My New Serger

Prettttttttty.

Complimentary test spools of thread

This is my new serger: the Brother Homelock 1034D Serger.
It’s my baby. I’m sooo looking forward to using this machine. It got a lot of very good reviews on Amazon & Wal-Mart.com. And so far, it gets great reviews from me.



Now I did have issues with the lower loop thread snapping a lot. The lower looper is by the way the complimentary spool of blue thread. I found this video helps with this problem:

Very helpful.

Other important tips:

• Don’t give up.
• Don’t crank the handwheel to align the loopers AFTER threading the lower looper because the lower looper thread will be on top of the upper thread. Then the lower looper thread will break.

Other cool stuff that I got with my machine.

Mama’s New Bag & D & J Tote Completed

I have been on a sewing spree for the last two weeks and I love it. It’s more than what I’m used too. So far four projects done for others, I had to do something for myself.  While watching the BBC’s Charles Dickens’s Little Dorrit, I stitched something useful and quite green.
Something like a new bag. From leftover fabrics.



The outer shell is of dark blue denim with a lovely front contrast pocket. It has a very comfy, wide shoulder strap and two side tote straps. I took inspiration from my old gray/black bag.
And this beauty of a bag: Scottie Big Bags Messenger Tote Bag
 
Back to my bag, I did the lining in light blue linen and I added good, useable pocket this time. Plus I used a stiff bottom for an old baby bag to remedy my floppy bag bottom. Please forgive my stuff being in the bag while taking the pic, I’m very excited to use it.




Okay, for my next completed project, remember the Dick & Jane curtains.

Now…
Imagine that cloth made into a tote bag. I have stitched THIS:

My client adores D&J and had a lot of cloth leftover from her curtains, so she commissioned a tote bag.
Yes, I have a feeling that Dick & Jane will be reappearing in some future project yet I don’t know as what?

Zaynab's Eid Adha Wintermint Princess Frock Completed

Zaynab’s Eid Adha Wintermint Princess Frock was a success. The colors were great, the fitting was good and the Thread’s seam-and-bound finishing technique I picked up was a hit. It is an awesome dress.

I combined leftover fabrics: sea-green denim for the pinafore, pink-striped cotton (binding strips & ruffles) and cream broadcloth for the underskirt to produce this wonderful frock. I combined my Neapolitan Feliz dress pattern with McCall's M6389.

Instead of finishing the princess seams with regular seams, I used the seam-and-bound finishing technique shown in an old Thread’s Technique book. It’s an easy, strong finish for bulky fabrics plus it can add alittle spice to regular seams.

The bound-and-stitched seam

And all of us who sew knows what happens to an terrific dress: It seems to never get worn to the intended event.
Well, it’s probably just happens to me but oh well.
Zaynab was supposed to wear this dress to Eid Adha back in the Fall but I was too exhausted & sick to go to the Eid so the dress had to wait.
Then my friend recently got married and I was invited to her walima (wedding reception or wedding banquet). I had the pleasure of seeing another one of my dresses on display in all it’s beauty for a client. I got Miss Little-Bit all dolled up just so she could show her evil side in a store three blocks from the party. Unfortunately, we gave her every opportunity to improve her behavior and we could not reward her bad behavior with the benefits of the party (there was cake, ice cream plus her classmates), so Miss Little-Bit and her dress was sent to her aunt’s house.
So I’m posting the after party pics for friends and family.

     

I got more completed projects on the way, so stay tuned.

Mama’s Brand New Bag (insha’allah)

This is the fabric for my new bag.

My Old Bag

My old bag has served me faithfully for four years now. It’s just now starting to show signs of wear & tear.
Surprised me.
Yet I must exercise my sewing skills and thrive for more awesome-ness.
Now I just make my own bag just because I have a choice in the color, construction and fabric. So I’m now planning out a new, improved one. The pattern of choice is Make Baby Stuff.com’s free baby bag pattern. The pattern is very useful and you can customize your baby bag to your heart’s content.
My old bag had

• one strap (eats into my shoulder sometimes)
• inside pockets that are useless (too small)

The new bag’s plans are

• wider shoulder strap plus tote straps.
• Improved pockets
• Re-enforced bottom (I have grown to dislike the saggy bottom)
• More colors

I will keep you posted on this project. Insha’allah.

Gothmummi

Hey people, I found this video on Stylish Muslimah's blog and it had one of my favorite words:
Goth.
Yes, I like goth, mostly Gothic clothes.
I think Gothic clothes and Islamic clothes can go hand-in-hand. Yet that's another blog post by itself.



I love the way she is describing her way of understanding Islam and other people's reactions to her choice. I can relate to her because I was once Christian and I remember doing some of the same things she is doing to understand Islam like wearing hijab and serious soul-searching. I still love how people who are non-Muslim (professors especially) call themselves "experts on Islam" due to the fact that they have read tons of books on Islam. To me, those people are just being somewhat arrogant and they are hardly even called forth to truly explain Islam by the media. When they talk about Islam, it sounds like they have dissected some creature that's too big for them and they come across as haughty about something they cannot speak truthfully about or far worse they don't want to experience it. Islam is not a religion that can be learned from reading a book, it's best learning it first hand from a Muslim.

I strongly believe a person cannot truly understand Islam until they have actually experienced being Muslim or at least sincerely seek knowledge about Islam. That's my humble view in addition to Gothmummi's view.
I love how she is straightforward about her ideas and perspective. And she has alot of good points about the hijab: the outside & the inside. There are some Muslimahs who think the outside is more important and then there is vice versa.

The important thing is the why Muslimah should observe the "outside" as well as the "inside". Her viewpoint is very refreshing to hear and should a good reminder to the Muslims especially the Muslimahs that we, the Muslims, are being watched.

And Allah SWT Knows Best.

Sewing Rant

"She wants me to pull more fabric out of where?"
Picture from "Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky"

I have a something to get off my chest about people expecting sewists to work miracles, whether it be magically producing enough cloth to cover a project when its not provided to the sewist being able to make a size 4 fit a size 26 figure.

Be sensible when dealing with us because your pride is not going to repair your pants nor let out your abaya.

That's my job and I expect to get what I asked for/agreed upon. I don't like "sweatshop" wages just because your husband is out of work or your light bill just got paid or you just paid for a previous project. Simply treat my request as a quote, be decent and bring the garment(s) back when you have the money. I don't need the personal fitnah (trouble).

I'm sorry, even clothes need some maintenance. It's a lifetime issue that spans across cultures, religions etc. Your clothes are going to need mending and altering. Unless you can do it, don't be a snob or unreasonably frugal towards people who sew for a living. Even if they are beginners or hobbyists or part-time, it's not fair to them. We don't wave fairy wand over your clothes and instantly they fixed like that.

Plus don't compare they do to what the seamstresses and tailors do in your home country or back in your time.

Just my thoughts.

Dick & Jane Curtains: COMPLETED

Remember the seemingly simple D&J curtain project:
Dick & Jane in the works

Well, it's FINALLY finished.
Yes!!
I know what you are thinking, it's curtains.
Simple little curtains with cute little D&J pictures, right?

See Gail being too over-planned and proud.
See Gail get her feelings hurt.
After being sick with sinus problems for a week and half, caring for a whining three year old who is mysteriously inquisitive about EVERYTHING all a sudden, being highly disappointed in a long awaited show: "All-American Muslims" and then my discontinued serger deciding "chew" up my work...

...a small project became a struggle.

Nevertheless, I pushed on, learned how to rolled hem and got finished with the last and most decorative set of panels. Complete with ruffles. And six yards of rolled hemmed ruffles too. Top and bottom.

**Jane smiles demonically at me as she rides her tricycle**
Naah, I just need a "me" project.
Lol. 

Would I do curtains again?
Yes.

What is out of my sewing ability?
No.

Do I see a Babylock or Singer Serger in the future?
God-willing, yes.

My next project, insha'allah, will be something for me like a nice tunic-skirt set or dress.

Until then, live and let sew.