Jelly Roll Rugs without the Jelly

 It has been another busy week with sewing machines and sewing projects. You never know which sewing machines are going to be sought after until you run an ad and the phone rings off the hook. Actually, the phone never rang at all but I did have six people who got in touch with me via text and email who wanted a pink and dark gray Brother Select-O-Matic I advertised for sale. I've had eight of this model over the years and even kept one for myself but never have they been this popular. Due to the poor condition of the paint on the bed of the machine, I repainted it in November but then let it "cure" so there would be a nice hard finish when I was ready to sell it. First contact was from Susan, a repeat customer, so I was willing to hold it for her. Then came the other inquiries and I even managed to sell the same model in teal that was in even better condition but there was just something about the pink and gray finish that is irresistible. Here's hoping Susan is loving her Brother Select-O-Matic as much as I love mine.

Brother Select-O-Matic in recovered case

I have been intrigued by the jelly roll rugs, those easy to make rugs that use a set of strips 2.5" wide and 44" long that are rolled up and sold in a bundle called a jelly roll. As if that wasn't easy enough, they also have a roll of batting that is 2.5" wide, sold in rolls of 25 or 50 yards. I had been sitting on a 50 yard roll but didn't want to use one of the jelly rolls I had in my stash so I cut my own using the Simplicity cutter. Here it is with the strips I cut for my own rug:

Simplicity Rotary Cutting Machine

The dandy little machine was purchased last fall at one of the Textile Center's sales for less than $10. I found out that the widest setting is exactly 2.5", perfect for the jelly roll rugs. It takes practice to hold the fabric steady so my strips weren't as precise as when using a hand held rotary cutter on a mat, but it was fast and good enough. I sewed all of the strips together and sat down to sew then up on an industrial Singer 31-15. That didn't go very well with much puckering and struggling to keep it straight. I needed a walking foot but that doesn't really exist for industrials since they would simply use a walking foot machine, not a different presser foot. Here I was, all ready to sew, without a walking foot machine.

Strips sewing together but need to add the strip of batting

Then it dawned on me: use a Pfaff with the IDT, their version of a built in walking foot. I pull out my Pfaff 1222, set it up on the kitchen table, and get to sewing:

Here's 50 yards of tubing for a rug

Would the Pfaff 1222 also be able to sew the strips together with a zigzag? Let's hope so. I added a plexiglass table for a larger work surface and found that to be very helpful.

Pfaff 1222 with extension table

Other suggestions were to press after a few rows and that was good advice, too. In the end, it turned out to my satisfaction and now resides at the porch exterior door:

My version of a jelly roll rug

This worked out so well I found/dug out a braided rug I was working on but could no longer use the Bernina 217 industrial due to a cracked needle plate. The Pfaff 1222 can sew up those braids, too!

Waiting in the laundry room with 2 more rows to sew

I'm not sure if this is going to end up in the camper or in the garage, but it has been an experiment.

With all of the interest in the Brother sewing machine these past two weeks keeping me busy, I had one machine returned. That's not quite right: it wasn't returned but given back when it was no longer needed. I wrote about it in Maintaining Good Will back in 2018, this interesting Singer Quantum CXL. The alphabet stitches were used to write the name of a nursing home resident right on his clothes, not a tag, so they would not get mixed up with others in the laundry. Sadly, the resident died and the machine was just sitting around so it was given back to me. It's a fine machine with much life left in it but no long can stitch in a multi-directional mode: I think the step motor is dying. I hope I can find a buyer who doesn't care about those stitches since it is still working fine for all of the other stitches. It even has a cut thread feature and a needle threader. There is a sewing machine for everyone!

Next up: ready for winter mittens? I can sew up a pair for you!

Refashioning

 I've become frustrated with a few sewing machines, only stitching backwards, won't stitch in fabric but makes perfect patterning on cam settings, sticky dials and insides, so after a few days of that I turned to sewing for an ego boost.  While moving things around I found a bag of clothes I set aside because they were just too nice to toss and I hoped to bring them back to life as a different item. There were two men's shirts that I wanted to make into full aprons, not the half aprons I've made in the past, so I made up one as a sample

Man's Shirt now a full sized apron

and I liked it but that's as far as it went.

There were two skirts with border prints that just begged to be made into little girl dresses so that was a great project. Using the following patterns

I used a blue skirt with a border pattern to make

Simplicity 1673, size 3

but I didn't have enough for the neckline band. However, I did have some collars so when I combined them with a set for the front

and another set at the back

all I had to do was to sew them together at the shoulders. I did have to make up the neckband in white and laid the collar pieces on top but I think the collar shows off quite well. 

Next up was a skirt I never wore but I bought because of the border print. Using McCalls 336 (2010), I made up this model

adding the tie belt/sash because it seems quite wide! I also made the shoulder straps adjustable by using three buttonholes with fairly large buttons so they would look like decoration if they weren't all used due to the length needed. The straps seemed too thin for buttonholes so I added grosgrain ribbon on the back. As long as I had the ribbon out I added my granddaughter's name on it so now she can tell the front from the back

The final refashion was a bridesmaid dress from Evelyn's mom. I said I would donate it to a free prom dress cause but it was just too old and not at all prom-like

Bridesmaid circa 2004

I loved the dresses from Simplicity 5638 (2003), but the bridesmaid dress had a separate skirt, with gores, and a highly structured top, I wasn't sure this was going to work. But it did:

Front

I actually laid the front pattern piece right onto the front of the beaded bodice and cut from there. When it came to the back I did the same thing, especially since it was a separating zipper so I wanted to keep it in place as well as the row of buttons

Back

Because we live in the land of cold, I thought a little jacket might work out well and there was just enough fabric left over for a bolero type shown in the pattern

From bridesmaid to little maid

I struggled with all those gathers on the skirt and came to the conclusion bridal satin is not made to be gathered. I ended up taking it out and making pleats but it still seems to stick out even after pressing. Lesson learned but it was all for free! I didn't dare line the skirt but the bodice is fully lined. All three dresses were approved by Evelyn's mom and I loved the whole process. I honestly don't even care if she doesn't have the opportunity to wear such a fancy dress, I now know I can do it.

Sewing machines are awaiting and maybe now I can face their problems again but wait, I hear the call of winter mittens out of fleece and old sweaters that also want to be refashioned. Will it ever end? Let's hope not!