Taking it slow. I’m pacing myself. Instead of my usual charge right in without thinking for too long approach, I’m putting in the due diligence, thinking every step through carefully, giving myself time for the dust to settle on my ideas, in case something I hadn’t considered shows up, and then, with caution, I am proceeding. I’m sewing my first pair of pants in 30 years.

pant pattern pieces all cut out, notched, and ready for the machine

I decided I’d go right back to how I started, when I was 15 years old, when I cut out my first pattern from newspaper, with my little batik skirt pinned to it. This time, I took a pair of pants I bought from The Ark, several months ago, that I just love to wear. I traced around the pants, worked out how I think it all goes, cut out a pattern from the cheap-and-nasty interfacing I’d bought from Clegs, then cut out the pattern on the chocolate-brown fabric I picked up at Spotlight for $8 per metre, and I’m now up to sewing the pant pieces together.

Next hurdle. My beautiful if antiquated sewing machine doesn’t have an overlock stitch. Nothing remotely close even. And I’m not sure what to do. Buy a new machine tomorrow? Hmmm.

stitch selection

As you can see, the selection is huge! 4 colours defining 4 different kinds of stitches, and 3 dials that make it all work. The top right is stitch length, the bottom right is stitch width, and the top left is to select the appropriate stitch type, based on matching up the colours. Simple really. I used the yellow stitch, a stitch for sewing on stretch fabrics such as I’m using, to sew the crutch seams, and now I need to finish the seams before sewing the inside leg seams, and I’m in a bit of a quandary. The blue stitch, the one that looks like a blanket stitch, won’t really work. I’ve used that before, and in order to get a nice clean finish, I have to have the stitches really close together, which creates too much thickness. Not good for in-between one’s legs. None of the other stitches will work either, so I have a bit of a decision to make.

1. Do I take it all to Devorah’s and use her machine?
2. Do I use a straight stitch and sew a double row of stitches and then trim the excess?
3. Do I put the project aside in the too hard basket until I can buy a new machine or come up with another workable solution?

Ech! I hate this! I’m going to just wait for a bit. Possibly a day or two, till I can come up with something. Suggestions anyone?