We own a beautiful Bliss couch from West Elm - a comfortable and a fairly handsome piece. I picked it for the continuous seat cushion and bed pillow like back cushions. Sleeping on this couch is better than a futon.

Unfortunately, the quality is lacking. Maybe that was why we got it on sale. The cushions and pillows are lined in a very porous synthetic fabric so the down feathers (I should say down and feathers, because there are plenty of quills) are always poking through.

I've taken to collecting them in a little bag, but plenty of them end up on clothes in the laundry, when we sweep the floor, and in strange crevices.


I did some research on feather ticking and found bleached featherproof cotton ticking from OnlineFabricStore. The fabric is fairly close knit but felt a bit like sheeting and looks like better quality muslin, so I wasn't sure how it would perform.

Using this fabric calculator from Sailrite I was able to calculate a purchase of 17 yards. I sewed them with as little seams as possible, just a basic straight stitch to join the pieces, folded over and stitched again. Since the lining is hidden I just compressed the pillows and zipped up the sides to seal it with straight and zigzag stiches. Cutting the fabric based on the diagram, I had very little fabric leftover, just a couple of long strips.


We've been testing the couch for about a week and we have been prickle free!


I also bought some rubbery drawer liner so the seat cushion doesn't slide off. It's been several weeks and so far we haven't had to adjust the cushion once. Aggravation, denied.

The Juki still handles everything well, but I keep having bobbin winding problems. Meaning, at some point the bobbin thread will catch and jam. Rethreading/tension/foot pressure/fabric change does nothing. The only thing that works is changing the bobbin. But both bobbins look fine to me...

My yoga mat bag was made like this. Sometimes the best things in life are the simplest.

  
    A. Cut on the Straight, Worn on the Bias
          1. Square
          2. 4 Square
          3. Quadrant
          4. Barrel Cut
     B. Cut on the Bias, Worn on the Bias
     C. Cut on the Cross Grain, Worn on the Bias

  
     A. Fabric = rayon, silk, wool, double crepe, any crepes, velvet, heavy metallic lame
          1. Balanced thread count
          2. Loose Weave = not Synthetics
          3. Elasticity = Twisted Yarn
          4. Collapse = Less Friction
          5. Torque = Dimensional Stability
          6. Weight
          7. Width
     B. Design
          1. Length
          2. Volume
          3. Trim






  
     A. Very simple finishing - minimize any visible bumps or puckers
          1. Overcast seam edges
          2. Self facing
          3. Hong Kong Edges
     B. Built in Flexibility
          1. Size
                i. A stouter body at a particular height = dress is shorter.
               ii. A thin body at the same height = dress is longer.

Julian Roberts Materials from Center for Pattern Design

Issac Mizrahi's chiffon and salmon skin dress.

There are plenty literary references to spider silk and the gossamer qualities of fairy clothing and magic thread. However, due to the efforts of two scientists, we are closer to making those analogies reality. The process? A particular breed of malicious looking spider was captured and then restrained in a machine that "milks" the silk. Afterwards, they were released, but the golden filaments were twisted into highly elastic threads and woven into this stunning panel, extremely strong and soft as cashmere. Let PETA chew on that for awhile.

Here's the NPR article with audio.

I got up this morning and was cold, so I busted out this lounge pant pattern from the November 2008 edition of Burda World of Fashion. The Juki handled everything I tried no problem. I topstitched the seams and made some nice buttonholes on this thick interlock. I'm used to having to adjust for the elasticity of the fabric, so pulling too much on the fabric when sewing the yoke created ripples around the waist. Really, with the Juki I shouldn't because the stitch does the work for me. Hopefully, a good washing will help. I also forgot to shorten the leg and crotch length, so they are sagging round the ankles and higher at the waist then I like, but nevertheless, good for hiding my feet in. Now I'm comfy.

Below is a picture of the bobbin winder array. I put the end of the thread through a hole in the plastic bobbin, wind several turns excess in a clockwise direction, insert the bobbin on the spindle and then slide the thread through one of the grey appendages on the winding spool. The grey lever engages manually and stops automatically. Once the spool is full, there's another cutter to the left of the bobbin for easy removal. Fairly consistent results with this method so far. I like the separate motor, which means no more disengaging the flywheel clutch. Perhaps using the second spindle will also avoid having to rethread the needle. Buy two spools and never be lacking. The size is a Class 15 standard plastic.

With the garments pieces still layered inside each other, pin the side seams and stitch from the underarm down with an elastic "straight" stitch.

I used a Schmetz size 12 ballpoint needle, but perhaps could have gotten away with smaller. All these fancy stitches aren't necessary, since a plain straight stitch and serged edge works very well on the original, but I thought I might as well try them out. The wonky hem is a result of poor cutting as opposed to bad sewing. I added extra seam allowance though, so I can make that plumb no problem.

Since the material was so flimsy, this project is an instance where I'm not using the auto cutters. Instead, I pull up the bobbin end and held both top and bottom threads at the start of each stitch. To give the Juki credit, however, even when using autocutters and getting a little snarl ball, the fabric never fully jammed like my Singer.