I hear the roar of the big machine

[venta]

This weekend, among many other things, I have been making baby clothes. Inspired by sushidog's recent comments on the subject, I thought it would be nice to give as a baby-present something handmade. Sadly, I lack Sushidog's crocheting skills and was a little stumped for ideas. However, I can wield a sewing machine best out of three, so under guidance from the mother bought some purple fleece and pattern to make what I understand is called "a bunting". (For anyone who knows nothing about technical baby clothing terminology, it's basically a sleeping bag with arms. I#ve always thought trying to get a wriggly baby into anything which actually had legs was a mug's game.)

Any of my friends are now advised to begin espousing just how much they like store-bought things, as my dressmaking skills appear to have weakened considerably while I wasn't looking. Still, if nothing else it will ensure that little Adam[*] learns by ommission the vital importance of good tailoring before he's more than a few weeks old.

I'd like to complain to Simplicity, though (the pattern producers). If you sell someone a pattern, and advise them to make it in fleece, do not include a multitude of instructions to "press open seams". Have you ever tried pressing fleece ? No, of course not. Well, I now have and I can assure you it is every bit as pointless an exercise as you'd think. I was amused to note, though, that the paper pattern pieces still had a notional waistline marked on them. When making what is basically a sack (which has no waist) for a new born (who has no waist), I thought that was a nice touch.

In other sewing news, the overlocker and I have not really got off to the best of starts. Having finally acquired some thread, I settled down this afternoon to try and work out how to use it. Armed with the instruction manual with blurry pictures and dubious English, I figured it couldn't be that hard.

Anyone who espouse the practice of never reading instructions has, I confidently predict, never tried to thread a four-strand overlocker. 45 bloody minutes, and then I got it wrong. Of course, that I only have the haziest idea of how they work and thus not too much clue what I'm aiming for probably didn't help. (Incidentally, if anyone has no idea what an overlocker is, look at the inside of t-shirt. You see how the hems aren't straight lines of stitches, but complicated lattices ? They're overlocked - more or less.)

Take two of threading seemed to go a lot more smoothly, although by that stage I'd decided that I did have the automatic lower looper threading available "on some model". Sadly, since the instructions on how to use it were even more incomprehensible I still had to do it manually. I twiddled a few tension dials, in accordance with the mistakes in the first run and the troubleshooting guide, and went for a second seam.

It started well, but then there was the angry growl of a sewing machine that doesn't want to go any further, hastily followed by a loud snap. My machine now only has one and a half needles :( Worse, I've still got no idea what caused the problem. Are overlockers much more fragile than normal machines when it comes to jams in fabrics ?

So, now I'm off to hunt websites for new needle suppliers. And for the teeny tiny Allen key I need to change the needle.


[*] Note for marjory: Newsflash - the unfortunate child who will receive the purple monstrosity I have created is Penny not-P-any-more's firstborn, who arrived just a few days before my birthday.

Comments

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

Overlockers are evil; I fold the seams over and sew them down in everything, because it takes roughly the same amount of time for half the amount of machine. Also, do not iron fleece. I would say do not use fleece at all, but in children's clothes its dreadfulness can be forgiven.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Well, I know not to iron fleece, it's just Simplicity that seems confused on the issue.

Have you had any success sewing t-shirty material with a normal sewing machine ? I haven't... the seams always look OK to start with, but then go baggy and weird very quickly. That's what I wanted the overlocker for, anyway.

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

I've only tried sewing small pieces of jersey with a sewing machine that are going to be worn, and they went a bit wrong anyway because they were too small to get a good hold on and stretch out underneath the foot. I have done a larger piece but it was for upholstery and doesn't seem to have gone baggy and weird, possibly because it hasn't been washed, worn etc.

[marjory.livejournal.com]

[*] Note for marjory: Newsflash - the unfortunate child who will receive the purple monstrosity I have created is Penny not-P-any-more's firstborn, who arrived just a few days before my birthday.

Now y'see, as I was reading this, my nosy-git gland came into operation and then came the special note, just for me! It's wonderful and strange to think of people I knew when they were milling a round in green school uniforms being replete with kids.

And Simplicity should be taken up by the trading standards lot for misrepresentation, I swear!

Will we be getting pictures of the purple bag thing?

[(Anonymous)]

As I'm cited as the adviser on the shopping trip, I beg to point out it's not purple, it's a sort of claret colour.

[marjory.livejournal.com]

Okay - will we get any pictures of the sort of claret colour bag thing?

;)

[venta.livejournal.com]

Erm, if you're that interested! I'll see what I can do. It's probably displayed to best advantage with a small person inside it, but mercifully I don't have one to hand.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Get away. It's purple.

[(Anonymous)]

Simplicity always have had their little quirks - my favourite were little sleeves which wouldn't allow you to raise your arms above shoulder height without ominous creaking (yes, creaking!) and tearing noises. And I'm glad you weren't trying to overlock the fleece!

As regards the snapping of needles - sounds like a combination of (a) wrong tension and, possibly,(b)lint caught up in the mechanism. (b) can arise as a result of (a) because thread gets all shredded. I used to have a similar problem with an ancient zig-zag machine whenever I tried to do machine embroidery. And what's the point of having a zig-zag machine if you can't use it for that ....

Hope this helps!

Inhabitant of Puflet Palace (Falafel)

[keris.livejournal.com]

I just broke a needle a couple of weeks ago on my overlocker, from having the tension a bit off. Maybe they're more sensitive... But it's still great :)