I Love My Serger :)
July 13, 2008
I love my serger :) I couldn't have stitched these two items so quickly using just a regular sewing machine, and the gauze top would have been a nightmare! The top is "Poetry in Motion" by hotpatterns.com; the skirt is the Gored Skirt from Bernina's My Label 3D Fashion Pattern Software. (Tip: If you make the top, use two rows of 1/4" elastic around the neck & sleeves instead of the 3/4" elastic called for in the directions.)
Gauze can be tricky to stitch, as it tends to stretch out of shape. This top is basically a "bishop" style, with sleeves, front, and back stitched together on the diagonal. By setting the differential feed at about 1.5, the fabric was fed under the presser foot faster than it was pulled out the back, which prevented the gauze from stretching. Bonus: all those ravelly edges were overcast, too!
It's hard to see in the photo, but there are two tiers of ruffles along the lower edge...so not only is the hem stretchy,
hard-to-handle gauze, but cut partly on the bias and partly on grain. A serged rolled edge was simple; I don't even want to think how tedious a regular hem would have been!
The skirt was quick and simple. After printing the Gored Skirt pattern I drew points at the lower edge of each segment to create a shaped hem. I roll hemmed the points, then flatlocked all the sections together with the "squiggles" side showing on the outside. Then I stitched the waistband to the top with a 4-thread overlock stitch, inserted the elastic, and it was done!
Why the neatly labeled swatches? One of the classes I'm teaching at Bernina University is on sergers. Erika & I are both traveling to Kansas City tomorrow; we start teaching on Wednesday. I'm not sure we'll have time to blog while we're gone, but we'll have lots of things to share when we get back!






I went out a couple of weeks ago and taught
Drawer to draw a new neckline on the tunic; you can see it in the close-up of the pattern piece. When I printed the pattern I used this line as the edge of my new scooped neckline, adding a 5/8" seam allowance. Then I cut ribbing about 3/4 the distance around the neckline (measured on the pattern, not the fabric). 
Whew! What a wonderful show. ALL the 
Last week's Project Runway challenge was sweet in more ways than just a new episode. As the designers raced through the Hershey store in Times Square, in their 5 minute "material" grab, my friends and I wondered what in the world they could come up with. What fun to see actual beautiful garments out of cellophane bag wrappers, disassembled pillows, peanut butter cup cups and even Twizzlers! Rami's dress was both beautiful and exciting to look at. I was blown away when I heard that the underside of each of his pleats on the wrapping paper skirt actually had a different paper than the front of the pleat. Wow! Even in fabric that is tedious to pull off! He totally deserved to win the challenge. Disappointing results from Planet Eliza who showed great creative promise by the way her eyes lit up in the store, but opted for conservative in her design. Christian might have unwrapped a thousand peanut butter cups, but his dress just looked like a chocolate mini cupcake explosion.
I just got done watching the newest "Runway" and couldn't wait to get tot he computer to write my thoughts. I could not love the
resale shop and buy something to restyle. Instead of pinning on a dress form, I'm going to use one of my perfect-fitting 






