My first project! on my Babylock Triumph

Sorry about the length in between posts.  Who would have thought looking for dead people would be so much fun?!!  I'm taking two family history classes - one on research methodology and one on computers and genealogy.  It's like being a detective trying to find a dead person - I'm looking through censuses, online books, maps, and biographies to find my ancestors - or more about my ancestors, anyway.  It is fun!

Anyway, for my first project I made the baby blanket.  I make baby blankets and burp cloths for the soon-to-be mamas in our church congregation and close friends.  I have had some of these mamas come back to me a few years later and say this blanket is the child's favorite.   It's a very simple project - two squares of flannel sewn together, wrong sides together, with a wide 3 thread overlock of serger thread and wooly nylon.

 Instructions:
- Cut two pieces of flannel the same size.  I actually tear my fabric unless there is definite off grain printed design.  I prefer to work with 45" x 45" (but sometimes the flannel isn't that accommodating, so I cut (tear) it to the size of the flannel.
- Place wrong sides together, matching your sides as evenly possible.  IF, you need help keeping your sides together, I recommend placing pins about 2" in from the sides.
- Thread your serger for a wide 3 thread overlock.  I put regular serger thread in the needle and wooly nylon in the loopers.*
- Serge around the edges, trimming a scant bit off as you go.  I chose to round off the corners as I serged. (I should of marked the rounding of the corners.)  I did a simple serge on/serge off rather than a fancy or more complex tie off.

I was very happy with the results.  I didn't change the differential to accommodate the rounding of the corners which I thought I might have to do.  This blanket is 35" x 35".  I received a bunch of flannel from my mom's fabric stash and she had all sorts of sizes, thus the smaller size.

*One reason this project has taken a little while to do (other than my class schedule) is wooly nylon is a pain to thread through loopers on any other serger.  I was not looking forward to threading the serger even though I knew I had the RevolutionAir threading system at my disposal.  (Some experiences just traumatize you for life, don't they?)

To thread the wooly nylon through the loopers, I used the thread cradle technique.  It's super easy to do.  (Ask me how I know!  One of my wooly nylon thread spools must have had some cuts because I think I had to re-thread my lower looper 4-5 times before I figure out the thread had cuts in it, grrrr!)

Instructions for threading wooly nylon (or other unco-operative thread) through Babylock jet tubes.  (This will work on other sergers as well, just thread the loopers as you normally would with the thread cradle.)

Instructions for Thread Cradle Technique:

Cut a piece of serger thread about 30" and fold in half.  Match the cut ends and create a loop in the folded end.  DO NOT lick the ends if you have a Babylock with jet air loopers.  You don't want to gum up those portals.

Thread the upper portion of the machine with the wooly nylon, per usual - the length of the thread to the knee.  Place the wooly nylon through the loop end of the thread cradle.  Place the cut ends of the thread cradle in the looper port, per usual.  Push the button to air thread the looper.

You can almost see that the serger thread cradle has come through the eye of the lower looper.  Look real close.  

Pull the thread cradle GENTLY and the wooly nylon SHOULD come through the looper eye.  (I did have one instance where I pulled too fast and I almost lost the wooly nylon because it's so springy.)

See!  Isn't that simple?  I will say, it's not quite that easy without the jet air loopers, but it's not that difficult either if you're comfortable threading your loopers.

What was your first project with your serger?

Love of Knowledge / Sew at Home

Can you believe that schoolwork might take precedence to sewing?!!!  I had one of those weeks with my schoolwork.  I’m a student through BYU-Idaho online.  Currently, I’m enrolled to have a degree in University Studies with an emphasis in Family History, sewing and entrepreneurship.  If you want to learn more about BYU-Idaho Online, check this out www.byui.edu/online.  It’s a great program and fairly inexpensive.  (I could get on a soapbox about how wonderful the program is, but that will have to be from another blog.)

So, for breaks in between doing my schoolwork, I watched videos from Love of Knowledge (AKA Sew at Home) babylockknowledge.com.  

A 2 year membership came with the purchase of my Triumph serger.  For me, signing up was a little tricky, but it’s because I don’t read (or follow) instructions well.  A nice lady, April, from Tacony helped me (twice!) to get it right.  

This is where you sign in:

Once you've logged in, this page will appear.  Click on MY CLASSES to the left of the screen.

IF you have a Love of Knowledge membership, you DON’T put anything in the cart or it really screws things up (trust me, I know).  Then click on "Click here to see your classes".  A lot of classes will appear like this.  The video that appears on this page is helpful to watch about finding the classes you want and the class notes.  (Not all classes have class notes.)

Ugh!  I thought I had included the url that appears in the address box.  After you click on the Members Sign in, the URL (sometimes) changes to sewathomeclasses.com.  That really confused me.  If this happens to you, don't be alarmed.  Just keep finding and watching classes.

There is a 102 page catalog (as of October 2017) of all the video classes offered for at Sew at Home.  They are Babylock machine specific, but a lot of these classes can be used on other brand machines.  The catalog gives a class title, the product (machine) featured, which other (Babylock) products the class applies to, and a class description which includes the length of the video and the instructor’s name.  A nice feature about these classes is there are several Specific Model Feature videos (no cost).  If you’re interested in a specific Babylock machine then you can watch a video about what makes it so special.  (The Triumph is at the top of the serger list and is 83 minutes long!)  Not all of the Babylock machines are featured.  I’m assuming it’s their current offering of machines.

There aren’t a lot of serger specific classes, but enough to keep you busy for a little while There are currently 5 serger projects to do.  After watching a number of the videos, I’m even ready to get back into heirloom sewing (there is a Serger Heirloom quilt project.) 

You can also purchase the classes separately and without a membership.  That's what the cart is for and the Sew At Home URL.

I chose to focus on the classes for sergers.  I highly recommend the Serger Techniques and Tricks class taught by Sara Gallegos.  There are no class notes for this class (just an FYI).  This class is $14.99.  She explains how to do corners, both inside and outside.  The outside corners are a little trickier (I think) than the inside corners, but with some practice I’m sure I’ll get it.  She explains how differential feed works.  (I know if you’ve been serging for awhile you may all ready know these techniques and tricks and information, but it was a good refresher for me.)  With the differential feed you can control the rippling of the fabric as you go around the outside of curves.  She even demonstrates this on polar fleece.

Since knits are the fabric that usually gets people interested in sergers, they have a four part series on knit sewing with Joi Mahon.  She specifically demonstrates how to sew a pair of yoga pants on a sewing machine (see Part 3) as well as the serger.  I love how she makes an elastic waistband for knit clothing.  She even shows you how to take a pattern meant for woven fabric and convert it to knits (see Part 4).  She explains the best stitches for knit fabrics (see Part 2).  These classes are priced at $19.99 each except Part 4 which is $14.99.

Have you taken any classes with Love of Knowledge/Sew at Home?  Which are your favorites?  The other nice aspect of having the membership or purchasing the classes is you can watch them over (and over and over) again if you need to brush up on a technique or your forgot a certain part.

UPDATE:  I just received an email from Susan at the The Stitchery in Rome, GA.  The MSRP on the 2 year membership for Love of Knowledge is $749 and the 4 year membership is $1499.  She said they are GREATLY REDUCED!  They cannot take internet orders but you can call them Tuesday through Friday, 10am to 5:30 pm (eastern time) and Saturday, 10am to 2pm.  706-622-2345.  They will be closed the days before Thanksgiving, but will be open for Black Friday and Small Business Saturday.  (I don't know if that GREATLY REDUCED is just for the holidays or their normal price.)  BTW, I'm not getting any kick back from The Stitchery, they are just a great place to do business with.

Saved by the Mail

I was hoping I would get two projects ready for blog publication, but they didn’t come to fruition.  They will not in the time frame I had hoped.  One is the instructions for the Merida costume I mentioned and the other is the baby blanket.  The Merida costume will have to wait until next Halloween season.  Sorry!

I was saved by the mail for a possible blog post for today.  Two items came in the mail.  The first was from The Stitchery (thanks Susan and Stephanie!).  It was my registration for my machine and my two year subscription to The Love of Knowledge. 

If you haven’t had an opportunity to check out the classes there, please give it a look  (www.babylock.com/knowledge).  They have overview classes for several Babylock machines – sergers, sewing machines and embroidery machines. 

The other article of mail was my December/January 2018 issue of Threads magazine.  

I have been a subscriber of this magazine almost from the beginning.  I discovered this magazine on my mission while serving in Yuma, AZ.  It is one of the only magazines to which I subscribe.  (Nothing against any other sewing magazines out there, just what I prefer.)  This issue has an article written by Gale Patrice Yellen about serger feet.

I’m looking forward to learning more about these feet - lace applicator and ruffler.  (This is a two-part article - next issue will include blind-hem and elastic application feet.  I believe all these feet are included in the Triumph's 29 foot and attachment kit.)  If you have not been introduced to Ms. Yellen, she has videos on YouTube as well as she teaches serger classes through Craftsy.  She has written Serger Essentials: Master the Basics & Beyond!  Unfortunately, I don't have this book in my sewing library.

Triumph - The Unboxing

This will be a picture intensive post.  This is the Triumph from box to assembled.  I’ve included pictures of the Madeira thread kit that was included with my promotional offer. 

This is the box!

This is the literature that comes in the box.  The instruction and reference guide, the handy dandy quick reference thread guide (foldout), something from Koala, something about the Love of Sewing classes, and the registration information - which I had to The Stitchery take care of because the Babylock site is not working well at the moment.  (Thank you, Stephanie!!)

This is the box, once opened, from the top.

These are the accoutrements once removed from the box, (T-B, L-R): the cover/chain stitch sewing table, the extension thread stand, machine cover, power cord, an accessories bag (which contains thread nets, looper threading tool, screwdriver, spool caps with sponge, spools caps, spool pin disks, mounting bolt with washer), the foot control, and the knee lifter.  (I think I've all ready misplaced the machine cover.)

The top of the machine from inside the box.  Can you see the carrying handle?  This machine weighs in at approximately 28 pounds.  This is no lightweight machine.  But it wasn't impossibly heavy either.  What a way to get your weight lifting in, right?!

The Triumph from the front.  Isn't she beautiful?

The Triumph out of the box, dressed and ready to go.  To the right of the machine, under the thread stand is the opened accessory compartment which contains needles, lint brush/needle insert tool (one of my all time favorite sewing tools), Allen screwdriver, tweezers, an extra blade (which you should let a service person replace - not you!), and RevolutionAir Needle Threading Guide.

This is the Madeira thread kit I received as a bonus.  It contains 4 spools of Aerolock Serger thread, 8 spools of Mini King Aeroflock thread, 4 spools, Cotona 4 weight thread, and 4 spools Decora 12 weight thread.

I'm super excited to begin learning how to use this machine.  I actually used this machine while I was taking the Sue Green-Baker 3 Day Serge-a-Thon, so we should all ready be friends.  

What do you do when you have a new machine?  Do you jump right in with a project or do you go step by step through the manual?  I've done samples while in class.  As we joked in the class, "for demonstration purposes."  I'd really like to begin on a project.  Stay tune for that project!

True confessions:  I was in a rush to make a costume and felt more comfortable with the Babylock Imagine, so I pulled her out.  We, Imagine and I, whipped up two Merida costumes from Disney’s Brave in an afternoon, using a basic four thread overlock stitch.

Have you ever done this?  You have a brand-spankin' new machine that has all the bells and whistles (okay, at least more bells and whistles than your current machine) and pull out your trusty ol' machine to do a project?  What have you done?

My Triumph Story - the beginning

This past weekend, I took a leap of faith and financed a Babylock Triumph serger.  As far as I know this is the most expensive serger on the market, with the MSRP at $7999.  I don’t know about y’all, but that is one expensive machine.

My educational background is in clothing and textiles from Ricks College (now BYU-Idaho), Oregon State University, and BYU-Provo.  As far as I know, neither BYU schools offer a degree in clothing and textiles any longer. (They do offer sewing construction/pattern design/textiles as part of Family and Consumer Science though.)  Clothing and textiles is the apparel design major at Oregon State, College of Business.  I’m also self educated in heirloom sewing, doll making, and hand embroidery.  I have spent the last 10 years researching convertible/multipurpose clothing and that’s where my passion lies.

Last May, I left my job of almost 7 years. I had decided to go back to college after a hiatus of more than 25 years.  School does take a considerable amount of time, but I still needed something else to occupy my time (my children are basically grown and out of the home).  I have wanted to start a business - clothing business - for several years but haven’t had the time. 

In June, I realized I would probably need a new serger if I wanted to start any one of my business ventures.  My current serger is at least 22 years old and in bad shape.  I chose to look into Babylock machines because I had used one about 21 years ago and liked the jet air threading.  Also, I was looking for a machine that did cover/chain stitch.  I visited a Babylock dealer and was floored by the cost of the Babylock Ovation at $3499.  Ouch!  I did a little more research and thought I might want the Babylock Diane, but couldn’t find one locally.  I was telling a friend about my serger search and she offered to let me have her Babylock Imagine as she had had it for 10 years and hadn’t used it.  I took her up on her offer and realized I needed to learn how to use a serger all over again.  I found a class to be taught in Rome, GA at The Stitchery.  This was a Sue Green-Baker event.  I wanted to serge on a Babylock Ovation to see if it really did what I wanted it to do.  As the event drew closer, I received a pre-survey from The Stitchery and the Babylock Triumph was mentioned.  I didn’t even know what that was!  So, I googled it.  Come to find out, it’s the newest serger on the Babylock market.  I wasn’t interested in it.  I wanted that Ovation. 

The day of class arrived and I traveled up to Rome, GA from my home in Dallas, GA.  Sitting at my spot was the new Babylock Triumph.  I had received an email from The Stitchery prior to arrival that stated we could purchase the machine at an awesome price with great add ons – a thread kit, the Love of Knowledge membership, a trolley and the 29 foot and attachment kit.  I still wasn’t interested and told my husband so.  The new upgrades just didn't seem necessary to me.  I don’t have a problem threading needles (see RevolutionAir^TM threading).  I like the needle threader on the Imagine which was also on the Ovation.  The higher pressure foot height (6mm), the easier subsidiary looper for 2 thread conversion, and the ability to chain off would be nice, but I was okay with the Ovation’s specs. 

Our instructor, Patsy, began walking us through the Triumph.  She mentioned the above upgrades and I’m like “Whatever!”.  Then she mentioned the newest safety feature - if the pressure foot is up the floor pedal will not engage.  That’s when I was sold on the machine.  I have littles in my home a lot and I’m looking forward to grandbabies.  When I was raising my kids, I had my machines out in the open all the time.  I had one or two incidents where one of the kids landed on the foot pedal and the machine whirred away.  Those were scary moments.  With this machine, I hope to not have to worry about those scary moments.

This machine was released in September.  It’s so new that the Sue Green-Baker team had updated the class materials, but hadn’t released them yet.  (We’ll be getting the updates in an email).  Patsy did know the differences between the machines and showed how to operate them.  We spent 3 days learning how to serge and how to use these machines.  Of course, I needed to talk to my husband about this.  Well, we had a passing in the night type of interaction this weekend due to the many activities we had.  So, I texted him Saturday and said I’m getting it.  He said okay (sorta).  So, I left the event with a new serger and the thread kit.  The other add-ons will come shortly.

Do I like the machine?  I do.  I better.  I did this past weekend.  

What do you think of this machine?  Would you get it?  Why or why not?