With all those dials and knobs on your serger and all the thread options available, balancing your serger thread tensions can be very intimidating. 

Making a tension map can be very helpful.  I could show you myself, but why recreate the wheel.  Watch this video instead:

Just a few notes of my own: 

1.  I started with all my dials on a 4.  Then I changed the first dial to a 0 and worked my way up.  As I found each thread’s ideal tension, I adjusted the dial to that and move one to the next dial on the left.

2.  I actually found that I needed to make a second set of tension maps for use when I use woolly nylon in the looper threads.  I don’t know if youl’ll need to too.

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I saw a shirt the other day that I completely understood.  It said, “I’m a goggle-hunting, lane-timing, towel-washing swim mom.”  That’s about the sum of it.  Except maybe for food.  Feeding swimmers can be a challenge.  They need healthy and quick and lots of it—at least at a swim meet.  Pasta salad is our swim meet go-to meal.  Here’s how we do it:

Swim Meet Pasta Salad

You’ll need whole grain pasta (we like macaroni or spirals), diced fire roasted tomatoes, whole olives (drained, but not rinsed), dried basil, and cheese (cubed mozerella or crumbled feta).

Easiest recipe ever:  Boil your pasta and drain it.  Toss the pasta, tomatoes, olives, and a good pinch of crumbled basil together in a bowl.  Once the pasta is cooled toss in the cheese and toss the whole bowl in the ice chest for your swim meet!

Don’t forget bowls and forks for the kids!

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The countdown is on at our house!  I big news for both my customers and my sewing class students.  But first…

The kids have only 10 more school days to fit in 1 final day of book fair, 4 field trips, and 5th grade graduation!  It’s going to be a jam-packed 2 weeks to say the least!

Speaking of summer, you can find your 4th of July jon jons in the Personality Children’s Clothes etsy shop.  I’ve also got sandcastles and fishing bobbers and sailboats and alligators all ready for summer!  Please remember that Friday, May 10 is the last day to ensure delivery by Memorial Day.

Also, the summer sewing classes are filling up quickly!  I’ll be at LSUS, BPCC, and Lil’ Miss Priss.  I’m most excited about the Summer Kids’ Sewing Series I’ll be teaching at Lil’ Miss Priss.  You can learn more on the Needles, Nuts, and Bolts Facebook page.  You can find the rest of the summer schedule for 2013 on my sewing class page.

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This is my second installment in my serger series.  Today, it’s all about thread and needles!  (You can find information about threading your serger here.)

Let’s talk needles first.  Your serger manual will list the type of needles required for your machine.  My simple Janome Juno 3434d requires just basic sewing needles.  Others need a “serger” needle or a particular style.  Whatever brand or model you need, you’ll want to choose the appropriate size needle.  For a “regular” weight cotton like a gingham or those cute calicos from HL, you’ll need an 11.  For heavier work, like cord or denim or fleece, you’ll want a 14.  Basically, you choose the size of your needle based on your fabric choice.

Now for threads.  Your serger will need 4 spools of thread.  That’s a lot, but there is good new.  In most pieces, you’ll only see the left needle thread.  That means that the other three threads don’t have to match, only blend.  I have found that I really only need a few colors for all my projects:  dark grey, red, royal blue, white, and khaki.

I will sometimes use Woolly Nylon in my looper threads (those two spools on the right).  Woolly Nylon is a name brand, so you might see it as Bulky Nylon.  I find that this thread is a little more difficult to thread through a needle, but I love the finish it gives my garments.

Load up your machine with some thread and give it a go.  Which do you prefer?  Serger thread on all or the Woolly Nylon?  If you’re having trouble making an even, balanced stitch, no worries!  We’ll talk tension next week.

The post Needles, Threads, and Woolly What? appeared first on S as in Sam.

This plaque is hanging in my grandmother-in-law’s home.  When you spend time there, you realize this is exactly how she lives each day.

When my home is open to others, I hope they feel my hospitality.  But does my family?  If we truly lived as if entertaining Jesus at every meal and in every conversation, how much different would our homes look?

The post Entertaining Jesus appeared first on S as in Sam.

Summer swim is a fun break for my kids because they swim year round.  For us, the shorter practices are fun and the meets are time spent with friends.  The only downfall—Louisiana in June!

Here are a few things we must have for those 5 hours we are at summer league meets:

1.  Sunscreen.  Sunscreen for them.  Sunscreen for me.  Sunscreen for my face.  And don’t forget to reapply.

2.  Water.  Again, for them and for me.  Lots and Lots of it.

3.  A picnic quilt.

4.  A pop-up shade.  Our swim club has two covered areas.  One is reserved for visiting teams.  The other fills up quickly.

5.  Lawn chairs.  At least one for me.  My rule is:  If you want a chair, carry it yourself.

6.  Food.  Swimming makes you hungry.  Waiting for a race makes you hungry.  Just being 8-years-old can make you hungry.  We pack grapes, cherry tomatoes, peanut butter sandwiches, yogurts, chex mix, and rice crispy treats.

7.  Some cash.  You’ll need to purchase a heat sheet.  At summer league meets, these are usually only a few dollars, but they are always cash only.

8.  A highlighter and a sharpie.  Highlight your kids in the heat sheet and then write their race, heat, and lane on an arm or a leg.  They sooner they can get to their own races, the better!

9.  DSs, iPads, phones, playing cards, books, crosswords, sudukos, and lots more fun stuff to do.

10.  Patience.  Lots and lots and lots of patience.  Also, a willing attitude.  Summer meets  couldn’t run without parent involvement.  Timing is easy (and you get splashed so it’s quite refreshing).  Or, trade off with another parent and watch her kids so she can time.  Trust me.  You’ll coaches will love the help to make the meet run smoothly.

If you’re in the Shreveport area, Summer League is sponsored by COSST.  You can swim with any team.  Town South, the Swim School, East Ridge, the Elks, Pierremont Oaks, Stonebridge, and Southside are just a few.

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Hey Y’all!  Just a little something new to know about!

My blog is a little catch-all for all sorts of stuff–family, my garden, swim mom info, and lots of sewing links and reviews.  If you’re hanging out with me for all this sewing stuff, I have something you need to know.  I have a new FB page just for my sewing classes.  By ‘liking’ the page, you’ll see my class schedules and descriptions, links to cool things I’ve found, and my sewing reviews.  I hope to see you there:  Needles, Nuts, and Bolts Sewing Classes on FB.

The post For my sewing friends… appeared first on S as in Sam.

So…I started one.  In pots.

Sad, isn’t it?

Then I looked out over my big garden this week and saw this:

How’s that for an herb garden? 

That’s last year’s oregano, mystery mint (not sure when I planted it!), last year’s parsley, the rosemary that won’t die, and cilantro that seeded itself.

A bountiful herb garden without work? 

es, please. 

The post My Accidental Herb Garden appeared first on S as in Sam.

So who needs a serger?  We’ll anyone who sews on a regular basis.  I’m not talking about your friend who only uses her sewing machine every other Spring to hem pants.  I’m talking about you—the hobby seamstress who loves making pillows and napkins and curtains and clothes.  I’m talking about the hobby seamstress who wants to take her hand-made gifts to the next level.

Why do you need a serger?  Well, for starters, a serger allows you to complete your sewn pieces with a professional finish.  A 4-thread serger can also stitch and overlock the edges at the same time, saving you some time.  A serger stitches so much more quickly than your sewing machine.

So…you already have a serger?  Great.  Go get it out of the box and set it up.  Does it look kinda like this?

My machine is a Janome Juno 3434d.  It’s on the less expensive end of the serger spectrum.  It doesn’t chainstitch or coverstitch.  It also doesn’t have the air-threading that the Babylocks have.  It does have all metal parts and can gather, blind hem, flatlock, and, of course, do a fabulous overcast.  This little machine, in my opinion, is perfect for the home seamstress.

There are a few parts you need to know on your machine.  I’ve labeled them below.

To use a serger, you just place your fabric under your presser foot and sew:

One major difference is that the knife trims off excess seam allowance before the stitches are made.  You’ll want to avoid using pins for this very reason.

There are two ways to thread a serger, if you don’t have one of the fancy air-threading machines:  from scratch or tying off. 

To thread from scratch, follow the instructions in your manual.  The diagrams are probably also on your machine.  You MUST start by threading the upper looper and then the lower looper.  Then you can thread the right needle and then the left needle.  I’m not going to lie.  This method can be a bit more tedious, but it is possible.  A pair of tweezers will make the job easier. 

If your machine is already threaded, tying off is the easiest way to go.  To tie off:

1.  Clip the needle threads just above the eye of the needle.

2.  Hold the existing chain and sew until the chain consists of only 2 threads.  (These are remaining threads your looper threads.)

3.  Cut the looper threads near the thread spools.  Replace the spools with your new threads.  Tie threads from your new spools to the existing threads with overhand knots.

4.  Turn your looper threads tension dials to 0.  (Write down the original setting so you can go back to it.)

5.  Gently pull the upper looper thread behind and to the left of the needle until the knot is behind the needle.  Repeat for the lower looper thread.

6.  Replace the two thread spools for the needle threads and rethread the needles. 

7.  Return your tension dials to the original settings.  Hold all the threads together behind the machine and sew pulling the thread chain.

Well, how’d you do?  Is your machine threaded?  Great.  Next week, I’ll talk about threads and needles and such.

Week 1:  The parts of your machine and how to thread it

Week 2:  Selecting needles and threads for your project

Week 3:  Balancing the tension on your machine

Week 4:  A serged pillowcase

Week 5:  Hemming with your serger

Week 6:  Gathers and elastics

Week 7:  A ruffled pillowcase

The post Loopers? Flatlocking? What? appeared first on S as in Sam.

(the top two pieces are CAB originals!)

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