Granted, it was a project I'd had in the back of my mind for many moons, so I still feel very accomplished for having crossed one. more. project. off that infinite list! And I tackled my fear of double needles and totally rocked it!
A bunch of old long sleeve tops + double needle showdown =
A bunch of cozy, comfy, FREE leggings for Ester!
See those yoga pants? Used to be a turtleneck!
Getting the hang of the double needling was tricky, but I figured it out after trying some things. For one, the manual to my machine was not clear or even right about threading a double needle! It had me putting both spool and bobbin on the thread bar (I know it's not called that, but KWIM?) and all the thread was getting bunched up in the fabric.
I eventually figured out, after cleaning, oiling, and throwing said fabric on the floor, that I could load the second thread onto where I wind the bobbin...
...and then thread it to the needle!
Success! The thread no longer tangled and resulted in beautiful, professional stitching.
The best part about double needles is that it creates a zig zag underneath as it picks up the bottom bobbin thread, making it perfectly stretchy for knits! A great finish and makes knits a whole lot less scary, if not more fun!
I made the leggings by cutting the arms off the t-shirts and then turning one arm inside out and the second arm inside it, right sides facing together and matching up the seams. I then traced a pair of Ester's existing leggings onto the sleeves, cut it out, and sewed around the "U" to make the crotch. Turned inside out, made an elastic casing and threaded the elastic, and I was done! Literally made all three in under an hour!
You can learn all I learned about double needles at Make It And Love It!
