I finally had some time off for the holidays and decided to finally sew for myself. At the beginning of the year, I listed a "Wish List" and one was to make my dream wardrobe. One of things I wanted to make was a pair of sailor pants out of seersucker! I still want to do that but the trousers have evolved. Hopefully I'll get to the trousers before spring. One of the other dream items is a cape! I bought this wonderful plaid wool and it had been sitting around for almost a year now. It was time! So I made a pattern using one of my pattern-making reference books and spent the next day to sew it up. Well, it turned out looking like a bag- at least that's what the boyfriend said. And besides that, my sewing machine started to act up! Arrgh! The one time I decide to make something for myself and now I have to get a new sewing machine! Anyway, since I have a limited amount of the wool fabric, I started to take apart the cape and alter it. Here's what it looks like at the moment:
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| front |
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| back |
As you can see, I originally put in a lining but I think now that I'm going to add gores to the sides that I will nix the lining all together. The plan is to finish it today, even if I have to sew it by hand! I want this cape! My poor sewing machine still works, but she's just finicky. Very finicky. I have used her to death though. It's probably a good time to retire her. If I can do a little maintenance, I think I can keep her around for emergencies. I am thinking about getting a Janome brand sewing machine now. My sister-in-law raves about hers. They are pretty pricey but from the reviews, they are worth their price. My dream machine is a Husqvarna Viking but that's a long shot right now.
My Dressmaker Pro was a good machine. I bought it used in Los Angeles 6 years ago. :-( She had many quirks but was a solid machine. 'sigh'
Did you shop around at all for a new machine yet? It might still be worth looking into Viking machines even if their MSRP is out of your range. I have one that I got at a clearance sale for a deep discount. It's a really basic, discontinued model and it was still a lot of money but the machine is awesome. I use it for myself and for work sometimes too. I had used my Mom's old Singer from the 70s for years and when it was time to buy a machine for myself, I wanted to get something that would last forever. It was totally an extravagant purchase but I don't regret spending the money for a second.
ReplyDeleteI am looking. My current machine still works for the most part but she seems to have good days and bad. I think this weekend, I'm going to take her apart and clean everything and see if that will prolong her life for now. I decided that I wanted to save up and buy that dream sewing machine. Either I'm going to invest in a Viking or get a Janome. I mean I can't spend $1000 but I am willing to spend about $600 for a sewing machine. If you don't mind me asking, how much did you pay for your Viking?
ReplyDeleteI just found my old receipt! I had it tucked in the manual. I bought it in 2002 for $387, which was 50% off at the time. It was on sale at a Joanns. I think they were probably trying to get rid of it to make room for new models because mine is an anniversary model that was named after King Oscar of Sweden. So it has Swedish flags all over it. Random, I know, but I don't really mind about how it looks. It only has 15 stitches, and that's all I really need. I like that it's so basic because there's less that can break down. I was honestly afraid of buying a fancier one with programmable stitches. I didn't want to be dealing with software malfunctions on my sewing machine. It weighs a ton and is really powerful. I remember the saleslady actually told me to be careful of its strength because she had actually pierced through her thumb once on one of them!!!
ReplyDeleteHoly crap!! That's a steal for a Viking!!! I'll have to look around. I definitely don't want a computerized sewing machine, though. It's very old fashioned of me, but I like to be able to open up my machine and know what I'm looking at. I've seen too many reviews on computerized machines that screw up after 4 or 5 years and the software/components that are needed to fix the machine has been discontinued.
ReplyDeleteI know! I think it requires some searching, but a deal can be found.
ReplyDeleteI guess I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for deals!! :-)
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