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Saturday 9 August 2014

The Overlocker and the Pants of Awesomeness!


All tidied up and waiting for the new arrival... 
Things have been very unproductive in these parts lately with very little actual sewing going on.  This has been caused by a number of factors all rolled into one big ball of frustration: chickenpox, tiredness caused by chickenpox, lack of white thread, broken car.  Happily today I am borrowing a car to rectify the thread situation so I should soon be up and running.

In other news this week, my new shiny birthday present overlocker arrived and it is amazing!  I had never used one before because I knew if I tried one I would want one and didn't think that would be happening any time soon.  My wonderful Mr Jenna surprised me by contacting a few people (thank you very much!) and then, as a surprise on my actual birthday, taking me to an overlocker demonstration on the model we would be getting.

Hello beautiful! 
There were various reasons why we decided to get this model, the most important being that it was from a local dealer, which therefore means local support should any problems arise, but also we believe in supporting local businesses.  

As I have run out of white thread, which I hardly ever use but suddenly need for everything on my list at the moment, I have been stuck with what to make.  So I decided to whip up some pants for the child using Kitschy Coo's amazing Unisex Underwear pattern.   

Owls
I have wanted to make this for some time but I just haven't got around to it.  This has been the perfect pattern for practicing using my overlocker and I have been amazed at how quickly I can whip a pair up.  No more buying knickers in this house!

Camping
I have been saving all my jersey scraps expressly for this use and I am so happy to get them out and use them.  I have a box full which won't shut at the moment so there will be plenty more on their way.  I put a button on the front of all the pants so the child can easily see which way round to put them on.  She is over the moon with all of these and has refused to take them off - which meant I had to make another pair this morning so I could get the others in the wash!

Pants of Awesomeness!
Happy faces all round!  If anyone has any good tips for using overlockers they would be gratefully received.  I have done some research on the internet and I think I kind of know what I'm doing but any information will help!

9 comments:

  1. Happy birthday and congratulations on your new addition, those pants are amazing! I wouldn't be without my overlocker, it's cut my sewing time in half. There is quite a good course on Craftsy which shows you how to do gathering, rolled hems and loads of other stuff, also the tie on method is great when you need to change the thread. Have fun!

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    1. Thank you very much, I'm a very lucky lady! I will have a look at that course, I would like to use my new toy to it's full advantage!

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  2. Happy birthday - what a lovely present, and thoughtful husband! I don't have an overlocker so I can't offer any tips. I love these pants - where are the printed fabrics from, is it the kitschy coo website?

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    1. He can be very thoughtful and this time he outdid himself (making up for forgetting last year!). Yes, the Kitschy Coo site, I love all the fabrics and let the child choose her own fabrics from there - there isn't anything I would say no to so it's quite safe!

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  3. I have a very love hate relationship with my overlocker and for the most part it refuses to work...when it does it is great.My mum used to work in a hosiery factory (when we still had those in the UK) as an overlocker and she says that even with a team of mechanics on hand they were still apt to be temperamental.
    Home made knickers are just so comfy too!!

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    1. We seem to be getting along fine so far but I am quite wary of it! I have change the thread a few times now and it has gone okay (fingers crossed!). The child says they are the most comfortable knickers she owns and is demanding new ones every day at the moment, I really need to get a wash on!

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  4. What a wonderful birthday present. I have had mine since April and was forced to learn how to re-thread it because L thought the coloured dials were tempting and reset everything! I found a good site that gave me a good guide to using and troubleshooting. I will find it for you.

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    1. http://www.makeithandmade.com/2012/08/threading-your-serger-or-overlocker.html

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    2. Thank you Katy, I will take a look. It's still going well so far and I've rethreaded it about 6 times now!! I'm in love with it!

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