My project: a gray t-shirt top from the same pattern as the raspberry "Expanda-top" debacle...if you aren't familiar with that hilarious tale, please scroll back to posts from last week.
Before class, I realized the simplicity of the gray t-shirt top and figured (accurately) that I might be able to whip-this-top up in no-time flat sooo I ventured to Hobby Lobby to peruse their fabric selection and price compare with JoAnn's -- since I'm slowly becoming a JoAnn's-aholic (as in the fabric counter girl remembered me...which wouldn't be a bad thing if I was living in small town Jackson, Michigan or even Adrian, Michigan...but in a city the size of Rockford, Illinois...well, let's just say it's a crying-shame!)... Where was I? Oh yes, since I've not shopped Hobby Lobby's fabric department, I stopped there first. With a 40% off coupon in hand, I meandered between the fabric displays. Hobby Lobby has quite an extensive stock of cotton and cotton-blend fabrics so it took me several minutes to locate the fancier fabric. My pattern called for several types of fancy-schmancy fabrics that required dry cleaning (which I don't do and I won't make my friends presents out of such nonsensical-nonsense "Dry Clean Only" labeled fabric) and it called for chiffon. Since chiffon was the only fabric I recognized and the label said, "Machine Wash Delicate; Tumble Dry Low" and Hobby Lobby had lovely color choices, I decided on a summery blue (kind of an electric blue) chiffon. A yard-and-a-half later and 40% off, I skipped out the door to sewing class.
My chiffon bliss was short lived.
I arrived at sewing class and pulled out my gray t-shirt top pieces. My instructor asked if I had a second project too which I replied, "Yes and I made the second project over the weekend - a skirt soooo I went to Hobby Lobby and found some chiffon to make a scarf."
Instructor: "Chiffon?"
Me, happily: "Yes. It's a pretty shade of blue."
Instructor: "I do NOT like that fabric. Not the color you selected. I don't like chiffon."
Me, bubble bursting: "Why not?"
Instructor: "It's slippery. You'll see."
I still clung to the hope that maybe -- JUST MAYBE -- I would become smitten with this fabulously girly material.
Using the serger, my gray t-shirt top was put together in the first hour of class.
I pulled out the yard-and-a-half of oceany-skyish-electric blue fabric and I began pinning the two pattern pieces on the fabric. In those moments of attempting to secure the pins to the chiffon, I discovered the slippery texture of said fabric. Perhaps, I thought to myself, she is right...this fabric may be difficult to sew. (Sigh.)
I managed to cut out the 6 pieces. (I do have a nice-sized chunk of scrap which I might use to make a fabric flower. I think this fru-fru fabric would make a fluffy flower...or maybe just find its way into my trash can.)
I learned how to sew a French seam. Those French...kinda snobby...but their seams...their seams are AMAZING!!!!
After you stitch this amazing seam in the middle of the scarf - basically it sews your two main pieces together - you set this aside and work on the ruffles. This is the part of the evening when...well, see picture below...
My first "situation" occurred when my sewing machine naturally wanted to gather the ruffle. Normally this would be a good thing; however, tonight it was bad. BAD! BAD! BAD! It gathered it without enough thread. I watched helplessly as the thread went back "inside" the seam.
My second attempt - leaving nearly 6 inches of thread on either side of the piece - worked much better. But it was then that I noticed that I needed to hem the ruffle on the opposite side. Why not stitch the hem BEFORE you gather it? Since I am new to sewing, I went to my instructor and asked her opinion... It was then that she reminded me that she does not like chiffon -- but on a positive note, yes, I could hem the pieces first and then gather. I am a genius!!! Actually I am not...I'm more of a hemming-this-thing-after-their-is-a-ruffle-is-going-to-get-on-my-last-nerve kind of gal. :)
By this time, it was 5 minutes 'til the end of class. Since I was frustrated and what would 5 minutes really afford me to do with this gathered but not hemmed piece of chiffon, I packed up my things and made my way out to Rosie.
The one shining moment in the whole evening was when the teacher said, "I don't like chiffon but when you get this scarf done, it's going to be AMAZING!!! Chiffon is pretty. It's just a pain." This reminded me of life. Not everything in life is easy...God has some pretty amazing things for us...but those things aren't always cakes and confetti. Sometimes He makes us wait for His perfect gift. Sometimes He walks us through the fire to draw closer to Him. Sometimes He gives us the blessing of a friendly phone call on a frazzled day...or an email just to say "hi." God is good. He is good all the time.
Angie
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