Friday, May 21, 2010

One of those days...

I think it must be payback for the gentle teasing I gave my mom this past weekend, when she was telling me her "saga of the two hours skirt".  I couldn't help but laugh at how long it had taken her to do two seams...

I should have kept my mouth shut :)  Today I attempted a foray into pocket diaper making territory.  Two sewing machines and really just one long seam later, I began to have more sympathy with my mom.  The first sewing machine kept skipping stitches (and PUL is NOT a fabric you can mess around with - you can only stitch it once), and then, I kid you not, the foot pedal began making popping sounds, like popcorn, only more electric/crackling sounding.  I put it away with visions of flames in my head.  Then pulled out my less favorite machine.  Fought for an hour to get the tension right so that the gears would stop grinding. I did eventually finish seaming all the way around, put the diaper on LW to test, she promptly peed... right out the side.  Something about the fleece fabric that I special ordered repelled rather than wicking the wetness :P

So - the moral of the story?  It would have been cheaper, more effective, and a ton less hassle to just bite the bullet and actually *order* a couple of pocket diapers; this particular attempt at frugality didn't work so well.  But, I guess I have the extra fabric kicking around for other projects, like fleece pillows and wipe clean bibs.  You win some, you lose some, but perhaps it is time to give the cloth diaper experiment a rest :(

Fortunately, it is friday, the weather is gorgeous, and I have another project in mind for this weekend that should, hopefully, come out a lot better.   I also need to make a plan for LW's 1st birthday party which is just about a week away!  Cake ideas, anyone?  I'm thinking perhaps sweet potato (her favorite food) with a cream cheese frosting (healthier than straight sugar)?  I also found out yesterday that I might be recruited to do my brother-in-law and soon to be sister-in-law's wedding cake.  Gulp!  But that is a topic for another day :)

Happy weekend to all, and may your projects be far more successful than my pocket diaper was :)

2 comments:

Liz said...

Oh, no, I can't believe that your sewing machine is giving you trouble. I'll bring it back down here and take it right back to the repair guy and ask what gives. Mine runs like a dream now that I've got the bobbin in right (and having it in wrong was my mistake). One thing that can impact on things is the sort of needle you are using. You did remember that you need a different type for such heavy duty fabric, right??? I know I've had real problems in the past if I wasn't using the right sort of needle. I don't understand the deal with the micro fleece, however, if it was the sort it was supposed to be, unless perhaps you put it on upside down (would it then repel instead of wick?).

Tell me what sort of pocket diapers you'd like, the size and where to order them and I'll order some so that you can at least try them out.

Your new project looks like something I'd love to do if I had a plethora of rhubarb. Unfortunately, my sources (other than the ones I have to pay) have dried up in recent years. I did use some rhubarb yesterday to make rhubarb cake which was deemed excellent by both Amanda and Auntie Gayle. Gabe thought at first that it was applesauce cake, so even Jim might actually like it. Anyway save some of the marmalade for us.

I think you absolutely could do a wedding cake. Be sure to check out the sizes of tier pans that I have before you go buying any. I don't have all sizes, but I certainly have some both square and round, as I'm sure you'll recall since you've done some big cakes in the past...

The only big project I did today was 3 loads of laundry. I now have a freshly made bed and can move back into our bedroom. Tomorrow I'll do your sheets. There just wasn't enough room on the clothesline or enough energy in me to do them today.

Liz said...

Hey, did you get your microfleece at sewshoppe.com? They sell both the materials and the patterns for making pocket diapers so I would think they had the right stuff.