Tilly and the Buttons Jessa Trousers - Progress

 About a year ago my mum helped me cut of the pieces for a cord pair of TATB Jessa trousers. I then procrastinated trying to find the perfect material to use for the inside of the waistband and the zip facing, assuming my sewing machine would not enjoy multiple layers.

I've finally bitten the bullet and decided just to use the cord fabric for everything, a slightly unusual to me fabric with vertical stretch only.

Turns out my concerns about my machine not liking multiple layrs of cord were not necesssary. On the pocket above most of the stitching is through 3 layers, the top corners are 5, possibly 7, layers of fabric; not a single complaint from my machine (except for when I forgot to drop the presser foot once or twice).

On Friday evening I started with sewing the pockets on, after about 3 and a half hours of sewing I had what definitely looked like a pair of trousers with a zip fly.

 Back

Front.

They fit pretty well, with the only mod so far being using a 10mm seam allowance rather than 15mm for the side seams. Luckily the stitching thread matches the fabric colour really well so its very hard to critique the top stitching.

Next I need to add the waistband and hem the legs, and then I will hopefully get a good photo of me wearing them!

Trying New Things

 (With no reference to aging canines!)

In my knitting I actively look to try out new to me techniques and tools, within reason as I obviously can't afford to buy every new, this will make your knitting better gizmo. So far this year I've tried more complex brioche and cabling without a cable needle - both something I will do again (actually no choice with the cabling as I've still got a lot of pullover to knit!). I'd also like to get a steeking attempt in this year.

With my sock knitting a lot of my eperimentation currently is around needles - which method works better for me and which brand. WIth my latest sock I've decided to knit the whole item on a small circular.

I've done sock legs on a small circ previously, but switched to another method for the heel onwards. This sock has a heel flap and I thought that may prove too difficult but as you can, sort of see, I managed it. I actually kept all the stitches on the small needle while working the flap and it wasn't too awkward. I'm not 100% sold on the small circulars, they will probaly not become my go to sock knitting needle, but I will more than likely use them again, And for info the needles I am using are knit pro zing short circulars (purchased by me) and the beautiful yarn is from Yarn Pixie, bought several years ago and has finally been paired with the perfect sock pattern.

As a new garment sewist most techniques and tools are new to me. I became aware of the use of sewing weights to hold patterns in place through the Great British Sewing Bee and my sister kindly bought me a beatiful glass tile set for my birthday.

I had to cut out some small curved pieces from some chunky cord and wasn't having a great time pinning them so this seems the ideal time to try patterns weights and a rotary cutter. I think it was pretty sucessful; I love the flatness of the weights, the rotary cutter follwed the pattern piece neatly, i just need to figure out how you transfer marking and notches (I managed it but I suspect there's a better way).

All in all I'm pleased with my latest experiments. 

A first foray into dressmaking

So conveniently my first attempt at making a dress has coincided with me made May and a lockdown where it seems that the ideal is to learn a new skill (or bake a lot of sourdough) but neither of those are the reason I'm now making this dress. 

The idea for it came about in January when I was admiring some cotton dresses in Spitalfields Market and my boyfriend asked whether I could make something like it.

So the research into a pattern began, Simple Sew's Grace dress seemed a good id match from memory. I decided I would make a toile first, as mh sister hadn't shared the tip about using bedsheets, a wearable toile became my option. Then my boyfriend kindly offered to buy the fabric for the actual dress for my birthday, a wonderful excuse to spend a lot of time researching options on the Internet and the at the end of March j finally bought the pattern and waited for enough free time to start. Unexpected good weather and lockdown meaning a new found enthusiasm for making our garden a nice place to be meant thaf the first free time I've had was last week during some time off from work.

So I've, finally but enthusiastically started making a dress. 

First step pattern tracing (and a growing loathing for the non-stick backing paper I was using). 

Fabric for the hopefully wearable toile (for which I already had the perfect pair of matching earrings so this better fit!) was prepared.

A bodice was put together without too much stress and with the hummingbirds on the waistband. 

It has pockets (which will need moving up slightly in the second dress). 

And I have managed to gather and attach the skirt with reasonably good seam matching.

At this point a major flaw in my prep work/understanding/sewing machine accessories became evident. The pattern calls for a concealed zip, I want to fit a concealed zip, I don't have a concealed zip foot! It's easy to find one online, so now the dress is on hold until the foot arrives and until I've practiced zigzag stitching the raw seams. 

But so far so good, I'm really pleased with how it's going and already planning future makes! Hopefully I'll be able to report a finished dress before the end of the month. 

What have I achieved this week?

Quite a lot is the answer, which is surprising considering we were away until Tuesday and I didn't take any crafty stuff with me, and then this week has been busy with post Xmas return to normality.

Anyway, I've finished my first Xmas thing (although not sewn it up) and cast on the next ... don't worry I'm not going to post any more blurry photos!

I've finished the binding on my first table runner

which is lucky as I'd like to give it to my mum this weekend.

I've also completed another square of the blanket (47/49 probably).

And I've put a bit more of a dent in the blocks for my sister's quilt.

From this

to this

with another good few just needing squaring up.

The not so good news is the sizeable pile (just visible at the top of the photo above) I sewed together without reminding myself of the method (this became obvious when I found a pile of "in progress at various stages" blocks).
I need to have a good look at them but I'm hoping I'll only have to undo part of a seam, worse case is one whole seam but they shouldn't take too long to put back together.

Xmas work in progress

Much as I'd wanted to start work on the garden this weekend I was really pleased to see the gloomy weather as it gave me all the reason I needed to get my sewing machine out for about the first time in four months.

And the results were a happy afternoon spent chain piecing and pressing

A work in progress shot, on my new dining table which I probably shouldn't be using as a sewing table hence the mats and tea towels under my machine! 

I'm working towards a Christmas table runner based on Rebecca Silbaugh's Santa's Cookie Mat.  I'm enjoying making this so much that I've already started find fabric for another, all year round, one!

Finished Fishies

This Dancing Koi wall-hanging has actually been finished (apart from the sewing in of the threads) for a few weeks.  I had been meaning to take a photo of it outdoors on a sunny day but as is often the way I haven't managed that and if I wait for another sunny day it could be weeks more before the fish made an appearance on here.

I really love how this wall-hanging has ended up.  I was going to give it as a gift but now I plan to keep it for my own home.  It also means I now have an excuse to make another one as a gift.

This has really helped me to develop my confidence with FMQ too (not that you can actually see it in the photo below!).

First Finishes of 2013

Admittedly these were intended to be finished in 2012 (one was supposed to be an Xmas present!) but the snuck into 2013...

The quilt is the 96 inch squarish Batik Wave Quilt using a Plum Pudding Bali Pop, some similar batik fabric for binding and yards of black cotton.

I'm toying with washing and drying it to give it some crinkle, but I'm not sure I want to risk the batiks.

The cushion is from a Japanese Boxes kit from Euro Japan Links which I bought at last year's Festival of Quilts.

Getting it to all line up correctly took time and plenty of remedial work with my quick unpick, but it came together fairly quickly and I want to make more - just got to figure out the right fabrics to get the effect.

A Little Xmas Sewing

In our family we exchange Christmas stockings filled with little gifts on Christmas morning. Usually these are sneakily filled by another member of the family on Christmas Eve but this year my sister is spending Christmas with her boyfriend's family, so we won't see her on the 24th.  Actually we realised that the only time we'd see each other before the big day was last weekend, so we'd have to exchange (but not empty!) stockings then.

Not a problem, until the realisation dawned that neither of us had a clue where our empty stockings were.  Cue a sewing session till 3am on Saturday morning to ensure we had something to (over) fill.

As I have never made an Xmas stocking before so made it up as I went along I'm pretty pleased with the end result.  Perfection will take a little more thinking out.  Another plus point is that these were made entirely with stash fabric - a small dent in my collection!

Rediscovering my sewing mojo...

Actually I think the title of this post should refer to my crafting mojo as I have appeared to have ground to a halt with all my crafty projects over the last couple of months.

However I am pleased to say that the apparent estrangement between my sewing machine and I has ended with the creation of another kindle cover.

I really should make a note of how I make these and the correct measurements as I seem to have to figure it all out from scratch each time! Fabric was specially chosen with the kindle owner in mind as he has a lovely collie dog.

First Finishes of 2012

I've finished off both the projects I worked on during the FNSI, which is a nice feeling.


Both finishes were destined for my sewing slave so she got fair recompense for her excellent prepping efforts (and her useful suggestions as to how I could comfortably spend longer pressing on my mini ironing board).

This was a trial run for a wonky star quilt I am planning to make and the first time I have ever sewn a cushion cover.

It is destined to eventually have a twin with a reverse colourway on the front and hopefully a slightly better fitting back.


The second finish was a pair of festive mitts, which knit up quickly and sew together slowly!

First Ever Patchwork

Whilst I'm enjoying my FNSI I thought I'd share with you my first ever attempt at patchwork...

Not quite a quilt as it's only two layers and is in no way quilted.  I can't find the label for exact details but I made this when I was about 15 using scraps of fabric from my mum and with her sewing machine.


Its amazing how different I managed to make all the seam allowances (the squares were all 4 inches to start with), but I got more accurate over the time I took to make it.

I pieced each of the strips and my mum got the unenviable task of sewing the strips together to make a decent sized near enough double (5ft) bed quilt - it appears I've always liked making large scale quilts!


This has been sat in a drawer in my bedroom and I came across it the other day and thought I'd photo it to store for posterity on  my blog.  I'd forgotten how nice it was, I love the scrapiness of it and than I can remember what some of the fabrics were originally used to make.  I've decided to leave it on my bed for a while more.

Finishing Up

As the year ends I've been trying to get some projects finished so that I can make a start on the many others I have planned. 

First of all here is what the pre-Christmas sneak peek actually was...

Another Kindle cover, this one for my youngest sister.  Apparently she loves the lining fabric and it fits her Kindle which is lucky as she has a different version Kindle to me and I couldn't check it beforehand.

The next finished item is a shawl which was intended to be a Xmas present for my mum but has made it to her a little later.

Unfortunately in the rush toget it in the post yesterday I forgot to take a more artistic photo, but I think this one shows the colour and design really well.  I'm surprised how much I enjoy lace knitting, its just a very slow form of knitting (at least for me).
And finally I have eventually finished off my own log cabin quilt which has been languishing for about a year, only needing the binding stitching on, as I made various other quilts as presents. 

My sofa does not make the best of quilt holders!

Kindle Cover Take 2

In one of those weird happenings I managed to loose my sparkly Kindle cover in a B&B room a few weeks ago. Annoying though this was it has give me the opportunity to (a) try making a better fitting Kindle cover and (b) buy and use a gorgeous fat quarter of fabric.


Unfortunately the tutorial I used before has disappeared but a bit of thinking, measuring and seeking inspiration seemed to do the trick.


I seem to have mostly failed with part a, it fits width ways but is too long and saggy and the bottom. I have decided that off centre buttons are going to be my Kindle cover trademark.
But it is most definitely a gorgeous fat quarter and a beautiful coordinating mother of pearl button, all purchased from my restrained shopping trip at the Festival of Quilts.

Speaking of the FoQ I have found the site of the lady who made an absolutely stunning quilted version of the Bayeux Tapestry - Pam Holland's Bayeux Tapestry.  I'm glad to have found this as the FoQ catalogue seemed somewhat light on info about this amazing quilt.

And while giving my Kindle a new protective wrap I decided to personalise the Kindle too ...

Think the zebra print goes sooo well with the oriental print fabric!!!!!

A Previous Project

Whilst doing a spot of tidying I came across a photo of a patchwork pillow I made for my brother a couple of years ago.

Was about to apologise for the quality of the photo but its come out much better than I expected.  Each of the colours is a different fabric, the blue was a real pain it kept on fraying.  It was all hand sewn with the thin cream, cord fabric strips being very tricky. It was backed with a black canvas fabric, unfortunately I didn't have the patience to make the cover removable. Loved the finished item and it hasn't put me off making another, possibly using a sewing machine, but you couldn't pay me to use the blue fabric again although it looks great.

Proof

Only a quick post but I'd just like to prove that...despite my misgivings...

...My Kindle cover fits my Kindle (my sister's too but if I wait to post a photo of hers this post'll never appear!  I'm very glad, it's not as if they were hard to make, but I love the colour combination and have no more red left.  If I make another I'd make it a tiny bit bigger, no more than 1/2 an inch, and I'll try and centre the fastening.  I'd like the top flap to be neater too but thats simply a case of practice making perfect.

Now to decide what else to do with the glittery fabric - hoard it springs to mind!

Oh and if anyone would like 19 inches of pre-cut HSTs then go to Quilter In The Gap's Giveaway.  Three simple chances to win (although if you don't go it may improve my chances!

Kindle Covers...or maybe not

My sister has just got a Kindle and I am hoping that I am days away from getting mine, and so on realising that cases would be needed I said I'd make some.

Afer a bit of searching around I found this tutorial by Junie Moon for a Kindle 2 case, which looked simple and adaptable to a Kindle 3.  I made a couple of other changes too - I want to use a button as the fastener rather than vecro and I have no idea what fusible fleece interfacing is but I do have suitably sized offcuts of wadding.

So just over and hours work and ta-da...

Two sparkly Kindle covers (in a photo that could have done with a little pre-posting rotation).  Hooray i hear you say.  Well maybe not.  I adapted the covers to the dimensions of a Kindle 3 and they should have been fairly generous but I think I may have miscalculated, sewn seams too wide, should've found out what fusible fleece was, or missed something in the instructions and I have a niggling feeling that these are going to end up as a slightly too small first attempt.  Oh well practice makes perfect, loads of the sparkly fabric left and I'm sure I have some more left over fabric for lining.  Lovely looking cover though just what I wanted!