Anyway, I can sew, but don't do it very often, but am determined to rectify this and make more things. I buy fabric with the intention of sewing it into something wearable, but then it gets put with the rest of the fabric I've bought and I get out some yarn and needles or hook instead.
Last week, I traced off the pattern for the pyjama bottoms from the Tilly and the Buttons book, cut out the pieces and got to it. I was fairly pleased with the results and DD1 has worn them a few times since. DD1 doesn't really like traditional pyjama tops and prefers a simple vest-type t-shirt to wear with pyjama bottoms, so I don't have to fiddle about with making any tops!
I know the legs don't look even, but I promise they are (well, within a millimetre or two). The fabric was a remnant I bought from a local shop. I didn't have enough fabric to cut out the full length of the pattern, but DD1 isn't overly tall (at 16, she's 5' 3" and doesn't think she's going to grow much taller, if at all) and it turned out that these were the perfect length for her.
Of course, having made the PJ pants for her sister, DD2 wanted me to make something for her. Every time we go shopping, she tries to get me to buy new hairbands and hair accessories and recently I've been resisting her efforts to get me to buy hair scrunchies as, at around £4 each (and she needs two because she puts her hair in bunches most days) I resent spending that much money on what amounts to a rectangle of fabric and a few inches of elastic.
So..... upstairs we went, to choose some fabric. That done, a tutorial was found on YouTube, two rectangles cut out and a couple of lengths of thin elastic snipped off. Then I started sewing. The first two seams were fine, then I did some clever folding, as per the video's instructions, and started sewing the fabric into a tube along the long edge. The first half was fine and I felt rather pleased with myself. I pulled the fabric round to do the second half and disaster struck...........
............ I took my foot off the pedal of my sewing machine and.... nothing happened. It didn't stop! In fact, it started racing along, so I switched the machine to off and unplugged it. Then I unpicked the runaway sewing it had done on the scrunchie. I got a piece of scrap fabric and switched the machine on again...... and off it went again. It was like it had been possessed by a demon (actually, it was the suppressors/capacitors --- or something like that --- but I like the possession theory better!).
I did what every 21st Century home crafter would do. I Googled "sewing machine won't stop running". Several sites suggested the food controller had malfunctioned. It looked as though a new controller would be required, so I phoned the local sewing machine stockist, found out they had one and went in the next day and bought one (bye bye £35).
What happened to the second scrunchie? I sewed it by hand!
At least she's pleased with them. I can see more scrunchies being made as I have various bits of fabric I can use. Next time, I might make the rectangle of fabric a bit longer, for more scrunch.
I haven't tried the new foot controller for my machine; I'm working my way up to that.
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