Day 5 – Crash October 5, 2010

One of the stories I had planned on telling you about these past months was my new found love / obsession with sewing the perfect t-shirt type top. It started with a flirting interest with using my overlocker (serger) to its full potential and investing in a few cheap metres of knit fabric. I used a pattern from one of my favourite shirts and just winged it really. It has been fun. And very successful. I now have eight new shirts in my wardrobe and a real understanding of stretch fabrics, differential feed and twin needles. I moved back to woven cottons and remade the pattern to suit and then found some lovely light voiles to play with. Throw in to that story an amazing opshop find of a set of overlocking feet (gathering, elastic gathering and several piping feet) which have sparked my imagination about what is possible.
Until last night.
I had planned out a shirt in my head, written a few notes and when I had a bit of time in the evening, cut out the fabric and started work. A Complete Disaster.
The fabric didn’t work, the idea wasn’t thought through. Half way through, trying to fudge and compensate, I knew that although the idea is still probably sound, it really needed more work. I was discouraged, I felt crummy.
Nice fabric, precious sewing hours – all wasted. I could probably make something out of the awful mess that I made but that would waste more time and negative energy.
Until this morning. I picked it up and thought about the waste. I realised that the $3 worth of fabric and the two hours spent were really well spent to learn and discover the things you know about sewing not by reading but by doing. It was valuable. It was enriching. It made me feel good about what I do. Trying something, sometimes failing. Other times possibly triumphing. But sometimes failing.
And so to end on a bright note, my journey tonight.
Finishing a lovely Amy Butler pattern ready for a visit with the lovely Donna tomorrow.

Sewing in ends on my own little creation which fits me beautifully and which I might wear tomorrow to make the above mentioned Donna very jealous.

A New Day October 2, 2010

I thought that my Blogtoberfest blogs would be more about the past than the present.  I have so much catching up to do.  But today is different (second day in… not bad).
Today I spent the best day with the lovely ladies from the Australian Sewing Guild Southern Group.  I’ve been once before for a Saturday of sewing and sharing and gossiping and pattern critiqueing but today I was blown away by the interest, knowledge and enthusiasm  of this group.   I don’t have any photos to share yet but imagine a day where you watch a jeans fly front be made – oh – so – easy – you get help to insert your first invisible zip (now you are really jealous aren’t you), AND you are shown, step by step to do an alternate facing for square neck tops that makes it look easy, smooth and even (if that floats your boat) shop bought.  Add in advice about thread choice, using short stitches and…. and…. well …. and … coffee and children and husbands and holiday destinations.

Thank you lovely ladies for all your support for this little newbee and I am so looking forward to contributing to this group.  As we all know, online is great but face to face is just a bit….greater.

For those that are interested I took a precut medium size of the Amy Butler Mini dress / tunic / top thanks to a sewing challenge that Donna and I set for each other .  The fabric was from Bargain Box in Capalaba – the most awesome fabric shop I have been in.  Great fabrics, fantastic prices, really nice service, kids play area which my boy loves.  Perfect – fabric shopping with a happy kid.

I should be done tomorrow with hems and topstiching so will try to get a photo then.  Photo?  I am so torn between taking bad photos and none at all.  I’ll get back to you on that.

More vintage sheets May 8, 2009

It is such a pity that I didn’t purchase these sheets before I sent my bundle off to Sheridan for the sheet swap. These are so pretty I would have loved to have shared them. Here are the two new ones (actually one is curtains but that is really irrelevant) and they are so pretty. I think that one will be a new dress for me. I haven’t made a dress yet and I have so much of this fabric and it was so cheap, it won’t matter if I stuff it up.
Anyway… for drooling purposes, here are the photos.

The Clapotis frustration and other stuff February 14, 2009

I can see why some people seem to get a bit miffed at the Clap as they are making it but then love it at the end.  I am only a small way in to mine and it is so disappointing.  Not because the knitting isn’t fun or the pattern is difficult or even that it is not what I expected… it is just that you don’t see anything as you are knitting, you just end up with a stockinette stitch triangle.  It looks a bit different I guess, with a few twisted stitches but it doesn’t resonate ‘great project‘ or ‘big effort‘ or even ‘I know what I’m doing and my stitch count is right on the button‘.  It just sits there and pretends it doesn’t care that you are being so careful about your ktbls and your pfbs.  Still, I’m sure you must get to the point in your pattern where you start to see something.  That will be good.  Mine looks a lot like it did when I took the photo of the stitch markers (only a bit bigger) and I’m sure it will continue to look like that until I can start dropping a few stitches.

On another unrelated point, I think I have found a pattern for the ‘Thomas and Friends’ fabric I bought in the Spotlight sale recently.  I did buy quite a bit of it and to be honest, it is not really lovely fabric but my boy does love Thomas and so I felt I had to have it to make something for him.  Browsing through the Sew Mama Sew blog gave me this..Bean Bag Chair.  It will be perfect.  I have two fabrics already and I will just get a solid or two to compliment.  It will be fab and something that I think he will really enjoy.  It would be great to have it ready for when he moves rooms (which only happens when our renovations are complete and his Dad’s broken ankle is mended I suspect).  Still, 10 year olds still like bean bags don’t they??

the thomas fabrics

My calorimetry November 27, 2008

I don’t quite know how it happened but this evening I made my first calorimetry. Somehow I found myself swatching just to see how my dyed baby yarn works doubled on 5mm needles and then found myself with 100 stitches on said needles and now it is done.  My husband said goodnight to me about half an hour ago (as we are going away for the weekend, he sensibly thinks we need sleep) but my little project is now finished.  So much for powering through gifts and other UFOs. But pretty happy actually. Will leave the button sewing until another time but it works and it fits.  I just want to make another now.

For the record I double stranded the baby yarn (Bella Baby Sugar) that I dyed with another strand of undyed yarn.  It works pretty well actually, just softening the dyed yarn out a bit.  I used the blue and it has worked out nice and spongy which I think it should be as it has to be stretchy and warm.  I won’t be wearing it on the beach this weekend but I might do another one in Paul cotton in khaki because it could be good beach wear and it might be nice and stretchy.  Photos will be added.

Life is full of little surprises.

Milobo’s round yoke cardi November 10, 2008

This is such a lovely pattern (link). 

Milobo's fabulous cardi

 I think that I have decided that I will do this in the Raspberry 5 ply bendi – I think it will be nice not being too chunky and I really would love to use some of it. It is really helping to get some of this down to help me think it through

so many pattern ideas

It always seems to get to that stage with the work, that you get so far and then, before it is finished, you are looking to the next project.  I am at that point.  I have the Kureyon Eva and the Cashmere Crocus Bud, both well progressed but wanting to think about what is next.

Will it be the Short and Sweet in Rowan Cotton, using the rest of the cotton for some plain green pants for Gryff?

Will it be a top down or round yoke cardi in the Angora Supreme (would be great to use that lovely yarn) – or Bendi yarn?

Will it be the BSJ in a sock yarn, yet to be decided?

Will it be another Eva in some lovely Bendi yarn?

Will it be the Clapotis is some lovely sock?

There are so many others in my list that they go around and around – will narrow it down this week.

On another note, I am feeling that this is the week to really get myself organised – it has been a good start with the paperwork and feeling better about work but if I can get stuck in this week, I will feel pretty good.