Monday 7 October 2013

sewing here and now

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Some sewing has been going on this past week...although my machine is being frustratingly erratic.  Sometimes it sews well, other times the bobbin thread breaks or the bobbin jams...

 I am wondering if it is my use of cheap sewing thread causing thread breakage mid seam? Or an upper thread tension problem?  Or the need for a new needle?

Whatever it is, I am feeling so frustrated that last night I considered packing in the sewing and taking it all to the charity shop!   My sewing time is soooo limited now that it is doubly annoying when things go wrong.  Last night I sat unpicking the neckband for the Ottobre tunic (pictured in top image).  The pattern calls for a slight stretching of the neckband when fitting.  No way was mine long enough even with major stretching so I unpicked it, needing to go back and recheck my pattern tracing.  Grrrrrrr....does anyone else go wrong like this?

8 comments:

  1. Ugh! That sounds way annoying. Sometimes I have problems like that, and it's usually because of something stupid I've done-- wound the bobbin sloppily, don't have the right size needles, etc. Hope your problems clear up soon as that sounds very frustrating. :(

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  2. frustrating! I find that over locker thread is cheaper but strong!

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  3. Grrrr, that happens to me all the time! My machine's middle name (oh wait, no, its first name) is capricious!

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  4. Thank you guys,...so glad it's not just me. :)

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  5. I feel for you and can sympathise.My machine only seems to work with expensive gutterman thread.This is annoying as I have bucket loads of the cheap stuff.I have just managed to get my overlocker to work properly after 18 months of inactivity and that seems to be a stupid needle problem so perhaps yours is just a simple thing too?
    It is also an unwritten rule of nature that when time is precious and when you manage to use that time to do something that the end result will ALWAYS be a waste of thime.This applies to all of us noy just you so don't worry!Don't get rid of your sewing stuff....I did once and I regret it now!

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  6. Please don't give up! Sometimes my projects just seem to be one long series of disasters so I know exactly what you mean, but what excuse would I have not to do all the boring stuff if I didn't sew?! Whenever I have a problem with my machine it always seems to be a bit of cotton stuck in the shuttle race or under the footplate. So I would try a gentle clean or maybe a service? Anyway your Ottobre tunic looks lovely from what I can see, I hope you complete it when you get time x

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  7. Oh, how frustrating! I hate that. I have a feeling that sometimes wonky tension is just due to strange fabric, and not so much to the machine settings...? Then again, on my machine tends to let the thread hop out of the little button thingie, which makes for strange tension, too.
    Neckbands can be a real pain in knits and sweatshirting. I find that usually you can scrap the pattern piece, because the proper length totally depends on the stretchability of the fabric. Gillian (from Crafting a Rainbow) wrote a blog post about that recently... she had a nice way of determining the length of a neckband. Hope your sewing will get less frustrating soon, especially since I love the yellow polka dot in combination with the grey!
    xx

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Alessa, I love the tutorial on Crafting a Rainbow...definitely going to use it. :)

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