Baby Kimono by Heather Ross in Weekend Sewing

I traced the pattern to muslin a couple of weeks ago and apparently missed a bunch of markings (or did I?). Consequently, I sewed the sleeves on sideways–they should be short and square. I highly doubt any newborn could squeeze an arm into this thing–it would be awkward, to say the least. I made my own bias tape for this too… three separate times because, while the book calls for 18″ of tape, I needed 1+ yards. Argh. I’m also not sure the instructions for sewing the ties into the side seams is quite clear enough. It indicates you should sew both short ties to face the outside of the shirt. This would render it useless. I sewed as directed on one side and then sewed the other tie to the seam allowance of the opposite side. Hopefully someone will pick up on the errors for the next publishing…

I intend to try again, because even with these setbacks, I had a cute baby gift in a couple of hours! Can’t beat that. Plus I already have a few more cut

What brand and model do you have?

I own a Singer Quantum Futura CE200 (called a Futie on the yahoo message boards!). It’s a full range sewing machine with quilting stitches plus embroidery machine.

How long have you had it?
I got this as a 30th birthday present from my husband in 2006. Notably, the same year daughter number 1 was born.

How much does that machine cost (approximately)?
I think it cost $700 at the time. I seem to recall redeeming a bunch of Amazon points from our credit card. We use those rewards exclusively for diapers now, *sigh*.

What types of things do you sew (i.e. quilting, clothing, handbags, home dec projects, etc.)?

I sew mostly little girl clothes. It’s so hard for me NOT to sew for little girls! I have two cute and willing young ladies in front of my all day long. This year, nay, THIS SUMMER I am committed to making something for myself to wear! I said this last year too, but it didn’t work out due to birth of baby and subsequent extra squish.

How much do you sew? How much wear and tear does the machine get?

I wouldn’t say this thing gets a lot of wear and tear. I am on a kick right now and since I’m still pretty new at sewing, I haven’t ventured too far from straight up cotton fabric. If I did more embroidery, I am sure there would be more wear and tear! I think this lady can handle it though.

Do you like/love/hate your machine? Are you ambivalent? Passionate? Does she have a name?

We are in like with each other. Straight up, 4th grade LIKE. The kind of feeling you have when you are not sure how you feel because you just don’t know enough. I like it, but I have not named it, although I guess I think she’s a “lady”. This is an improvement though since I think last year was full of love/hate moments! Now that I know the machine better, I think it was me the whole time. I even bought her some presents last week. A variety of new feet that I’ll blog about as I try them out.

What features does your machine have that work well for you?

This machine beeps at me for the slightest sewing infraction! Did I forget to put the presser foot down? BEEP BEEP BEEP. Thread broken? BEEP BEEP BEEP! I sort of like that it just shuts down before I can screw anything up. With regard to the sewing itself, I assumed that all Singer machines sounded like my mother’s, but this one doesn’t. You push the pedal, it goes. On my mom’s (and other models I’ve seen since), there is a lead in bzzzzzzz, before the thing takes off. As a new sewer, this would trip me up. Another thing I like about my machine? Its clear presser foot. Muy helpful.

Is there anything that drives you nuts about your machine?

Said beeping can also drive me a little nuts. Especially if I can’t figure out what’s wrong!

Do you have a great story to share about your machine (i.e., Found it under the Christmas tree? Dropped it on the kitchen floor? Sewed your fingernail to your zipper?, Got it from your Great Grandma?, etc.!)? We want to hear it

There are no great stories… maybe this is why I only “like”, instead of “love” my machine.

Would you recommend the machine to others? Why?

I would only recommend it if you think you’ll be into the embroidery thing. I totally was, but then I went Mac and my old laptop died. I am patiently waiting for my mom to give me her old one so I can get back into it!

What factors do you think are important to consider when looking for a new machine?

I would make sure it’s something you can grow into. And if you are sewing children’s clothes, those decorative stitches can come in very handy! I guess I wouldn’t go whole hog if you aren’t sure you will sew for life. I mean, you can knock Signer all you want, but it’s much less expensive to maintain than the imported brands. I have used their helpline too and it was awesome.

Do you have a dream machine?
I really don’t! I guess I dream of a serger, but really? I probably won’t ever go there. We are literally drowning in little girl clothes over here. I think I have a machine that is just right for me Maybe we will fall in love someday!

We spent the afternoon corralling babies and trying to thread her sewing machine. Unfortunately, without the manual neither of us was able to do it, although we did have fun trying! When I got home and put Cassie down for bed, I got right to business with a piece of scrap fabric. 14″ of scrap, to be exact. I pressed, I marked and I wound the bobbin. I needed a pin to pull the thread through to sew, but i was ready. And, it worked! Sewing went off without a hitch.And then the magic–a little water and a hot iron and that puppy shrunk right up.

It required some smoothing out of the fabric as you continued along the (6) lines for stitching, but it was far easier than the last method I tried.

Look out daughters, nieces, and friends… this is bound to become a gift item! A dress in one night? I never would have guessed I’d see this day. Next? Some bloomers to match.

For Maia’s birthday we received 10 caterpillars in the mail along with a habitat for “birth” and life cycle. It was a really fun project! We checked on our critters everyday and, lucky for us, all 10 became Painted Lady butterflies. After a few days, we set them free in our backyard.

This last butterfly had a bum wing We put him on a flower and hope for the best.

Doesn’t this one look mean? This photo totally intimidates me.

I highly recommend this to anyone with a 3+ year old. The excitement level was high throughout the three weeks we did this and I think Maia learned some too. You can order your own at www.insectlore.com!

(sorry for the camera phone shot)

I think my only regret is that I used green thread for the whole project instead of choosing a lighter color for use on the dove fabric. Pretty minor complaint. There were no major roadblocks, the instructions were very clear and my machine behaved superbly (which probably says more about my comfort level with sewing than the machine itself).

This was the first time I made my own bias tape. I spent 5x as much time wondering how it was going to go than actually making the stuff. Next time I will approach with NO FEAR–it was easy! I have one of those handy Clover bias tape makers. It makes 1″ bias tape or 1/2″ double fold bias tape. If you have one and lost the directions, like I inevitably will, You SEW Girl has a great demo. Or if you don’t want another thing to keep track of, Creative Little Daisy has a GREAT way of making your own tape using a single pin. So cool.

Oh, one more thing: sz 100 cm is decidedly 4T. So, these will fit better in 2010… oh well.

Not so simple? Growing tomatoes. I am sure some of you would argue, but I have not been blessed with a green thumb. Luckily, my parents have experience in this area. When I was a baby, we lived in Michigan and my parents had a large garden. And no hot water if I am remembering the stories correctly. The effect was recreated when we moved “back East”, but didn’t hold as we moved into the house they now occupy. Judging by the size of the yard, I guess it was play or plant. Last year they grew tomatoes in their now suburban yard and this year they are expanding00 to include peppers and some beans. Yay! They are happy to have Maia help and she is very serious about it, a the photos show.

cherry tomato

my bean seed

pat the soil just like Pipa showed me

maia and mima hands

All done!

Maia’s first carding experience

Heather will be selling her awesome handspun and some bats in Brooklyn AND San Francisco this year. Visit the hellomello shop for a preview. Heather has an amazing sense of color–the yarns knit up really well. Stop by and see her

ISBN: 978-4-529-04437-0

That cover dress is too much… I’m getting right on it!

If you’re here for the knitting, it’s not going anywhere. If you’re here for the sewing, I think there’s going to be more of that. If you’re here because you know me, welcome! Slowly, but surely, I’m going to be updating and re-organizing things around here. Hope you’ll stick around.