Sewing, the craft, fabrics, patterns, problems

My Nan taught me how to use her Singer hand-crank machine when I was about 4, even before I'd started school, and I was doing cross stitch before that. She had no idea what she was starting!

Over the following 67 years I have sewn everything from dolls clothes to my own clothes, curtains, blinds, loose covers, clothes for my children, a wedding dress (not my own), soft toys, bags and quilts. Along the way I also ventured into various types of embroidery. Back in the 60s I'd look at clothes in the boutiques that I couldn't afford, then go home and copy them! John Lewis fabric department was my second home.

I remember making lots of trousers for our boys when they started school because they were always knocking the knees out of them. I've used most of the pattern brands over the years, Vogue was probably my favourite especially for trousers. Now that I'm no longer a standard size I have to alter patterns, and Stylarc are easy to adapt to my size and shape. I also have computer software that draws up patterns to the measurements I enter, I then get it printed on a large format printer. I still create my own patterns sometimes, more for toys than clothes, in fact that's what I'll be doing tomorrow.

Like most sewers I have a vast collection of fabrics. Last week I came across a half bolt of fabric that must be 30 years old that I have never used. I now have a project in mind for it. I buy fabric just because I like it without any idea what I'm going to do with it.

I still have, and use, my GM's old singer machine, but last year I bought a quilting and embroidery machine. What a revelation! Rarely a day goes by when I don't sew something. I'm currently on a mission to make a quilt for each of our grandchildren. Four done, six to go!

Callistemon21 May I ask which Brother machine you have? My new machine is a Brother Innovis V5 which embroiders as well. It has two bobbin holders, one for ordinary sewing and the other for embroidery. If you use the wrong one it can cause needles to break or even damage the machine. When I've been in a hurry I've sometimes forgotten to swap them over and it soon lets me know! The new electronic machines are so high tec and sensitive that even the wrong needle or thread can cause breakage.

I know what you mean about the supplied screwdrivers being too long, it's very frustrating. I found a screwdriver from an old Singer machine, now long gone, and DH cut it down to fit.

I hope you can learn to love your Brother machine with a little more practise, they really are nice machines. I also have a Janome, twenty years old now but still working well. The only machine I can't get along with is my Brother overlocker. I don't use it much and to be honest it scares me a bit!

Ooh lovely bags Serendipity22! Are they gifts for people?

There's a lot to be said for having a good fabric stash, mine has been a good investment with some pieces being 30 yrs old, although I do still buy fabric online, in fact one piece was delivered on Friday and some leather should arrive on Monday. The latter will be a handbag or tote, not sure yet until I see what is there, as leather is sold by weight, so it's a little more difficult to gauge how much you will need.

The other two fabrics have been washed/preshrunk and waiting in the sewing room, one for a soft, silky blouse and the other a pair of taupe jeans to wear with the blouse.

My preference for storing thread is 3 drawer bedside units which I attach casters to the base so they slide under the sewing table so they aren't affected by light or dust. Embroidery thread I store in tupperware-type containers which seal well so the thread doesn't dry out, these containers are on shelves which I attached to the wall just above head height, and again, are protected from light and dust. Each container has all shades of one colour, making it easier when choosing colours for embroidery designs.

A small sewing room with Ikea tables and storage-shelf-legs where I store books etc. I cut and installed shelves in a coat cupboard near the front door and this is where I store fabric, all of which is washed as soon as it comes into the house, that way when I want to sew I know the fabric is ready to be cut. No point in putting all the work into making a garment, only to discover the colour runs or the fabric shrinks in the first wash.

My sewing room is my happy place would be better if it was larger, but better than nothing.

OnwardandUpward

Ooh lovely bags Serendipity22! Are they gifts for people?

It didn't start out as them being gifts, it started out in the lockdown, not being able to go anywhere, weather terrible and my mobility is poor, too poor to go for a nice walk ( we live in the countryside)

Sooooo, i started to sew (( for something to do )) and the amount of bags grew and grew hahaha. I posted them on my Instagram and people asked can i buy 1? .... i replied no, you can HAVE 1.

So Christmas came along, i made bags with Christmas theme and filled them with allsorts of goodies (( chocolate,soap, bubble bath/shower gel, scented candle .....)) and gave a few for Christmas presents.

Even the regular neighbour walking past dont get away without choosing a bag hahahahaha.

So THAT is the story of the lockdown bags...

Eilarose, you summed up my sewing room vibes for me, "my sewing room is my happy place". It is for me too, away from news and trouble and strife, overlooking old higgeldy gardens and wonky red roofs. The window is lower and I can see out well over my potager garden. I have an identical room across the landing but much smaller, I put my easy comfy chair in there and a reading lamp, this is going to be where I spin and read, to again, get away from the world

My sewing room is not quite complete, From the door, going clockwise I have a good built in cupboard full of shelves and a hanging space, mellow matt white and 4 to-ceiling doors, a tall curved corner unit with curved doors, gosh I struggled to put that together after I moved but the curve is good feng shui and I am glad I managed it, then a horn hideaway with my 380 bernina on top, window and radiator, 2 pegboards framing the window which has cream wooden shutters, to the right is my old upcycled desk, on top of which are my babylock overlocker and coverstitch and a reading lamp. Back of door I hang, my quilting and curved rulers which are invaluable altering patterns. Large ironing board is leaning against the side of the tall cupboard and I have a super duper steam generator iron, light to hold and will steam continuously

The missing link is a bit of colour on the oak coloured quickstep floor and yesterday I ordered a cheap rug

Happysexagenarian, I think you and I started crafting at the same age. I am 74 now and only stopped for a time, when the children were teenagers. I have many stylearc patterns, very good patterns, not exactly suitable for an absolute beginner as instructions are minimal. Those stylarcs are always reliable, I use them if I am prepared to do an fba, just to add an a little bit, depends if the top is fitted and the dart position. This was my first ever stylarc and I made three of these in linens, They still come out every year and I mix and match with three linen skirts

www.stylearc.com/shop/sewing-patterns/maddison-top/

I tend to buy the pdf single size, which always comes with the size either side, I then print on A4 if a top and cut if I am confident about my alterations, or trace on swedish paper. If a dress then I get AO printed at guthrie and ghani if I place a fabric order

Thats so lovely Serendipity22

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Magic da-daaaa ..... abracadabra ☆☆☆☆☆

Karmalady your sewing room sounds really nice, as I was reading your msg I thought a nice floor rug might help, then in the next sentence you bought one!! Aren't steam generators the best invention? I put the big ironing board in a cupboard and bought a small felt ironing pad which is much smaller and perfect for quilting or dressmaking.

My sewing room has a tiled floor and I bought a floor rug but one with a low pile so thread etc doesn't get trapped in the pile, it didn't break the bank either so that was good and it's nice underfoot all year round.

I bought another machine a few days ago, so am just in that horrible state where the room is a mess with one being unpacked and trialled, while others await their future. My room also overlooks the garden which is great eye exercise in changing your focus often.

Eilarose, you are so right about changing eye focus. I heard about the 20 20 20 rule, 20minutes work, look at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds

My rug is very nice, only cost me £36 and is a very low pile. I have not been in there to sew yet, was waiting until I needed something and that eureka came last night. Pyjamas!

I have just the pattern, pdf. I know that L fits me so I r click to open with adobe acrobat and that enables layers, I then only print my size. I then stick the A4s together and will cut the pattern.

www.lovenotions.com/product/ladies-tranquil-nightwear-collection

I already made 3 of their nighties, 2 long sleeved for winter and 1 short sleeved. I have just downloaded the pants and am sure I have the right fabric in my stash. I like a stretch tencel very much, which is what I use for nightwear. I also need knickers and am going to make them from tencel scraps from my scrap box, I already have fold over satin elastic. binding in several colours. The knicker pattern was a subscriber freebie from meghan nielsen, the acacia knicker. I am also going to look through my t shirts, there may be a couple that I never wear, would easily get knickers, or just gussets, from a t shirt. I have to clear the dining table, I specifically bought an extending table for pattern sticking and fabric cutting. I need to lay my cutting mats down because I use a rotary cutter for stretch fabrics

Anyway, I am excited to actually have a sewing aim again but cannot go overboard as I have a knitted jumper to finish too

serendipity, another wow from me.

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Today i did my magic ... abracadabra ☆☆☆☆☆

Christmas sewing in APRIL !!

stylearc have got an easter sale, 20% off. I love their patterns and the fit. A bit of what to do, amazon have stylearc paper patterns and 20% is taken off at checkout but pdf from stylearc site is very much cheaper

Sizing is spot on, I smetimes need to grade so eg I get single size 14, which also includes sizes 12 and 16

pdf comes in an immediate e mail so I get a file ready on my desktop for each pattern and I download everything to my desktop, one pattern at a time. Download, then r click on save as, eg bob 14. The wide formats are for copyshop and they are AO. I call the wide format bob AO 14. I end up with 6 downloads per pattern and I then transfer the 6 files to my named file and thence to my stylearc file on my desktop. You do have to be methodical but it is easy. You need to click on the offer code on stylearc checkout page

I have just bought bob pants, mildred jumpsuit and betty top and they cost around £5.50 each. It is worth signing up to stylearc as they have some great offers

I always backup on a memory stick and am trying hard to keep a file of all my patterns, business cards in a small folder. I do a small drawing and some brief details

I have just ordered trinnie. I like the fitted element at the waist, the gored skirt and the no-nonsense neck, also the underbust and neck gathers so no bust adjustment needed, looks very easy to make.

www.stylearc.com/shop/sewing-patterns/trinnie-woven-dress/

Now I have to go and get changed and stay away

I misplaced a pattern memory stick so have backed everything up again on another newly formatted usb stick The patterns are worth a lot of money and laptops can break down

I have had a break and will now happily settle to making a small summary of the new patterns, on business cards and any that I haven`t done, mostly freebies from a magazine. After that I will lay them all out on my table as grouping of eg skirts. It will be so much easier to pick a pattern out that way. It is going to rain soon and is not a bad job as I won`t want to be in my garden anyway

I just had a look at Trinnie and have to agree, it's a simple style that looks cool and comfy.

I have backups of backups when it comes to patterns and also machine embroidery designs, however a lot in my collection (of both) are freebies but then sites sometimes retire a particular pattern and unless you have a copy there is no chance to download it again.

All of mine are electronic copies, except of course, paper patterns that I've purchased over the years which are in rectangular baskets that fit into the storage cubes on the wall in the sewing room.

Haven't done any sewing this week as I upgraded the main machine, which meant cleaning and servicing an embroidery machine so it can be sold give back some space. Next will be the decision which other machine will be sold...a tough decision!

I'm itching to test the new-to-me machine and have a nice piece of silky fabric to make a blouse.

what machine did you get Eilarose? I always think it is a bit daunting with a new machine and also daunting after a few months off from using a modern machine or overlocker

I feel safer now that I have copies of all my pdf patterns on memory sticks, also downloaded knitting patterns. I did finish my pattern filing system yesterday, it did take a long time but was very worth it. The business cards in 2 x 300 cardfiles were perfect, just enough space to write a bit and do a diagram. I left plenty of spaces between sections and put cards into categories eg jumpsuits, jackets, underwear and nightwear. I have a lot of patterns for tops. I think galicia is beautiful and love the optional waist darts. Itching to make that but need to sit on my hands for now

itch-to-stitch.com/product/galicia-top-digital-sewing-pattern-pdf/

she has 3 free patterns on her site. She is my go-to for a beautifully designed pattern that fits, also she does different cup sizes. I always need to shorten the body a bit and sleeves quite a bit

Mixed in with tops I have tunics and sweaters and sweatshirts, now all separated out. It is very tricky this year, I have so many clothes, almost all handmade. Lovely dresses and blackwood cardigans, some skirts etc and am so loathe to let my best things go eg my linen skirts that last forever.

I have lots of clothes already cutout, obviously I will get to them first. I need a thin bodywarmer for riding my bike, this is ready in black twill with a colourful lining. I did all the maths, needed to shorten the pattern and bought a shorter zip

itch-to-stitch.com/product/envigado-vest-digital-sewing-pattern-pdf/

The first ever pdf pattern that I did was the hepburn turtleneck and it is so incredibly useful. My best ones are in a slightly more structured stretch cotton with elastane, not floppy on and absolutely brilliant for bike riding. I think I have made 8. I cut my pdf teeth with that, also learnt to use a rotary cutter. The whole top sewed nicely on my overlocker

Going forward, I don`t need any summer clothes but there are spaces for autumn and winter in my wardrobe, especially layering clothes, bearing in mind that I will be keeping the thermostat a bit lower

Karmalady it's another Janome...is there any other brand? Haha! I've owned and used Janome machines for just on 40 years, although I do own a Brother straight stitcher which sews a beautiful stitch, super fast and very quiet and it's been the only non-Janome in all of that time. This latest machine is a Janome 15000 V3.0, a combo machine (sewing and embroidery) which will be superseded in the next 10 days as the new super-dooper replacement hits the sewing world. I never buy the first release of anything and prefer to wait until any bugs have been ironed out, not just sewing machines but appliances, cars and everything in between.

Even though this machine has low hours on the clock, clearly it had not been maintained as expected so I had it serviced and now it's ready for action and I've spent time these last few days getting my previous emb machine ready for a new owner. I'm really fussy when selling a machine and make absolutely sure the new owner gets what I would expect if I was buying it, then it was packed in the original box so it's ready to be shipped anywhere. Will keep the sewing machine for a while to make sure it's replacement really suits, going from separate machines to a combo may/may not work out, time will tell, but it means more space. Win some, loose some!

I had a look at the Galicia top, it looks really nice but (for me) I would only have the top 2-3 buttons functional and stitch the others closed 'only' because I have a torn rotator cuff and getting the back buttoned would be nigh on impossible and very painful.

Aha, I'm the opposite to you in that I need to lengthen the body/sleeves/legs on every pattern and sometimes I will alter things like adding a collar/or removing if it had one originally or changing features here and there. For example my favourite pants pattern (Vogue 2948) I've converted to jeans, moved the side zip to a front fly, eliminated the tiny back pockets and added jeans type back pockets (even though I don't use them), narrowed the legs and a few times I've omitted the front and back centre leg seams. I really like the curved waistband on this pattern, it's very comfortable and I've got it fitting perfectly, so they are quick to make.

Have you looked at MoodFabrics.com they have a lot of free patterns once you sign up for the weekly email notification.

The Envigado vest is on my list too, it is a nice style. Since Covid I've made a lot of clothes, some not worn yet, but I had lots of fabric collected over many years and it was a good way of staying home, being safe and doing something constructive. I can't sit and do nothing, that would bore me to tears, and I don't do boring.

Rotary cutters are great, aren't they? I bought my first one in the early 80's and have 3 different sizes now. I make all of my clothes so having good equipment is worthwhile, can't remember the last time I walked into a clothing store.

Hope you have a great weekend and enjoy your sewing.

@Happysexagenarian
I can recommend The Stitch Sisters overlocker classes. They are not the cheapest but are very clear and once you’ve bought them they are always available.

lovely chatty post eilarose, feels as though you are in the same room.

Just a quickie now as I am killing a bit of time before going on a cycle ride. I decided to notch down my winter bedding and will be putting a pure cotton throw on top, taking other bedding off, king of cotton santinia, very slightly padded and also very long. I would like it to drape without being all over the floor at the foot of my bed. It is only a simple double fold edge so obviously I will be pinning cutting and then sewing

Cotton and not yet washed so like all cottons, it will shrink. It says 40 and that is what is happening now and it says it can tumble on cool while damp, thankfully it can be put out to remove most water and I will have to tumble as it will add to any potential shrinkage. This evening for sewing but it might just not need it

I have not sewn anything for far too long but I am going to set to today. I have a length of cotton, psychodelic horses from the vintage sweetheart and I have a pattern without a collar

jaycotts.co.uk/collections/patterns_pj/products/s1575

I am hoping that this will kick start me, it will not involve any adjustments

I have lots of cottons from VS, I mean lots, bought whenever they had a sale. Easy peasy sewing. Sewing all last summer enabled me to lose weight, stopped me craving sweet things. It was lovely to be sewing all afternoon and into evening. Days were very hot but that east facing room lost the sun around 2pm and I managed to remain comfortable. It was a bolt hole then

One of my most favourite makes was the lyra dress from tilly and the buttons, I made it with short sleeves and a little waist tie. Cotton from VS. I think I will wear it today

Yesterday I got rid of two wearable toiles, I used them when gardening. Both too big in diameter. Sweatshirt was too short and the other top fabric was too flimsy. I wore them together but did not like the colours or fit at all. I only used remnants and was glad to see them go. I have another in the wardrobe that needs to go, a pinafore dress that I made in too big a cup size in a purple cord fabric that sticks to me. It was not the best fabric, a cheapie from croft mill. They are definitely cheaper but hit and miss re quality

pj`s ie short sleeves and shorts for dgd, cut out and interfaced and ready for the nice bit ie the sewing. The facings are upside down but heyho, will not be seen. I only just had enough fabric

I finished the PJs, there is about 4-5 inches of ease, good to know if not sure of the size. Good for boys and girls. I actually cut the physical pattern in size 12, if she wants another set later then I can just make a narrow seam allowance instead of 5/8". It is a very easy basic pattern, with a facing, no collar, an enjoyable make. I was not in the mood to trace, I think the PJs were a one-off because of the lovely fabric. The pattern covers several basic techniques, good for learning. It has 4 buttonholes but I used 4 poppers

The machines are threaded with black, obviously the next make for me is envigado, which will not be such a simple make, it has eyelets and metal poppers. I want to get this right, will be doing one thoughtful step at a time. I do get twitchy when doing poppers, I press the lever on the floor (firm surface) and never had a failure but I do a practice first. got the lever and dies from etsy. The eyelets need a hammer and a tool, the tool was also from etsy

I know that if I get a perfect fit, then I will make more of these vests. I am glad it is cut out, no more dithering about getting started

I almost had a `woe is me` There are many pieces in envigado and I had taken the paper pattern off some, had done the tailors tacks. Very confusing but slowly I found the patterns and put a paper label on each cut piece, also ticked the pieces off the given list. One long piece was missing, the drawstring casing, oh no and only a little spare scrap in my box

I ran upstairs, there was a long enough piece of the same fabric in my scrap box. I cannot tell you how relieved I was. Another lesson learnt. I have cut the casing, left the pattern on and ticked it off. Truly there are many pieces in this garment. It is going to have to be a slow and steady project. I hope it goes well and that it fits, it has very useful potential, I did size 12 but graded it to 14 for the hips. I also shortened it by 1.5" and found an appropriate zip online

A couple of things from yesterday. I shortened by 1.5" and mistakenly did not shorten the side back panel, it was marked byt the pattern was not cut and re-stuck. I only discovered the problem when trying to match the back princess seam. Luckily, the spare piece of fabric was just big enough to re-cut and it all went together perfectly

I used a ham to do the final seam pressing, the front seam is quite curvaceous even a C, that ham gives a good result. I left the sewing after that apart from looking out my grommets, did a practice and then did the 2 grommets for the waist cord. I use a press machine with a push handle, on the floor. Got that and many dies and poppers etc via etsy called kkc store, I am going to use the utility spring metal snaps. It is all very easy with the press