3rd time lucky (or it's a felt job)

 

I really like Rowan Felted Tweed. In particular, I really like the Cocoa shade. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about the garment I knit it in. Or the one that I knit after I frogged the first one. Since there are only so many times a yarn can be 'recycled', this is make or break. It will turn out great this time or it's heading for a close encounter with a pair of jeans at 60 degrees. The final pattern choice is Jolien . It'll still have the 'big' collar, but I am not so sure about the 'wrap around the upper arm' thing that's going on.

Sewing is also on the horizon. I've just cut out the fabric for a very simple dress (wish I could remember the pattern number - it's Simplicty, but that doesn't help much). Once again I was given a painful reminder about why it's best not to cut out on the floor.I plan to wear this dress with jeans. That should hide a multitude of sins.

Off to do some more unpacking - can you believe it, here for a month and still unpacking....

Who was responsible?

 

'Cos I'd like to say 'Thank you!'

Of course, I'll never know who planted the fruit trees in our garden, and I know they weren't intended for me, but I'd like to give thanks anyway. As I was gathering the apple and plums yesterday morning I had such a strong sense of continuity down the years...and I was so glad that the garden, and its bounty, is being enjoyed more than 100 years on. I don't know how long fruit trees live (ever tried Googling something like that?)and while they may not be Victorian, they aren't in their first flush of youth so I am appreciating them each and every year.

I'm going to resit the temptation to just wolf these beauties down - they are intended for jam today...and maybe a yummy plummy crumble, served with some clotted cream. Plums and crumble and cream. Oh my!

OK, moving swiftly along....I spent yesterday working on another Amy Butler skirt. I wanted to wear it out last night and decided that instead of lining it I would just apply a bias-tape finish. It's ok, Im pleased with it, but my first attempt at bias tape went plum pear-shaped. I carefully followed the instructions in Amy's book but it just didn't work. The instructions seem quite clear, so I guess I just screwed up in an easy-to-do-yet-hard-to-notice way. Oh well. In the end, amid much cursing, I cut out a facing for the waist and applied that. Picture - possibly-later.

So I guess I better go work on that jam - my son is back from uni for a while, and I'm sure if I don't get to those plums he'll do a great job on them ;0)

Before I head off...

 

....lookee here .
My bag got a mention - I'm swelling with pride ;0)

Reduce, reuse, recycle

 

Well, I've just managed to put my eyes back in their sockets.... I was Googling 'Kaffe Fasset shirt quilt' because I'm going to make, well, I guess you can figure it out ;0)
Now, while I realise that Google can throw up some pretty weird results, I was, quite frankly, astounded. And while I wouldn't classify this as a 'family blog', I have decided to spare my blushes - and yours - by not quoting some of the results. For those of a more 'curious' nature, let's just say I had managed to type in 'Kaffe Fasset sh*t quilt' .Without the asterisk. With an 'i'. Indeed

So, moving along, I had hoped to show you a pic of a finished 'shirt' quilt top, but even when I did manage to get the right phrase, I still couldn't find what I was after. Anyway, having decided to make this my first foray into quilting, it was only when I had actually purchased 5 half-yards of shirting that the light bulb came on - Why not use cotton shirts from the charity shops? Why not indeed. So here are 9 of my '15 different fabrics' - the bottom four being the shirts I bought today. All 100% cotton, costing about £14.00 total.

I want the finished quilt to be quite light, so I'll be focussing aquiring on lighter stripes.

The sewing will be on hold for a little while, though. As well as the assignment to do (why am I always doing an assignment?), I'll be off to Alston Hall tomorrow for a spinning weekend. This is the fourth year that I've been and it's great - both in terms of value for money and the company. And it has to be said that the staff go out of their way to be helpfull. And there's breakfast, morning coffee, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner......I'm bound to come back spherical

Tha also means that I'll be maintaing radio silence - if you get in touch with me I won't be able to reply until late Sunday - while I'm happy for my dear mum to house sit, I don't think either of us would be happy if I let her loose on my blog ;0)

Have a great weekend - I know I will !

Backpack III

 

Well, if I was chocolate, I would eat myself - but the credit should really go to Leisl

This is such a great bag. I wanted to do the whole 'in the garden' thing, but the weather in Glasgow isn't so good, so we're doing the 'by the window, looking into the garden' thing. Just peeking out of the top is the magnetic snap that came with the pattern, and that was really easy to fit. Adding the rivets to the handles was a bit more of a fiddle, but ok in the end.

I followed the instructions almost to the letter - the only two things I did differently were :
1 I applied glue from a glue stick to the right side of the zip tape, then used an iron to 'set' this onto the fabric. That way I didn't have to tack (baste) the zip or use pins It worked out really well.
2 I added a keyring loop, visible on the right side of this picture. If you know me, you won't have to ask why...

The pattern was very well written, so that even as a newbie sewer I managed to do a great job - I was slightly confused about the way to stitch the 'window' around the zip, but that was because I was a bit tired. Being a bit more sewing 'savvy' now, I didn't sew this section until I'd had a break, read the pattern again and then realised what to do.

One of the great things about this bag is that it is a tote as well as a backpack -here you can see the bag in backpack mode - cool, isn't it?

As I said in Backpack I , I was very careful about how I placed the pieces. As you can see, it was worth the effort - there's no point in using material like this if you're not going to make the most of it. I am definitely going to make more of these bags - I'm thinking some Amy Butler or Heather Bailey fabric. But I'm going to get that rotary cutter first.

In the meantime, I have a retro dress pattern that is next on my list, but before I go, here's what I whipped up while I was waiting for Number Guy to get the heck off this computer.

Backpack II

 

After a marathon sewing session, the outer bag is complete. Right now I feel like I never want to sew again....actually, that's not true, but sewing the sides/bottom to the two main pieces was really hard going. The second side was easier, because I had the experience of sewing the first one. Although there is a 'jog' between the pocket and the main piece, I am still really pleased with the way it looks.

I remembered to put a needle on top of the button when I was sewing it on, so that a shank formed, thus making it easier to fasten the button loop onto it - this is the only tip that I couldn't see in the instructions - now that I've said that, I bet it's there somewhere, there are so many other handy hints in the pattern. One thing that was mentioned, which I think is really good advice, is to use a walking foot to sew the various layers together on the main bag. It isn't a disaster not having one, but for bag number two, I plan to have one.I also plan to use a rotary cutter next time - there aren't too many curves, so I think I should manage. It has to be better than all the cutting out with scissors

I've just pinned the straps at the silver rings in order to get an idea of how the straps work as a backpack and tote - it's so simple, but I bet I wouldn't have thought of it.

And now I'm off for a stiff gin and tonic.

Backpack I

 

Coinciding with my decision to sew a bag, is Bag month at Sew, Mama, Sew!

My chosen bag is none other than the backpack from Disdressed - and the good news is that Leisl is reprinting this pattern, which I thoroughly recommend. The pattern is printed on one sheet of very good quality paper - none of that tissue nonsense - and there is a very clear pattern booklet which gives some useful tips as well as the actual instructions.

The pattern took only 5 days from the States to the UK. The envelope containing the pattern has a list of all the materials required, including the various metal rings etc - I decided it was worth the little bit extra to purchase these bits'n'bobs along with the kit, which just left a zip plus fabric to aquire.

Now, I don't usually have a strong idea about which fabric I want to use - I usually browse until something appeals. Not this time. I knew exactly what I wanted, even though at the time I didn't know the name - French Toile. I decided to go with this idea and was amazed to find it on my first outing - upstairs in the soft furnishing dept of John Lewis. (I saw a really hideous one today - thank goodness I didn't see it first, or I think I'd've changed my mind - it was so bad.)

And, unusually again, I decided that 'good enough' was not going to do. Even though it is a waste of fabric, and very time consuming, I am being very picky about the way I lay the fabric out. Instead of folding the fabric to cut two pieces together, and fitting them 'cheek by jowl' to minimise waste, I am centering individual pieces to make the most of the 'prints'. The front of the bag has a pocket - as well as centering the design, I chose two identical pictures - the front of the bag has the whole image, the pocket has the bottom half.

Have a squint at the bottom picture - when I lay one on top of the other, it matches up quite well, dontcha think? ;0)

Couldn't resist

 

One more pic in the daylight.

Say hello, wave goodbye

 

Four kitties would have been a little too much just now, so this Heather Bailey*one is off to a new home tomorrow.

*It's 1.35 am and I'm afraid the link to the site is the best I can do - the pattern itself is eluding me ;0)

Edit: No wonder I couldn't find the pattern - it's a Wee Wonderful pattern....

Copycat? Me?

 

Any suggestion that any of this post....

Was inspired by this one is just a viscious rumour

Lazy hazy days of summer...Part II

 

So, this is what I was making.Yep - the cushion. Not the chair...

Simple, but fun.
I made this with an envelope opening at the back - less fuss with closures. Before I turned it right side out, I graded the seams
The corners were sewn on a diagonal, not a right-angle. I seemed to remember reading that this is the way to sew a corner and it certainly gave a good finish when turned out the right way.
And, having that urge to add every possible embellishment now that I have started, I restrained myself by just adding two buttons. It's impossible to tell, but the stitching on these two flowers is purple, having run out of the pink. There are three more flowers - 2 pink, 1 purple, but I think they've closed for the night.
Edit: forgot to say that the cushion is 55cm each side, but I made the cover 45 cm, so it is nice and squishy

Lazy hazy days of summer...Part I

 

When the weather has been the way we expect it during a Glasgow summer - rainy - I've been doing a little more sewing.
First up, Japanese jacket II First I made the lining - although I have made a skirt out of this dotty fabric, which I really like, it is not my choice for the lining of this jacket. However, it is what I had available, so I can live with that.
Having made the outer jacket, I got into a real pickle sewing the lining. One sleeve cuff had to be done three times. Thank goodness for seam rippers. Another tool of the trade which I have only just started using is a thimble. I know, I'm hanging my head in shame....what a difference this makes to hand sewing. In this picture I am sewing the lining to the outer fabric where the sleeve and jacket body meet under the arm - I decided that this jacket would have the traditional construction, where there are openings at this point.

Apparently, another feature of traditional Japanese sewing is that joins, knots etc are seen as an integral past of the jacket and are not hidden in the same way as in Western tailoring. Since I had to join the fabric strip for the collar, I decide to make a feature of it - making a mock seam by folding and topstitching the fabric in the same place on the other side.

Finally, it was all ready - just in time for my second Zen group meeting ;0)

Look closely

 

Very closely. My first piece of machine embroidery. I went for the naive look ;0) Can you tell?

Vianne!

 

Here she is in all her glory.
And while the benefits of her presence are many, there is butt one drawback. And that was no typo - you just can't hide from the size of your ass when you've got one of these.....

Before and after

 

Wow - one bad photo', eh?
Anyway, my next hippari will be made with the body lining made separately, so that the seams will be hidden as much as possible - when I make a fully lined one, it will be 'reversible'. I did consider making this pink one with as many seams as possible concealed, but as I hadn't made an hippari before I decided that the best thing was to just follow the instructions.
That left me with the problem of the seams. I could've zigzagged them or turned them under, but in the end I decided to bind them with ribbon. I also considered machine v handsewn, and plumped for handsewn as being most likely to give me the result I was after. And it has :0)

Not everyone's cup of macha

 

But I love it. Pink and green in all forms - dusky pink with soft olive, or 'crazy-ass bright' like this Hippari jacket that I've just finished.

This took about 6 hours from cutting to finish, done in 2x3hour blocks. The pattern is from Making Kimono and Japanese Clothing . While I have been waiting (im)patiently for Vianne to arrive, I decided to sew a few things that require no fitting (and mostly straight-line sewing!).

The patterns are in the back of the book, and they must be drawn to scale. It was a minor nuisance for impatient folk like me but the pattern was clear. The instructions for constructing the hippari were clear and I really enjoyed sewing this. In the photo below you can just see that this was taken before I finished the last part of the sleeve seams.

As Number Guy pointed out (bless him) the style of the jacket does make me look a bit on the chunky side, but I don't mind. I felt that my sartorial elegance (second time, woohoo!) really shone out yesterday when I combined it with my denim Thai Fisher Skirt and pink Doc Martens :0)

I did have one moment of doubt when I realised what I was doing last night - heading for my first Zen meditation meeting, as I continue my exploration of Buddhism. Was I going to look like some kind of nutter who had weird ideas about what Zen Buddhists look like?

Yes, possibly. But I still didn't care :0)

Patience, patience

 

I had hope to introduce you to Vianne today, but she says she can't come for 4 weeks. Her big sister was up for a visit (in fact, she nearly came with me by mistake...) but I've decided that patience is what's called for.

Try telling that to the pink skirt, all zipped up and no hem to go...

cool, real cool

 

For my first A-line skirt I struggled with an invisible zip. It's kinda cool, and I did a not bad job at all - really, it looks just like it's meant to. Except the very top, but that was a learning experience :0)

But - and it's a big 'but' - it was so hard to sew right next to the teeth without actually sewing into them. And yep, I had the correct zipper foot. But then I saw this: zipper tutorial. And it really works, as you can see.

Again, I learnt a couple of things. Like I need the top of the zip to be further down than I had it - sitting 'flush' with the top means it doesn't sit as neatly as it could, and this has confirmed what the problem with the top of the invisible zip but hey, I'm a novice. I'll get it right next time.

And another good thing - Number Guy was having some issues with the hem as he was helping me to mark it. Result? I'm getting my Christmas present early....Any guesses?

Say that again.......?

 

So, the sewing continues. At the moment I have a thing for headbands. I know, I can imagine Heather wondering where my mind has gone, and consigning said articles to the bottom of a deep well along with ponchos and other such articles of sartorial elegance (I always wanted to use that phrase).

But I have managed to convince myself that these Heather Bailey bands look realy cool and nothing like an Alice band on a woman old enough to know better. Besides, I only have to wear it, not look at it.

So, this morning saw me taking out the scissors and fabric and in the blink of an eye, there it was:

Viewing myself from every possible angle with the aid of two mirrors, I somewhat uncertainly asked Number Guy if it looked ok.

'It looks great,' says he'Yuo remind me of a 1940s working girl!'.......

Now, I'm not sure how one comes back from that....but what I think he meant was that even though the 'knot' was worn at the back, under my up-turned hair, he was reminded of Rosie the Riveter.

I'm not sure which is the preferable option, now I come to think about it....

Socks

 

Look, some nutter left their socks in my garden. Oh, it was me....oops.

There's been other strange goings-on. Napkins. Quite a few. With mitred corners. Honestly, I reckon life is far too short for this kind of carry on, but I just can't help myself.
On a more serious note, I'm trying to stop contributing to landfill so I reckon napkins are a better (and more stylish?)option than paper towel. But being green isn't that simple. What about the whole cotton production process. Definitely not green. Re-using would be good. So I bought what looked like a cotton/linen mix in a charity shop, reckoning on about 6 napkins worth. Only one problem. Managed to lose the darn thing on the way home.
How? No idea
In the meantime, when I am not sewing napkins, I'm frying my brain with my pedagogy research assignment. Kind of handicapped by the fact that absence from work means I can't collect all of my data. More handicapped by the fact that my assignment mojo isn't worth a hill of beans.
Ho hum. Off for a discussion about validity and reliability. What a hip happening life I lead!