Thursday, May 31, 2007

The search is over...

I have been looking for years for a monogram font, and I have finally found one. I had some requirements, deco-esque, free, bordered, and this one was the one.

You can download it for free here by clicking the download link at the bottom of the page. He has some other cool fonts available as well. There is a whole set of monograms for under $30.

I do love free fonts. If you do too, check out dafont and font garden for some great ones.

Now, I just have to figure out what to do with my monogram. Too bad I don't have an embroidery machine.

Friday, May 18, 2007

This shirt was a little sew and sew...

I made this knit shirt the other night and thought I'd let y'all see it. I got the fabric at the Eastwood Hancock for about $1.60 and had some left over. you can read the review below, but the short story is that printed stripes never line up correctly, and my stitch length was too short on the hems. I still like it and will wear it on weekends. I'm enjoying getting to know my new serger.

Pattern: Simplicity 4076

Pattern Description: Three knit tops with different sleve lenghts, often reviewed here on pattern review. Twist top, faux wrap top, scoop neck with gathers.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes, but I shortened the sleeves of view c.

Were the instructions easy to follow? For the most part. I think that I will set the sleeves flat next time. Also, the directions for gathering the neck wasted the pattern piece, so I zig-zagged elastic to the front piece to created the gathers.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I like the versitility of the mix and match sleeve length. I might raise tthe neckline next time to make it a little more work friendly.

Fabric Used: Knit, 100% cotton,

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: Shortened the sleeves and added one inch at the add mark one inch at the bottom. The neck gaps a bit, so next time I will rotate the back pattern piece to remove a bit at the top and shorten the neckband to accomodate that and the raising of the front neck line.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I will sew this again, perhaps even the same view.

Conclusion I made this to test out my new serger, and as a muslin for some other tops I want to make. It looks fine, but I will most likely just wear it arond the house and on weekends. I think the stitch length I used for the hems was a little too short. I hate that the stripes are a bit off on the back, but oh well.