My Entries for the Project Runway Style Challenge at the red thread studio!

Last Wednesday I sent out 3 garments, my $5.00 entry fee and return shipping for the Project Runway Style Challenge at the red thread studio in Virginia.

Angelia will have pictures of all the entries at her blog.

I sent my favorite skirt,made from 4 pair of blue jeans. I think she'll travel the world!



A skirt made from 1 pair of jeans.



And a newly reconstructed sweater.




I can't wait to see how it all turns out....

Denim Refashioning and Project Runway

Side View Chevron Skirt
Originally uploaded by Diane Slade Inc

Now I know I'm not the first, and I also understand I won't be the last, but I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get more of my ideas done before they did the denim stuff on Project Runway! One thing I notice is that they seemed to be matching the denim and part of the fun for me is to use the different colors. I've only seen the show a couple of times, because we don't have Bravo, but I've been thinking of renting or buying some of the previous seasons.

A Yahoo! Group I read has been taking about the shows, thats how I know about the recent developments. I'm sure that now there will be more people inspired by the shows great designs and I'll not be alone in my crazy pastime of cutting apart jeans! I just made a big pile to work on too! I'll have to get a pic on Flickr.

I just bought a pattern to try out yesterday. Its not everything that I've been thinking of, but I've been burning to make a jacket out of the recycled denim and procrastinating because of the pattern work involved in making my own design. So, I purchased Butterick B0458 by Connie Crawford. I will only have to make the sleeve a two piece to make it fit on the jeans. Its a nice little Fitted Jacket and I can try out her patternmaking style. I do have her book Patternmaking for Fashion Design to make my own patterns. Connie is very well respected by everyone that I have ever heard mention her name.

Bernina 950 Industrial Sewing Machine Review

Bernina 950 Industrial Sewing Machine
Originally uploaded by Diane Slade Inc

I purchased my Industrial
Bernina 950 Professional Zigzag Flatbed Sewing Machine, 21 Stitch, Buttonhole, Knee Lift, Drop Feed, & Power Stand
machine in 2001. I don't remember the exact price, but I want to say I paid right around $1,700. I managed to get my local Bernina Dealer to get it for me for the price I would have had to pay to get it thru the mail from a catalogue. I used it daily for 3 or 4 years with no major problems. I was doing contract sewing that required me to straight stitch and then zig zag every seam, like a false flat felled seam. I was using the buttonhole on the jackets I was making at that time too.

This is considered a craft machine because it has decorative stitches and a built in buttonhole. I know that some people don't like it because it has plastic gears inside.

It is not as fast as a regular Industrial Machine and I don't use it as often right now because its slower than my Industrial straight stitch Pfaff.

I have used it recently to do a satin stitch on some appliqued jeans.

A person I did Contract Sewing for had one, so that was how I was introduced to it. When I was waiting for my work to be finished, or if there was something she needed done right away before I went home for a week, I used hers. I got to the point in my sewing that I *needed* a faster machine. The first time I did a job on it, I finished so fast I was truly stunned.

Our machines both ended up with the same problem. The hand dial(I'm bad at names for stuff, its how you move the needle up and down) has a loosener for winding the bobbin, that wears out very quickly. I never saw hers work and mine wore out before the first year was thru. When I want to wind bobbins I have to take the bobbin case out, because I can't keep the needle from going up and down. This wasn't really a big deal when I sewed for her because we only used 2 or 3 thread colors and I could wind all the bobbins at once. You *can* wind a bobbin while you are sewing. I really don't even think about it, but it is an issue with the machine since we both had it happen. Mine was fixed once, but I've given up, I won't even ask to have it fixed again.

Overall, I really love the machine, I wish I had more to do on it. It is smooth and sturdy and comes with a bunch of feet (including an applique and zipper foot).

Bobbins are expensive, I think I had to pay 2.25 each.

Bernina/Tacsew 950 Genuine Original Propreitory Solid Metal Empty Bobbins, Part A#330-026-030 - Pack of 10