Friday 21 June 2013
Friday 7 June 2013
Holiday Packing
We are off soon on our summer holiday, this year we are heading off south west to Cornwall.
My travelling patchwork sewing kit
I needed to sort out something sewing or craft related to take with me, of course hexagon patchwork is the obvious choice and I think some knitting, I have a huge ball of Arran wool so I thought I could knit a cushion cover, so I Googled and found this pattern here
http://www.canadianliving.com/crafts/knitting/aran_pillow.php
So having printed the pattern, found the right size needles and the wool, did I pack it way ready for the holiday? no, course I didn't I had to start straight away, I didn't bother with the tension square either, I know, but its a cushion whatever size it comes out it will be fine.
I also remembered I have half knitted summer top to finish, so that can be packed too.
Roll on two weeks of sun (fingers crossed) sea, and sewing/knitting.
Sunday 2 June 2013
What load of old..............curtains
A friend has kindly given be a bin bag of old curtains, she knows I will try to find a use for them.
This pair is my favourite
When does a pair of old, second hand curtains become vintage fabric?
Any ideas?
Sorbetto Top
No sewing blog is complete without a Sorbetto top from Colette Patterns, which can be downloaded for free from the Colette website http://www.coletterie.com/colette-patterns-news/free-pattern-to-download-the-sorbetto-top
So what all the fuss about, well its free, and with only two pattern pieces how hard can it be?
Do remember to check the 4 inch test square, I had stuck the pages together, cut out the pattern and had it laid out on the fabric before I though I had better check the square, and you guessed it, it was only 3 3/4 inches square. So back to the printer and this time tick the option for print actual size in properties.
I used a piece of pink and white cotton that I bought from a car boot sale, as I didn't quite have enough fabric, I had to cut the back out with a seam down the middle.
It went together easily, until I tried it on for fit, I really liked the simple design, but it gaped around the arm holes and seemed a bit lower than I had expected it to be around the neckline, I am very short between shoulder and waist, so I shortened the shoulders and added darts at the armholes to take out the excess fabric, I know this is not the correct way to solve the problem, but it seems to have worked.
What I need is a FBA (full bust alteration) but this is a little advanced for me and I am yet to get my head around it!!
Next I have to tackle the basis binding, which I have not made before, but it will give me chance to try out the little gadget Mr P gave me for my Birthday. I am going to make it out of the same fabric as the top.
I was hoping to make the binding and finish the Sorbetto today, but housework and other such exciting things have got in the way!
How for the bias binding first I use the continuous method following the tutorial from using this book (another great Birthday present ).
or from this tutorial on the Coletterie website
http://www.coletterie.com/tutorials-tips-tricks/continuous-bias-tape-tutorial
but being a left hander with right handed scissors my strips were not perfect enough so I tried the strip method, which can also be found on the Colletterie website, so I could use my rotary cutter and mat, this worked much better for me.
Tra la.......... I have made bias binding wow!
So what all the fuss about, well its free, and with only two pattern pieces how hard can it be?
Do remember to check the 4 inch test square, I had stuck the pages together, cut out the pattern and had it laid out on the fabric before I though I had better check the square, and you guessed it, it was only 3 3/4 inches square. So back to the printer and this time tick the option for print actual size in properties.
I used a piece of pink and white cotton that I bought from a car boot sale, as I didn't quite have enough fabric, I had to cut the back out with a seam down the middle.
It went together easily, until I tried it on for fit, I really liked the simple design, but it gaped around the arm holes and seemed a bit lower than I had expected it to be around the neckline, I am very short between shoulder and waist, so I shortened the shoulders and added darts at the armholes to take out the excess fabric, I know this is not the correct way to solve the problem, but it seems to have worked.
What I need is a FBA (full bust alteration) but this is a little advanced for me and I am yet to get my head around it!!
Next I have to tackle the basis binding, which I have not made before, but it will give me chance to try out the little gadget Mr P gave me for my Birthday. I am going to make it out of the same fabric as the top.
I was hoping to make the binding and finish the Sorbetto today, but housework and other such exciting things have got in the way!
How for the bias binding first I use the continuous method following the tutorial from using this book (another great Birthday present ).
or from this tutorial on the Coletterie website
http://www.coletterie.com/tutorials-tips-tricks/continuous-bias-tape-tutorial
but being a left hander with right handed scissors my strips were not perfect enough so I tried the strip method, which can also be found on the Colletterie website, so I could use my rotary cutter and mat, this worked much better for me.
Tra la.......... I have made bias binding wow!
Another Skirt
I bought a metre of each of these fabrics a couple of weeks ago, from a small local shop for only £3.95 a metre. I am making the Butterick 5564 skirt again with the brown.
Fabric is slippery and fraying a lot so I decided to use French seams on the side seams, which I haven't done before on a skirt (only on a festoon blind I made a long time ago) but what to do with the back seam with the zip?
After searching the internet, I think the answer is to use bias binding on the back zip seam, called a Hong Kong seam finish.
Excuse the photo!
Showing the waistband facing (trying to be neat on the inside of the skirt)
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