirt is bunching up in the back.  Chin down a bit.  Eyes over my right shoulder."

If that sounds annoying, well, it is.  But it produces much better pictures than the ones you just witnessed.  Thank you in advance for not making snarky comments about my modeling abilities, or lack thereof.

BIG Winners of Itty Bitty

Random.org helped us pick two winners, #3 and #46. (If you move quickly you can still get $2 shipping at Boys and Girls Studio by entering code crafterhours30 at checkout. That might make you feel like you won?)

Kristi is #3. She blogs at Longing For Home. Loved this photo of her daughter finding a fun, unexpected, flexible, free (funny-but-frustrating-to-mom) canvas to work with.

Sara is #46 and blogs at The Pretty Pickle. The retro look from red drawer pulls are cool, no? She's working on a lot of home projects right now. Right up Susan's alley.

Kristi and Sara, send us your preferred mailing addresses so that you can get your loot! And thanks for having fun blogs for us to check out!

Meeting Mary Jo

I first heard about Mary Jo's about two years ago. I was visiting a local quilt shop near my Mom's house and looking for a very specific item. The two women working at the cutting counter chatted about where I could find it, and both agreed that the only place they knew of was Mary Jo's. They told me Mary Jo's had eeeeeeverything. But it wasn't all that close by, so it went on the mental list for later thought.

Not too long after that Ashley posted about going to Mary Jo's. I salivated over the photos. But I was far, far away.

But YESTERDAY I was close by. Not on purpose, just by chance. I flew into Charlotte to begin the Thanksgiving family tour and that's just a hopskipjump away from Gastonia, home of Mary Jo.

As we approached I was a little confused by the construction going on around it. The mall that was nearby was just a pile of dirt, and one side of Mary Jo's has been refaced...

and the other hasn't...

I guess there was lots of concern about whether Mary Jo's might move or close because of the construction, but don't you worry:

On the door I noticed that they had the line of Dr. Seuss fabrics. And a sign above that that said "Cornmeal and Grits are now here!" And I thought: "Wow, a Southern quilting fabric line? Uhh... lots of yellow and white?"

No. Actual cornmeal and grits. But I was too distracted by the rest of the store to figure out why they were there. (These were the only food items I saw in the entire store. We here at crafterhours humbly suggest M&Ms.)

So as you enter the ladies ask "Do you need a ticket?" And yes, you do. You carry this with you as you have fabric cut on any one of the no less than 25 cutting tables. The ladies add your yardage and prices to this as a running tally to save confusion at the checkout.

I was completely amazed by the size of the place. And to help convey the overwhelmingness of the entry, imagine I've stitched these four images together, panning left to right at the entrance.

Perfect! Now you have a headache. Almost how I felt trying to decide where to look first.

I started by heading in the direction of the quilting cottons. On the way there I checked out the vinyl/oilcloth array, the expansive camo and sport fabrics, and walls full of quilting notions I never knew existed. (I've made TWO quilts, people! How do *I* not know about this stuff?!?) This is the part where I started kicking myself. I really wished I had had a better plan for what to look for. Anyone working on a I Spy quilt could really accomplish a lot here. So so so much to choose from. Even dental tools!

From there I ended up sprinting across the store because I had to locate the ladies room. Don't you hate interrupting the crafty thoughts for restroom searches? But I appreciated the fact that all I had to take care of was getting myself in and out. No kids in tow-- my mom had both out of my hair for a bit.

Returning to the floor, I wandered to the stripes and dots. At about this point, a woman with a very gentle demeanor asked whether I was finding everything okay. "Yes, I'm having a great time looking!" I said. As I continued to browse, I looked back again across a few rows of bolts. Then I strained to look at a painting I'd gotten a glimpse of on the way in. Yep, pretty sure that was Mary Jo herself, offering to help and straightening shelves.

At this point I realized that while I could spend all day looking at quilting cottons, that's the stuff I'm more readily able to buy online. But apparel fabric you really have to touch. So I headed for that. But... which part? Okay, let's just go for the eye candy-- special occasion and costume fabric.

There were rolls and rolls and rolls of swimsuit and dancewear fabrics. I liked a stretch denim that I thought would be fun for the girls and checked to see whether I "could use it for swimwear?" "Yes," the cutting woman replied. "Some stripper girls have been coming in for that." Wow. Exactly what I was going for. What a coincidence!

They had shelves full of all sorts of powernet. I've noticed in a few summery pieces I've gotten that something like this is sewn under skirts for slimming/smoothing under slinky fabrics. Looks like a fun challenge to me.

Need a hoopskirt? There are tutorials for DIY'ing them, but at these prices you might as well just pick one up.

They had bags and bags full of scraps for $1.39. Even one bag of scraps that was all THREADS. Any idea what you would do with that? I got nothin'.

And while I'm thinking of "what would one do with that?": What would one do with THIS? Again, no idea. It has netting underneath and all of these squares attached... so it looks like it's made to be fluttery... but I have no idea what you'd do with it.

I spent a while looking at upholstery fabrics, but again, with no specific project in mind, I mostly kicked myself. Lots of beautiful pieces, but not the kind of thing that goes well when I just pick prettiness to take home.  I checked out more notions, trims, costume fabrics, knits... and then I found the section that I think Adrianna might have liked most: Linen. Lots and lots of delicious linen.

At about this part I realize I keep hearing a baby that sounds like mine. It wasn't mine, but it reminded me that I did have one who might be all done with waiting on me to finish my adventure. So with my stretch denim, powernet and a pile of remnants I liked in the swimsuit section (more on those later, I hope) I decided I'd had all the fun I could handle. Well, it was also well after lunchtime. It might have been a case of low blood sugar that contributed to waving the white flag.

Mary Jo? I'll be back! After eating! And with a list!





P.S. Today's your last day to enter to win your own itty bitty fun. We'll close entries at midnight Eastern and announce winners tomorrow.
P.P.S. On the way out you get to grab these. I think I need a stack alongside Marjorie and Mikey, no?

An Itty Bitty Giveaway (For Anyone in the Whole Wide World)

Who doesn't love itty bitty baby stuff? Even itty bitty babies love itty bitty baby stuff. 

And in a world of really adorable baby things, these are standouts of cuteness. Serious, chronic, killer cuteness.

The cuteness can be yours. Not only can you enter to win one of two pairs of booties by leaving a comment below (tell us your favorite itty bitty baby thing of all time!) but you can also get a 30% discount and $2 shipping at Boys and Girls Studio by entering code crafterhours30 at checkout. Anyone can enter, no matter where you live. You know, as long as you can get mail there.

Enter by Friday to be included in the prize drawing, and make your purchase by the end of the week to get the discount. We'll post winners on Friday. So that the serious cuteness can be on it's way.