Easy Overlocker Project

My overlocker arrived this week, so I made up a couple of easy items to get used to it's capabilities.  Here we have a tube top (Jalie 2565) and a pair of shorts with frilly bottom edges, to be worn as a sleep set.

The overlocker is the Bernina 1150 MDA.  I have had trouble with the automatic needle threader on the LHS...it takes about 20 attempts to work...faster to thread it the ol' fashioned way.  I broke the LH needle at one point...I didn't realise, and kept stitching.  The broken needle kept piecing my fabric, so I was left with tears in the fabric...I have not had this happen before...perhaps that shows the power of this beast?

Apart from that, all going well...I'll stitch up a few more unimportant things to get the hang of it.

Off-centre

I still have a back log of projects from my summer to record.

I have spent the last few years working on various bikini patterns, and now that they are all working for me, it is time to move onto one-piece designs.

The fabric for this swimsuit was a Christmas present.  Even though I loved it, it sat in my stash for a few years, because I could not figure out how to use it so that I didn't end up with either a pineapple flowering from my fanny or flames on my breasts.  Eventually, I got my light-bulb moment when it occurred to me that I don't have to centre prints down my middle.  This is a concept that I have always struggled with.  I remember being amazed the first time I saw someone slice the top off a passion-fruit...I always cut them in the middle and have the seeds and juice spill out.  Off-centre is okay.

I like how this swimsuit looks on my, and I like the racer back, but the low V at the front did not work well for body surfing (the days I forgot my rashie).  Perhaps less of the ocean would have rushed down my front if I had more negative ease?  

My sewing machine did not want to attach the straps, so you can see a bit of a bird's nest there.

I did sort out a few fitting issues with this suit though.  My previous one-pieces have all felt too short in the body.  I lengthened this one, and narrowed the crotch, so I think I am good to go for fancier styles now.

Workout wear fabric

I don't normally post fabric shots, but... this is so exciting that I have to share.  I like making my own workout wear but have been frustrated by sourcing the fabric.  I have been stalking eclipse textiles for years, but never really knew which fabrics were suitable for what.  Then I saw an offer on their blog for samples of their new supplex colour range.  I requested samples and asked for samples of other fabrics as well.  Then I contacted one of their stockists, Beach Bubble Swimwear, to order the fabric.  A few days later (which means I got amazing service, because mail deliveries to my home town are a little slow) I received a parcel, mostly of supplex lycra.  The colours are gorgeous and the quality looks exceptional.   I am planning an order of the aqualife fabrics for the next round of swimwear making.

I have also ordered a new overlocker and am waiting for it to arrive.  I have been sighing over the quality of stitches from my overlocker for years.  It was the bottom of the range Janome when I bought it 15 years ago.  The clincher came when the swim trunks that I made my son split all the way up the back during a training session.  My kids are at the age where they need a lot of sports clothing.  I like to make it and they do wear it, so I think I need the right tools for the job.  I course, there is nowhere within hundreds and hundreds of kilometres for me to test drive overlockers, so I was very reliant on the reviews of other bloggers and PR members.  In the end, I decided on the Bernina 1150 MDA.  Of course, it would take a lot a leotards to break even on the costs...but what price do you put on the joy of your nearly-teen child wearing your sewing??  Hmm, obviously the answer to that is remarkable similar to the price of a Bernina overlocker!

And now, just because I like posts with project photos, here are some pictures of my youngest child wearing the donkey costume I made him to be the donkey in the Simpson Anzac story.

The only sad thing is...this is the only sewing I have done in the last month.  I still haven't organised my new life to fit sewing time in..but soon, I hope...perhaps when I stop all this internet purchasing in the evenings.  Though this week, I did have to stock up on elastics from elingeria before they close.

I am also researching sources for thread for my overlocker and coverstitch...if you have any recommendations, pass them on.