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blanket finished!

cross stitch baby blanket

I spent more time thinking about this project than actually sewing it. I guess I was being extra careful with it because of all of the handwork. It’s not like I could go out and buy new fabric if I messed something up.

Here were my concerns:

  • The cross stitch had caused the top piece to pucker. I needed it to lay flat. Pressing it with an iron didn’t help much.
  • Both the front and back pieces were quilted and together were too thick to easily fit into the ruffle trim.
  • The ruffle trim was in two pieces and one was wider than the other.

Here were my solutions:

  • I tied the top and bottom like a quilt, working from the center outward. I didn’t want the ties to be visible, so I started and finished inside, sandwiching the ends between the two pieces of fabric.
  • I serged the two fabrics together to create a nice even edge for the trim.
  • I took the trim apart a few inches on each end sewed them back together on a slight diagonal. There are places were the ruffle is shorter than others, but the transition from shorter to longer is a smooth one. I am probably the only one who will notice this.

I learned a lot putting this project together. I’m glad I took the time to think things through. I’m also happy that I had my serger to make things easier!

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i think i’ll call her jane

my new serger

Sometimes you get the feeling that you are making the right decision at the right time. It’s been almost 72 hours since my last post and since then I have bought a new serger and sold my other ones. I’ll admit a tiny bit of me was sad to see the little green sergers go. My new serger is making me deliriously happy, though.

After I made my purchase, I stopped at my two favorite thrift stores, which are at the same end of town as the sewing store. Look what I scored!

my new serger

I just love the colors so much, I may never use them. They remind me of neapolitan ice cream. Is it weird to decorate with spools of serger thread?

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uncle!

serger thread and trim

I’ve spent the past few days trying to get the tension correct on my sergers and I give up. I’ve cleaned them, oiled them, read the manual and my serger guide. I think they’re just too manual for me. If they were cameras, I’d be trading them in for a point-and-click model. In fact, I’m going to check out some point-and-click sergers this weekend.

If you are interested in some super clean, vintage Baby Locks, let me know!

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twin baby locks

I did a really crazy thing this weekend. I bought two sergers. Yes, I said two. They were $25 each. The models are older, but they’re all metal inside, not plastic. (I had issues with plastic parts in my first sewing machine.) I also decided to buy additional supplies for $50: eight brand new blades and over 50 needles. Not bad for $100? I hope so.

vintage babylock serger

I originally planned to buy just one serger. My husband convinced me to get both because they were so inexpensive. They are the same model, so I’d have an extra if parts were hard to find. Same goes for the supplies. I have the original manual, tool kit and even the original receipt!

vintage baby lock serger

I get the impression that these have been well used and loved. They’ll need a bit of surface cleaning, but I’m hoping I’ll be able to jump right in and start using them once I learn the basics. Anyone up for a few lessons?