Post Comment Love 27th - 29th May 2022 How to thread an overlocker

Welcome back to #PoCoLo with Stephanie from Lifeat139a and I. A weekly linky for any post you've written this week. You Post, Comment and share the Love and we'll return the favour.

I've been busy making party decorations, gardening and trying to book a last minute holiday somewhere.

The cost and availability of flights are sparse and expensive, so we may be off somewhere in the UK this weekend or we may end up staying at home. Either way I'm sure we'll have fun. It'll be nice just to have some time off work.

I've had a bit of a nightmare trying to thread my over locker that has been in for a service. I followed the instructions but the threads kept taking it in turn to pop out the needle. After watching numerous youtube videos, I discovered my error. You thread the upper looper first. Then thread the lower looper and make sure that the lower looper thread sits over the upper looper thread.

Still following?

Then thread the two needles, but there's another step that took me ages to find.

Once everything is threaded take the 4 threads and move them to the left, under the foot. All the videos showed everything being threaded towards the back of the machine.

Finally once I'd discovered the last step everything went very well and I made all my bunting and table cloths in one evening.

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January 2022 in words and photos. Getting my craft on.

If you read my blog on a regular basis or follow any of my social media posts you'll know I publish a photo a day for #Project365, that I call #OneDailyPositive.

This is my 8th year of doing this, originally set up upon moving to Dubai from South Africa to motivate me to get out the house daily and find something to be positive about.

I do get out doors a lot, with dog walks and cups of tea outside even if it is raining, I just sit inside the shed door. but due to a kitchen refurb I've spent most of my time in my craft room on the top floor. Originally child 5s bedroom. The other room is used for storage, originally a rather expensive loft conversion for child 4.

I thought I'd share with you some of the things I've been making and plans for things to come.

So I started by recycling my lockdown crafts where I used items around the home. I'm still doing that but now I have all my furniture in so time to get my bake on and sewing machine in action.

MIL knitted the panel, I turned it into a cushion.

Alice in Wonderland inspired door.

Getting everything sorted and in order makes sewing so much easier.

Overlocker in for repairs.

Now I remember why I don't do zips.

I bought these curtains for our grandson, but they needed altering.

Always measure twice

and cut once.

Iron everything before sewing, makes it so much easier.

Neighbour requested a padded name for her daughters room

I of course now have to do Great Nephew and

both Grandchildren.

The boy next door turned 2 so I baked dinosaur biscuits and made toppers for the cakes. I had to bake next door.

I've already started to plan what I'm making for Easter, we're also making blinds for the kitchen and I'd like a notice board for the kitchen that will be a joint effort and once we reclaim the conservatory when the kitchen is finished I've got curtains to make for there.

I've also been making cards, mainly recycling old ones and I can't wait to get in the kitchen and do some more baking.

Are you creative? 

Making floor cushions

How hard can it be to make a floor cushion? 

Well the answer is not that hard at all. 

It took me around an hour to mark and cut the 16 pieces.

15 minutes and a lot of swearing to thread the over locker. 

About 20 mins to sew the pieces together.

A lot more swearing to sew the centre piece.

20 minutes to add the base piece.

10 minutes to stuff and 15 mins to hand sew the opening up. I used stuffing but if you're short of space you could use it to store a winter/summer duvet. 

I up cycled a pair of curtains and an old table cloth for the project, unfortunately I cut the material the wrong way (there's a fancy way of saying this, Dias???) and as soon as I sat on it the seams started to rip and after much more swearing and hand sewing. I gave up and will try again tomorrow with a different cut.

And I'll reuse this material to make some patch work smaller cushions after re cutting it the other way. 

Week 12 Project 365

A busy week and an unexpected visit from MIL. This weeks 2 photo prompts have taken quite a bit of planning and thought as to how to incorporate them both into one photograph. We've had rain this week and cloudy skies but the temperature has been in the mid 30s c. I've spent a fair amount of the week in the souks, searching for ribbons and material for my nieces wedding in the UK next week and I've been making scarves to sell to raise funds for education in South Africa.

Day 74 #onedailypositive #small #fmsphotoaday #mothersday #snaphappybritmums #project365

Went out for lunch with friends to celebrate a birthday. The staff provided us with an ice cream cake and a small gesture to wish all us mum's a Happy Mother's Day.

Day 75 #onedailypositive #after #fmsphotoaday #green #snaphappybritmums #project365

It rained in Dubai today, it doesn't rain much and by 'doesn't rain much' I mean it's like standing under a slow dripping tap. Brilliant photo prompt then?....'after' the rain, the 'green' grass grows, but what grass there is, relies heavily on constant watering. So today's picture is taken 'after' a long day (7am-4pm) walking around the souks in Naif looking at roll 'after' roll of mint 'green' material for my nieces wedding.

Day 76 #onedailypositive #hobby #fmsphotoaday #holidaydreaming #snaphappybritmums #project365

I'm combining 2 of my favourite things for today's photo prompts. Except I'm not dreaming of a holiday, mine are already booked and this year I'm off to the UK in April for my nieces wedding. Canada in June to visit my twitter buddy @alwaysaredhead. The UK again in September for my son's passing out parade and Oct/Nov to South Africa for the Santa Shoebox Project. Plus being new in Dubai, most days are like a holiday while I explore new places. But my hobby? I love to sew, at the moment I'm making bunting and table cloths for my nieces wedding, I'm also making scarves and bags which I will be selling to raise funds for education back in South Africa.

Day 77 #onedailypositive #text #fmsphotoaday #cute #snaphappybritmums #project365

Here is one on my 'cute' 'texts' son no 3 sends on a regular basis. The reason for his hair cut? He's joined the army.
Living in Dubai my family use social media to keep in touch including my mother. We have 5 children, 4 are adults and 1 still at school, the eldest is disabled so we rely on contact from her carers, son no 1, doesn't use any form of communication, but he girlfriend does. Son no 2 chats occasionally, son no 3 is on Facebook, twitter and instagram and we hear from him daily. Son no 4 is in boarding school and the building is really old and the walls are very thick so he gets his messages on whatsapp and the only time he contacts us is when he needs money. Mother is on FB daily and reads my blog and we 'chat' though out the day as well as Skype and phone calls.

Day 78 #onedailypositive #private #fmsphotoaday #eat #snaphappybritmums #project365

How can I incorporate private and eat into one photo? Having 5 children I've learnt to keep my sweetie stash hidden from them, however they've all left home now. But I still keep my secret (private) stash hidden away to eat. On a positive note, my youngest is coming to visit the end of the month.

Day 79 #onedailypositive #handdrawn #fmsphotoaday #healthyeggmeals #snaphappybritmums #project365

Again another difficult combination of photo prompts and after racking my brain I decided I'd doodle on an egg, but it's so hot here that the egg, combined with the air con on full blast, was damp on the surface and the marker pen just wouldn't work and I feared if I kept the egg out the fridge too long in another room it would cook.

Day 80 #onedailypositive #sunflare #fmsphotoaday #stripes #snaphappybritmums #project365

With the sun shining everyday in Dubai a sun flare was always going to be an easy option, but the week started cloudy and grey and it actually rained on Monday so I was a bit worried I wouldn't be able to catch a sun flare this week. So instead I've revisited a trip to Kruger National Park last September was hoping for a photo with a zebra to incorporate stripes but the sun has done that for me on this photo of an elephant.

What uses are there for old and odd socks?

I suffer with chill blains and I get fed up taking gloves on and off to regulate my temperature. I asked hubby to pick me up a couple of thin, cotton pairs from the UK and he threw me a pair of his socks and said 'make your own'

 Choose an old pair of socks

 Cut above the heel

 Hem the top with a blanket stitch

 Put on and mark where you want the thumb hole

 Cut the thumb hole about 1.5cm long, use blanket stitch or machine button hole

 Decorate with buttons or ribbons

Upcycling scrap material to make scarves

There are lots of off cuts of material donated to Kungwini Welfare Org and no real use for them other than patch work.
My Mother loves scarves, last count, I think she had over 50. A few years ago she knitted me a scarf in every colour and every type of wool, so I decided it was pay back time and I'd make her one for her birthday in June.

It was very simple and involved scrap material, a Sophia and a Suzanne and the use of an overlocker and we were off.

Suzanne cut the lengths, Sophia threaded the over locker and I did the sewing, straight up and straight down and sew together.












I will be selling the scarves back in the UK for £3 each. All funds will go towards purchasing thread, needles and other items needed in the workshop. Tweet me or contact me on my blog. I need your address and I'll provide you with my bank details, the scarf you receive will be pot luck, but all the same quality.

How to adapt a boob tube for much needed bra straps



I need to buy a size 14 in dresses. I need a size 14 for my boobs, but my waist is a 10, so I prefer the elasticated tops on dresses, or something that pulls in under the waist so I don't look the same size all the way down. I also carry most of my 5'7' height in my legs so I'm limited with the range of maxi dresses. I've keep finding dresses the right length, but they are all strapless, boob tubes. I need to wear a bra.

 

I bought this dress from New Look today, it was £19.99, it fitted perfectly, but without a bra on, it just didn't work and those strapless ones aren't strong enough to take the strain. So I unpicked it and altered the dress to suit my needs. It was simple and easy to do, took 20 minutes and required a little bit of hand sewing.

 

 

From Boob tube

To dress with straps

Using the belt for the straps

Unpick the belt from the seams

Sew the seams back up and sew the belt on to make straps