The Sewing Room

Tamster150

That is fab Avstar!!! Well done!

I have a pile of patterns to make things for me, but my only attempt so far failed. I could not cut out the pattern accurately enough. Did you draw around the pattern pieces? I used lots of pins & tried to just cut around the pattern pieces. The fabric is a bit slinky & my scissors are real cheapies so I am hoping to improve on my first attempt once Father Christmas has delivered me some proper shears. (proper dressmakers & tailors use shears not scissors lol)

rufusdog52

Lovely cape Avstar, you look very glamorous in it xx

ukmaggie45

avstar wrote: »

Here's the cape I made, my first proper pattern make, more pics on my blog. I was v nervous cutting it out, and I had to make up the lining as the pattern didn't have one, but it worked out OK
<snip>

Wow, that is really wonderful! :beer: You've done a fantastic job, and well done for managing to line it when it was an unlined pattern! :j I'm truly impressed. You look so happy in your photo wearing it, and I'm not at all surprised at that - well deserved happiness, and I hope you have plenty of chances to wear your super cape.

avstar

Thanks all! Tamster I just pinned the pattern pieces to the fabric n cut round them. The wool was easier than the lining which was quite slippery, I suppose you could use something to weight it down.
Luckily my dad just sharpened my big dressmakers shears n it does make cutting out so much easier.

Welsh_Poppy

I wonder if some one can help me, I am a beginner at this sewing but I am trying the patchwork stockings which I am doing okay at.I found a publication called the art of quilting does anyomne know if it is worth collecting or maybe a beginners book on quilting.
With the above magazine it is weekly and they supply material to make a square for quilt so in the end you make a quit but 3.99 a week and not sure if worth it IYKWIM.

Thanks

Savvy_sewing

Yes lovely Cape.
There will be no stopping you now. (Well except time, money and fabrics!!!!!!).

Savvy_sewing

Welsh_Poppy wrote: »

I wonder if some one can help me, I am a beginner at this sewing but I am trying the patchwork stockings which I am doing okay at.I found a publication called the art of quilting does anyomne know if it is worth collecting or maybe a beginners book on quilting.
With the above magazine it is weekly and they supply material to make a square for quilt so in the end you make a quit but 3.99 a week and not sure if worth it IYKWIM.

Thanks

I think that it will become expensive in the long run. I used to subscribe to a stiches magazine, and in the end it cost me £100's. You can find all the different techniques better by following peoples blogs.
It looks like it may be a good magazine but if you have to wait until you have all the patchworks before you get the white surrounding fabrics you will have paid a fortune for your quilt and if you get the sewing bug you will not want to wait every 4 weeks for them to come in the post!
But this is only my opinion.
There are quite a few patchworkers blogs, and there are lots of free patchwork patterns out there.
(Mind you I love getting my making and homemade magazines, and probably spend about £100 a year on magazines if I really am honest so who am I to talk!). Must really think about whether or not to cancel one or two of those now I have realised this!! eek.
:eek::rotfl:

Tamster150

Mooloo I am a sucker for a magazine too!!! I could have bought all of my Amazon wish list books with what I have spent on magazines!!! I am really into Australian Homespun atm. I bought some last year at the Ally Pally and my local quilt shop also stocks them. I bought a Christmas special last week as I really liked a quilt on the cover - only to then find that the quilt is a 3-parter, sadly as I am not working atm, I cannot justify spending another £12 on two more magazines. I also buy Sew Hip most months but have become dissapointed with it lately.

Welsh Poppy
I would visit your local library to begin with, I found lots of great quilting books in mine. I also visited my local quilt shop and was recommended a great book - "Magic Pillows, Hidden quilts" by Karin Hellaby. (For some reason I cannot link to the amazon page) It is very easy to follow, basically it teaches you how to make some simple blocks and then how to combine them for different effects. Then the bonus is that you can turn your quilts into "quillows"
quilts that fold into pillows when not being used.

I have hundreds of blogs in my reader - are you interested in more modern quilts or traditional??? Crazy Mom is a good place to start, she has lots of tutorials and sew-a-longs and her style is a nice mixture of traditional & modern.

I did a beginners course to get started although my first ever quilt I just made up as I went along. I think learning how to use a rotary cutter and getting a straight 1/4 inch seam are the two most important things to master and then your away......

going back to those magazines - I remember one being featured on watchdog once, it was to build a boat. But it would take years and over £300 to ever finish it!

twistedcandyfloss

I have made my first bits on my sewing machine now, some little stockings pegged on to a ribbon and i'm quite proud of them!

I love the cape, looks lovely.

Savvy_sewing

Tamster, I get the Sew Magazine, and a friend gets Sewing World, and every now and then we swap them. However with Sew I am getting sick of the free pattern always being Dress patterns. How many people need 20 different dresses with party and prom dresses being predominant!. I think that I shall probably cancel my subscription to them and free up a few £ for the odd magazine I see here and there. Although most of my mags are subscription as I dont go out to the shops very much. (Ill health wise, as much as cost wise!).

Crazy Moma was the quilter that I was thinking of.
My friend Molly is on a Quilting for Beginners course at the WI today, its a residential one started yesterday and finishes at lunchtime on Sunday. However its about £400 so way beyond my benefits!.

One Day!