Mass Production

Last night I completed 2 more dresses, 2 more bikers, and 2 pairs of yoga pants to wear with them when the weather cools (pattern info here and here).  But knits are super quick to sew up.  I just wish I would have whipped these up earlier in the season because I feel like I making things I could probably find on clearance racks.  At least it clears my conscious before I start Fall/Winter sewing.

To clarify the specific uses of the Janome Cover Pro I use it for knits because it prevents popping of seams and hems.  You can certainly sew knits on a regular machine even without a serger but the Cover Pro finishes clothing much like RTW.  Cover stitch machines don't cut and can be purchased with 3, 4, 5 thread options.  I do not recommend the serger/cover stitch combo because when I went to my demonstration class the teacher struggled for 10 minutes converting the machine.  When sewing in mass production mode I need to alternate between the machines freely.  Pattern Review has a pages of info on the Janome Cover Pro 1000.  If you are registered (I recommend it -it has a been a great source of support and knowledge for me), check out the knowledge base page and you can read through over 371 pages of question and comments about this specific machine. 

Pink and Purple

Maryanna likes pink and I already wrote about how much Clara likes purple.

These were the first projects to come off the new Cover Pro and I am excited to start some more.  Other info about the pattern and fabric here.

The Cover Pro makes sewing knits a breeze with the chain stitch that prevents popping and the 2 needles for the hem.  The only frustrating thing is Janome included the worst possible foot only to get you to have to buy additional feet and accessories.  I felt like I was sewing blindfolded and will have to check ebay to find what I need.

Other than that I'm happy with the dresses.  They are simple, comfy, and very girly, something that is hard to find in stores.  I have observed girls as young as 2 & 3 dressing like teenagers and I suppose these dresses are in rebellion towards that trend.    

Oh yeah, I also sewed up some little pink and purple bikers to wear underneath.

Getting to know the Cover pro

I've been eyeing this machine for over 3 years and Paul surprised me with it as a Mother's Day/post yard sale gift.  I'm embarrassed to admit it has been in its box since May but since opening it up last week it has gotten little rest.  No more popping knit seams!  

Clara and the Purple Crayon (and other Summer adventures)

We don't own a TV but my Dad has a 50" plasma.  Clara must have thought it was some sort of fancy easel because she went at it with a purple crayon (Dad, if you are reading this don't worry I already googled it and cleaned it- don't evict us just yet).  

"Come what may and love it"...... and then clean it up.  That is what I told myself Monday when Peter slipped and dumped a whole quart of yogurt on himself on.  It is a tight kitchen and Maryanna stepped in it then tried to clean it up with a broom. 

Yesterday I took the kids to a 3D IMAX but I already mentioned that mistake on facebook.  The point is I think we are all getting restless, William dialed 911 the other day just to see what would happen.  The lady called me back to make sure everything okay, James waited outside to see if the cops would come and William spent some time on his couch.

Peter cut his hair last week, Maryanna cut her hair today.  Maryanna forgot to wear underwear to church last Sunday and flashed the Primary, Clara had an accident just 5 minutes earlier so I was able to catch Paul just in time to go home and pick up not 1 but 2 pairs of panties.  Peter hid a harmonica in his pocket because he wanted to play reverently along with the hymns, he was sitting next to Maryanna who had lifted up her dress to "nurse" her baby doll (I'm glad she finally had underwear on).  Paul was giving a talk and was laughing at us all the while.  A kind lady approached us to tell us how much she enjoyed Paul's talk and how much our family would be missed when me moved, for some reason sweet shy Clara charged at her and lifted up her skirt. 

The kids aren't the only ones getting restless.  Paul's been browsing Airstream booklets daily, I cut bangs, myself, served the kids a can of sardines for lunch (they actually loved it), then tried to serve them some sauteed dandelion greens for dinner, they were unpalatably bitter (even I couldn't get them down).  The fact that I even updated my status on facebook confirms my restlestness.  I must be careless as well because as I was digging through my church bag for some crayons I encountered Clara's original panties, still damp, from the previous Sunday.  It will be nice to settle down again and perhaps gain a back a bit more brain control and child control but in the meantime we are collecting some laughable memories.    

Stone ground

Peter has been enjoying all the pie making.  He wanted to make his own pie so he asked Oma for a baggie of wheat, found a smooth stone and starting to grind his own flour the old fashion way just like he saw demonstrated at Capital Reef National Park.

He worked at it for at least two hours and ended up with a Tbs. of flour which he decided to leave "as a treat for the bugs".  He also decided it would take a long time to make a pie that way but still added "Flour" as recipe #2 in the illustrated cookbook he has been working on.  

Boiling Pants

Michigan is famous for its cherries.  That is how William convinced me to buy a cherry pitter at a yard sale last week.

That same evening we picked up a bag of cherries at the corner farmer's stand and the cherry pitter became the new favorite toy, everyone was anxious to help.  We made 4 cherry pies in 4 days, they were both delicious and messy. 

This morning James didn't have any clean church pants.  I dug through the dirty clothes piles and found them crumpled up along side several other cherry stained items.  They've been sitting there for almost a week because I didn't want to face the challenge.  This morning I had no choice because James had no other pants.

 A quick google search suggested boiling the stains out.  Could it really be that simple?  It was! At least it was with the poplin shirts and khaki pants.  After a 30 second dip they were ready for the wash.

Maryanna's new linen genie pants on the other hand gave me a bit more trouble.  I believe I boiled them for as long as it took my children to eat their oatmeal, all the while Maryanna was whining, "I don't want you to cook my clothes".  The boys made a joke of it and suggested boiling all sorts of other inedible objects, diapers, legos, My Little Ponies, car keys, and books.

Still no luck after 10 minutes of boiling. In fact that cute little red hang tag I sewed on slipped in and leaked its dye across the top of the pants. It was a quick rescue to the sink and with a shot of Zout the red dye came out but the cherry juice was still a dull purple.

I had a flash back to my  youth watching my mom smear a juicy cantaloupe all over the red ostrich skin binder my Dad brought back for her from Africa.  When I asked her what she was doing she replied, "someone must have mistaken this for a cutting board and since I knew I couldn't get the stain out I'm just staining the whole thing".  At age 15 that seemed like a crazy thing to do but there I was this morning, more than 15 years later, planning to make yet another cherry pie only to roll the new linen genie pants in whatever juices were left in the mixing bowl.

Instead, I gave them another rinse, scrubbed in some Zout, let them sit then boiled them again and again.  Finally they came clean in more time than it took to sew them and certainly more time than it would have taken to make another pie.  Next time those kids are going to cook and eat their pie in their underwear.            

Summer Sleepwear

Last summer's nightgowns were made from vintage pillowcases.  This summer I used old sheets picked up at a yard sale.  I can't believe how much they have grown up in just one year!

The pattern is a Kwik sew pattern (3423) and view B from the same pattern I made for Christmas 2007 (actually I did make some style adjustments to view A).  I like it and think I'll make another two of view A for this next Christmas.