Cleo's comment ? "It's about time ! Have you any idea...."

Current Mood : Warm & happy with hot chocolate !

Get used to this UltraSuede print – you’ll probably see a couple more pieces made from it soon ! I’ve gotten to where I love this stuff ! It doesn’t fray, is soft but has a bit of firmness to it, it cuts and sews up beautifully (long as I have the lining side facing down !), and with this particular print, I can make six jackets and no two of them will look alike, especially if I vary the lining fabric. It’s a whole new design depending on where ya put the pattern piece. I’ll need at least a pair of pants and a skirt or two out of it – luckily, I still have nearly a third of a yard !

Folded up the scavenged black bedsheets after I hacked a quarter yard off one. It’s the  jacket lining, and it worked up just like I thought. And this time, the jacket got top-stitched. The pattern calls for it, I just got too eager on the last one, and forgot. Altered the sleeves to make them a bit longer, too, and today’s worked out just where I like sleeves to hit. Quarter-inch is all it took.

I also ironed it as I went. While I recently rediscovered what a valuable took I already owned in the Clover mini-iron, I still wasn’t using it much. It actually took less time to use the regular iron and the drop-down ironing board than it did to grab the iron bag, empty it out, crawl under the desk and move a notions bin to plug the iron in, find a place for the iron to heat up that wouldn’t burn me, set up the mini ironing board, and test the iron several times. Then, after using it for maybe five minutes, unplug and store it all – after waiting for it to cool.

So today, I fixed all that. Found a place for the iron to stay plugged in (it has an on/off switch) and heat up, so all I have to do is turn it on, make sure the temp setting is right, and get the board secured to the desk while it heats. Much easier, a lot more convenient, and my finished items will look much better. I just had to learn one more thing – the wire part of the stand ? When the iron’s hot, it’s hot, too. Yowch ! It’s funny that I burned my left fingers – I’m almost completely right-handed.

(Secret just for you – I scorched one of the sleeves, too. Ya can’t tell ‘til you touch it, and notice the difference in ‘nap’. Reason #612 I love this fabric !)