Babylock love

I'm glad so many of you enjoyed the orange sewing machine, and shared your memories of older machines. I wonder why sewing machines haven't been given the retro makeover like other home appliances have undergone? You can buy a toaster, kettle or mixer in an array of colours and styles but when it comes to modern sewing machines it's white, white, white and maybe a cream! Paola is spot on - the modern world has become very colourless. I'm very guilty of this too - our new car: silver, our kitchen: white, our bathroom: sandy beige, our lounge: beige: our large floor rug: mostly white and grey, even my dog is black and white (ha ha ha, just threw that one in to see if you're reading closely!).

And it was quite ironic that the prizes on offer for the stash busting competition was more fabric - I don't think there was a single entrant there that had made a significant dent in their stash despite all that stash sewing! The winner received a $50 gift card to Spotlight, so I guess they could be sensible and buy notions instead of more fabric. And Sharon is right - I did win a second prize for sharing a photograph of my stash but I chose not to select a second prize because I just didn't want anymore fabric! Maybe I am becoming sensible.......

Craftastrophies and Cha-Cha both asked in the comments to the last post about my Babylock and my thoughts about it. I have a Babylock Enlighten model and every single day I think how  glad I am that I ponied up the rather substantial amount of money to buy it. I bought it for myself for mother's day back in 2011, the best mother's day present I've ever received!

I didn't really have any problems with my old overlocker, a basic Toyota model and in fact I used it for nearly 10 years before servicing it for the first time! It was just that I had to spend at least 45 minutes or more adjusting the tension each time I changed threads and never really getting it quite right. Not having to adjust the tension each time I change threads because the Babylock has automatic tension adjustment itself is worth every cent because it saves me time and stress. And with the air jets threading the machine at the press of a button it's super quick to change threads too.

Another feature I really like is that to do a rolled hem edge all I need to do is switch a lever and take out one needle. On my old overlocker I had to unscrew the plate, put another plate on, and then take out the needle, which was fiddly and time consuming. I use the rolled hem feature on fine fabrics that I don't want to do a narrow hem or on knit clothes for Anna that I want to get the lettuce hem effect.

I also like being able to disengage the knives with the twist of one knob instead of having to loosen the screw to drop the knives and then having to put the knives in the right spot again and tighten the screw really tightly when I'm done. I've been using the overlocker with the knives disengaged to sew elastic onto waistbands so it's really useful to be able to do this quickly and easy. Time and less stress is everything these days!

Apart from these things, I must admit to using the Babylock really just for conventional serging of raw edges and sewing kints together and haven't really used any of the other fancy stitches and features of the machine such as flatlocking or wave stitching. I've been using it constantly for the last two years without a single problem so it's been very reliable too. It goes over thick fabrics and thin without hesitation, and the bright LED lights are really good too.

So I can thoroughly recommend a Babylock if you're in the market for a new overlocker. But if you're a whiz at threading and adjusting the tension on overlockers and you don't use those other features too often then you'd probably be right with a less expensive model/brand of overlocker and use the extra $$ on fabric! But I do hope I've helped some of you make a decision, it is a fantastic machine and I'm just paying the favour forward - it was Carolyn over at Diary of a Sewing Fanatic that inspired me to get one! 

The orangest sewing machine you'll ever see

A few weeks ago I commented on Pam's post on sewing with denim at Threading My Way that my sewing machine isn't very good on the thicker fabrics - it tends to skip stitches even using a thick denim needle.  It's a mid range newish computerised Brother model. Instead I use my mum's Husqvarna Viking 3600 mechanical machine when I need to sew something really thick - it is an absolute powerhorse of a machine. She bought it in 1975 for around $300 which was the best part of a fortnight's wages for her back then but it definitely proves the old adage of buying the best you can afford.

The machine has never been serviced or oiled, the outside gets wiped down every now and then, and apart from a light globe or two it's all original and still in perfect working order. Sure my mum doesn't sew as much as I do, but this machine has been used to sew zippers into motorbike leather pants and jackets, the thickest denim, and old style canvas tents and it didn't even flinch, yet it also sews through thin cottons and other delicate fabrics without problem too. It's a really heavy machine though, having a metal casing and not a plastic one like newer models.

But this level of amazing services pales in comparison to it's most outstanding feature - it's a bright orange sewing machine! Pam replied to my comment that she had never seen an orange sewing machine before, so Pam this one is for you:

Aren't newer models with their streamlined white plastic so boring compared to this sewing machine? In this post at Apartment Therapy they describe the Husqvarna 3600 as a "workhorse and a beauty" and apparently the orange colour is quite rare. In fact they link to a store that had this machine for sale for $700!

Now I hope I haven't tempted fate or invoked Murphy's Law by writing down that the sewing machine hasn't needed servicing or repair in 38 years - fingers crossed it keeps on giving! But I've never given either of my Brother sewing machines a service in all their years of use and they are both still going strong despite lots of use. Fingers crossed they carry on strongly for years to come as well.

Speaking of which I'm taking my beloved Babylock in for a service tomorrow since it's been over two years of constant use and the dealer I bought it from says it needs regular servicing to keep the jet air threading tubes clear and working. So it looks like I'll be spending the next week sewing things that don't need overlocking - I'm beginning to understand why people have multiple machines!

Oh and I didn't win the stashbusting competition - the winning lady sewed 60+ garments and used over 90m of stash! But I did get a special prize for the most children's clothes sewn and received a lovely book and a piece of fabric (just what I need right?).

a new addition to my family

All of you that have been advocating a little brother or sister for Anna can just calm down, not yet my friends, not yet! But I do have a new addition to my sewing family, which was a lot less painful to procure but I'm sure will bring me lots of happiness:

Ever since Carolyn mentioned that her new overlocker not only threaded itself but set its own tension too, I haven't been able to get such a magical machine out of my mind.  But when I looked into it, it turns out the Babylocks retail for about $3000 here in Australia, which is a lot of moola or a lot of fabric that I could purchase instead, so I thought about whether I really needed it. 

After struggling with fixing the tension on my crappy Toyota overlocker for at least an hour the last time I switched threads, and choosing my projects based solely on what colour thread was in the overlocker I decided it was definitely time.  I did leave the brochure hanging around the house before mother's day, but when that didn't work I just went and bought it for myself instead!

I went with the Enlighten model because I really like its features.  Not only does it thread itself with a whoosh and not require any fiddling with the tension, it also changes between overlocking and rolled hem with a flick of a lever instead of having to change the footplate and presser foot like my other machine, it also does flatlocking, a funky wave stitch as well as having some really bright LED lights so I don't further ruin my eyesight sewing at nighttime. 



source: www.babylock.com.au

 Sadly though I have been too busy and a little bit sick with a manky cold this week to get it out of its box and use it yet.  Plus I haven't quite finished that annoying denim jacket yet, so I'm forcing myself to finish that first before I get to use my new BFF.  The good news is that I only have buttonholes and topstitching left to do on the jacket, so hopefully I can get it finished sooner rather than later.

tracing paper supplies in Sydney

Someone asked me in comments ages ago what I use to trace out the Burda magazine patterns - so if that was you this post is especially for you! I used to use a roll of brown paper I bought from Officeworks because that was super cheap and the paper was a suitable thickness (although not see through), and when that ran out a few weeks ago I tried the roll of white paper from the kids section in Ikea. Well that was way too thick to be useful, so I finally caved in and paid the money for proper tracing paper.

Now some clever people suggested getting hold of the roll of paper that doctors use on their examination tables (it's called barrier bench rolls), and while that was cheaper all the websites I found only served wholesale customers or charged exorbitant handling fees to retail customers.

I found a few on-line suppliers that had good prices (eg http://www.jovian.com.au/) but with postage there was no savings there. I also checked out the student supplies store on campus out at the University of NSW but unless you're a student there was no significant price discount. So, after all that research I found the best price at Eckersley's art supply store in the city: $36 for 46m roll at 46cm wide or $47 for a 46m roll at 61cm. They also sell big sheets of 'butter paper' for only 45c each that would also be suitable for pattern tracing. Plus if you sign up for their newsletter you get 10% off your next purchase.

Sorry this post is so unhelpful to non-Sydneysiders, but hopefully it will be of use to whoever asked me!

And in other sorry news, my black dress wasn't selected to be a finalist in the Tessuti Awards. No surprise really, because the eight that were selected were very impressive and in fact alot of the entries were really fantastic. This entry by Jane Gelder is my favourite:


Whilst I still love my dress, I think it was a bit simple and plain (which reflects my personal style) compared to the others especially those done by the fashion college students. Anyway I still came out a winner because I finally conquered that pattern and have now got a usable pattern for myself to make another dress in the near future.

Thanks for all your lovely comments on the jacket - I love it too so I'm glad it struck a chord with you all. In fact I like it so much I'm in the process of making another one in lightweight white wool, hopefully I can get it done as quick as the other even without a motivating deadline!

P.S favourite 'punny' blog title for today: All Toile and No Reward -that's how I feel about making fitting toiles......