What OS sewing have you done today?

FairyElephant_2

Last evening I took in a pair of 3/4 length trousers (£3 in sale but too big for me, so put in some darts) and fixed a summer hat which I bought for 50p (reduced from £5!) because it had a seam come undone - bargain!

Sadly I can't sew like I used to, due to onset of arthritis in my fingers, it now takes me ages and my poor pinkies get very stiff & sore!

When the weather improves I have to get the trailer-tent out and repair a seam, so by last nite's reckoning I need to double the estimate of how long it is going to take me - drat these fingers!!!!!!!

Does anyone remember how to go about tie-dying in multi-colours? I did it years ago but can't remember the process, and have a couple of tops with stains on which would be good to breathe new life into!

FairyElephant_2

Re the 'lego bag'....I made similar a few years ago, in a thicker fabric, and called it a 'laundry rug'.....the theory being that as the DSS's just threw their dirty clothes on the floor in their room, they had the 'rug' on the floor and just picked it up, clothes & all, to take the washing machine!!!!! (put the draw cord in a hem all around though, so that it couldn't be tripped over. Gave it to them one Xmas with a note of explanation....caused much hilarity with the family, but they DID use it!
Now they are older and more fashion-conscious (buy their own clothes & have less of them!), they don't leave clothes at our house for washing very often, but they have now taken the rug home to their mum's and are apparantly using it there!!!!!!!!!

flissh

I finished my kitchen curtain/pelmet today. And tonight I'm going to take in a skirt I got in a charity shop.
Had drama last night. Took apart the bobbin housing on my sewing machine and could not get the machine to work afterwards. It was very frustrating.
Finally worked out I was putting it back together wrong..Doh!
Glad I bothered though cos my thread used to catch underneath in the bobbin housing now and again and drove me mad, but now it seems to be working really well. Mind you there was a few years fluff in there:o

luxor4t

Finally worked out how to download onto my 'new' computer:
patchwork rug picture http://www.flickr.com/photos/26189760@N08/3546120515/in/photostream/

AussieLass

You did a great job Luxor. Love the colour combinations.

Lula-Hula

Wow, 2 posts in the same week, I'd better slow down lest I suffer burnout :rotfl:

I finally got around to turning the full length trousers into 3/4 length ones today , it did take 3 attempts though, kept going wobbly

bellaquidsin

luxor - love that rug.

You are all such an industrious lot and you're making my juices flow, I must take a look at my stash and see what I can do.

Bella.

DianneB

I haven't done any sewing for ages but today I altered one large curtain to make two small for my dil (not as easy as I thought as I had to cut it into across the middle, take off the old tape, neaten edges and put on new header tape so now the horizontal stripes are vertical).

Also my daughter (14) is mini mad - cars not skirts! I brought her a duvet cover with a 'stripe' of mini's on from Mr.T but couldn't get curtains to match, when I last went in they were reduced so I brought 2 put header tape on the top and turned up the bottom. Super curtains but perhaps not very OS as I did have to buy the covers new.

wendy52

I have been enjoying reading about what you have all been doing.....so I thought that I would share what I have done over the past 2 days...


1) a pair of dungarees for No 2 granddaughter made from a chambray shirt of my husbands and trimmed with some pink ric rac braid that I bought from a thrift store on Cape Cod when I was visiting the US at Easter. Unfortunately I had to buy 2 buttons from the market.

2) a summer top for No 1 granddaughter from a piece of cotton fabric found in a bundle of cotton fabrics in a charity shop which cost 50p for the lot! There is still quite a bit left.
The buttons were from my button tin.

3) a summer dress for No 1 grandaughter made from fabric bought in in a sale in the US at Easter which has Strawberry Shorcake on it and lined with white cotton fron a pillowcase that was in the bin at Ikea for 10p.

All stitched on the sewing machine which I inherited from my Mum which is over 25 years old....a Bernina....which I wouldn't part with for anything.

I sometimes use my husband's Grandmother's hand machine which is must be over 70 years old and is a great top stitcher!!

Off to see what I can stitch next....

luxor4t

I have just lined a laundry basket using a charity shop sheet.

I know £1.50 was 'excessive' when I have plenty of fabric I could have used, but the sheet has a pretty, vaguely art deco design in shades of blue to match the bedroom.

Plenty left for other projects too