Sewing, the craft, fabrics, patterns, problems

Sally I have never tried tapestry but wonder if it might be like cross stitch, where the embroidery silks are 8 threads together, but you extract just 1, 2 or 3 depending on the instructions?
I saw your posting a few days ago & hoped someone in the know would have replied. Maybe try posting your question on the cross stitch thread, possibly someone there might know. Failing that You Tube perhaps?
Good Luck

Could someone please explain what PULL 3 means on the threads card on Anchor needlepoint tapestry kit? Thanks

I hope my sewing machine’s still working! I only use it once in a blue moon - it’s a little Elna I’ve had for ever. Although I prefer knitting I’ve rashly decided to make a sewn item for Knit for Nowt - one that’s much requested by therapists and which they’re short of - so wish me luck!
A trip to John Lewis found all the fabric - I’m just waiting for black felt, ordered online.
Once I’ve got the hang of the instructions - I dare say they’ll seem clearer once I’ve started - it might well prove quicker to make than my usual knitted offerings. 🤞

There’s no pattern as such, just dimensions of the various pieces, so I’m glad I hung on to the centimetre-squares pattern paper I bought so long ago, I can’t even remember what it was for.

An interesting kaftan pattern is The Assembly Line D110 minimalist kaftan dress, It has interesting in seam pockets. I have made a couple,

I am not in sewing mojo right now but want to pass on something useful

Beyondthepinkdoor on youtube has just posted a very comprehensive sew along on the lynn caftan and if anything gets my mojo back it will be this.

I have the pattern plus fabrics and first step is copying, then cutting, then sewing. If we have another unbearably hot summer, I know I will be glad. I have two long caftans, closet core charlie but the lynn is shorter and with proper roomy sleeves so will be fine for going to the shops

I will be making two and will reduce my stash by two lengths

Oh, my daughter bought me a Tilly and the Buttons book for Christmas. Really good explanations with photos for each stage of sewing. I've used her patterns before. Only trouble with the ones in the book are that lots of sections are printed over each other and a bit confusing, so I go over the ones I need with felt tip pen to make it a bit clearer. Otherwise they are the best patterns I've used. A bit more expensive the some, but so worth it for the quality and instructions.

Go for it purplepixie, I can see you being creative, such a talanted artistic person. Can I suggest tilly and the buttons, she is the one who got so many started on sewing during lockdown. Her books are marvellous, I bought them for a teenage dgc

www.tillyandthebuttons.com/p/learn-to-sew.html

All I have made is a couple of dozen of cotton hankies for me, used part of my stash of fat quarters. Got 2 from each FQ. Washed and ironed, they became soft after washing and now put into a drawer.

Knitting is my thing but I do wish that I could make clothes and sew properly. I did learn patchwork quilting which I do from time to time. New Years resolution is to get some proper sewing lessons.

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BB I am finding it so hard to sit on my hands but I must. My whole wardrobe is almost full of me-made. I have two unworn bought warm fleece tops in there, going to the cs with them tomorrow and thinking that someone, not sensitive to electrostatics, will benefit from their warmth. A dil and a dgd have both taken up sewing, one is 50 and going to classes (complicated methods), the other is 14 and winging it which I like as she will learn fast. I have bits put to one side for both of them

I have reported the spam post above BB post

Happy christmas to you all

Goodness me karmalady! Your skills and productivity are astonishing!
I do love reading about your achievements 😊

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my dressing robe was incredibly worth making, yes it is not light as a feather, as is fleece but it is very warm and like wearing a blanket all around me. Making a very big difference this winter. I cannot and will not, wear fleece as it make me have shocks when I touch anything. Anyway I don`t buy that environmentally unfriendly stuff these days

I dug out 2 unworn long sleeved supima nighties yesterday, a smaller size than my older one, I knew I would get down to that size eventually. Now M and the last one was XL. That xl one is now washed and dried and will be placed handy so I can cut 3 pairs of knickers from it. I will use a roller blade on a cutting mat, one piece at a time as it may be a squeeze to get three pairs. That is my last sewing prep for this winter, will be bagged and set aside

My machines are cleaned, oiled, covered and I am closing up my sewing room until spring. That room is clean and is holding my spinning wheels while my visitors are here and I am going to turn the radiatior off in there. Wooden shutters closed and insulating blind down.

I do have some synthetics; these are leftovers from shortening and other processes, mostly the silky kind used for curtains. I avoid wearing fabrics made of polyester these days in order to reduce pollution top20plus.com/how-are-baseball-bats-made/ Our neighbourhood has a hospice store that focuses on homeward etc. It offers a wide range of cotton end of roll curtain fabrics at incredibly low costs. I still have some leftover material after making some new Roman blinds. In order to create a set of table mats as gifts, I intend to purchase more.

I have also had good quality from croftmill. Lots of warm sweatshirting about, eg jelly fabrics, minerva

I had the nieper catalogue today and home sewing to a good standard is comparable. I only use good quality fabrics, having gone down the living and learning route in my younger days. I easily make my own for around 50% of their prices

Knickers, yes the pattern is good for me. I eyed up my pima cotton nightie the other day. Could easily get three pairs out of that. Sloggi from £12-16-24, the £24 pairs had a bit of extra lace on them. One pair from each redundant t shirt. Pima cotton= beyond lovely

Thank you DaisyAnne and Susie. I am off now to have a look. Hopefully I will be back to report when garments are made!

I bought some French Terry from Croft Mill last winter and have been very pleased with it. Not the cheapest but it's good quality.

www.myfabrics.co.uk/hoodie-sweatshirt-fabrics.html have some nice-looking ones Allegretto.

Does anybody have any suggestions where I could find winter weight sweatshirting fabric? I want to make a sweatshirt dress for myself and I’d like to try sweatshirts for my grandchildren.

satisfying project on a nasty weather day. 3 more pairs of JL knickers cut, only diddy scraps left. Last pair was tricky but I cut the backside as single layers with a teensy bit extra for a back seam.

Also several extra white cotton gussets cut and in with my pattern file. Ready to sew but not roday

Projects for this winter, no indoor tops or dresses, I have plenty. I have already prepped two of envigado vests by ITS, I have made one already, fab fit and will also make a petra coat by stylearc and a winterthur jacket by itch to stitch. Out of fabric stash. Maybe a toille of pietra pants by closet core. All are slow mo sewing, many pieces and careful sews, satisfying stuff

Nice to read your posts biglouis and Daisyanne. Biglouis, bet your grandma got lots of bits from paddys market, like my mil. She recycled everything

The pattern from old sloggi was horrible and now abandoned. I dug out a jennifer lauren trixie pdf that I had already printed in size 18. I do have old jalie patterns and one of the big 4 but wanted to try JL as I rate her patterns

I used leftover micro modal from a nova jumpsuit kit that I bought 18 months ago, wish I had not btw, jumpsuits are not me but I will wear it

Very stretchy so had to cut with a roller and I did various sews and unpicks. Tried twice with a narrow picot elastic. Nope it kept slipping, then tried with stretchy fold-over elastic, very nice result, from ebay but everywhere became coloured from the elastic, hence I had to scrub machine and hands. I am going to test wash all darker elastics from now on. That was very good, I changed sequence a bit and used that foa before seaming

I have ordered good quality 13mm picot from beyond the pink door, I have lots of foa in various bags and will cut some more knickers from the same fabric today. 18 was a little too big so I have made a 16 pattern. These may well become my go-to. I also ordered 10mm picot from ebay seller with good feedback, I will still be pre-washing as it is black

Knickers are going to be my 2023 "thing". My aim will be to "make" a good basic pattern and then work from there to some pretty specials. More concentration on the necessary in '23 so some nice nightwear is on the list too.

What's on everyone else's wish list?

Been sewing since I was a small child, Grandma had a saying that "the devil makes work for idle hands". So when I visited and we had finished afternoon tea she would ask "Have you brought any mending child?" and was quite prepared to find me something to occupy me if I failed to get out something useful. One day I spent over an hour with my hands outstretched holding skeins of wool unravelled from an old sweater so she could wind it into a ball. I never forgot my "mending" again.

"Mending" could be anything from sewing, embroidery, knitting, crochet and so on. I learned all my sewing skills from grandma. She taught me how to darn socks, make rag rugs, and do patchwork (English piecing) the old fashioned way with paper templates. I still do it that way because I dislike machine sewing. I love the feel of the fabric under my fingers.

When she tried to teach me knitting I told her that I didnt want to do that because I was just following someone elses pattern. "Hoity toity Missy" she said. "I see you have your own ideas" and I assured her that I did.

Like most sewers I have a huge stash of fabric. Most of it was recycled from charity shop finds. I love the mid century fabrics and enjoy unpicking the old dance dresses.

Knickers

I already posted a link to meghan nielsen free pdf pattern for acacia knickers which are loved by many

They are not for me and my mature figure, I love sloggi maxi but I want to make my own well-fitting knickers, I always have enough scraps of cotton/elastane fabrics in my scrap box

I took out a pair of well worn sloggi pants and have unpicked them. A slightly different construction, in that the seam is at the back. The seams are very narrow, can easily be done on my overlocker.

I shall draw around the parts later today and then make a slightly narrower pattern, to allow for long use and loss of stretch, best done by folding in half and overlapping the folded edge over fabric fold by 1/2 an inch or so

The cheapest sloggi are around £8, depends on the fabric. Home made knickers from scraps will cost me very little

This arrived 15 minutes ago and I have ordered the pdf. Absolutely love it and will definitely be making it. It will be a slow long sew as it will have many parts and is fully lined. Most definitely not a beginner sew and lovely to have something to stretch me. I will be ordering the AO version as a printed copy, from the foldline

itch-to-stitch.com/product/winterthur-jacket-digital-sewing-pattern-pdf/

btw, new robe worn this morning and fulfilled my hopes, very nicely warm and enabled me to reduce heating thermostat as hoped. It is quite roomy but I can very easily reduce the sides in the future. Now hanging on my door on a lovely wooden hanger that is deep enough to support it properly