Cushy Weekend

Although I had a busy weekend with all the usual chores, food shopping and visiting my elderly parents, I did mange to fit in some sewing.

I managed to finish a couple more cushion covers and insert cushion liners.  The red and yellow fabric was a Birthday present of 10 inch squares stash packs.

I used fusible Vilene Iron on Fusible Fleece and then stitched wavy lines across and down.












The backs are envelope style made from the lining of my extensive collection of old curtains.  The cushion insert liners were also made from curtain lining.

Hexagon Patchwork Cushion Cover

I have finally been able to tidy my sewing room and get back to some sewing. 

These are the hexagons which I stitched together by hand, while on holiday, and I have now made some in to a cushion cover.

 

After removing the tacking stitches and the paper templates, I used a fusible fleece as backing for the hexagons.

Then used my new (second hand from ebay) walking foot to create wavy lines of stitching across the patchwork.  This is the first time I have used a walking foot and I am very pleased with the results and how easy it is to use, If you find free motion quilting scary, then try a walking foot, its a lot of fun.

Hexagon cushion

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Beautiful Cornwall

Though I would share a few of my holiday photos of Cornwall.  

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.

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!

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)