GAB Studio

While getting back into crafting, since I have so much more time now that I am not in school AND working, I have made it a goal to finish my projects. I have successfully done so with a few projects already!

1. Clean and restore the serger that I found on FB Marketplace
2. IndiePattern Pinafore Dress from Etsy
3. Quilted Jacket from Etsy

My first project was to revamp an old serger that I found on Facebook Marketplace. I have been wanting a serger for a while now and bought one for $40 knowing that it might not work, but it would be eorth the adventure regardless to take the machine apart and learn about how sergers work. Upon picking it up, the motor made no noise, only the light turned on. Upon replacing the carbon brushes (don’t look like brushes at all… also very hard to find at hardware stores) checking all of the wiring, and even trying a brand new motor & motor belt, I determined that this guy was just not going to run on any engine that was not specifically built for it, and that the one that came with my marketplace purchase was dead to the world. In this regard, the project was unfortunately a bust… However, I did learn about how the machines work in general and how to maintain the physical machine. I also learned about the incredible power of a little thing called RetroBrite. This may be the most incredible thing I’ve ever used… Maybe even above CitriStrip… I made a fefw videos on my TikTok account about how the chemical took the yellow out of the machines plastic. This hard yellow stain just made the machine look like it was in so much worse condition than it actually was. The transformation was INCREDIBLE!

You can watch those videos, my first 3 videos, on my TikTok!

My second project that I have finished is the Pinafore dress pattern by IndiePattern on Etsy. I actually bought her whole deck of patterns and am excited to work through a few more of those. The pinafore dress pattern is incredibly easy to do and is very breathable to wear! I used super cheap fabric that is not meant to be worn (it was the cheap stuff… cmon) so my next group of projects is going to include a better version of this dress with a few of my own embellishments that would make me love the dress even more.

Finally, I made a quilted jacket from another etsy shop, ClothWorks Collective. This project was not super difficult in practice but my dinky little sewing machine was struggling to make it to the finish line at some points… I also got a little ahead of myself and skipped some steps of the pattern, which I was humbled back into remembering that I do not know more than the people who made these patterns. Ouch. I also didn’t use the bias tape correctly, so all-in-all, this project was kind of a fail. But I finished it! And that is truly half the battle.

Next, I am going to work on learning new, non-cotton fabrics. I also want to work on making the insides of my garments look better. I am nowhere near having them look incredible but I also know they can look better than now… Which is horrific… I also want to make it a point to save more for a serger and eventually a new machine that will be able to handle any and all materials. I also want to do some quilting as practice for a new bedspread, and the practice I can make into other quilter pieces like the jacket!

So much to do and there is never enough time in the day… Alas…

Let me know if there is a specific patter that I should try or any specific projects, I am down for anything and learning a bunch of new skills!