I like the kind of sewing I can make up as I go. This works well for much of what I make, like purses and potholders, aprons, pillows, things that don't have to be an exact fit. I can pretty much wing it without a pattern as long as it has simple straight forward dimensions. Things that involve a pattern and have to actually be a certain shape (other than square or rectangle) make me a little more nervous. Throw in something that has to be a certain size and shape, isn't straight forward and simple and doesn't include a pattern and I'm hyperventilating a bit. That's what I've been doing the past couple of days, making it up as I go and also hyperventilating a bit. I am winging it with a bassinet cover. The lady who brought it to me to make kept saying (really, she said this no less than 4 times) it should be easy. She said it so much she had me convinced. Easy. After all, I have the old cover to look at, to use as a guide. Alrighty then. Easy.
I took the old cover and I measured and measured. Examined and examined. Studied and measured some more. After studying and measuring and examining for a while, I had a plan in mind and I nervously put scissors to fabric. All seemed to go surprisingly smooth. I was actually enjoying myself. It felt good to be able to draw from past experience and know what steps I needed to take. You know the feeling, when anything you've been learning to do begins to feel natural, when that muscle memory kicks in. I know it's just a bassinet cover, and after all it's easy. It's just that I wasn't sure how I would pull this off and though it still needs some tweaking, it's not quite there yet, it looks as though I'm going to be able to do it. I'm just taking a little break to ponder a while about what I need to do next. It's a project that was given to me in confidence and I want that confidence to be justified. Send good thoughts my way that the final tweaking ends in a bassinet cover that fits.
In other news, tell me about your iron. What kind of iron do you have that you love and wouldn't be without? My last two irons have been Rowentas. My friend Kelli bought me one as a gift and I enjoyed it very much until it started to leak. One of the cats had knocked it off the ironing board so I attributed the leaking to this and replaced it with another Rowenta. Guess what? It leaks. It has been treated gently and still, it leaks. I mean large amounts resulting in a puddle on the floor. Leaking at all is bad enough, but it seems to be coming from around the power cord, making it annoying and dangerous. No? I Google searched Rowenta + Leak and learned that this is a common problem. Now I need a new iron and would like your suggestions. I prefer one that does not have auto shut off. It's a great safety feature, but it's a pain for sewing.
One more thing. A neat thing happened to me yesterday at JoAnn's. I struck up a conversation with a lady in the cutting line and somehow blogs were mentioned. As it turns out she's read my blog. Neat, huh? I met a stranger at the fabric store who has read my blog. She's not a stranger anymore. Hi Jean!
*Thanks Anna for letting me no know my comments were turned off. Oops. Ask for iron suggestions and accidently turn your comments off, not very smart Using no instead of know isn't very smart either.
ahh, my rowenta leaks too. it drives me batty. i'd be interested to know what brand is top-notch as well. the bassinet cover is gorgeous.
Posted by: Amy | May 07, 2007 at 07:01 PM
I love my Rowenta, but alas, it leaks too. We affectionately refer to it as "that incontinent iron" when it has an accident. My ironing board cover looks pretty bad, but I still love the iron! Have you ever considered a commercial iron that has a separate steam boiler? Expensive, but I'm sure it would stand up to being left on for long stretches while you are sewing.
Nice work on the bassinet cover! I have a such a hard time with projects like that--too much stress. I know people are well intentioned, but most projects aren't always as easy as they would seem. It's still hard for me to say "no" thought! :)
Posted by: kathryn | May 07, 2007 at 07:28 PM
Another leaky Rowenta here! Mine also spits dirty crud on my clothes - I've cleaned it over and over. I finally gave up, emptied all the water out and I use a spray bottle to mist my clothes. I loved my iron when it was new. As expensive as they are, they really should behave better. I'll be eager to see what others recommend!!
Posted by: Anonymous | May 07, 2007 at 07:46 PM
Mine's a T-Fal Ultraglide. It works well, and was fairly inexpensive. It's fine for my purposes, but there are probably better, more suitable ones out there.
Posted by: Rachael | May 07, 2007 at 10:23 PM
I feel like I'm standing in the leaky Rowenta line! Me TOO! I went through three... same iron and kept exchanging it (also auto shut-off). Same thing happened to a friend of mine with the same model. I tried all different waters too. What a mess and ruined a quilt top of mine. So #3 is now my "dry" iron, or um... the boy iron. I cracked up over what Kathryn calls hers.
I did buy a new Rowenta with no auto shut off... and no leaks! I love it!
The bassinet cover is BEAUTIFUL!
Posted by: Happy Zombie | May 07, 2007 at 11:22 PM
PS... that's so cool to meet a bloggy friend IRL!
Posted by: Happy Zombie | May 07, 2007 at 11:23 PM
I just bought my 2nd Rowenta last week because the first one, that I've had for a little over a year, was leaking terribly. I thought it was maybe because I hadn't used distilled water like I was supposed to. I guess I should've done more research before I bought another one!
Posted by: Darcy | May 07, 2007 at 11:42 PM
Aahh, irons! I've had 4 Rowenta's and every one has leaked. Big puddles of water kind of leaking. Did I need a brick to hit me in the head to tell me to buy something else? So I bought a T-Fal iron and it worked great for about 18 months and then it died. I also have a Maytag cordless iron, although I just don't feel it gets hot enough, but the cordless feature is nice for pressing those long quilt seams. I finally decided no more expensive, fancy irons for me - so I purchased a $9.99 Westinghouse iron at Target and have been extremely pleased with it. My $9.99 bargain does not have an auto shut-off, so I have to make sure that I unplug it after each use.
Posted by: Kim N | May 08, 2007 at 12:39 AM
Your bassinet cover looks wonderful, like the fabric!! I've made one once in the far past, so I know it's not an easy task.
I use a tefal iron, feels heavy when I lift it, but no leaks.
Posted by: Corry | May 08, 2007 at 07:16 AM
I love the basinette cover--beautiful!
I have found that the more basic an iron, the better it works & the longer it lasts. Everytime that I buy one with an extra feature other than "steam", it dies almost immediately. So, I always get the basic Black & Decker. As far as the gunky black or brown stuff that another poster mentioned, I noticed that happened with me too. I figured out that it is rust from the water inside of the iron. I solved the problem by emptying the iron of water every time that I'm done with it.
Posted by: Kim | May 08, 2007 at 08:51 AM
I have never blogged before but now that I have met you and found out what a small world it is out there, I think I might start. I really love your blog and all the things you make - it really encourages me. Thanks
Posted by: Jean | May 08, 2007 at 08:52 AM
I have a Rowenta it doesn't leak it just gets dirty really fast and it makes my clothes dirty when I iron My parents also have one and they have the leaky problem. I have read consumers digest and I beleive the one the had recommed over Rowenta was a Shark I have yet to try it.
Posted by: Jennifer | May 08, 2007 at 09:20 AM
Leaky Rowenta??? No Way! Have you considered that maybe your ironing board is parched and it's leeching the water out of your irons??? ;-)
Sorry, I can't give you much brand advice. I've been one of the lucky Rowenta owners. I've had one that I love for over 10 years. I only put bottled water (the cheap kind you get in gallons from the grocery store) in mine. Maybe they don't make them like they used to? I also have the auto-shut-off, which I hate, but it's better than the alternative burned down house! ;-)
Posted by: Thimbleanna | May 08, 2007 at 09:30 AM
I love that bassinet cover. The fabrics are just divine.
I love my Rowenta, but it leaks too, although I have found that you should NOT pour water in when the iron is cold. This seems to help a little with the leaking.
Posted by: Anina | May 08, 2007 at 10:07 AM
EEEK!! Say it aint so about the Rowenta iron! I just bought my first one over the weekend--the top of the line model and paid (what seemed to me) a small fortune for it. I did some research on Amazon and all the customer reviews gave it 5 stars (are those reviews for real?). Now I'm scared. Oh well. Before I bought the Rowenta I used an Oreck for 3 or 4 years and loved it--until I knocked it off the board and broke it.
Posted by: Diane | May 08, 2007 at 10:19 AM
Gosh, I am SO glad I read this! I've been using a $9.99 model, I think it's a Sunbeam, and I wanted a Rowenta SO badly! I practically bought one the other day, and am glad I didn't! I can't deal with leakiness! My iron is ok, it doesn't leak or sputter and the only qualm I have is that it doesn't get as hot as I'd like. Perhaps I need to research this... have you tried epinions.com? They usually have good advice.
Posted by: Jessica | May 08, 2007 at 10:35 AM
I just replace my Rowenta with a T-Fal Ultra Glide and it leaks, leaks, leaks. I hate it! May have to get another Rowenta as I really liked mine until it just died.
Posted by: Judy in Carefree | May 08, 2007 at 10:45 AM
I just bought a new one based on Consumer Reports' recommendations. Their top-rated one was Black and Decker Digital Advantage D2030. It was $49.99 at Bed Bath & Beyond, but I had a 20% off coupon. We'll see if I like it as well as my leaky Rowenta!
It gets good reviews on Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/252lr3
Posted by: Jiru | May 08, 2007 at 12:06 PM
My iron is a Proctor Silex Ultra Ease and I have had it for several years and been very pleased with it. No leaking, no discoloration, no problems at all. It does have the auto shut off which I feel like I need since I can't remember anything anymore (LOL). Anyway, I knocked it off the board so it kind of came apart, but it is still working even though the setting knob is not quite accurate. I would buy another one!
Posted by: Carla | May 08, 2007 at 04:00 PM
Your bassinette cover looks great.
My iron is the Classic Black and Decker. It looks like an old iron. I, too, had a Rowenta and it leaked.
The Black and Decker is heavy, which is what I need for pressing seams in quilting, and it doesn't have auto shut off. I don't like auto shut off either.
The iron that I take with me to retreats and sewing groups is the Black and Decker Press n Go. I like it, too. It's about $15 and the Classic is $30.
Posted by: Amanda | May 08, 2007 at 07:15 PM
My Rowentas leaked,too,but only after the cat knocked them off the ironing board repeatedly. The T-Fal that followed was awesome, but didn't have the life of a Rowenta. Currently I have a high-end Black and Decker bought on the merit of it being on clearance at Target (also a Digital Advantage model.) Auto-shut off is a pain for sewing, but the stupid thing won't die or leak (even with the cats helping it along,) and it still puts out an impressive amount of steam.
Posted by: sherry | May 08, 2007 at 10:43 PM
The bassinette cover is beautiful--such wonderful fabrics! What great job on a tricky piece...Happy Days! :o)
Posted by: Tracy | May 09, 2007 at 05:15 AM
I learned the hard way, because people would ask me to make, actually whip something up for them and I would say sure that is easy and then find out it would take me days to produce. I get that from people all the time... oh that would be easy to make... ya OK, well have you ever sewed before? Well, no. Then stop talking. I never say something is easy even if I think it is and I always exaggerate the time frame it will take because sometimes it really does look easy, but then when you get into it you realize there is more to it then you had originally thought. Sewing is an art and for those people that don't know how to sew have no idea the thought process and time that goes into it.
Looks like you are doing a great job on the bassinet. Can't wait to see the finished product.
I am also so glad so many people gave you thoughts on an iron. I have been wanting a Rowenta for some time now, but haven't had time to put much research into it as to which model I should get. After reading all the comments, I feel like I should stay away from Rowenta. Sounds like a lot of problems with it.
Posted by: SilverLining Designs | May 09, 2007 at 09:12 AM
I envy you your ability to "wing it". I'm doing good to follow a simple pattern! LOL
That is so neat to meet someone who has read your blog! Just makes your heart happy, doesn't it?
I couldn't tell you what brand my iron is. I've had it since I went away to school. It leaves me alone...I live it alone. That way we never have any issues. LOL!
God bless.
Terri
Posted by: Terri Pollhein | May 09, 2007 at 09:21 AM
Also had a leaky Rowenta. I figured if I spent more money on a "good" iron, it would be heavenly. no. Now I have a leaky Panasonic. We also have bad water here in WI, so I've learned the hard way to use bottle water in my iron. I sometimes just use a spray bottle, instead of water in the iron.
Your basinet cover looks wonderful. I like the fabric! :)
Posted by: cindy | May 09, 2007 at 10:49 AM