Sunday, February 17, 2013

The Urge To Serge


 Hey online sewing community.  Y'all are awesome!  I was so encouraged by all the great information and links you passed along in the comments the other day.   I sat down the next night and sidled on up to Sergio.  He is quite the gentleman, by the way.  Not nearly as scary as I though he'd be. Thank you so much for all the great suggestions and advice.  I watched this awesome video and I have had no trouble threading.  I threaded it the first go no problem.  I'd say the 1034d is super user friendly.  I used a bunch of different partial spools of blue thread (not sure why I had so many) and I ended up re-threading the machine several times as a spool ran out.  I highly recommend doing the same at first because now I'm totally confident in my ability to thread my serger.  It really is not too difficult.


Yes, that's snow and no, I'm not cold.  My crazy pregnancy hormones keep me hot and flustered all the time now.  We had about a inch of wet snow yesterday.  The only snow of the season.  

I watched a few other videos as well.  The dvd's that came with the machine wouldn't play on our old Mac laptop.  Someone else complained of the same issue, just fyi.  Then I rummaged around in the stash and came up with this blue ponte knit.  I measured the widest part of my hips, divided in two and cut two rectangles using that measurement.   I didn't add any seam allowance.  I figured the stretch would take care of some of that.  I also wanted the skirt to be snug so I can wear it post baby.  Then I cut two more rectangles for the band.  They were each twenty inches high so I have a ten inch fold over band in case you are interested.  Very slapdash methods, I daresay.  I tested the tension on a few scraps ( I did need to adjust the upper looper) and I was off.  Three seams later, I had a maxi maternity skirt.  This has to be the fastest garment I've ever made.  My only regret is that I didn't give myself some sweep at the hem.  It's a straight up-and-down column.  Which is okay.  But if I make another I'll add some width to the hem to make it more a-line.  In some of these photos I'm wearing it folded up a second time.

     

I attempted to use the blind hem foot on some scraps but it was a disaster.  I'll need some more practice before I master that.  So I just serged the bottom edge of my skirt and left it.  If I'm ever feeling more proper, I'll flip it up once and stitch on my regular machine.  I made another maternity tee next.  I used the same Burda long sleeve tee pattern as before and a rayon knit from the stash.  I did have to up the differential feed for this knit to prevent wavy seams.  Always test on a scrap first!  This time I added a bit of width as well as length for ruching.  I didn't bother matching any plaids.  Hope you're not too horrifed.  Pretty much every seam is either ruched or eased in anyway (all the bands are a tiny bit shorter than the edge they are attached to), so I'm not sure how I could have matched anything anyway.

Not much else to say.  These are definitely not the best executed garments in the world, but they were both perfect for learning to use my new machine.  I wanted to flip the inside out and take another photo, but I was too lazy.  You'll just have to trust that all my seams are nicely serged!  I'm so excited about all the options I have now and all the useful techniques I get to learn.  Again, thanks so much for all the suggestions.  I think I'm definitely going to take that Craftsy class eventually to make sure I take advantage of all the different functions my serger has.

  

This is the bump at 33 weeks.  Let me just say, it is getting harder to post pictures of my giant self these days ;)  I did my best to look cute and pregnant.  But I'll be honest, I feel like a sack of potatoes.  All lumps and bumps and bosoms.  Hehehe.  It's all worth it.  It's hard to believe I'm still going to get bigger.  Craziness!  We can hardly wait for this last seven weeks to pass by. 

26 comments:

  1. I'm so glad you like serging! I find it so addictive - fast, simple, and bam! the garment is done! It's a sewing miracle.

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  2. Also: You do NOT look like a sack of potatoes, no matter how you feel! :)

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  3. It looks great! Love the colour. I used to get my hubby to thread my serger, then one day he forced me to do it with no help. Bless his cotton socks, I now know how to thread my serger!

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  4. What a great outfit and the color is perfect! I'm glad that Sergio is being a perfect gentleman and that you're enjoying his company!!!

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  5. Hey, at this rate, you could get up a little earlier in the morning and have a new outfit by breakfast time! So glad you are having fun with your new machine!

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    1. Ha! Wouldn't that be something? But I'm getting up these days until I absolutely have to :D

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  6. What a great outfit, you look super cute!

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  7. I think you look adorably pregnant. Nice outfit and nice work learning the serger. Way to go!! g

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  8. love the outfit! there is nothing better than whipping out an outfit in an hour or two. enjoy the new serger!

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  9. Great work! Enjoy your new outfit...great that you can whip up an outfit to suit your pregnant life!

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  10. I am also having the urge to serge!! I've had the serger up and running for a week now and I've serged three separate projects. The serger is just so amazing! The video didn't work on my mac book either... even brother is in on the conspiracy to get me to buy a new mac every 5 years! Awesome outfit, I'm sure that quick and easy is exactly what you are looking for at this point in your pregnancy.

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    1. It really is amazing how quick it was. Definitely instant gratification! And I agree about the conspiracy. Our laptop works just fine for our needs but everywhere we turn, we can't do certain things because we are "outdated."

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  11. If a sack of spuds, then the most cute and glam sack of spuds I've ever seen! You look fabulous Liza Jane. And I am so totally addicted to serging myself....you'll find it perfect for satisfying an urge to make something quickly that's comfy and easy care when bambino comes along too. But, still, we are getting ahead of ourselves. Well done on making your first two serger garments, and what inspired makes. They look fabulous, great colours too...

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  12. Hey Liza Jane,
    You totally pulled off the cut and pregnant look. Your ensemble looks lovely and cozy.
    I love the shade of your blue ponte knit skirt. It reminds me of a skirt I made recently ;)
    You've inspired me. I think I'm getting an urge to serge.

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  13. No sack of potatoes would look so cute in a blue maxi skirt.

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    1. Haha! I think I was definitely fishing for some compliments. Thanks!

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  14. You look fantastic! I love your outfit.

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  15. you look too cute :)
    if i only knew what a serger can do, to speed up my sewing, i would save and get one a long long time ago hehe

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  16. Girlfriend, you look great! I never would've guessed you were already at 33 weeks! Anyway, I'm so glad you're loving the serger! But... blind hem foot?! I have the same serger and didn't realize there was a blind hem foot! Now I feel like a dope! :D

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  17. It looks great, nice choose of colors.

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  18. You look great and your bump is quite small I´d say! I swear I was twice as big at 33 weeks! :) Happy birthday, too! Congrats on the serger, it´s a great thing, I just hope to use mine more often in near future... I haven´t mastered the threading thing yet, friend told me about a trick with making knots on the "old" thread and then simply pull the "new" thread through the machine... it worked with only half the threads :).

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  19. You look so fantastic! I'm 34 weeks right now and feel like I look like a BLIMP! Nowhere near as cute as you! Congrats on that serger and your little one!

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  20. I think these 7 weeks will pass very quick!%)

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  21. Oh lordy, I love that outfit and I'm not even preggers! :D

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  22. You are darling! I hope these weeks go my quickly for you!

    All the best to you.

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