Hi There!
Just thought I’d post a short report on the warehouse sale of Fashions Unlimited. They’ve downsized quite a bit from my visit two years ago. There were fewer things like zippers by the time we got there Tuesday. But, I still stocked on on just what I needed. LACE!!
I bought five yards each of four wider laces in cream (reads pink above), white and black for $1 a yard. The black and one of the whites is almost 10 inches wide and non stretch. I’ll likely use these the stretch for Fehrtrade’s lacey thong and the non stretch for bras and slips.
I also bought a narrow trim similar to this for 50 cents a yard. I’m going to start dying my own kits for bras. So, these will be great for years to come.
I also went totally out of character and got this gold lame stretch. They had several swimsuit and athletic knits. And, lots of swimsuits and bras for sale. This lame would be a terrific little string bikini. But, I am not a gold lame string bikini type. But, that’s not what I’ll be making with it. Probably trim for running gear. Or a turban. I really don’t know. It was just so shiny!
Not pictured, some red, water resistant fabric. I need a dog-walking cape. When it rains, I’d rather have something easy with a hood to walk Linus in. Also, I can’t promise he won’t get a matching jacket too.
Finally, here’s a look at what my blind hemmer can do. Especially now that I’m getting the hang of it.
This makes me so happy! The hem of a dress I’d handstitched two years ago came out. So, I used rayon seam binding and my blind hemmer to stitch it back up. It looks lovely inside and out. You can barely see the thread I used (regular Coats and Clark. Not blind hemmer thread too!). Seriously. Worth every penny.
Miss Celie's Pants 
Great lace haul! Now you’re going to have to stock rayon seam binding in a variety of colors since you get such great hems!
Ok, I went there this morning and got about 90 yards of material!!!!!! I’m about to pass out in the giant pile of fabric and lace I have on my floor right now. I wish I made it over on Monday for a bigger selection. I love that lame you got!!! And they only had black and white lace left 😦 Thanks for the heads up on the sale.
I can not get any more jealous. I am all over a good fabric/notions sale, but there was no way I was going to make it to Baltimore from NoVA during working hours. Sigh. My husband thinks I have every machine known to mankind and I’m pretty sure I’m not going to be able to sneak in a coverstitch without him noticing. That is one beautiful stitch. Again deep sigh.
I would totally make black and gold underwear if I had that fabric and your skills. Then I’d feel like a disco dancer every time I wore it, which would make me smile 🙂
Wow….love the blind hemmer stiching. Last thing I need is another machine lol
Lucky haul on the lace! I love fabric sales. The blind hemmer has me so jealous. Now I want one!
I am having serious envy pathology right now. Oh, the lace! Oh, the material! Oh, Oh, OH! that blind hemmer’s performance. Congratulations on it all.
Oh, WOW on the blind hemmer results.
Darn you and the gadgets!!! i will resist the hemmer, i will resist the hemmer!
You can resist. For now 🙂 I think this is one of those things that you can find on Craigslist on the cheap. You’ll be really happy with the coverstitch 🙂
I’m SO impressed .. double SUPER wows on the blind hemmer results.
That’s simply gorgeous …so professional and RTW. You were so right to
go after and get it. Great buy, considering what it saves and achieves,
and wonderful invention. If only I had room for another machine …….. (sigh~)
Joy
I am impressed by the blind hem, it’s totally invisible on the outside and so neat on the inside. I didn’t think it would achieve a finish as good as a carefully done hand stitch, but I guess I was wrong!
When I finally got the hang of it, I wanted to nuzzle my skirt. There is something wrong with me…
um…you just made me want a blind hemmer. I love a neat hem and hand sewing seems to give the neatest result for me. But is that fun? No. Not so much.
It is NOT fun. And, I just can’t. In my small defense, I have tendonitis in my right hand so hand sewing is always traumatic for me 🙂 This, makes it all very easy and it’s incredibly fast.
So really you have a medical reason for the purchase. It’s for the sake of your health right? lol. I agree
Mega jealous of that blind hemming bad boy!
Nice lace pieces. So envious of your blind hemmer. I bought a used one from a sewing buddy and it just does not work. I cannot find a local source to repair it. What brand of blind hemmer are you using?
It’s a Chandler Mini Skipper, https://missceliespants.com/2013/06/18/my-poor-poor-eyes/ It didn’t work properly when I got it. It works beautifully now after servicing. What kind is yours? A Baby Lock?
Ooh, if you do start dying your own bra-making kits, will you please post about the process? Bra (and underwear) making is something I’d really like to get into! As for the dog-walking cape – I will be very much looking forward to see your’s and Linus’ matching wet weather gear, teehee. And re swimsuits, I’m a bit biased since I just made one myself and love it (& just blogged it) but I think you would look fantastic in a Bombshell!
Fantastic post. I am very envious of your fabric/lace haul (like I need more fabric!) and your blind hemmer result is magnificent. I have just bought a coverstitch machine – I wonder if I could sneak in a hemming machine without the Management noticing…
I don’t hate hand hemming as much as you do, but I don’t like the sewing machine blind hem, so this may well be worth adding to my stable of machines. Was it hard to figure out how to thread it and use?
Not at all. What I really don’t like about the sewing machine blind hem is how very careful you need to be about the ‘bit’ it take of the fabric. I also didn’t like the way you have to ‘fold’ the fabric and feed it to the machine. I felt like I got not as neat and somewhat uneven hems. This machine is very easy to thread (especially is you use a needle threader for the curved needle). I also like that blind hem thread is polyester and thinner. That helps with the ‘invisible’ look too. I think a new one is about $300. But, I see old ones on ebay all the time now.
Your gorgeous new hem is TDF – I’m in total awe!!
Hi Cedell, I’m launching a new sewing pattern line, and would like to treat you with my first pattern. If you’re interested, please email me at anajan.stepalica[at]gmail[dot]com. For more info about the pattern, feel free to visit my blog http://www.stepalica.com.
Love the look of that blind hemmer. Does a really nice job! I might think about a blind hemmer eventually, but a coverstitch is going to be my next machine purchase for sure.
That first picture was scary; at first glance I thought the upper black section was a CAT sitting on all that lace (you can see the tail going off to the right). Cats and ribbon are hazardous enough, but cats and lace? *shivver*