Last Sunday I was lucky enough to attend a class at The Thrifty Stitcher in Stoke Newington. For those who don’t know, The Thrifty Stitcher, aka Claire-Louise Hardie, is the Sewing Producer for The Great British Sewing Bee. I did the “Overlocking Basics De-Mystified” taught by the lovely Layla Totah.
For most people, the fear of the overlocker is the threading, and yes, it is a bit tricky. I’m so glad that I did the course before purchasing my Janome 6234XL, as Layla came by with her trusty scissors and snipped the threads a few times, which was very alarming! However, making us thread the machine a few times really gave me confidence and I had less fear when my machine arrived at home. 
We made a t-shirt in the class and it is amazing how quickly it came together! When researching overlockers, people always said how much quicker, easier and professional it made your sewing but I didn’t really get it until now! If you have ever considered getting one and you are dithering – do it now! You will never regret it, the expense is totally worth it and my thinking is that I will never have to buy one again, or at least not for about 20 years!
And this is my new Janome 6234XL sitting next to my beloved Pfaff, I think they will become the best of friends!
Once it arrived, I threaded it straight away, it worked first time and I made a “test” skirt in under half an hour! Job done I reckon.
Not my favourite fabric, but bought on Ebay for 99p and a wearable muslin, and the t-shirt is the one I made in class, I may add a band to the bottom of it so it sits better on my hips. The skirt is the Fay by Style Arc, it’s supposed to be a double layered skirt with a bagged out hem but I didn’t have enough fabric and it’s a thick Ponte so I just made a single layer and stitched a hem. My youngest took this photo and said “it makes you look skinny, you should make more of these”! I’m sure I will!
So, what sewing extravagances have you indulged in? Click the “comments” box at the top of the page and let me know!
Buttons and Trims 