Quilter.... Not Sewer.....

"Have you ever considered suing the city?  
For building the sidewalks so close to your A$$?"

LOL!  My Dad is not a crude man, but that is his favorite joke for me and my sister.  We are not exactly towering goddesses. Long trunks - short legs.  Makes me sound like a baby elephant!

Nephew Andrew with baby elephant - Detroit Zoo

One of the many disadvantages to being short is finding jeans that fit.  I'm too tall for petite and too short for average.  And, I must admit, at almost 42-years old.... I wear my blue jeans cuffed. That may not sound like a big deal but even to work.  

People often ask, "You are a quilter.  Do you make your own clothes?"  Heck no!  One of my joys of quilting is making a fabric object that lies perfectly flat! I tell them, "I'm sorry.  I'm a quilter, a cross-stitcher, an embroiderer, a knitter and a crocheter.  I am not a sewer".  They tend to walk away confused.

So, imagine my thrill to find this fabulous tutorial on Kayla K's blog!  It's called the Not-So-Nerdy Way to Hem Jeans! I did it!  

It really took minutes (even with me "over thinking" the process), and they look great!  It took me longer to write this blog post!

Here are close-ups of my jeans (I haven't pressed them yet).  The beauty (besides being very quick) is that you keep the original hem!

Several notes for myself (and other "non-sewers") in the future:

* Take the tray off the sewing machine

* Needle down and needle position all the way to the left

* Use #4 Bernina zipper foot and Jean/Denim needles

* Longer stitch length - I used 2.5 on my Bernina

* Watch for pleats near the big seam intersections

* Backstitch at the beginning and end to lock your thread

For those that made it this far, thought I'd share a beauty from yesterday.  This is the "ice tree" on Belle Isle.  If you look closely at the top of the picture, you will see the water spraying out of the top!

Hope you found rest and fulfillment on this glorious Sunday,

Happy Stitching!
Elisa