Right in the middle of my marathon vacation/wedding sew my Consew gravity feed iron conked out. Of course the first thing I did was have Seth take a look at it. If Seth can't fix something it just can't be fixed. Unfortunately he couldn't fix it. It needs a new switch which isn't readily available. He did take it out to see if he could find one, but in the meantime I needed a new iron. My previous iron is a Rowenta which I still have and Seth uses. It's a bit underwhelming after having a gravity feed iron. I remembered that I'd gotten an email from Wawak with $20 off on a Hot Steam SGB-600 gravity feed iron which brought it down to $89. Even their regular price is good. Seth did a search for it online and came up with a price of $150. Of course I called and ordered it. It was delivered Tuesday morning. After unpacking and setting it up I turned it on.
Wow. This is better than my Consew ever was. It heats up faster and the temperature gauge seems more accurate. The amount of steam is just phenomenal. All in all this is a terrific iron and I am enjoying using it.
If you aren't familiar with a gravity feed iron, there is a water bottle, which you can see above, that has to hang 36" above the iron. I have it hanging from the beam above the end of my pressing table. This one holds nearly a gallon which lasts a long time even using it all day. You have to use it with resin beads that absorb the impurities in water. If you wanted to use it with distilled water I would guess that might work as well. The iron comes with a packet of resin, a non stick iron shoe, the hose, and all of the hardware needed to hang it plus a cleaning kit. The resin is blue and when it turns mostly brown it's time to change them. It lasts quite awhile. By the way, I happened to order two packets of it a couple of days before my iron conked out, so I'm set for awhile.
I've only been using it for a couple of days but it was love at first press. If you are in need of a good iron it's on sale this month for the same $89 I paid for it for the month of June. I added a silicon pressing sheet to the order which brought it up to $100 and got me free shipping.
My sewing is going well. I've completed the skirt, two tops and a pair of pants. I am working on the cowl back top. I've got a pair of black rayon crepe pants and a gray cotton linen lycra pair cut out and ready to sew. I want to make one more top I think if I have time.
I wasted most of yesterday trying to alter a sleeveless jacket pattern or vest that I decided I needed. I gave up. I cannot figure out how to alter a side panel with dart to fit properly. I've looked online and nobody has shown how to make an fba in this style. If anyone has any advice on this, please let me know. I made a usual fba adding to the short dart then I rotated the extra into a shoulder dart since a short fat dart just doesn't sew well. The problem is gaping at the armhole. I'll come back to it since I really like the style. I am copying another Helmut Lang piece using this Burda pattern. It's minimalist with a contemporary twist that's right up my alley. Some of their clothing is too exposed for me, but a lot of it is definitely wearable by an older woman looking for casual clothing with a contemporary vibe. Of course it doesn't come in my size. So isn't it great that I can sew it up myself?
This is the pattern I'm using to knock off this Helmut Lang vest or sleeveless jacket.
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The larger sizes of this vest have a short dart at the seam. Any ideas on altering it readers?
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I've had that iron for 6 months now and I A.D.O.R.E it!! Happy pressing!
ReplyDeleteI bought that iron a couple of months ago. I love it. I have to remember not to iron close to the table edge since it puts out more steam than my previous iron.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip. My old gravity feed conked out on me over a year ago. It's time to be replaced.
ReplyDeleteThat is one gorgeous vest. Can't wait to see your version.
ReplyDeleteIf it is a true side panel (not a princess seam) Palmer Pletsch does most of the alteration on the front. I don't know if it is in their fitting manual or on their dvd "Full Busted".
ReplyDeleteI found the alteration in their jacket book. I knew I had seen it somewhere but couldn't remember exactly where. I redid it and it's closer. I still have some gap so I'll need to make a muslin. I am close though.
DeleteI love the style of the sleeveless jacket and look forward to seeing yours.
ReplyDeleteOooh, a new iron! I'm in desperate need of a really, really good iron. I'm a little intimated by a gravity feed iron. Does it iron well at low temperatures as well as at high temperatures? Is it safe in a smaller sewing space? I'm currently using a Black & Decker D2030, but there are times when it doesn't cut the mustard.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your FBA alteration; not having a FB, I've never done one. Could you pinch the excess at the armhole on the muslin into a dart, then transfer that dart to the pattern pieces?
I have iron envy! Great to have such a great iron, I know it from sewing classes but never took the plunge to buy one myself. Can't find this type of iron here.
ReplyDeleteLove the vest and looking forward to your version. I don't know about the fba, which pattern do you want to alter?
It's Burda 110 from 10/12. It's a true side panel with a small bust dart in the larger sizes, ie 42-44. I am thinking of making it into a true princess and splitting the side seam. There is nothing in my copy, older, of Fit for Real People. I have the full busted dvd so I'll have to pull it out.
DeleteI bought that iron and haven't taken it out of the box yet. Excited to hear it works great. Maybe taking it out of the box this weekend.
ReplyDeleteI made the coat version of that one - the Illusion jacket and it seemed to fit fine in my normal size, even with the tiny dart. I have a 4" difference between HB and FB and am a DD cup if that helps.
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