Table Runner Turned Skirt

Well, if you read my previous post - crisis averted. The only thing wrong with my machine was that it was dirty. If you have never cleaned under your footplate - you need to. Lots of dust and lint accumulates there and will make your machine not work properly. Easy fix.

So, as I was looking for something to make with my new rolled hem presser foot - pictured here...

I came across this piece that I made using scraps from a Sugar Pop by Liz Scott Jelly Roll. I was intending to make a table runner, but never finished.

Any who, I thought I could hem the bottom with my new presser foot and make a cute skirt for my daughter. So the experiment began. First I hemmed the bottom.

Then I folded a strip of fabric in half, pressed, and sewed it to the top of my skirt with the raw edges together. I stiched it with an over locking stitch and pressed the seam allowance toward the skirt. Then I top stitched on the front of the skirt to hold the seam allowance down.

I folded the skirt in half, right sides together, and trimmed along the short side to make the skirt the width I wanted. Next, I sewed along the edge from the bottom of the skirt and stopping at the bottom of the top band.That way I would have an opening get my elastic in!

Finally, I added the elastic, closed up the remainder of the seam, and added a ribbon along the top - which not sure looks as cute as I thought it would.

Ta Da- a little big, but DD is happy - and she will be able to wear it for a long time :)

New Foot - Bad Machine

Well, well, well...I have been having bad luck with my sewing machine lately. First my walking foot - which helps me quilt straight lines with out the fabric bunching up and completely irritating me - broke. So, I ordered another one on EBay. While I was there I saw a few other fancy feet :) and order one more -a foot that does rolled hems for you. Which meant to me - time saver - less ironing - yeah!! So I bought it, got it out of the mail today and was super excited to try it. I had read mixed reviews about it being hard to use, stitches not straight, blah, blah, blah. So, of course I had to try it, knowing that I could figure it out. (Haha) So tried it, surprisingly got the hang of it pretty quickly, but the stitches weren't right. Seemed like the tension was off. Adjusted - no help, adjusted the other way - no help. Could it be the foot?? Switched back to my quilting foot - same problem! It is my machine!! Ugh!! Did I mention I also recently bought a Tiny Serger on eBay thinking I could use it to make skirts for my daughter, and maybe some to sell. Oh yeah, the machine I already have does an overlocking stitch. Found this out today as I was reading the manual to find out why my stitches has suddenly become catywompus - (my own spelling :) ) So Tiny Serger is back on EBay. Lesson for today - Read your machine's Manual!!

Happy Sewing.