Serging Ahead

Above: my first serging experiments!

So I've been looking for a serger workshop but had trouble finding one that fits in my schedule; inevitably I'd miss classes because of Urban Tapestry practices or Balticon or other commitments.

But I did sign up for a beginners' sewing workshop at Sew Be It workshops studios, and supposedly we get some practice working with a serger. Each student is supposed to bring a pattern and fabric.



The course isn't until next month, however, and there was no way I could ignore my new serger until then. So I took out the manual and sat in front of my new Janome 9102D, then went through the diagram of all the parts to make sure I knew where everything was.

I also bought Quick and Easy Sewing With Your Serger by Becky Hanson. The Internet is a wealth of info, but I was getting frustrated trying to sort through all the advertisements for various sergers and serger companies as well as advanced technical serger details -- I was looking for a very basic serger primer. As the Internet continues to grow, of course, this sort of problem is only going to get worse -- the challenge of sorting through all the info to find what you want.

Anyway, I found the book gave a good overview of serger basics as well as listing some easy projects. I've also ordered The Complete Serger Handbook by Chris James.

After I figured out what all the parts were for and where they were, I used my Canon PowerShot to take some macro shots of the settings and threading. Yes, the manual has drawings but I wanted some real-life photos as well, for the inevitable day when I'll have to re-thread the serger myself.




I had never even seen a serger being used before, so I also browsed YouTube for videos. Finally I had done all the prep and procrastination I figured I needed, and actually turned my new serger ON (*gasp).

Once I started serging on some scraps, I noticed immediately that there's a LOT more going on than a regular sewing machine. More parts moving, knives cutting, threads being pulled this way and that. But overall, it wasn't nearly as scary as I thought it would be.

My confidence bolstered, I even experimented with changing the thread tension, stitch lengths, and differential feed ratios. I've also figured out how to disengage the upper cutting knife for times when I don't want the edges trimmed.

So far, I think the initial main challenges are going to be:

- Figuring out how to cut/sew accurately. The serger cuts as it sews (I tried NOT cutting as I sewed and it's not nearly as even-looking) so I'll have to be really careful about not cutting off material I shouldn't! Once the material's cut, it's cut. Plus unlike a regular sewing machine, there's no reverse function. Going around corners is also going to be interesting, I can tell.

- Figuring out to properly start and end seams. I need to get some liquid seam sealant plus learn how to tuck the ends in under the stitches.

- Figuring out what thread tension, stitch length and differential feed ratio to use for different types of stitches. There are tips in the user manual, but I'd like to NOT have to look this up each time.

But the main thing I'm nervous about is RE-THREADING. That looks pretty scary, what with four threads and a zillion (ok, maybe slight exaggeration) places you have to tuck each thread around and into and behind, differently for each thread. I'm going to use the recommended trick of tying an old thread to the thread of a new spool, of course, but inevitably I'll have to re-thread someday. But I'll deal with that when I come to it. :-)

Overall, though, I'm EXCITED! The more I research, the more I realize that the serger can really help my sewing projects look more professional, plus opens up the range of possibilities for types of projects.

Finished another tank top last night (nice soft blue material) and am starting a t-shirt with SLEEVES today. Sleeves scare me, but not as much as threading a serger.



I've started doing weekly Cartoon Caption Challenges in the BoardGameGeek.com's game-related comics forum, if you're interested. The comic above is the result of last week's challenge. I posted another challenge today. Feel free to post your suggestion in that forum; the answer that gets the most votes ("thumbs up") from other users wins.

Babylon Five Virgin update

SPOILER WARNING: The blog below focuses on my reports while watching Babylon Five for the first time. An LJ feed is also available. If you haven't seen B5 yet and don't want spoilers, please DO NOT click below.

Episode 52: Messages from Earth (1)
Episode 53: Point of No Return (2)



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This Cake Is So Delicious And Moist

Will Write For Chocolate has been updated. Someone recently asked about the face on Sven's t-shirt, so I posted my answer in my WWFC blog but will re-post it here in case any of you are wondering as well:

"In case you missed my post about it some time ago and were wondering about Sven's t-shirt, the face belongs to Chris Conway, a musician friend of mine in the UK. I play flute on one of his CDs, in fact. You can hear my flute if you go to Chris's MySpace page and click on "Alien Jellyfish" (last song listed in his playlist). :-) My music partners, Allison Durno and Jodi Krangle, are singing backup for Chris on the song."

Here's the original photo, which I took when Chris was performing at GAfilk in 2004:



And here's me in fangirl mode in Germany (when Urban Tapestry were guests at Filkcontinental), wearing Chris on my chest:



Speaking of Urban Tapestry, we had a great practice last night. We've pretty much nailed down our playlist for our concert at Balticon (Baltimore, MD). One of the new songs we'll be doing is "Still Alive," a song written by Jonathan Coulton and is probably familiar to those of you who have played Portal.

I'm thinking about doing props. Any suggestions (other than the obvious cake) for what I could put on the signs I'll be holding up? If you need the lyrics as a reminder, you can find them at the bottom of Jonathan Coulton's post about the song.

Thanks to Ryan Couldrey for pointing me to this Jonathan Coulton video where he performs the song:



I've been impatiently waiting, by the way, for Ryan to start selling his Ninja Dolls! I *so* want one.

Video O' The Day

1-900-NERD-GIRL: Highly amusing, at least if you're a nerd. Thanks to Jeff for pointing me to the video :-)





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Technonerdboys, A Curse As Dark As Gold, and virtual walks

Above: techie pic of the day. I took this photo during a gaming session at Mark Thompson's house. Anyone else out there familiar with the (now ancient) Macintosh Portable?



Speaking of technonerdboys...check out the photo of my friend Walter above (Walter photo taken by Phil Mills), printed out by Walter's gaming pals and posted up on the gaming room wall beside the photo of famed German board game designer, Reiner Knizia. Heh. For those of you that missed my post, Walter dressed up as Urban Tapestry's Seventies Guy in our concert at FilKONtario.

My friend Craig and I checked out Cluck, Grunt and Low last night, a new-ish restaurant in the neighbourhood that specializes in slow-cooked food. I had a pulled chicken sandwich and collard greens:



The pulled chicken was ok but not great. Loved the biscuits and gravy, though:



I got hooked on biscuits and gravy because of my visit to Atlanta. Craig and I also really enjoyed the Wild Turkey ice cream (Wild Turkey as in the booze, not the fowl).



I've been stepping up my reading lately, and not just the instruction book to my new serger, either! Recent read: A Curse As Dark As Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce, a recommendation by The Flying Dragon. Anyone who likes Shannon Hale's books is sure to enjoy this retelling of Rumplestilskin. I LOVED this book.

Also stepping my outdoor exercise. I LOVE THIS WEATHER! Even when it rains, I love to go walking -- it's such a relief not to have icy sidewalks.

Virtual Walk Update

So I've walked over 50 km (about 31 miles) on my Virtual Con Walk, so far.



Crossed over the James N. Allan Skyway Bridge across Burlington Bay yesterday (photo below is from this Wikipedia entry).



Now I'm on the way to visit my friends Erin and Rand in Buffalo before heading to Columbus!



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Sergers and media survey

Jeff and I decided to pick up my serger last night after dinner at Cafe Pleiade. Cafe Pleiade has become one of our favourite restaurants in the city. The food is always excellent in this small restaurant and this time we chatted a bit with our server (the chef's wife, I believe) about the art hanging on the walls.

I ordered my favourite: Pear & Brie salad along with the pork roast dinner. Heavenly. Jeff's favourite is the Chicken Supreme with apricots.



After dinner, we went out to the Fabricland at Eglinton and Victoria Park. I told them I was there to pick up my serger, and one of the women went into the back to look for it. As I signed the paperwork, they congratulated me and asked me if I was a sewer.

When I told them I'd been sewing for just over a week, they started laughing. I choose to interpret this laugh as a "How ironic but wonderful" laugh and not a "This serger's going to cut you into little pieces, you poor thing" laugh. :-) Anyway, I should have pointed out that I've had my sewing machine a whole MONTH even though I only actually started my first sewing project last week.



Wow...the instruction book is definitely bigger and more complicated than the booklet for my new sewing machine. There are TEN PAGES, for example, just for the explanation of the THREADING PROCESS! Yikes. I haven't tried it yet; with all the warnings about the knives and needles, I figure I should probably familiarize myself with the whole manual before plunging in.

An instructional video came with the machine, but it's in VHS format and we don't own a VCR anymore. However, I did find a bunch of YouTube videos about how to use a serger, plus I think I might also sign up for a one-day course. Fabricland doesn't offer any, but I've found others.

I was relieved that the serger wasn't as big as I feared. Look, it actually does fit in my craft corner, right beside my sewing machine:



I'm going to sew a cover for it since it didn't come with one.

Finished another top yesterday: a black tank top this time. I solved the bunching hem problem by doing a baste stitch around the lower edge then "easing" the fabric a bit before folding the hem up. Plus it helped to be more diligent about pressing EVERYTHING throughout.

I feel confident enough with the tank tops that I decided to get some new patterns:



Upcoming projects include a more casual skirt (with an elastic waist instead of a zipper), a couple of dresses, a t-shirt (with SLEEVES!!!), casual pants (elastic waist, to wear at home while I'm working) and some bags. I love the idea of making some bags but adding some wonkiness to them somehow, maybe with fabric paint or some of my nightmare creatures, for instance. Plus Jeff's asked if I'd make him a messenger bag.



Plus I couldn't resist picking up some fabric from the remnant bin. I've found this a GREAT place to get fabric to practice on.

Thanks for the heads-up re: Dr. Who. It looks as if I skipped more than an entire season when we watched "Blink"! Several of you suggested I watch Torchwood. I actually did watch the first season of Torchwood and quite enjoyed it; I haven't had a chance to watch anymore.

Not having cable tv, Jeff and I only watch shows we're able to buy or borrow. Babylon Five has taken up most of our media-watching time lately; one of the reasons we gave up cable tv is to limit our couch potato time, so we're trying to be careful not to slip into our old habits -- what would be the point of giving up cable tv if we spend just as much time sitting in front of a tv screen, after all? :-)

It's been especially hard to resist the ongoing lure of Babylon Five, which just seems to be getting better and better!

Anyway, we have quite a queue of shows to watch, it seems: Babylon Five (of course), Dr. Who (I'm more interested than Jeff), Battlestar Galactica, Lost, Blood Ties, and more...if the frequency of my B5 reports slows down, that's why. These days we tend to watch 4-5 hours of entertainment media a week on average (including the occasional movie) - sometimes less, sometimes more. What about the rest of you? I'm curious.




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Hey, I Won A Serger! (what's a serger?)

So during my first visit to Fabricland (fabric outlet with stores across Canada) to buy supplies for my first sewing project, I noticed a box and ballot forms on the front counter. I didn't pay much attention to what the prize was but I figured it had to be good, so I filled one out while the clerk was ringing through my purchase.

Anyway, Fabricland called yesterday. I won a Janome Model 9102D Serger! WOOHOO!!! I was so excited, and told the woman that I never win anything! What I was tempted to ask but didn't: "What's a serger?"



Here's a Googled description I found from a store that sold the same model: "The 9102D is our most advanced MyLock serger, with speeds up to 1300 stitches per minute. The 9102D has 2 needles and 3 or 4 thread stitching capabilities. Equipped with differential feed, which is adjustable from .05 to 2.25 mm, the 9102D provides increased control for handling all types of fabrics and is essential for creative serger techniques. Features include adjustable cutting knife up to 7.3 mm, upper knife release and electronic foot control for precise speed control, also included is an instructional video that will help you get started quickly and get professional results in no time."

Whoa. And I thought computer techspeak was unintelligible.

I called Ginny and Luisa immediately (I've been talking to both about sewing), to proudly announce that I had won a serger and to ask what it was. They were both highly amused that I was going to be a serger owner after having sewn for just over a week. :-)



Thanks also to those who responded to my question on Livejournal. Apparently a serger finishes off edges with an overlocking stitch (no, I don't know what this is, either :-) to keep them from fraying, and is apparently mandatory for professional production-work sewing. It can also do decorative seaming and some other interesting stuff.

Here's the Wikipedia entry on the Overlock/Serger (apparently another word for serger is "overlock"), along with images of sample overlock stitches.

Anyway, Jeff and I are picking up my new serger tomorrow! I realize that it may be a little while before I'm using it; I should probably become better acquainted with my sewing machine first. But I've already found a one day serger workshop in Toronto, so I may sign up for that.

Serging ahead...

On Dr. Who

Jeff and I saw the "Blink" episode and LOVED it. However, it became clear to me partway through the episode that I've missed a bunch of episodes somehow ("Where's Rose?!?"). The last episode I saw was "Age Of Steel" in the second season.

On aging

I enjoyed reading your comments in response to my last post. A few excerpts...

From scs-11:

"Every time I think I'm getting used to the changes since I turned 50, something else comes along and slaps me upside the head. The most recent was seeing a photo of a friend and thinking "who's the greybeard with Giza?" Damn, it was me! It doesn't help working in an office where I'm the oldest by about 20 years. Don't get me wrong, the office folks are great - and I'd much rather be around them than a bunch of old guys. :-) But a few months back I was at a co-workers party and someone asked if I was his father. Harrumph! Get offa my lawn, ya damned hippie punk.

On the other hand, I did get invited to drive down to Louisville to party in someone's dorm and had to inform her I was babysitting my granddaughter that day. She was reportedly redder than I am gray."

From mdlbear:

"Not too happy about getting old, either, but it beats the alternative."



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