So much MORE fun with knits !

O. M. Gee ! I can not get over how awesome that walking foot is ! It’s a brand new, complete game - changer ! Can’t believe I’ve gone so long without one – pssh, no wonder I hated / feared knits. I couldn’t figure out why it seemed like everyone else just hummed right along, no problems at all sewing knits, when I had what seemed like an endless struggle. Even on simple straight-line sewing, I had adjustments every three stitches and unwanted gathers, unplanned pleats, thread wads. . .  nightmarish ! But it seemed to be just me. Stuff others made on Etsy looked great, heck, knit stuff over at Dollar Tree looked better than mine, and I could. not. figure out why. My KJ is an awesome machine, I can actually sew on woven cottons, I understand stretch and stabilizers, I have quite a few other skills. Why was knit fabric locking me up so hard ? 

Now I know. They  have walking feet ! I confess, I looked at getting one years ago, but when I saw the display at Hancock Fabrics – and the $40. price tag, with no discounts (it was on the coupons back then, and eBay wasn’t much cheaper) – I figured I could muddle along without one. Now I really feel like a dim bulb !

Anyway. You won’t be seeing much of this neon green anymore, until I finally get to making Dearest Son’s pillow. It used to be his shirt, after all. I pretty much cut from the underarm seam up, and I’ve nearly used all of it on the Summer Sew Along. The rest, including the embroidered part, awaits his small pillow project. 

I’ve gotten much better at taking it off and putting it on, and while it takes a bit of getting used to – this one changes the ‘happy humming sewing ‘ sound of KJ a bit – it works equally awesomely on hems and seams. I don’t need the tear-away stabilizer anymore, which kind of ranks, it was a great way to use up the scraps. Today’s project was a non-reversible Week #2 skirt from Jen Wrenne’s Summer Sew Along, so now, Tia’s wearing all three weeks !

I also can’t get over how much faster sewing that skirt went. Not pining all that stabilizer helps, but not having to stop, ease out a pucker or a bunch-up, and start again, only to stop a few seconds later to repeat, over and over, really added to the time. Now it’s a quick straight shot, and I love it. Of course, this version had a lengthened, widened waistband, which was much easier to sew and string elastic through, but that’s a minor piece, it was all the walking foot ! 

Now I really can’t wait for the next sew along pattern ! And I wanna go through some of my old knit patterns, maybe try again. . .