Patchwork Underground

It’s 100 degrees in Portland right now.  I swear.  I’m melting.  And not in a good way.  So what do I do?  Oh, you know, lock myself in my sewing room, turn on the iron full blast and bake away.  But tomorrow?

CAMPING in this thing! ———->

I’m going to the Bald Knob Fire Lookout for 4th of July weekend with my friends Lara and Spencer and their twins, River and Rosemary!  Last time I attempted to camp at Bald Knob, there was a propane leak and we had to stay down in the less awesome tent camping zones.  That’s so not as cool as camping up in an old rickety tower.  You can read about last year’s adventures here.

But before I go, I wanted to give you a sneak peek at my upcoming giveaway goodies:

The lucky winner’s gonna get a big old spool of vintage lace, a handprinted mini-journal, a felt flower headscarf and the latest issue of Stitch magazine.  Ooooo-ooooo.

I decided to wait until I get back to open up the giveaway so keep an eye out come Monday or Tuesday.  Or, better yet, join my mailing list so you’ll never miss another giveaway again.

Other upcoming delights include tutorials for basic recycled leatherworking skills + instructions for making this recycled leather halter top:

AND a tutorial for this adorable retro checkerboard pillow:

So much cuteness, so little time.  Wish me luck on my camping trip!  Lions and tigers and bears, oh my.

Craft on!

Erin

(PSSST!  I’m going to have an AWESOME giveaway really soon.  Check back on Thursday or Friday for your chance to win some of my handmade goodies, the latest copy of Stitch magazine and a spool of pink lace!)

The Review.

After owning this machine for over 6 months, I think I’m finally prepared to share my experience with my Husqvarna Viking Emerald 116. I checked out a lot of consumer reviews before I made my decision and it was really helpful so I thought I’d spread the love. Here’s the cheesy picture from the website. Note that this picture is of a 118, not a 116. It looks DARN similar, though.

Bottom Line: This is a pretty decent machine for the money.

In fact, many of the sewing machine shops I went to hid this machine in the back because it is such an obviously decent machine for not too much money. They want to upsell you the more expensive Emeralds instead and act like the 116 isn’t even an option. In fact, I have reason to believe that Viking is going to discontinue the 116 because they can call it a 118 or a 183 and sell it for $100+ more by adding on a few made-up, BS features like “needle up/down.”

I’m a serious sewer who puts serious miles on my machines. I’m also on a budget and I have zero tolerance for “toy” machines like the god-awful Singers you buy at Walmart.

My main criteria for choosing this machine:

• It had to be non-computerized. (Computers are computers. This is a sewing machine. I never needed to have a computer involved in my sewing before and I didn’t intend to start now.)
• It had to be under $400, preferably under $350.
• It had to drive like a machine, not a toy.

Believe it or not, there are very few sewing machines that fit this description. The Emerald 183 was pretty much my only option.

My favorite features:

• The needle threader. Amazing. I didn’t even know I needed this until I had it. However, I will admit that it does feel twinky and I’m always worried I’m going to bend it or break it. Someday I suspect this will happen. I will cry.
• The mechanism for disengaging the handwheel. It’s not the kind where you twist the outer wheel one way while twisting the inner wheel the other way. It’s the kind where there is only one wheel and you actually *pull* it out to disengage the motor from “sewing” mode and switch it to the “winding the bobbin” mode. This works SO MUCH better than the other type because it never gets “stuck.” I used to wrestle with my Riccar trying to get the wheels to spin away from each other and eventually gave up altogether and just let the machine sew into the air while I wound the bobbin. This is so bad for the motor. With my Emerald, this never happens.
• The last stitch on the dial. It’s a nice little stitch that almost looks like a vine. This is one of the prettiest stitches I’ve ever seen on a non-computerized machine. I used it to decorate the lace on a cardigan and it looks pretty sweet.
• It’s not a computer. Why oh why do all sewing machines have computers on them now-a-days? C’mon now. You think that thing isn’t gonna skitz out on you just like your Super Nintendo did 8 years ago? These things called “computers” don’t last, folks. I can’t imagine anything more frustrating than dealing with a senile old computerized sewing machine 20 years later. “Stitch length 05. NO, I said stitch length 05. OH FIVE. STITCH LENGTH FIVE. FIIIIIVE DAMMIT!”

Things that suck:

• The bobbins are plastic. This is lame. They inevitably fall on the floor, I step on them and they break. The little hole that I poke the thread through on the flat side when I’m winding the bobbin sometimes has burs that make it difficult to thread. Plastic sucks. Unfortunately, 99% of new machines only use plastic bobbins. Boo.
• It’s not as hefty as I want it to be. Ok, I did only pay $300. For those of you new to sewing, that is nothing. But somehow, as a Husqvarna, I expected this thing to be stronger. I mean these people can make chainsaws, right? I took it through the mega flat-felled seams on my jeans and voila - I threw it out of timing. I was in California where things are insane and had to pay $100 just to get it fixed. That was right after I bought it. This was pretty upsetting.
• It’s “self oiling.” Do we believe this? I certainly don’t. To me, “self-oiling” just means they made it harder for me to casually open up the machine and get oil into it’s moving parts.
• It has an “automatic” buttonholer. This is pure, unadulterated BS. Yes, I read the instructions. Yes, I tried several times. Does it work? *&^% no. The buttonholes look like garbage and they aren’t sized properly to the button. This is lame. I wish I tried this feature out in the store before I bought it. My non-automatic buttonholer worked way better than this AND I had more control. With this machine, sometimes I even have to go back over the buttonhole manually with a satin stitch.
• The case is lame. Ok, this might be nit-picky but the “case” is just a plastic cover. It doesn’t totally enclose the machine and keep it safe for rides in the car or other outings like it should. The plastic cover just hangs there over the top of the machine like a lamp shade.

I’m pretty happy with the machine all in all. It’s not my dream machine but heck, I couldn’t afford my dream machine anyways. When I retire rich and famous? A Bernina. And a long-arm quilting machine. And an industrial…you know, for doing custom upholstery on my classic car collection.

This is a sweet little summer project! I got the itch to make it when I found this interesting granny square in my mother-in-law’s old 1967 Mon Tricot needlework book…..

I like that the open cross granny square in this project is bit different than your run-of-the-mill granny square. Unfortunately, the instructions in my mother-in-law’s book were written in British crochet notation. I only speak American, so I just made mine up and wrote it down to share with ya’ll. It looks a little different than the one in the book, but it’s definitely working with the same idea.

(Pssst! Stash-addict: This top is a great opportunity to use up all that random, sorta ugly, funky-feeling acrylic yarn you’ve managed to accumulate, too. Even though it is made of acrylic yarn, this top will never give you that weird I’m-Wearing-Spun-Plastic feeling because its fully lined with your favorite old tee-shirt.)

Stuff you’ll need:

Good ol’ fashioned acrylic yarn.
G crochet hook
Donor tee or tank top (or other scrap of complimentary knit material)
Handsewing needle
Matching thread

Step #1: Crochet your granny square. Here’s what you’re going for:

Round 1
CH 7, sl st into circle.

Round 2
CH 2, 2 DC into center circle.
*CH 1, 3 DC into center circle.
CH 3, 3 DC into center circle.*
Repeat from * to * 2 more times.
CH 1, 3 DC into center circle, CH 3 and sl st to close round.

Round 3
Ch 3,
*3 DC into Round 2’s CH 1 (the small space inbetween sets of 3 DC), Ch 1
3 DC into CH3 loop, CH 3, 3 DC into same loop, CH 1*
Repeat from * to * 2 more times.
Ch 1, 3 DC into Round 2’s CH 1 (the small space inbetween sets of 3 DC), Ch 1
3 DC into CH3 loop, CH 3, 2 DC into same loop, sl st to close round.

Careful! This is where things start to change!!!

Round 4

Ch 3,* 2 DC into 1 CH space. 1 DC into each of the 3 DCs below, 2 DC into 1 CH space below.
CH 1, 3 DC into 3 CH loop, CH 3, 3 DC into same 3 CH loop, CH 1.*
Repeat from * to * sl st to close round.

Round 5

Work the same way as round 4, except this time work 1 DC into each of the 7 DCs below, ultimately forming 11 DCs (2 new ones + 7 old ones + 2 new ones) on each side. The corners stay the same with each round - the only thing that changes is the number of DCs on each side.

How many rows until I’m done?!

For my top, I worked a total of 10 rows. You could add a row or two to make the top bigger or subtract a row or two to make it smaller. I recommend holding the work up to your body as you go (preferably in front of a mirror) so that you can get a better idea of how big it will need to be.

Step # 2 – Add Straps.

Once you’re happy with the size it’s time to add the halter part. Starting at one corner, CH 25 and sl st closed at about 18 stitches in from the corner. (See the pic for clarification!) Try it on before you snip the yarn to see if it’s working on your body. Too long would mean that your top is exposing parts of you meant to be covered up and too short would mean that you can’t get your head through the hole.

My halter strap looks like this:

For the tie closure in the back, I just looped about 7 or so inches of spare yarn around either corner. You could braid the ties or even crochet them if you felt like it. You’re just looking for something you can tie in the back to hold the top closed.

Done? Now you’re ready to….

Step #3 – Attach the lining.

Lay your donor tank or tee on a flat surface. Whatever you use, make sure it’s a knit (i.e. stretchy) NOT woven.

Cut one side of your tank/tee open and lay it flat if you need a bigger piece of fabric to work with.

Use your granny square as a template and cut the lining to size. (Don’t cut into your granny square!!!!)

Using a slip stitch, sew the lining to the granny square.

Don’t worry about finishing the edges of the knit fabric – knits don’t unravel and if you sew it right, the unfinished edges won’t be visable when you’re wearing the top anyway.

All Done! Wear dangle earrings and rock it.

Back View!…….

mmm…crochet photography…so much pattern….

Enjoy!!!!!

Summer’s finally here! To celebrate, we’re having a big ol’ sale at our Etsy shop. All of our handmade one-size-fits-most cotton corduroy wrap skirts are $5 OFF for the month of June so hurry over there and snark ‘em up while you can.

Wanna visit in person?

Me too! When we’re not madly entering our new stuff onto our Etsy shop, we’re traveling all over the state of Oregon selling our awesome handmade wares….

• Eugenians will be happy to know that we’re back at Saturday Market in downtown Eugene every Saturday from 10-5 in the 4×4 booths on the block adjacent to the Farmer’s Market.
• Portlanders will recognize us at Alberta Street’s Last Thursday Market every last Thurday of every month from 4-10.
• You can also catch a choice selection of our hand silk-screened panties and handmade flower headscarves any day of the week at the lovely Frock Boutique on Alberta Street in NE Portland.

Hey all!

I’m in two more awesome magazines! They’re out on newstands now. This is what they look like:

My article on Seminole patchwork is featured in the July 2009 edition of Threads. (Thanks, Ariel!!) Threads is always super-informative but this edition is extra-educational. There’s a slick feature on time-saving tailor’s tricks by Joyce Murphy (wow!), and a really neat sculpted fabric necklace tutorial by fellow Oregonian, Diane Ericson. There’s even an article on Tahari-inspired trims by Anna Mazur. All in all, I feel very honored to be in such classy company - even if it is in print only. =)

You can also check out the pattern for my Biker Wrap Skirt in the current issue of Stitch magazine. This is such a cute new magazine and I hope it sticks around for a good, long time. Each issue is cuter than the next and this one is no exception. I want to make *everything* in here. (Thanks, Tricia!!)

It’s so exciting to finally see these little projects of mine in print and nestled in between a bunch of other amazing projects! I had so much fun doing both of these articles. I hope you enjoy them!!

XOXOX, Erin

PS. I know, I know - long time, little to no posting. What gives? Unfortunately, I’m still working on that giant top-secret project that cannot be mentioned here. (Boo!) I do have some fun little projects on the back burner to share soon, though. (Back burner = TV-time projects that I do in the evening when I’m not working on the project-that-cannot-be-named.) So stay tuned for sure. I have a fun rag-rug project I’ve been working on, a neat-o fabric folding technique to try out and a (slightly) scandalous leather project on the way, too. Oh yeah - and I started a garden. Oh yeah - and I’m going to be making a washtub bass.

So much craftiness to document, so little time. =)

PPS. IMPORTANT!!! It would tickle me to no end to see what folks have done with my tutorials - either on this blog or in magazines. Please, please, PRETTY PLEASE - if you’ve used any of my tutorials to make stuff, email me a pic of your creation!! I would love to round up a couple of projects and feature them on this blog. This means YOU! I would explode with joy. Make my day!