2 more down

I've been on a sewing rampage this week. After all that time off, I finished 2 projects this weekend.

First are the place mats & napkins from Amy Butler's In Stitches book that I started working on last week. I finished them on Friday, and am really happy with how they came out.



This is the biggest project I worked on. All in, I spent 10-12 hours on these - maybe more. I learned I have about a 2 hour threshold to work before I get tired and need to do something requiring less concentration. I also learned if I push it, I make mistakes.

I worked with a new type of interfacing. It is material you sew or iron onto the back of fabric to give it shape and comes in many variations of strength/thickness. I did a bit of improvising for this project, which came out fine though next time I will use thinner interfacing that doesn't require ironing.

I finally feel like I am getting an intuitive knack for interfacing use, which is nice. I'm collecting me some sewing knowledge!

So the place mats have the same fabric on the back as in the front middle (Amy Butler pattern).


The napkins are reversible.


For the first time ever, I like these so much I actually want to give them away. Usually, I am sad I am being so generous with making items for others!

Yesterday, I took the Monsters, Dolls and Plushy Toys class with the fabulous Leslie at Stitch Lab. I haven't had such a fun 3 hours in a long time.

I made this Owl!



And I am very sad I am not keeping it. The class was great because the options were endless. I basically showed up with a bag of fabric. Leslie had lots of felt and buttons for us to use, and more patterns and ideas for stuffed toys than I thought was possible. This class really was all about imagination. And I definitely will be using this inspiration for new projects.

One woman drew her design from scratch. Another woman did a very adorable 2-headed dog, and the fourth woman did a camouflage squid for her son that was just amazing.

I totally want to have a plushy doll party! Like that place in the mall where you make stuffed animals, but they will have more personality. Cause you can't get eyes like this at the mall.



As for my plushy owl, she is destined to watch over a cute little Montana baby girl... if I don't try to sneak her home with me, of course.

Next up is a clutch bag from the Amy Butler book. A bag I have every intention of keeping, and assuredly won't change my mind when it's finished.

Productive!

So I bought myself a brand spanking new Kenmore last week after my night of frustration. The problems are very possibly user error, but I need to give Liz her machine back soon, and Sears had the model I wanted on sale. It was just time to get it.

I love my new machine!

It has speed control, a feature I apparently desperately needed. I can sew straighter lines when my lead foot doesn't take over. And it's working like a dream!

Thursday, I hemmed up some of Brian's curtains and finally finished my pillow for my couch!

This project was fun because I really didn't follow directions. I combined a couple of sets of instructions to make what I wanted, which of course gave me lots of opportunities to make mistakes.

I started this pillow with a red trim. Corners are tricky! However, I also mis-measured the pillow form, and the pillow case ended up being too big. Whoops.

So I cut it down and decided to make it with a zipper instead. I had no more trim, and didn't love how it looked anyway.

I love how this pillow looks on my couch and in the room!

Yesterday, I got started on a new project. Placemats and napkins from the Amy Butler: In Stitches book. With such detailed instructions, this round should go better than last year's attempt.

I fell in love with the fabric, and think it will make great placemats. They won't match a single thing of mine, but they sure will be pretty!

Yesterday I cut out all the fabric, and today I hope to finish the machine sewing of the placemats.

Sewing, Interrupted

Two months ago I bought a lot of fabric for new projects and not a single one is complete yet. This is mostly due to travel and tri training, but a recent sewing machine malfunction contributed.

So last night I got back to the sewing. Everything was going smoothly... right up until it wasn't. The machine suddenly started jamming again in the exact same way I just spent $50 to fix. The bottom thread bunches up and doesn't sew at all. This makes sewing impossible.

Tonight, I tried a new bobbin hoping it would fix it, but it didn't. (The guy at the repair shop indicated it might.) These constant problems with sewing machines are unbelievably frustrating. I just walked into Kent's house and dumped a slew of curse words on him. I bet Martha Stewart doesn't drop f-bombs when discussing her projects. Well maybe she did in jail. To be tough.

I just don't know what is going on. I got rid of the first sewing machine assuming it was a bad apple, but now I've had the same problem twice on the second (which is actually a loaner).

Am I doing something wrong? Is there some special threading trick I am just missing? Do I just need a better machine? Is there some magic wand I need to wave to get through more than 10 minutes of sewing at a time?

Tell me sewing god(dess), why is this happening?

Am I being punished for that stuffed animal I refused to finish in 7^th grade Home Ed just because it was expected of me? I was 13, just discovering my angsty defiant self (and punk music).

But now those numbers are reversed, and defiance holds less thrill. Sewing god, I would like to finish my accent pillow, and I have more onesies on deck. Oh, and I have that stuffed animal sewing class coming up next week.

At this point, I am favoring the option where I throw money at the problem. Tomorrow, I am most likely going to buy a brand new mid-range Kenmore that comes recommended by Leslie, my local sewing teacher/expert. And if that one has trouble, I am putting out a call for hired guns. There will be a sewing god with a bounty on her head.

Finished!

I completed my second Danskin Triathlon this morning, though I didn't do it faster than last year's 1:58:51, as I hoped.

I think this was for 2 reasons.
- WIND! My tailwind had me cruising up at 26 mph. And the headwind had me fighting to get up to 10 mph. Going downhill.
- I pegged my heart rate really high, really early and it just stayed there. By the time I started then run, I was tired! Usually I try to stay in my aerobic zone of 155-165. I hovered between 170-192.

Of course, I finished, and it was just as awesome as last year, but I was more wiped out from this race. I barely could stay awake to eat brunch!

We were totally fortunate to not have blazing hot weather. All that wind came with some clouds, and that was definitely a good thing.

I'm not sure how much my extra training helped me out today. I don't think I've ever biked in wind like I saw today. But it did get me into better shape overall, so I'll take that.

If I do Danskin next year, I might join a training group to really push my time, and have some event buddies.

My times this year were
Overall: 1:59:38
Swim: 25:07
Transition 1: 6:49
Biking: 48:35 (Avg: 14.8 mph)
Transition 2: 2:54
Running: 36:11 (11:40 min mile)

Best part about today - 80 year old woman competing. I passed her (barely) on the run. I hope I am in good enough shape to think about doing a tri when I am 80!