Its been a while since I've sewn anything but I decided I needed to make a garden flag for the next Holiday, Labor Day. I checked my files for the Tweets (birds in a tree doing Holiday things) from Embroidery Library.com but there wasn't a Labor Day Tweet. Oh well, I found one called "What I'll Be When I Grow Up" and thought, perfect, it shows workers, a fireman, astronaut, pop singer, cowboy...and I added Biscuit at the bottom, wearing a fireman's hat. Well, when I got it finished I liked it so much I didn't want to wait till Labor Day week to put it out so I put Happy Day at at the top instead of Happy Labor Day and put it out.I made this one a little different from the others I've done. I like the sterling chain at the bottom to hold the flag down in the wind so made a little casing at the bottom. I did a rolled hem on the sides instead of sewing a doubled hem and I like how it looks. I made the top casing wider so that I didn't have trouble threading it onto the flag holder which is a royal pain. Then I tried to iron a fusible stabilizer to the back because the flag fabric is fairly thin and really needs more than the medium weight tearaway I have always used. Also I didn't like the idea of a wash-away stabilizer because I didn't want to have to soak it when it was done but next time I hope I remember, the fusible stabilizer doesn't fuse to the flag fabric well. You can't use a lot of heat on these things because hot heat will melt the fabric so I couldn't get it hot enough to fuse. Doggone it. I ended up leaving it half-way fused and hooped the tearaway, sprayed the fusible with sticky stuff to hold it to the hooped tearaway. When I got done I had to cut the fusible out around the design in the back. Pain in the neck but it looks ok so that's all that matters.
The casing that holds the chain is a good idea, it holds down better than the chain I put on the last one (which I just tacked on when the flag was done). So in all, I like this flag, every one I make teaches me something new. The additional stabilizer was a good idea, maybe next time I'll use Badgemaster which is a washaway and I'll soak it when finished. Obviously its the easiest way to go.
BTW, the flag looks a little wacky, the wind was blowing just a bit when I took the picture, hence the crooked sides. Really, its straight.
Next project---I'm making another pair of socks once again trying the Interweave sock book called Favorite Socks, I'm learning with this project too, it calls for 5 double pointed needles, 4 in the circle and 1 to knit with. I'm making Retro Ribbed Socks, one of the first in the book. I had a heck of a time casting on with 4 needles but did manage to get started last night while I watched Housewives of New Jersey. Since its raining and humid out today I may just sit under the ceiling fan and knit all day. This project requires a little concentration until I memorize the pattern.
