Sunday, December 29, 2013

A Love Story

It probably was Gertie's post on her sewing machine that got me into wanting a Bernina 1008.




The machine I have now, it is not up to my requirements, to say the least. It is not to be trusted. I have some compromised projects put aside waiting for a better tool to sew them. Gerthie's defence of her machine, after some time of using it, is consistent with all the opinions, virtual and in the flesh, I have managed to listen to in the last weeks. So, this is the machine I would like to sew with. 
I am in a mission now!
UPDATE: yesterday I was in a shop to have a real look at it ant try it. The machine is ugly, that was the first impression, it looks like 50 years ago. Compared to the digital ones, this mechanical one, is sturdier, and more powerful. It has a 105 CV motor, and sews super thick fabrics like nothing. It's quite heavy, since it's all metallic (digital ones are plastic), but easy to move and store away if the space requires dismantling after sewing. The number of different stitches is limited, but probably enough. I missed the triple zig zag my machine does, and an elastic straight stitch for jersey with open seams. The light is yellow, as opposed to white led in the digital ones. It is superfast, and I tried a buttonhole too, which was quite nice, although you have only one possible model. 
So now I am in reflection mode, before I decide to spend my money.
Anyone has an opinion?

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Blue Velvet Dress












This is another fabric I bought in Denmark this summer in Stoff 2000. It's a pitty they don't have an English version of their website to buy some more, because the fabrics they had in the store were original and very nice. In this case, we are talking about some striped jersey velvet, perfect fot a confortable and informal winter dress. 
I used my "Universal Dress" pattern, which I made from the "universal T-shirt" pattern, from Patrones magazine. I baptized it like that becasue of the number of times I have used this pattern. I love the raglan sleeves, which are a perfect option for jersey or knit projects like this one. 













I decided to add a hood, which pattern I drew using Aldrich's book. I used some blue jersey to make the inside of the hood and the facing of the neck opening.
Important to mention is the effort one has to make to marry the stripes in the lateral seams and in the sleeve seams.


After the first fitting, I only had to modify the waist of the dress, entering it 1 cm, and then opening the side seams another cm, making thus a more gracious skirt.






































I am really happy with the outcome. It is a perfect marriage of fabric and pattern. The only drawback, is that you end up with a very dirty sewing room after sewing with this velvet fabric, whick produces inmense quantities of fluff. Once the dress is finished, its seams binded with a good zig-zag, and washed, the fluff is gone. But I had my vacuum cleaner next to me for the whole project!