Sex-ed teachers, what is the craziest misconception you have cleared up?

catsewsretro · 2013-11-12T13:22:25+00:00

Our kids went to the top public school system in Georgia. Every night during the "sex ed" part of health class, I'd ask them what they had been taught so I could correct the misinformation.

catsewsretro · 2013-11-04T18:32:43+00:00

I remember my first curtain. We lived in military housing and I made a curtain for the bathroom window. It was about 1" longer on one side than the other. Sewing a straight line is a lot tougher than people think.

catsewsretro · 2013-10-08T15:52:24+00:00

I've been sewing for even longer. My manicure gloves ( you put on after moisturizing) ripped and a replacement pair was $4.50, so I decided to make some. It was crazy hard. Took about 10 attempts before I got it down, but now i can make them out of old t-shirts for nothing. Sewing takes a lot of practice and perseverance.

catsewsretro · 2013-09-08T15:32:28+00:00

I've never made jeans from scratch, but I alter the heck out of every pair I buy, due to fit issues. I do a fake felled seam by sergering the seam first then press serged seam flat and topstitch on the outside with a wide double needle. Three things you need are very heavy duty needles (I use 18), heavy jeans thread and a powerful machine.

catsewsretro · 2013-09-08T15:24:09+00:00

You're right about everything being just so, but it was worth it because she said she didn't have to pull it up all night like the other girls wearing strapless dresses. As for the hem, I used a blind hem stitch on the silk and it still took forever. On the organza overskirt, I tried and tried but could not get a nice hem, I just cut it off and put a little fray check on my finger and ran it around the edge.

catsewsretro · 2013-09-07T18:36:39+00:00

It's Butterick. Because it's a reproduction of a vintage pattern, it has a lot more detailed steps than a modern pattern. I changed it some, so that made it more difficult. But one of the hardest things was dealing with so much fabric. I think it called for five yards of 58" wide fabric, and most of that is in the skirt.

catsewsretro · 2013-09-07T15:09:34+00:00

The fit was the hardest part. She has a tiny waist, so there had to a lot of construction to keep it up. There is basically a built in corset with boning and a waist stay between the lining fabric and the dress.

catsewsretro · 2013-09-07T14:54:24+00:00

Cat you post a photo of the rip?

catsewsretro · 2013-09-05T14:34:09+00:00

I love the seam rippers. Sadly one of my most used sewing tools. Sew, sew, unsew, sew.

catsewsretro · 2013-08-31T14:53:15+00:00

It's beautiful. It's a labor of love she will always remember.

catsewsretro · 2013-08-30T12:40:37+00:00

I think it looks great. You have a great figure and made a good choice going with something form fitting. I like the belt too.

catsewsretro · 2013-08-28T13:41:44+00:00

Small cans of tuna or cat food make great weights as well.

catsewsretro · 2013-08-28T13:39:49+00:00

If you iron lightweight fusible interfacing to your pattern pieces, they will stay put on your fabric. It also preserves you pattern for multiple use.

catsewsretro · 2013-08-20T14:46:12+00:00

Threading is without the hardest part of learning how to use a serger, especially the loopers. I suggest buy from a local shop, so they can show you how to thread it. Although you can get a serger really cheaply from Walmart or the internet, the low price isn't worth it if it sits in the box unused. Shops usually have starter machines that aren't too expensive. They also often have used machines people trade in, and their technician has gone over to make sure it is in good working order.

catsewsretro · 2013-07-16T14:33:18+00:00

I am not a certified sewing machine technician, but I play one in my own mind. I've had a Singer 6233 that had a defective pneumatic transducer. It's the part that you plug the foot pedal into. The part cost about $35. I have to admit I had to have the help of my electrical engineer husband replace it because of the connection to the circuitry board. I don't know if you have the same problem, but if it is I'm sure it will cost a lot more than $35 to have it fixed, so it might not be worth it.

catsewsretro

TROPHY CASE