Serged Infinity Scarf

  The final project in my serger class was an infinity scarf made with a knit and ribbon accents on one side and a woven on the other. The ribbons are woven through the ladders of a flatlock stitch and the top and bottom are sewn with a regular overlock with some decorative thread.

I wanted to do something other than my usual black/white/grey pattern fabric. I found a beautiful flower fabric in the quilting section. It had red, grey, pink and yellow; colors I can fit into my usual clothing rotation but different enough for a little oomph. I found a pretty red interlock and grey satin ribbon and bulky nylon thread.

It was really easy to make. So easy, that I decided I needed another one. I raided my stash and found a bunch of my favorite Paris map fabric and some soft black knit. I made this one a little narrower and used a white grosgrain and some of the leftover grey satin ribbon.

I really love these. I hope the Infinity Scarf trend doesn't peter out next fall so I can wear these all the time.

Ombre Ruffled Apron

  My second project in my serger class was an ombre, ruffled apron with rolled hems. I wrote down the wrong number of  colors so I only had four ruffles instead of five. I made it work with a bit of math and a drawing to help me visualize. I chose a bunch of shades of pink and got some fun variegated pink and white decorative thread.

It's definitely a learning curve. There are so many more variables and pieces than in my regular sewing machine. it's like learning to drive a stick shift after learning how to drive an automatic transmission. I made my ruffles a bit tights so I had to slide them on the thread tails a bit to get them the right width. I had to play around with the tensions to get the rolled hem right. 

It turned out really cute, even with all the frustrations. I think I can adapt these techniques to make some cute ruffled dresses and skirts for the girls.

Easter Cookies

  For our annual Easter Egg Hunt last weekend, I wanted to make a fun, cute, kid-friendly dessert. Last year, I made cupcakes (which I apparently didn't write about...) and the year before I made Bunny Cake Pops. This year, I was inspired by the King Arthur Flour catalogue and made Easter Cookies.

I used their Sugar Cookie and White Icing mixes with some Wilton cookie cutters. I made the dough one day, rolled them out and baked the next day and decorated on the last day. I wanted to try the "flood icing" technique, but I don't think my royal icing was runny enough and I didn't feel like mixing all my colors twice, so I just went with it. I piped the frosting, spread with a knife and smoothed out any bumps with a wet finger. They turned out really cute, if I do say so myself.