Is anyone sewing?

Yes it is so good to see others sewing Susie, uplifting in fact

I have just had a break from plodding on with filing, doing well and think I have done all the jerseys. Found some long lengths of tencel modals, I remember going through a phase of hunting online, they make the most comfortable nightwear. One long length of good cotton jersey will be good for another dressing gown in future, cotton jerseys don`t do well with multiple washings

Similar to this is hanging on a hanger on my door at the moment.

jaycotts.co.uk/collections/patterns_pj/products/b5963

Latest nighties are slips made with viscose challis, very lovely, easy to make and very comfortable

thefoldline.com/products/merchant-and-mills-lilian-slip-dress?_pos=3&_psq=lilian&_ss=e&_v=1.0

Be warned merchant and mills photographs are not at all for showing any garment in a good light but I am one of their huge fan club, love their garments so much. They look 100 x better when made

Finished for today, before I get boggled. I did jersey fabrics plus french terry fabrics and tidied all my ribbing edging together. I can see those easily now. I did not catalogue the ribbings

Best bit is me being neat, everything is folded or rolled and nothing is stuffed out of sight and I have released one whole shelf in the cupboard below. The other shelf in that space is stuffed with viscoses and the like. I will do viscose tomorrow, it will take the same amount of time. They will need a file of their own

This is the third sort btw but more methodical, the first was for moving house and the second was soon after I had finished installing stuff into my sewing room.

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 beautiful.

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

lixy that made me laugh so much 😄

I like to sow although it has to be said I'm not the best at it. Simple things are a doddle such as I'm currently making blue gingham curtains for my kitchen window.

A friend of mine never sewed until lockdown. Entirely self taught and now having a nice little business makingMemoryTeddys andMemory cushions.

I kept myMum’s favourite cardi in pink with pearl buttons and her fave blouse and she is going to make me 2 Teds for myself and niece and is putting some lavender from Mum’s garden in with the stuffing.

I’m enjoying doing hand embroidery and slow stitching has caught my eye, something that I can do when listening to podcasts or audiobooks.
There are many inspirational needlework videos on YouTube 😍

I am sad to say I hated needlework classes at school never completed anything! I did do cross stitch for a while in my 30s but I find it hard to thread a needle now , spend one night sewing the next unpicking as I went wrong. I just cannot do it🤷‍♀️ I admire you karmalady but sewing and me don’t work out!

I finished, I never thought I would, there was so much filing to do but that is me sorted for always. I am now using A5 folders and cards to keep track of everything

I am on a mission now, sewing up just a top which involved a lot of pattern alteration. If the top fits well then I will make the dress and it will be the final version so I will be treating myself to a really nice linen

I saw lots of inspiration as I worked through my fabric stash, one item at a time. I needed a new love notions laundry day top, the one I had was a toile and it had all the use it could take. It is so easy to make and wear and I have the perfect fabric or two

There are wonderful crafters at the craft session I attend, most are doing patchwork, quilting and so on. Honestly, exhibition standard, very beautiful. Two ladies do beadwork with the tiniest beads, absolutely gorgeous.

Oh how I wish I could get into patchworking! It just seems so complicated. I have so many fabric leftovers and feel that I should do something with them, but I have no idea how or were to start. I even have some batting that I bought thinking I would make some cosmetic bags/containers with them and never got past the simple zip-top rectangular ones (albeit with boxed corners!)

I have a cube storage system in my sewing room that I built from a kit (I think it was Homebase). It is very good in that I can see all my fabrics at a glance and I sort them by type of fabric. It is becoming rather crowded now though, with stuff stacked on the top where I have been a bit over-enthusiastic! I sew at least two items a week, just little tops, dresses, dungarees, T shirts and shorts for my younger GC, and sometimes something for me!

where, not were!

I use a cube storage system for storing denim, which is my fabric of choice. I buy jeans from charity shops for 50p and have masses of them. Denim jeans fascinate me because they are feats of engineering. The legs produce sizeable pieces of fabric and the long seams are good for edgings. I've made cushions, throws, footstools, bolsters, a pillow sham from a denim dress and a Boro waistcoat. The pockets are all different little works of art, and I use them to embellish other items. I stitched one to my sofa to hold my TV remote controller. A friend has made bunting from denim jeans' pockets. I think I'll make something similar for my patio and see how it fades and weathers during the winter.

AskAlice, some of the ladies make very small pieces, that they sew together, pad and then make the likes of knee blankets. No harm in having a go at patchwork, learning comes from practice. Even cutting the pieces out must be de-stressing and mindful

I did some sewing before bed last night, it had been a busy day and today I only have the ribbing left to do on my wearable toile top from fawn chambray with pink ribbing. The pattern took me ages to alter so fingers crossed, if the top fits well then it will become a linen dress to make over winter. Result was a full satisfying sleep

As I was going through my fabrics, I was in amazed at how little I paid for some fantastic quality beautiful fabrics, £8+ for 3 m. All my fabrics are overlocked and washed before storage btw. I wore one of those £8 garments last night, in viscose challis a lilian slip that is also a cool lovely comfie nightie

I am now owning up, had the sale e mail last night from rainbow and have ordered another mini stash, I mean, I £16 for a dress worth of linen/viscose or £13 for a beautiful light denim for a jacket. I tend to get everything in 3m lengths from rainbow

I kept brief notes, composition, price paid

photo is of fielder crew top wearable toile. It fits beautifully and skims my hips. I resized my computer file to print small so I can actually start recording my own makes properly, on cards in an A5 file, with full details including photo

The chambray was cheap and has an element of viscose with cotton. the ribbing around the hem was about the same size as the hem so I did that rib face down on the overlocker feed dogs as it needed the extra feed, the chambray is woven no stretch and the rib has stretch. Differential stayed at N

Next stage will be to file results,, now as a TNT. Tried and tested

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202408/medium-493144-bomber.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202408/medium-836999-envigdo.jpg

I photographed the last item I made. A wind and rain proof cycle jacket that is made from breathable fabric. Fabric from uk fabrics, called textura WP20k. I paid £35 in total and squeezed out another sleeveless cycling top

Full sleeves pic is causeway bomber, itch to stitch.
Sleeveless is envigado, also ITS.

Goodness Karmalady, those are very neat. Perhaps ‘sewing bee’ for you?
You must be on cloud nine now you have got everything organised. (and made space for a well deserved treat!)

Thanks Lixy, it is the being organised that is helping so much, I have duplicated too many pattern prints

My last coat, made a few weeks ago after a toile which had the c bust apex too high and bust was too baggy.

I re-did the cut pattern, with a B bust and it is now fitting lovely. It was a messy alteration on the pattern, involving princess seams and pockets as I lowered apex by an inch It is ITS andes and I highly recommend it. The fabric was from minerva and the ITS instructions are always excellent. Don`t let the number of pattern pieces put you off. ITS always includes different cup sizes

Youtube lifting pins and needles has the best sewing videos, she has one on the `tricky` andes pockets

I have four seat/back cushions for our garden chairs that are very much the worse for wear, and I’ve been unable to find any to buy that will fit - and that I like - such boring fabrics, even in the rare event that I find any to fit.

Last year I found some gorgeous weatherproof fabric online, and was all set to order pre-cut foam to fit, and make lovely new ones.
Only I never actually did it.
Maybe that’s a project I really must get down to before next summer.

My sewing desk conversion from a heavy old office desk

The old oak office desk was the typical type, narrow cabinet on the left for computer tower, keyboard shelf pull -out centre and a cupboard on the right with drawer above cupboard. It was never comfortable for sewing, even with a height adjustable chair. Made for backache

The removals men carried this heavy beast up to my sewing room. I have converted it. Carefully lay it on its front and using a saw, levelled the base by cutting off two legs, raised the desk and lay it down on the back and took the other two legs off, they were about 3" tall. Not neat btw, only me to do this on my own, so can be done with care

I righted the desk but needed to expand the surface, b and q for a shelf and some brackets, more sawing to the correct length and using brackets and screws put it level at the back of the surface. Several brackets to make it capable of carrying heavy weight. I store two heavy machines on the back

The keyboard shelf needed to come out, took some effort but I can now sit so that my costco folding chair holds me close to my machine in comfort. The back of the under space, holds 4 good really useful boxes containing linings, silks and remainders for pockets etc

It is excellent now, very comfortable and the cupboards are very useful as is the shelf above. I put in a system of dividers in 2 layers. My foot pedal was slipping and sliding. Piece of wood, padded to leave a well for the pedal. I covered the padding, put router mat under the wood and in the well. Pedal now stays put. Wood is the exact width of the legspace so does not move, in front of the RU boxes

Having a break, in throes of emptying the tower space

not shelf above, dividers in the drawer above

AskAlice I got into the dark side by starting small by making place mats, mug rugs, and pot holders.

AskAlice - patchwork doesn't have to be complicated. Many traditional patterns are based simply on squares and half square triangles. It is amazing how many designs you can make using just these two shapes. Why not try to make a cushion to start with. There are lots of videos on line showing you how. You don't need lots of equipment, I started with scissors, cardboard shapes and sewed seams by hand. Of course now I have rotary cutters and special rulers. although I do most work on my sewing machine these days I still like to do some hand sewing such as English paper piecing. Go for it but be warned, it can be addictive.

Karmalady you would outshine any one on Sewing Bee and win the sewing competition hands down! I'm enjoying this thread, although arthritis now prevents me from sewing it's lovely to read about everyone's achievements.

Thank you to all for your encouragement to start patchwork. Some really good ideas - I may start with cushion cover. I do love learning a new skill

Come to think of it, DD1 and GC bought me a couple of books about sewing with scraps, I'll have to look them out!

karmalady, I had a similar experience with the foot pedal slipping and have found various ways of preventing it over the years including glueing bits of velcro on the base and another time using an old mouse-mat (the rubbery kind) underneath a particularly slippery pedal! I now have a mat specifically made for the purpose that my DD bought me for Christmas.

Before I managed to solve the problem, I got a fright once when I took my foot off the pedal and the machine kept going! It turned out that the pedal had slipped right back to the skirting board and had wedged itself in the "foot down" position!