A Bit of Shopping

I am truly and well back into the sewing thing, as evidenced by my recent shopping sprees. Yes, I have two cabinets (plus some bins in the garage) full of fabric. Does that stop me from adding to the collection? Nope. I feel I'm preaching to the choir.

In the top row below are ITY knits purchased from Gorgeous Fabrics. The solid black will become a top of some sort. The b/w print a top and skirt. And the coral/white dots likely another top and skirt. The bottom row are all rayon challis purchased from Fabric Mart. They are bit thinner than I was expecting, but they will still work for tops and dresses. They are being prewashed as I type. I hope to stay away from further fabric purchases since I really have more than enough and I actually WANT to sew some of the stash so I can finally wear it. But I had to dip my toe in a little bit to get the sewjo into high gear. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I also went on a bit of a PDF pattern buying bender. I now own the Chalk & Notch Fringe, the Itch to Stitch Nittany, and the Love Notions Saltwhistle. I will print them when I'm in the office next week, because free office printing is one of the perks of actually going into the office.

The Fringe will be first up in the woven category but not until I've sewn another knit top currently in the works (see below). I will definitely have to muslin this one and I'm sure I'll be adding length to the skirt and straightening the shirt tail hem. 

The Nittany below has neckline pleats which are impossible to see in this print. There's also an option for a keyhole in the middle of the pleats. Not sure which option I'll try, but this will be another I'll have to muslin.

And finally the Saltwhistle, which was on a $5 Friday sale. I'm not in love with the scallops, especially as tiers, but I do like the square neckline. I'll likely make a dress version with short sleeves. I'm sure I'll need a muslin for this one too. At least in Swedish Tracing Paper if not fabric.

The biggest purchase is a sister for my Designer 1. But by "big" I mean a mere fraction of what I paid new for my original D1. I paid nearly $5K for my original about 20 years ago. (Gah, How has it been that long??!) I paid $170 on Ebay for its sister. Sister seems to work very well, but it does have a couple of issues that will need to be fixed at the local repair shop. 

First, the thread cover broke off in shipping. Well, one of the hinges holding it in place. (My original D1 with the thread cover flipped up is on the right, the "new" one is on the left.) Second, the auto thread cutter "thingie" is completely missing so it doesn't cut the bobbin thread. This missing piece wasn't mentioned in the listing and the seller has not responded to any of my inquiries, so Boo on that. But the machine itself seems to work well otherwise so I'm going to keep it anyway and just get those things fixed and still feel I got a good deal. I can snip threads with scissors until then.

You're probably wondering why I bought a SECOND machine exactly like my original? Well, the truth is that while I ADORE my D1, it has some things that need fixing too and I've been just limping along for YEARS instead of bringing it in for repairs. I just haven't wanted to be without it while it's in the shop. Yes, I haven't actually been sewing for the last couple of years so I could have EASILY been without it (and I do have other "vintage" machines), but sewing and machines were not top of mind. Now that they are again, I just decided I must have a comparable backup. And well, just because. :-) I thought $170 was a reasonable backup price, not that I don't think my original was worth every penny I paid because it was/is and I still love it.

It's going to be a shock to be sewing with a working reverse, a light over the needle, and a fix button that I don't have to trick into working by re-selecting my stitch every time I want to end a seam. Yes, I have been sewing without a reverse for years. How ridiculous pitiful lazy is that? 

So my plan is to bring my original D1 into the shop next weekend and keep its sister at home to sew. Then I'll switch them when my baby is ready. I also might want to look at some new machines. Ahem. I never did spend that Pandemic relief money so who knows? 

Currently on the cutting table is another Niagara top. My last one was one of the last things I made a couple of years ago before the sewjo went MIA. I still love/wear it and want another. Stay tuned.