12/21/12

Eighth day of Christmas

The eighth day of Christmas was Sydney’s last day of school before winter break.  It ended with a basketball game.  The freshman team won and the junior varsity team won and the varsity team lost in the last 40 seconds because they tried to run a fancy play to run down the clock and score at the last second to break a tie and it backfired and they gave the ball to the other team and lost it in the last 2 seconds by one basket and a free-throw from a foul they made during the skirmish.

Whoo-doggies, was my butt sore after sitting in the bleachers for 5 hours.  During the freshman game, the referees were signing in and leaning over the writing part of the desk I was sitting at, selling tickets.  The extra pressure was enough to collapse the front legs of the desk and the lock box crashed to the floor and everyone looked and I was trying to lean back in this desk to keep the writing surface from collapsing onto my knees.  Thank goodness the $3 in quarters somone paid with did not go skittering across the basketball court.

It is always something with me at girl’s basketball. 

Oh, and at one point, I looked up and the ball was headed right for my face and a girl that weighed twice as much as I do was barrelling down on me after it.  Fortunately, I got me and my stuff out of the way, just in the knick of time, before she crashed into the wall at my right side.  No one was injured, but my heart sure did race for a second.  It was like finding myself parked on the tracks while train was coming.

I got Bonnie’s clue and decided to spend half my sewing time this morning working on it and half, trying to learn to hem a women’s skirt.  Seems that should be so easy.  But, the fact that the part I’m folding under is more fabric than what I’m attaching it to is giving me fits.  I will get it, but this is why it’s so important for me to practice now.  One day, she’s going to want me to make her something special and I don’t want to be figuring out hems when that time comes.

During my Easy Street time, I went through my bin of 2” squares and I found…

three.

And, I’d already exhausted my 2” strips.  So this morning, I’m cutting 2” strips from yardage and then sub cutting them into squares. 

I am going to deviate from Bonnie’s instructions just a bit, tho.  I’m not going to mark the diagonal lines on all those purple squares.  I’m trying a technique I saw someone else doing, but I don’t remember who or where, so if it was you, then please speak up and offer feedback. 

Here’s proof that this way does work.  One down, a boatload to go.

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I took a sticky note and drew a line on it and lined that up with my sewing machine needle.  (the seam guide is just to make it lay flat because the sticky part is actually on my sewing machine cabinet)

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I’ll lay my purple square on my turq square and line one corner up with the needle and line the other corner up with the drawn line. 

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As I feed the fabric through, I’ll keep that near corner right on the drawn line, all the way across the diagonal of the purple square.  It worked perfect and all I had to do was trim off the extra fabric, leaving a quarter inch seam allowance.

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Easy-peasy-rockin’-weasy.

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Unfortunately, I did not get very many purple squares cut and I used both of my 3.5” turq squares that I found in my bin in this test, so all those will have to be cut, too.

In the meantime, I’ll be figuring out hems.  Men’s clothes make so much more sense.

Be well.  Have a great Friday.  After today, I am on Christmas break, too.

Lane

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

They have a lacy looking hem tape in the bias tape/rick rack area. You just sew one edge to skirt and other edge you hand sew. Good luck. Janine

Michelle said...

You are sewing with the 401, aren't you? I love seeing the old singer sewing machines with the slant shaft! :)

quiltermom said...

Run a row of gathering stitches along the edge of the longer side, and pull it up just a little bit to ease in the extra fabric. Press with lots of steam when you are done. (If the fabric can take it.) I don't make clothes anymore...quilts always fit when you are finished.

Unknown said...

I am so going to use the idea for the diagonal line for clue 5. I didn't relish the idea of marking those lines either. Hope you have a great Christmas, my kids went to their dad's for the holidays, so kid free for 2 weeks. Time for some major sewing! (instead of laundry, dishes,repeat):)

Laura said...

If you cut an inch or so off the bottom of the skirt, it will be easier to ease the fullness in the hem. If you look at most ready made clothes, you will see most hems are now stitched by machine.

Kim West said...

Nice tip on the mystery units... i am definately gonna try it!

Kath said...

If I don;t get back before Christmas Lane, I would like to wish you and your lovely family, a very happy holiday, with good health and much happiness for 2013.

Elizabeth said...

I hate tailoring. The basting stitch suggestion above was a good one, though. It will make your life so much happier.

Easy peasy rockin' weasy? I've never heard it that way before. I've always heard easy peasy lemon squeezy. Whatever works, right? About the rhyme and the sewing of the triangles using the sticky-note short-cut method. Loving your fabric choices.

xo -E

qltmom9 said...

I tend to put a row of quilt pieces along hems! LOL...I saw some VERY expensive skirts like that and play that way a lot now...not that it'd work for prom.
I confess...I eyeballed all my 2" squares and did fine! I've done a lot of these though.

Lucy~

Coloradolady said...

Merry Christmas Lane!! I hope you all have a wonderful day!!