Sewing, the craft, fabrics, patterns, problems

from the remnants link on there

Autumn sale at sherwoods fabrics. Beautiful lady Mcelroy fabrics. Code is AUT-20

eg I bought a jersey for a long sleeved top for £8
pink linen chambray enough for dungarees for £30.4

I did buy more tbh

ok, adding to my stash but inflation is not going to go down for a very long time and LadyM fabrics are quality

I got 2.5m of a textured cosy cotton sweater knit in my thinkpink box on friday. It came with maraflex thread. I didn`t want to waste my time just pottering in the house so have made a tnt, bondi t shirt with slightly scoop neck and long sleeves. Very nice to make, just overlocker and a bit of topstitching with maraflex, on a longer straight stitch as the thread is for stretch knits. Beautiful, looks like a perfectly hand knit jumper, I made sure to interface neckband and neckline

I also cut out a style arc jara tunic from the same fabric and started sewing that last night, finished the neckband. Being cotton I have made sure to use a stretch interfacing to support the neckband and also a narrow interfacing to support the shoulders and neckline. I have used the stretch interfacing on the hembands too, think that will retain the shape better. Textured stretch cotton could well get floppy

Two good garments from 2.5m, I was pleased but took care not to waste fabric when cutting

yes, I wash everything pre-sewing, in the washing machine and was on the delicate cycle. Pre washing gets rid of any tendency to shrink

I got the fabric from the minerva sale. I often wait for their sales and also save 10% via the craft club hence it being £24 for 1.5 metres. I would not buy it for a sleeved sweatshirt, it is too lightweight. For a cosy sweatshirt, I would use a fleeceback and for a less cosy one, french terry

eg this is the last one I used. I usually calculate 2m for a LS sweatshirt

guthrie-ghani.co.uk/shop/fabric/gridlock-on-ochre-cotton-sweatshirting-fabric

Thank you for the recommendation of beyond the pink door. I will have a look at that. I do love a sewing video. I looked at the link you gave to the sweatshirt fabric it is lovely, would be quite pricey though for a sleeved sweatshirt. Have you washed it yet? I am wondering if it would be a good investment.

I just tried on the helga shirt by tessuti, finished it this week. It is amazing, so happy with it. An intermediate make as it has real photos in instructions. I only used a cotton from the vintage sweetheart, really good quality and the sales are very good, hence my stash from them. This particular cotton is not the firm cotton, it has a bit of drape

I like it so much that I am washing a 3m length of vyella from my stash, been in there 30 years, I kid you not. It is cream and wool/cotton twill weave. For another helga and something else in the future

I also made keith top from style arc. I took 3" off the length as I am short. Cost me £24 using fabric from a minerva sale. A fab easy top, can be made in a couple of hours and light as a feather. I used my walking foot. Very trendy. Would cost a fortune in a designer shop

www.minerva.com/mp/1181072/lady-mcelroy-brushed-sweater-knit-stretch-fabric-grey-ginger

I lost sewjo over summer but am creeping back in, just 30 minutes at a time as I want to slow down. Only really making for wardrobe gaps now

If you like sewing on youtube. Beyond the pink door, she does lots of sewalongs. Love Andrea, everyone does. There is one on acacia knickers with a free downloadable pattern from megan nielsen. My dgd is becoming keen on sewing, I bought a knicker pack from Andrea`s shop and will give it to dgd with the pattern for her to stick and cut. I get the think pink box every month and she adds to it on request for no extra postage, hence the knicker pack

another lovely pattern from itch to stitch. Special offer and I have bought it. PDF and being a dress (or top) I will get the print next year. Intermediate so a purposeful sew, a project for next spring. I have lots of sewing I could do but not right now as mojo has waned. Next sew will be finishing a shirt, then a purposeful sew to make the envigado again, in fluorescent green, already cut out. The black one that I made is a superb layering piece for me. I need another for cycling

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

I won`t need to buy any fabric, I have stash

I am getting ready to wind down re sewing, have made a full wardrobe of clothes for myself and am saving stash for when I lose my next stone in weight.

The one thing that I do want to make is the envigado vest in a fluorescent lime green, the black one is a perfect fit and I have tried it for cycling, excellent bit of kit. That had the hood, which is not needed. Envigado has safe pockets so is very useful and is cut out and ready, it will take a week of slow steady work to make it. Saving that now for a week of poor weather

This next weekend I shall give my overlocker and sewing machine a good vacuum clean and oiling and finish listing all my patterns in my business card folders. Just tying up the loose ends

I have been very happily busy sewing and particularly like the pattern prep, which always involves cutting and adjusting a pattern ready to go. I then put it and the instructions into aA4 zipped folder. Sometimes I only feel like doing the pattern prep, other times only the sewing

My wardrobe is now just about complete, I just need a couple of sweater tunics that I can layer for winter. I have the fabrics and patterns. This is thanks to losing a couple of stone and realising that fitted garments look much better on me. Everything too big is now gone

I am thinking about prepping the ITS lagan coat soon and have decided to leave the expensive boiled wool, from Germany for now, it has already been stashed for over 5 years, until I have trialled a cheaper fabric that I will wear autumn and spring. Gaberdine, ordered now in indigo and will be lined with coral bemberg cupro which was reduced. I think cost will be £58 as I have all the other bits and bobs needed. I bought good quality and the price was good

I had to get rid of a me- made gaberdine coat a few months ago, I loved that coat but it was swimming on me

yet again those are very lovely serendipity. It is so nice that you keep the thread going. I am only popping in now and then

Today I felt like doing that final pattern sort, it is a bit like paperwork, I avoided it for ages but I am now gripped. I have masses of patterns and needed to know what I had. I did the first sort/catalogue several months go

I used packs of business cards from amazon, 100 for £5 and a wallet that holds 300 for £8.99. I have two of these, so I can leave spaces. On the business card, I do an outline drawing in pencil with a brief description including fabric. I made categories eg dresses and lumped them in. Today I am going through my actual patterns and will be removing a few, too dowdy or too `full` for me

Categorised now in makers as a sub category in eg dresses. I find I am often mostly making from my favourite designers ie I know how much to shorten, also these fit me perfectly eg style arc, merchant and mills, jennifer lauren, ITS, love notions etc

This process is going to take me at least another whole day

I have been very happily sewing too, latest was a cocoon dress in cotton poplin (toile) which fits me so very well. Style arc adeline. I am trying to slow my sewing now, will be aiming for autumn and winter layers. Next might be kitt knit as a layering piece

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Oops missed off a photo

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Latest bags, made for my granddaughters in Canada.

emily culottes, lots of options, wonderful designer and drafting. 24 hours only $7 works out at £5.98

easy printing, layers eg if I want 12 waist to 14 hip, I will only print layers 12 and 14, so I get two outlines. Any more details re printing just ask

I bought that pattern just now
itch-to-stitch.com/?doing_wp_cron=1655801192.0553979873657226562500

Ican, the machine investment is so worth it, I could never have afforded my good machines when I had a family but you cut your cloth etc and the wait was worth it. I learnt so much on an old singer treadle machine, it was solid as a rock and coped with use by me and 4 sibling sisters and my mum. I have managed to get hold of an old bernina record 930, reminds me of my young family sewing days. That will never be sold either and stands proud in my living room

I am wearing lifesaver kaftans now, I alternate a day each and then give them an airing by hanging from a door frame. I made two. Linen/viscose and supremely cool and like linen and wool, will air. Third year of wearing and they will last for many years to come

I used closet case charlie, long version, I had to shorten by a lot. Did the usual easy adjustments plus raised the v by an inch. Not difficult, place a piece of A4 under the v, draw an inch line up the centre and re-shape the v upwards, freehand or french curve. Then do exactly the same with the neck facing. Several online sewalongs for this pattern

I love sewing and I have different sewing machines depending on what I am sewing. I have recently invested in a new Overlocker (Pfaff) and a super duper Quilting machine (Pfaff). I dispensed with my cheaper overlocker as the blades weren't working and my Janome Quilting Machine which used to go into "a***hole' mode rather more frequently than I would have liked. My daughter took it on and it worked beautifully for her for a week and then reverted back to form. She would go through all the steps to trouble solve, give up, put it away and then when she got it out again, it would work perfectly again for a short while. She gave up too and bought a Pfaff!
I still have my 1952 Singer 218K which is a brilliant workhorse for the really heavy fabrics. It was in daily use in a Marquee company from 1952 to about 2005 and has never skipped a beat. I won't ever get rid of it.
My daughter and 2 daughter in laws both make handmade clothes; my daughter even makes knickers for her little girl as she is so small, you can't buy them. I am so pleased she is following in my Nan's, my Mum's and my footsteps. It is something we can enjoy together.

I am in process of pre-washing some absolutely gorgeous cottons that I bought in a sale over 6 months ago. I bought 3m lengths so each one is definitely enough for a dress length. I already made teenage dgd pyjamas with one length, the rest was all stashed neatly in my sewing room. I used a length that I bought at normal price pre-sale, made myself an itch to stitch celeste dress, very very flattering fit, beautiful quality. I download the pdfs and then get either the foldline or guthrie and ghani to do an AO printout. It means I have the pdf forever in multiple sizes. Much easier to get it printed, A4 takes ages on a home printer

There is a sale on right now
www.vintagesweetheart.co.uk/

I have made several beautiful garments since my last post. One pattern needed adjustment as the neckline was far too wide. The assembly line cuff top. I did a round neck using their addition, was easy and I did the high round back (1/2") and 1/4" forward shoulder. Both commonly needed as we age and extremely easy. The top I made yesterday to the new adjustments is a fab fit and that pattern is now a go-to. Only takes a bit over a metre of fabric

Today I am going to start a causeway bomber jacket, cut out months ago, for cycling. I have ordered a coat pattern the lagan coat. I have waited a long time to find the right pattern plus that gap in my wardrobe. I have all the fabrics needed to make the lined coat. German boiled wool in cherry, bought years ago

I made a style arc logan shacket, absolutely amazing. I had to take 4" off the length and 2.5" off the sleeve length. I made it in a robert kaufman shetland flannel from make at 40. I stuck my neck out at not making a toile first but style arc fit me very well. Every fabric I buy, except boiled wool, is washed to the max I dare in my wm. The flannel is fab, it is thick and I have been out in it and no wind gets through.

I hope you are all well, sewing is a very addictive process for me. Very methodical and keeps my brain working. Fortunately I can keep my machines and equipment out, used to be typical dining table space

That's brilliant Serendipity! Love it! And such a good idea to line with plastic, some treats are a bit messy and doggy noses poking into bags in search of goodies can be wet!

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My friend asked me if I would make a bag to put her dogs treats in, he little dog called Bella.

The material is brilliant, paws, bones and WOOF on it...

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From this to that .....

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Yep, I'm still at it and yep, my kitchen resembles a sweatshop !

I had such a long break from sewing, thankfully my sewjo has come back, big time and I have been stash busting, well a small amount of it

Yesterday I finished a toaster sweater design number 1, I did the pattern and cutting the day before. No idea how it would be but I always have front neck riding up, old age high rounded back, so I always add 1/2 an inch to the upper back. Raglan sleeves so no forward shoulder needed. Easy to see a rounded back, sideways in the mirror. It has a turtle neck and I am short, so I took another 1/2 inch off the height of the neck and 4 inches off the sleeves, also graded out for hips

I bought the fabric a couple of years ago from makeat40, nice shop, eco sweatshirt fabric. It was thick and some joins were several layers, hence a broken needle on my overlocker. I get a much tidier job re SA by doing the first stitching on my sewing machine, very narrow zig zag. Then I follow the stitching on my overlocker. To get neatly into circular stitching eg sleeves, hems and cuffs, I cut out a rectangle and slip the cutout under the overlocker needles.

Result is a fab top, definitely one to do again and again

This morning I made a linden, so nice to have a prepped pattern. It has too big a neck for many but is very popular. It took me three toiles to alter the neckline but is now a go-to. Finishing ie stitching down the overlocked bands, I did that on my coverstitch

This morning I wanted a cool top from my wardrobe, its lovely, fit and flare and made in tencel. Very cool with almost elbow length sleeves. I remember altering the neckline, didn`t want the v so turned it into a lovely scoop, frech curve job. That was my wearable toile but nice enough for permanent wear, I found two more lengths of tencel and have cut out 2 more, circular cutter as tencel is slippery. One piece was left over fabric and the other was from 1m, with a handful of scraps left

What I have been finding very helpful re cutting: a cardboard cutting board by dritz, the second one in my lifetime. I can use that for pins and scissors on my small dining table, stable fabrics. For slippery stuff and rotary cutting, two large thin mats that clamp together, I need to extend the table for that. I keep the mats flat under my sofa

Pattern for fit and flare top was laundry day t by love notions

I only have the butterick dressing gown sleeves and hem to do. I have been very methodical, butterick instructions are brief and you need an assumed knowledge about eg when to finish seams, when to trim etc. I have hung it on my dressform and it really is lovely. The pattern says to use a fabric with some stretch so cotton/elastane is perfect, there are bits where to have to ease one bit more than the other

Obviously the big 4 patterns are better value for money as they contain several items but I did miss being spoon -fed the obvious such as a final measurement chart. I did all that by measuring the actual pattern. I believe that butterick are generally made for the older, as in over 40, person. I am going to browse butterick patterns and put some on my minerva wishlist, for when they have a sale

I did not like that flimsy fly-away tissue paper, you should iron it but that would have made it more fly-away. I also disliked having, somehow, to stuff it back into the small envelope

Today I am wearing a linden sweatshirt, I had to alter the neck to fit more snuggly but it is perfect now, in all ways. A useful garment so I have pulled out another piece of fine sweatshirting from my stash. I can run one up very quickly, 100% on my serger. I am also wearing a pair of hm pants, stylearc barbs made in bengaline. Bengaline is forgiving wrt fit

I am at the point when I can recommend the pattern, the pj bottoms by the avid seamstress. Bearing in mind that the pattern leg length is 31" I had to shorten by 6". It is the easiest pattern and even easier and quicker for me because I missed out the mock ties and did not want the pockets. I made them in one hour this morning, just waiting for the waist elastic to arrive from amazon, 3cm which I didn`t have in my stash.

There is a bit of curve finessing on shortening by so much, I kept with size 6 all the way down, (equivalent to uk 16/18) and had to use my french ruler to grade the pattern neatly. DG fabric moves and stretches so easily, I did all the seams ,apart from waistband, on my overlocker with 4 threads. The DG fabric needs a different differential, the bottom feed dogs need to move faster so 1.3, is very good. 1.0 means that the dogs move at the same rate and the top fabric moves faster

The pattern is pricey, instructions are very simple with photos. I can see me using a more stable fabric for winter indoor pants, maybe a warm loop back fabric. The more I use the pattern, the better value it becomes and I will use it again, often. Winter indoor pants will have the pockets

I had some free time yesterday and have prepped the butterick dressing gown pattern, I shortened it by 3" as I don`t want it at my ankles, sleeves are 4" shorter. Fabric is washed and now drying flattish indoors. It seems to be a simple sew

clever lady serendipity

I found some double gauze left over from making the too big dress. I combined both for another pair of PJs. All now cut out with not a scrap to spare. I redrafted the pants pattern, to take an inch off the rise and another bit off the leg and I copied that again, in case I lose weight in the future. Put to one side for now

I want my dining table back, I use it extended for cutting and it makes my kitchen/diner look a mess. This afternoon, I will cut the cycle vest and am really glad that I don`t have to alter the pattern. I do a forward shoulder on every pattern and a rounded back on many. Age thing!! The dressing gown fabric has not yet arrived, it can wait a bit. I am going to hunt for some reflective tape for the vest, make it safer even though it is a bright lime green

I have made two nice tops from double gauze, one was called the whisper blouse, nice to wear and very soft. I have two more lengths in my stash. I absolutely don`t recommend dg for a beginner, it is the pits to tame for sewing and is generally not opaque. It is also delicate to sew and can easily be pulled. I am not buying any more

I used to make clothes karmalady but now I just do these bags.

When I made clothes I never used a pattern, I copied the measurements from clothes I already had.