STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Suasoria · Chanel

I have sewn.

itsapinkthing · Coach

Yay! It's great feeling to know you can adjust things to fit better, it won't be long until your creating those desired items you just can't find! Enjoy.

pollyjean23 · Marc Jacobs

That's so great, Suas! I like the idea of just altering things you already own.

Boots · Gucci

That's so cool! I'll bet that you'll get a lot of use out of it as your skills progress too!

greendiamond · Marc Jacobs

Are you an already pretty good seamstress with a new machine, or are you a newbie with a new machine?

I use to sew with my grandmother quite a bit a long time ago (15+ years) and got a machine for Christmas. I used it shortly thereafter, without great success (I think it was the thread).

I recently bought drapery panels I want to make into roman shades, and my grandmother tells me it is the perfect starter project for me. I have my doubts about this.

Can you shed any light?

Oh, and congrats on making quick use of your machine! I am impressed with your projects already!

Hermes

good job! I don't think the pics would be boring, but I'll take your word for it. I need to get my sewing room set up still...

GD - do you have a pattern or anything for the roman shades?

Suasoria · Chanel

greendiamond wrote:
Are you an already pretty good seamstress with a new machine, or are you a newbie with a new machine?

I guess I'm a beginner again? In junior high/HS I made a few things from patterns (maybe 6-8 pieces, not a ton) and altered (shortened, tightened!) a lot of my clothes and thrift store finds, but that was 20+ years ago. In my 20s I made a few skanky Halloween costumes.

My mom gave me that very same machine about 10 years ago because she didn't want it anymore. I had it serviced but even then it didn't work at all well, and after hemming a pair of DH's trackpants I gave up on it and stuck it in the garage. I mend well but get impatient doing things by hand that I know would be five minutes on a machine. So I have a few things that I like too much to give away, but need to take in/alter.

If you can sew a straight line, in theory you can make a curtain or a pillow. The other night I spent about an hour looking up sewing tutorials and getting excited. I bet there are a lot of tutorials for things like window coverings. I would like to make some drapes, too, and maybe a bedskirt - I bought a bedskirt pattern a long time ago when I had my mom's machine, and never even started it. So that was another big reason for getting this one.

One of the first things I sewed myself from a pattern was a full-length satin robe in a Japanese floral print. I figured it was a good starter project because even if it didn't come out well, it wasn't something I'd be wearing in front of people much. It came out great and I loved wearing it around my college dorm and even in my apartment when people came over. It was kind of goofy but I felt very Norma Desmond in it. I still have it in my closet. It's quite sentimental!