Setbacks and trials just never stop coming do they?

 

This week I had great intentions to get some of the large pile of To-Dos done. The childs tracksuits age 4-5 have been on the to-do list for ages. When I bought this fabric said child was 6 months old! Well they do grow quick as they say!

Luckily, I bought 2m of each colour of this fur backed sweatshirting so I have enough even now and really I think its better used for a 4 year old than a baby anyway. This particular child likes playing otuside even in rain and ice so this fabric will be perfect in the next few months in the UK. Its hardly even winter yet so plenty of time thought me. It should work well under salopettes and even under snow gear if we get lucky!

I was doing OK and sewed one top ( except for the hems) and half sewed another top and two pairs of trousers. I tend to treat this kind of sewing like a factory sewist and do loads of similar seams and then finishing at the end for all garments. The second ( grey) top will be a hoody so there should be some choices with these items hence I had thought to mix up the fabrics.. 

AND well here the machine breaking its needle did do me a favour I think, though the subsequent loss of the hex screw that holds my needle ( in my Brother overlocker) has been a serious setback. 

These hex screws are tiny. I dropped the needle inside the machine. Its a "clever threading" thing where the whole of the bottom threader moves in theory to make threading easier. I prefer the more fiddly older style it turns out, because when you do something like drop a needle inside, its easier to access the older types. 

Not this model. Even a magnet would not get the needle out. I ended up turning it upside down to get the needle out. Then of course the threads went everywhere and tangled - so now I also have to totally rethread it. But more upsetting I never did the hex screw up right. I work in a university chemistry lab and some of the equipment ( for safety reasons) does up the wrong way to usual. I must have gone into lab mode and undone not done up the tiny hex screw. Disaster. I lost it and cannot find it anywhere. 

I completely cleaned the room ( well overdue!) looking for this. Cannot find it anywhere. It turns out both Amazon and Ebay sell them. Ebay are slightly cheaper and come quicker so I went with them. Both sites sell the exact same item from the same manufacturer so hopefully the things will fit. It is actually surprisingly cheap and £8.99 for 10 sets of screws and a tool. At least if I do this again I will have spares!

So having started this I am now stuck. I do have two older overlockers but I actually bought this Brother because this particular fabric which I previously made a dress from, sent the blades out of line as well as blunting them, so I do not want to use the older Janomes to sew this fabric. Not for the sake of waiting a week for the spares anyway. The Brother handles far heavier fabric and wonderful though this fur backed stuff is its very thick and heavy in weight.

Anyway, always one to look on the bright side I had decided to mix and match the two fabrics (so green pockets as in the grey trouser leg above and the top at the start of this post has contrasting sleeves, but since breaking that needle and getting stuck, I decided the items look better in just one or other fabric. The pockets on the trousers will remain and the almost finished top will too but I intend to cut a new body for the green hood and sleeves, and new sleeves for the grey ( and maybe a hood?) and do the trousers with matching legs now. I had intended to do green one side and grey the other on the trousers. 

Luckily, I still have enough fabric left to do this. The child these are intended for will end up with the one shirt with two coloured fabric, but they rest of the ensemble will be more conventional because it will look better. So, I expect to end up with 3 tops and two pairs of trousers. Possibly I may yet squeze a third pair of trousers out, but I don't know yet. I need to cut some new bits for the one colour tops first. If I do get a thrird pair of trousers then they may in fact end up in opposite colours rather than waste the last bits of fabric. I will show you some time soon when I get these spare hex screws. 

You know all my life its always been a worry I may lose a needle screw but until now I never have so maybe I should rejoice it took me around 45 sewing years to have this happen. Thats not so terrible when you think of it that way. I started sewing at primary school so have really been sewing all my life. And now I should have spares assuming I bought the correct size.

So I have not actually not sewn anything whole this week but I have had to take a sewing break due to unexpected problems. Never mind I should get the new hex screws by Friday so I can carry one then. I might in the meantime hem the one top but the rest will wait. 

The top is hoody Jacob from Made By Oranges B Trendy which comes as a download and the trousers are B Trendy B1965 which you need to trace ( though you can buy a PDF). I made both before though never blogged about the trousers but they should work out ok. 

Have a lovely week and thanks for visiting,

Bracken