@#$%^&*( Pintucks

I spent a lot time the other day trying out my pintuck making skills. It appears that I have none. Pintucks are tiny little pleats that you see on fine heirloom garments and, typically, down the front of women's blouses. After 20 or so samples I was unable to consistently get a good result using a twin needle and my pintuck foot. I even tried making corded pintucks and got one good result but when I tried again it came out wonky. I even tried to do bigger ones without the twin needle and pintuck foot, as the instructions in the book 'Simple Gifts to Stitch' suggested, but those did not come out as they should.

Lessons learned:

• Even if you read and follow the instructions you can have less than optimum results.
• Pre-washed linen is very, very soft and does not want to make crisp pintucks.
• Starch/sizing are good things when trying precision sewing.
• Cheap pintuck feet for your sewing machine are cheap for a reason.

So that I don't feel like a total nincompoop, here is a teaser for the Bag Ladies wristlet swap. I actually finished the wristlet this evening using a lot of materials that I had on hand. My inspiration came from an Old Navy sale rack. The final product combined Cordura Nylon, Dupioni Silk and some embroidery I completed many years ago. I will try to mail it off tomorrow. I hope my partner loves it as much as I do.