Applying what I learned from my first attempt at creating a garment, I approached my next project more practically. My hoodie pattern contained 15 pieces, a zipper, drawstrings, and cuffs. I needed to simplify my approach. I should have started with something easy and scaffolded my way to making the hoodie. During a trip to the thrift store, I found the answer to my problem: a pattern for a bathrobe with pockets. The pattern was five pieces, came with simple instructions, and only used two types of stitches. Perfect. Now for the material. I found a great blanket that was affordable, the right size, and thick enough for the machine to work with. As I drove home, I began to get excited and replayed my previous mistakes in my mind. “not this time,” I thought and set up the machine. Because my power cutter had not arrived yet, I began the arduous task of laying out the fabric and pinning the pattern. Thankfully, my partner helped me with this step, so we completed it in roughly an hour and a half.
The next step was to begin sewing the robe. I could already imagine drinking a hot cup of coffee on a Saturday morning wrapped in it. I began the process of folding and pinning the pockets so that I could create nice edges. However, once I started to sew, the machine had trouble pushing the fabric through. It was almost too thick. I made some quick adjustments to the foot and needle pressure, changed the needle, and tried again. The machine was cooperating, and I had the pockets trimmed out quickly. The next step was to sew the pockets onto the front of the robe. Once I pinned them on, I ran into another roadblock. The fabric was three layers thick in the section I needed to sew. This was too much for the machine to handle. I slowly guided the fabric through. The router on the machine froze and jammed. It would no longer move. I Stopped. Mild panic started to creep in. Taking 30 minutes, I disassembled, cleaned, and oiled the machine and completed as much maintenance as possible. I ran a new thread and mounted a new needle. The same thing happened: three stitches in the machine broke. It was seized somewhere inside and would take an expert to repair. After 50 years in the family, the machine may need to be replaced. I was devastated.
I will send the machine out for repair at the end of the week. It was a shame that I broke it. It may have been the fabric, or that my technique needs work. Either way, the machine was old. This week’s setbacks feel similar to Goldilocks: fabric that was too thin and fabric that was too thick. One can hope that when my new machine gets in, I’ll have fabric that’s just right. There must be a setting for working with thicker and thinner materials. I’m excited to continue learning and shop for the machine that will help me with my new hobby. Although there have been many setbacks I keep reminding myself to stay positive. This isn’t the end of my journey into sewing; it’s just the beginning.
Photo Credit for Featured Image.
Photo by Maxime Horlaville on Unsplash