I did it!

Ta-da! Here are the pants I made with my serger. I am so happy, so proud. I can thread my serger, adjust the tension dials, and have a clue as to why I need to do these things.

It looks like Mindi the herican needs a little gold chain to wear around her little waist. What do you think?

True Confessions

I'm here to let you know that I have fears. Big ones, small ones, but more than anything is the fear of trying anything new. Yep, its true.

Today I faced a long standing fear in the face, took the challenge, and I won! Color me pink, folks, 'cause I am tickled.

So what is/was my great fear? Oh, just the serger my husband bought me four years ago. The problem was it had so many dials, so many new thing-a-ma-jigs on it that was wa-a-a-y beyond my level of comprehension. Yes, I read the manual that came with it. It was written in so many different languages, it was confusing all by itself.

Well, so, what happened to make me brave my fear? I got this book, "Simple Serger Sewing" and it explained it with words and pictures in a way that it made sense. Before I even got to the projects to make in the book, I had my serger out of the box and up on my table.

I cleaned it up proper, just like the book said I should do. Then, remembering that the last time I attempted to use it, the thread broke and that's why I put it away--before I messed up even more seeing as how I wasn't clear on where exactly I went wrong. I mean, it sewed when we bought it brand new, but my fiddling around with the dials and such messed it up so the thread broke and I had to re-thread it. Horrors!

But that was then, and this is now. I checked my threading and found 3 areas that were not threaded proper. Fixed that--not a problem. Feeling all confident, I plugged that baby in and pressed down on the pedal and it looked fine. Put some fabric in place, and after a few inches I stopped to check out the stitches....needed some adjusting. Checking the book, (by the way, the manual makes more sense to me now) I adjusted one dial and started sewing again. Checked after a few inches--perfect! Ha Ha! I'm dancing a jig in my chair at this point.

I changed the dials up and down to see the result, and now I am no longer afraid of my serger. Yay! I am going to cut out some pj's tonight and serge them right up. Never mind I have pressing deadlines on a ton of other stuff. I'm on a roll with this, and I do not want to put it away until I actually make something. Besides, the book has a pattern in it to make something that is on my list of things to do for a paying customer. And if its as easy as the book made it look, then I should have those done in no time at all.

*smiling really big now*

Pineapple Neck Cooler

IMG_1064, originally uploaded by picable.

I made one of these for myself and when I wore it the other day while walking to the library; I was sure glad I did. It kept me a whole lot cooler just having it on my neck, and if I shrugged my shoulders I would get instant cooldown of my corotid arteries. Now that made it all worth while, besides the fact that I looked pretty chic with it on.

I realize that those that know how to crochet might look at this picture and figure out how to make one for themselves. While that may be true, you can find out a lot easier if you just buy the complete instructions from me. I have the finished neck coolers in stock, or the pattern ready for purchase. I think you will find my prices are fair and reasonable. You can click on my Etsy mini for purchase or just send me an email.

What is this?

This is a nifty little tool for making icords. I am making several cords
for Halloween projects. I can turn some into snakes by adding a head.
Pretty scary if you find one in your bed one night. Do this at your own
risk.
--
Sent from my T-Mobile Sidekick®

Summer Jacket

Summer Jacket, originally uploaded by picable.

I added some motifs to the front neckline and lengthened the sleeves. The original pattern was made with size 10 cotton thread. This was my rendition of the pattern using baby yarn.

You can switch the yarn and adjust for the gauge using a schematic. That's where you have a diagram drawn with the measurements included that show how a crocheted item is put together.

While it looks good in the picture, the actual wearing of this garmet has been a problem because acrylic yarn has more stretch in it than cotton thread does.

I believe that if I add another strip of motifs to the center front and join them together, making this a poncho with sleeves...it will be perfect. Otherwise, I will have to sew in a cloth liner.

I'll keep you posted.