My adventure into knitted fabrics begins - featuring the iSew IS-722D Overlocker and Tilly's Coco...

Ok, so I've finally made the leap. At the weekend I bought an overlocker. It has taken a lot of thought and decision making, but i've ended up with an iSew IS-722D. I bought it from the Brother shop in Sham Shui Po after much to-ing and fro-ing between this and the brother overlocker that they stock. Although very similar in appearance and in price I went for the iSew because it had an extra year's warranty. That equals 3 whole years! I think that is certainly a massive plus. I don't usually get my sewing machine serviced and I can generally fix any problems that I have, but an overlocker is very different. They can go wrong at any point and it is really difficult to diagnose problems.

The iSew can do 3 and 4 thread overlocking in different widths including a very neat narrow finish for fine fabrics. (I'm exciting to give that one a go!) The gentlemen in the shop gave a great demonstration and I got to try my machine out in the shop to ensure that it was working correctly. They even gave me advice on how to adjust the tension if the stitch was wrong - very helpful indeed! My new overlocker has found a home on my sewing desk and fits in very well. I have used it on lightweight woven fabrics so far and it stitches like a dream. The only issue I have discovered so far is that it is a bit of a challenge to pull through threads if you want to change colour. However I solved this by taking my time and pulling each of the threads separately. 

Now that I have my machinery in place I'm finally venturing into making some knitted clothing for myself! I downloaded the Coco pattern earlier in the week and put some ideas on paper. I've cut out the top version with 3/4 length sleeves. I've also cut out the cuffs to try out - I'm not 100% sure whether I'm going to include them or not. I'm now all set up to sew this evening. I think this is going to be an incredibly quick process, so I'm looking forward to seeing the final outcome. 

Watch this space for photos of my finished Coco...