Monday, August 22, 2005
Days Fly By and Janine vs. Vinyl
Wow!
How could so many days of passed so quickly? Busy, busy,busy days. Cabaret is in full swing and four nights a week I am washing scrubbing and mending. Have you seen it yet? No? You will have to hurry, next weekend is the last weekend. The actors are good. The play, sexual, funny in parts and heart wrenching. Worth the fifteen dollars.
While I have been busy with Cabaret, I have still been sewing some small things. Pot handle shaped pot holders for my Mum. Also, a vinyl window in my great-nephews crib toy, so that it is safe to put pictures in for kisses and coos.
Speaking of the vinyl..GRRRRRR. That stuff sure is a cusser*. Have you worked with this stuff? In the first place, I'm not entirely sure vinyl is something we should be sewing. LOL
It sticks to EVERY surface of the sewing machine, and itself and still manages to slip and slide on fabric like satin right sides together. No pins. Clothes pins don't work and neither do paperclips. Tape. I used tape, it mostly worked.... Ahhh. 'Till I had to get the tape off...grrrr again. Then all the sticky was left behind (should of used the blue tape).
But hey, with the tape you can get it to move under the presser foot. But you still need to use tissue paper because the vinyl sticks to every other part of the sewing machine. ( think window clings) Once you are all taped and tissued you can't see the vinyl to know where you are sewing because, well because ... Its clear.
It all worked out, finally. Project for the cutest Great Nephew in the World, complete and baby safe.
However the seamstress (me) was feeling like the underdog, rumpled and otherwise disgruntled. How could I go from the "Oh sure Mum , I can fix that . No problem", to @$%$&@^vinyl$^&(@22747 !???
I felt defeated. I had so many ideas for using the rest of the HUGE piece I bought for the 8x12 inch project. Bree had ideas too. She sat cheerfully on the other side of the table telling me we should make dirt proof purses or "something". The look I gave her sent her off to Cabaret a little early that day.
So, I sat at the table and glared at the remaining ROLL of vinyl that is left behind after the "baby proof window" is complete. Now what? Purses or the garbage. Oh, was the garbage option tempting.
But I just couldn't give up that easy. So, I asked myself. What have I learned?
Tissue is a must, blue tape not pattern tape. I bought the heavy stuff and learned why all vinyl bags have bias tape. You can't turn it successfully and have it lay correctly,' cause you can't iron it. Ok. Now see what you can do with it. I set out to make a small bag (for Bree) with fabric lining. I used 'bum bum bumbaaa' Glue stick ( instead of tape) and tissue. I don't know if the glue stick would work for every project, but it did for this one.
It turned out cute, no cussing this time and Bree likes it. I don't think I will ever make slip covers outta this stuff but, I can work with it. Vinyl IS tough. But I was tougher. This is the toughest "material" I have ever worked with... made velvet, chiffon and lace seem like a walk in the park by comparison.
If you have any tips or tricks on working with vinyl, please feel free to let me know. I still have most of a ROLL left.
Well, until the "run' is over and I can take more pictures of the projects we are working on ...
Joyful Creating.
* Cusser= Anything that can incite an otherwise, sane, rational, patient, sweet natured, seamstress to cuss/curse/ swear, with a skill she never knew she possessed.
How could so many days of passed so quickly? Busy, busy,busy days. Cabaret is in full swing and four nights a week I am washing scrubbing and mending. Have you seen it yet? No? You will have to hurry, next weekend is the last weekend. The actors are good. The play, sexual, funny in parts and heart wrenching. Worth the fifteen dollars.
While I have been busy with Cabaret, I have still been sewing some small things. Pot handle shaped pot holders for my Mum. Also, a vinyl window in my great-nephews crib toy, so that it is safe to put pictures in for kisses and coos.
Speaking of the vinyl..GRRRRRR. That stuff sure is a cusser*. Have you worked with this stuff? In the first place, I'm not entirely sure vinyl is something we should be sewing. LOL
It sticks to EVERY surface of the sewing machine, and itself and still manages to slip and slide on fabric like satin right sides together. No pins. Clothes pins don't work and neither do paperclips. Tape. I used tape, it mostly worked.... Ahhh. 'Till I had to get the tape off...grrrr again. Then all the sticky was left behind (should of used the blue tape).
But hey, with the tape you can get it to move under the presser foot. But you still need to use tissue paper because the vinyl sticks to every other part of the sewing machine. ( think window clings) Once you are all taped and tissued you can't see the vinyl to know where you are sewing because, well because ... Its clear.
It all worked out, finally. Project for the cutest Great Nephew in the World, complete and baby safe.
However the seamstress (me) was feeling like the underdog, rumpled and otherwise disgruntled. How could I go from the "Oh sure Mum , I can fix that . No problem", to @$%$&@^vinyl$^&(@22747 !???
I felt defeated. I had so many ideas for using the rest of the HUGE piece I bought for the 8x12 inch project. Bree had ideas too. She sat cheerfully on the other side of the table telling me we should make dirt proof purses or "something". The look I gave her sent her off to Cabaret a little early that day.
So, I sat at the table and glared at the remaining ROLL of vinyl that is left behind after the "baby proof window" is complete. Now what? Purses or the garbage. Oh, was the garbage option tempting.
But I just couldn't give up that easy. So, I asked myself. What have I learned?
Tissue is a must, blue tape not pattern tape. I bought the heavy stuff and learned why all vinyl bags have bias tape. You can't turn it successfully and have it lay correctly,' cause you can't iron it. Ok. Now see what you can do with it. I set out to make a small bag (for Bree) with fabric lining. I used 'bum bum bumbaaa' Glue stick ( instead of tape) and tissue. I don't know if the glue stick would work for every project, but it did for this one.
It turned out cute, no cussing this time and Bree likes it. I don't think I will ever make slip covers outta this stuff but, I can work with it. Vinyl IS tough. But I was tougher. This is the toughest "material" I have ever worked with... made velvet, chiffon and lace seem like a walk in the park by comparison.
If you have any tips or tricks on working with vinyl, please feel free to let me know. I still have most of a ROLL left.
Well, until the "run' is over and I can take more pictures of the projects we are working on ...
Joyful Creating.
* Cusser= Anything that can incite an otherwise, sane, rational, patient, sweet natured, seamstress to cuss/curse/ swear, with a skill she never knew she possessed.
