At the beginning of January I thought I would post about my sewing related presents but of course time has moved on and I thought I should do it before the end of January!
I had some lovely gifts: The Camber Set from Merchant and Mills, Bowline Sweater from Papercut Patterns, Entomology pins which are for fine fabrics and are the thinnest pins I have every used – they’re amazing!
The two brass buttons I have used for my Tilly and the Buttons Cleo dungaree dress – yet to be blogged.
My next project will be the Bowline Sweater which I am hoping will be a quick sew on my overlocker. It’s a real treat for me to get proper paper patterns and I tend to by PDFs which is fine but of course I have all the printing and taping together to do before I even start sewing!
I’m back to my college course on Wednesday and need to put all my alterations into a new toile so I better get cracking!
As a curvy girl with a rounded bum I always need to buy the size to accommodate my arse. This usually means that there is loads of spare fabric round my waist, which makes me look like I have a bigger tummy, especially with thicker sweatshirt fabric.
Making my own means that I can grade between sizes and eliminate the extra bulk – always a plus! Especially after my Christmas excesses (although I have started my Couch to 5K programme ha! day 4 and going strong!!)
The pattern I used is Anima from Papercut Patterns. The fabric I used for this first tester pair is some cheap jersey from Ebay and to be honest its a bit too thin but I like how they fit. I made a mini pair for my son too with the same fabric but I was told no pics allowed of him!
I used some ribbon to stop the pockets from stretching out – I always cut off the ribbon loops you get in RTW tops and use those! I made them on my overlocker except the top stitching on the pockets.
For my next “proper” pair I will take in a bit more from the waist and use thicker sweatshirt fabric, this:
It’s a sweatshirt fabric with a ripped denim print on it, I did think about making a dress from it but decided that would be a bit too much but jogging bottoms will be great!
Nearly finished – just the waist band to attach!
Hope you all had a good Christmas and are brimming with sewing schemes and plans!
Last Sunday I was lucky enough to attend a class at The Thrifty Stitcher in Stoke Newington. For those who don’t know, The Thrifty Stitcher, aka Claire-Louise Hardie, is the Sewing Producer for The Great British Sewing Bee. I did the “Overlocking Basics De-Mystified” taught by the lovely Layla Totah.
For most people, the fear of the overlocker is the threading, and yes, it is a bit tricky. I’m so glad that I did the course before purchasing my Janome 6234XL, as Layla came by with her trusty scissors and snipped the threads a few times, which was very alarming! However, making us thread the machine a few times really gave me confidence and I had less fear when my machine arrived at home.
We made a t-shirt in the class and it is amazing how quickly it came together! When researching overlockers, people always said how much quicker, easier and professional it made your sewing but I didn’t really get it until now! If you have ever considered getting one and you are dithering – do it now! You will never regret it, the expense is totally worth it and my thinking is that I will never have to buy one again, or at least not for about 20 years!
The T-shirt I made in class, over the top of my dress, so not that flattering!Theresa’s t-shirt
And this is my new Janome 6234XL sitting next to my beloved Pfaff, I think they will become the best of friends!
Once it arrived, I threaded it straight away, it worked first time and I made a “test” skirt in under half an hour! Job done I reckon.
Not my favourite fabric, but bought on Ebay for 99p and a wearable muslin, and the t-shirt is the one I made in class, I may add a band to the bottom of it so it sits better on my hips. The skirt is the Fay by Style Arc, it’s supposed to be a double layered skirt with a bagged out hem but I didn’t have enough fabric and it’s a thick Ponte so I just made a single layer and stitched a hem. My youngest took this photo and said “it makes you look skinny, you should make more of these”! I’m sure I will!
So, what sewing extravagances have you indulged in? Click the “comments” box at the top of the page and let me know!
Buttons and Trims 