always look on the bright side

Y'all are probably as tired of reading my complaints as I am of making them. So how about a more cheerful post.

The sewing went much better today. Thanks largely to Mod_complex' suggestion of using my teflon presser foot on the lace. Actually she suggested a rolling presser foot, which I don't have, but I do have a teflon presser foot, and that helped a lot. No more of the lace getting stuck or catching in the machine.

And while I'm looking on the bright side, the lack of stability in the lace, which was so crazy-making last night, made for the easiest easing of sleeves I've ever done. Seriously, it was great.

(If you have no idea what "easing of sleeves" means, and you care, go look at the shoulder seam of a woven shirt or jacket. The seam probably isn't totally flat; the sleeve probably stands up a little bit. That's because a set-in sleeve is bigger than the armhole it goes into. It has to be "eased": first the sleeve is gathered, and then sewn carefully so that none of the gathers get sewn into the seam. It's hard to describe it if you can't see it. But you end up with a smooth seam if you do it right, and a sleeve that puffs gently out from the armhole. If you mess up, you end up with little puckers or creases in the sleeve at the edge of the seam. I confess that I find sleeves challenging, and do mess them up more often than I'd like. So it was a relief to find it so easy with this lace.)

I got way more done tonight than I had expected. The bodice is entirely put together. Tomorrow I'll do the skirt, and then the lining on Wednesday. Then Thursday I can relax and hem while watching TV. It looks like I'm not going to end up in a crazy rush to finish sewing, like I usually do.

Best of all, a scheduling conflict later in the week that has been causing me major stress resolved itself all on its own. Talk about the bright side.