Got Chain?

 

If you find yourself working on a lot of clothing, especially doing hemming and the like, hanging a chain next to your sewing machine and/or ironing board is a great idea.

I first saw this done in a bridal store alterations area.  They had chains to the left of each of the machines and next to the ironing board.  Obviously, the idea is to use the chain to bear the weight of the garment so that you can work with more agility.  It helps to minimize wrinkles and confusion and if you are hand sewing, hanging the garment at eye-height can save you from ruining your neck by looking down at your lap.  Though it will not save your arms :).

It just so happens that the former owners of my house had a fabulous swag lamp in the living room which required two ceiling hooks.  I confess to have thrown the thing away (later learning that I should have kept the fixture portion -- have you seen the price of swag lamps?  Wowsers!), but anyway, those hooks do come in handy when I get the itch to hem chiffon upstairs.  My chain is too short and I extend it with a ribbon.  Works great.

I get excited when I find a really practical, simple, and inexpensive way to take some of the fuss out of sewing.  If you have any game changers to share, please do.  The combox is all yours!

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In other news I foolishly took apart my sofa slipcover with the intention of reworking it to make it fit my sofa better.  This is a picture of it before:

All things considered, it fit the couch fairly well but it doesn't look like it was intended to cover a "t-cushion" couch and it pulls in the corners in such a way that it gets disheveled quickly.

I turned it inside out and started slashing and basting in crazy woman fashion.

Maybe I bit off more than I can chew?