Is anyone sewing?

I've just finished making t-shirts and have some fabric to make a couple of winter tops. I have a stash of fabric for patchwork and quilting so I'm making place mats, pot holders, mug rugs, etc. to improve my skills on the dark side. It's good to see so many are still sewing.

Huia

I have been making handkerchiefs . I have plenty of cotton pieces to use up. We got tired of tissues and their ability to escape into the washing machine ! Also heard they are not good for the planet. It’s really nice to have a pile of cotton handkerchiefs in the cupboard.

I went through the same phase Huia, I used washed fat quarters and now have a stack of these nice hankies. Good reminder, nice thing to do with left over soft cottons

I have happily woken up wanting to get into my sewing room, taking advantage of the sewing mojo, which does sometimes leave me for months. I do like a good uplifting mojo

I need to properly sort my fabric stash, I did try and file every time I bought something but not always and I was far too skimpy with tiny swatches. I started this last night, it took me an hour and I have ordered two more A5 files. I want to file in categories this time ie jersey, linen, french terry etc. I had a right good start, only 2 fabrics on a page and big-enough swatches. Took me an hour to do 6. Before I put anything back, I am making a note of where it is stored. Right now they are going into a spare bedroom and every fabric will have the size stapled on

I have been sewing for 69 years and started building stash maybe 20 years ago. I am re-discovering some beautiful bargains eg pima cotton, beautiful quality, was only £22 for a top- length with leftover for knickers. I am also finding a bit of `rubbish` fabric, thin stretchy jersey but not completely wasted, will do for toiles and pretty enough for knickers, hood linings etc

onward and upward, stash sorting will help a lot

I make a lot of clothes for my grandchildren, 7, 5 and 2. Mostly tops for the boys, tops and dresses for the girl. For myself I mostly re-make clothes I already own. I really enjoy sewing.

I have been making handkerchiefs . I have plenty of cotton pieces to use up. We got tired of tissues and their ability to escape into the washing machine ! Also heard they are not good for the planet. It’s really nice to have a pile of cotton handkerchiefs in the cupboard.

I loved sewing when I was young, even did O level dressmaking! I do sew nowadays but find it a chore rather than being enjoyable. It's mostly mending things these days. Daughter doesn't sew at all so I get all her family's repairs, as do most of my friends with grandchildren. I don't think it's taught in school any more, which is a shame.

Minnyknit

I’ve rediscovered embroidery over felt such as the wall hanging pictured (if I’m able to post it!). I can’t tell you how much I’m enjoying it. Now on a larger folk art one.

Gorgeous work!

I love how the colours pop on the dark background!

Am modifying a dress that was unflatteringly cut. Putting in darts and reshaping the sides Not sure it's worth the effort but a learning experience.
The machine was playing up but I was using a plastic spool in the shuttle and using a metal one solved it.
Amazing.
.

Just made a Helen's Closet Costa Tote for a friend. It's a free pattern. I didn't put the pockets on the front but I did put one inside. I appliqued her name on the front. Sadly, she has had to go into a care home due to dementia.

Wow, that wall hanging is beautiful.*minnyknot*. Embroidery is not in my skill set at all!

pooohbear I use up left-over fabric pieces by making beanbags. My gcn love them though they were disconcerted when one left out in the garden started sprouting.

I had to go into town today so happened to go along the road where the fabric shop is. I now have some super linen mix to make my apron and some cotton for the garden table cloths.

I did look at gingham but found it made my eyes feel funny, so settled for a small daisy print instead. These will be ready for the McMillan coffee morning - and the weather will be good enough to be outside won’t it!

I enjoy hand sewing and embroidery as an art form and belong to an international online group which meets weekly and is facilitated by the stitch artist Ekta Kaul who has just published a beautiful book called KANTHA which is about sewing traditions in India. It is a lovely group, very supportive and kind. The other kind of sewing I do is mending and repairing. I like Japanese boro. Fabric does fall apart and it can be an endless task but repairs can be beautiful in themselves. I admire people who can make clothes. I would like to make some night dresses but I don't have the skills. And I don't have a machine and didn't enjoy using one earlier in life.

Tomorrow I am doing a fabric stash inventory, it is going to take me quite a while. I use a patterntrace filing system but my record-keeping has not been that good this year.

I am loving to read about your own sewing journeys, so important to us and hugely beneficial for our well-being

Twinnytwin, I love bernina and babylock. I have a babylock evolve, truly a workhorse. A babylock cover stitch, which I used for 5 garments the other day, I decided that shorter tea shirt tops suit me better and coverstiched the hems after taking 3" off. My newest bernina is a 380 and I have two vintage mechanical bernina record 930. They all get used and one of the records is in my living room, ready for long quiet winter days. I got the second 930 because I saw it on ebay at half the cost of the first one. Some parts are not made any more so one can be a donor but right now they both work very well. I do look after all my machines

Gosh minnieknit, that is so beautiful, you are a very talented lady

I have two indie dresses, they were very tricky to make initially ie lowering the bust dart (easy) but moving a shoulder dart half an inch forward was horribly hard to make the smooth neck transitions, the dart curved over the shoulder but was too far back on the initial toile

Two dresses later and I almost gave up and threw them out but I am capricorn and determined. I resurrected them and the shoulder dart was fine but the dresses were too snug (wrong type of fabric). I sat on my bed this morning and started the unpicking process, including the wide overlocking ,to make narrower overlocked seam edges. I gained over an inch in total, all the way up the underarms and down the dress sides. I lengthened the hems too

So now I have two very wearable dresses and being a glutton for punishment, I have altered another print of the same pattern, going to make that one size bigger all over, did the dart mods and this time will make a top first. I have just finished the pattern alterations, ready for fabric tomorrow, still not my best fabric as it is another toile but a nice soft cotton

All I am saying really is that for sewing clothes for older, changing shapes, it is all about the prep and toiles until it becomes as good as it can get. Long ago, all I had to do was shorten everything

I went on a `fast` hilly cycle ride today too, need to exercise my body as well as my brain, otherwise just sewing is not enough

Minnyknit

I’ve rediscovered embroidery over felt such as the wall hanging pictured (if I’m able to post it!). I can’t tell you how much I’m enjoying it. Now on a larger folk art one.

That is fantastic! 👏

Minnyknit- I love your wallhanging!

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202408/medium-952887-elephants.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202408/medium-91550-bag-and-bee.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202408/medium-45086-worry-monsters.jpg

I am part of a "reuse recycle" group that pick up at a community centre once a month. I pick up arts and crafting items, sort them and redistribute them to various local groups. What is a bit of a specialist item, ie die cuts, resin moulds go onto the facebook page for people to pick up. I make cards with the items I keep along with items I own and gift them to varying charities.
Other people pick up material, threads, ribbons etc, so I can sew for free, and I make the likes of morsbags, stuffed elephants, worry monsters, small ( throwable) bean bags, and noughts and crosses games with the board as the front of a draw string bag. The bags go to local food banks, the toys to schools, nurseries, brownie groups, and currently stock piling toys for a local charity that gives to deprived children for Christmas.
Keeps me busy, and gives me a mental boost, as I don't keep well health wise, but costs me very little to do, and often find myself making cards at 2, 3, 4 o'clock in the morning with headphones in and an audiobook on when I cant sleep. Wont sew in the middle of the night as my machine is in a bedroom.

I’ve rediscovered embroidery over felt such as the wall hanging pictured (if I’m able to post it!). I can’t tell you how much I’m enjoying it. Now on a larger folk art one.

I am just getting back into sewing again after a short break due to having to clear some space for visitors. You can guess where everything got put... in my craft room. I am starting on dog bandanas for a friend's new dog, then Christmas 🎄 stockings. One of the less involved tasks was to do some mending this morning. Why throw a blouse away because a button has fallen off?

I have made a lot of biblical costumes for adults and children out of old curtains, curtain linings, duvet covers etc. I belong to a church group (Open the Book) which goes into schools to tell dramatized Bible stories. The children love being in costumes. Every charity shop I go to has to be scanned for possible material! An embroidered duvet cover made a fantastic angel costume. I have also "repurposed" old bath towels to make a giant cat for a scarecrow festival. More fun than making new garments for myself..

I’m making a lined bomber jacket out of 1970’s curtains. I’m nearly there but have lost my mojo…

Oh stop it! All these lovely recommendations for fabric shops and patterns! My sewing room is spilling my stash and threads out into the rest of the house already!

I was looking at some holiday photos from 6 years ago to Italy this morning and all the clothes I'm wearing are me-made. Trouble is, they're all lined up to come with us to our holiday in Portugal in a month. My clothes last so long and as I can still get into them, I never clear them out. I still sew lots of new ones too.

I'm just off to pick up my Bernina sewing machine from the shop after its service. For the last few weeks I've been sewing with my old Elna machine which has been fun. I had to get used to not having the knee lift but I've been very happy with the quality of sewing. I also have the Babylock Gloria (overlock/coverstitch) and Euphoria (standalone coverstitch) which I absolutely adore. With the Bernina, these are my forever machines. Good job my sewing room has enough room for them all plus a computer and three office chairs. Oh, and my ironing board is up all the time too. Happy sewing.

I’ve just finished two sweatshirts and a Rampunzal dress for my granddaughters, was supposed to take them to Europe to deliver them last Sunday but missed the flight 😢

Just made a Helen's Closet Costa Tote for a friend. It's a free pattern. I didn't put the pockets on the front but I did put one inside. I appliqued her name on the front. Sadly, she has had to go into a care home due to dementia.