The Sewing Room

Savvy_sewing

homealone wrote: »

i too saw this episode and was watching with baited breath to see it was made. i am very new to sewing and although i have made a fabulous long corduory pencil skirt, got quite a lot of help with it through a sewing club i have just joined. i have 22 inch cushion pads and managed to find a lovely offcut in cream with bugle beads on it but have not set up machinne at home yet to try and tackle a project on my own. i did intend to sew 3 sides and then hand sew 4th side once cushion was inside. but not really the done thing. so i watched and it definitely had an overlap on back of cushion which i am guessing is envelope style. so could someone tell me how i can do that please?

When making an Envelope style, your back section has to be two pieces that are about 2/3rds of the back each. Then they are hemmed, and then they are sewn down together against the front piece. When you turn it inside out, insert the cushion pad, and straighten it out. You will not be able to see the pad. The deeper the over lap the better the cushion stays together. You can then use the envelope style to add buttons or other trims, such as ribbons to tie it together. It is the easiest way to make a cushion.

You can do this with one piece of fabric as well. Just folding in the two edges hemming them and overlapping, this will leave you only two sides to sew. Very easy.

schofield8883

hi im looking for patterns to make summer dress for my dd (1/2 years) also does anyone have the link to the thread with all the links on for fabric sites etc (if that makes sence thank you lovely people

spicyprawn

Rufus, I love the music sheet fabric! Thank you for the info on the fq's. I did travel to the city today with my mum but not really any fabric shops in the part I went to. On the market I was trying to find some 1 inch cotton webbing but no luck there. Still have to go to the fabric shops anyway to get all the bits for my daughters birthday. I don't want to spend too much on a sewing basket thingy so was thinking maybe to buy a mini pink tool box.(I use a black one hehe). I did manage to find this book for £1.95
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Make-Stuff-I-Made-Myself/dp/1407553631/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1327602652&sr=1-2

So just got to get all the bits she will need for the projects

flossie217

rosie383 wrote: »

Hi all! I'm venturing on here for the first time looking for some help. I was a sort-of sewer in my youth as my Mum taught us the basics. Apart from the odd hand-sewing bits and pieces I haven't sewn for years!
I have just done a basic sewing course and have just been very kindly given a beautiful sewing machine on Freecycle.
I can't find an instruction manual for free online, and am hoping someone can point me in the right direction.
It's a Winfield and says on it Model FW131 foreign. It is a gorgeous machine, but I haven't even been able to thread it so can't have a wee play.

I have found this. I don't know anything about them though
http://sewingonline.co.uk/library/WINFIELD-F.W.131.html

spicyprawn

schofield8883 wrote: »

hi im looking for patterns to make summer dress for my dd (1/2 years) also does anyone have the link to the thread with all the links on for fabric sites etc (if that makes sence thank you lovely people

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3074510

I think this has the sites for fabric listed hth

Florenceem

homealone wrote: »

i too saw this episode and was watching with baited breath to see it was made. i am very new to sewing and although i have made a fabulous long corduory pencil skirt, got quite a lot of help with it through a sewing club i have just joined. i have 22 inch cushion pads and managed to find a lovely offcut in cream with bugle beads on it but have not set up machinne at home yet to try and tackle a project on my own. i did intend to sew 3 sides and then hand sew 4th side once cushion was inside. but not really the done thing. so i watched and it definitely had an overlap on back of cushion which i am guessing is envelope style. so could someone tell me how i can do that please?

I thought the flap was on the front.

Florenceem

Mooloo wrote: »

When making an Envelope style, your back section has to be two pieces that are about 2/3rds of the back each. Then they are hemmed, and then they are sewn down together against the front piece. When you turn it inside out, insert the cushion pad, and straighten it out. You will not be able to see the pad. The deeper the over lap the better the cushion stays together. You can then use the envelope style to add buttons or other trims, such as ribbons to tie it together. It is the easiest way to make a cushion.

You can do this with one piece of fabric as well. Just folding in the two edges hemming them and overlapping, this will leave you only two sides to sew. Very easy.

Do you think this method turns out as well as the original way - front piece plus two back pieces?

Savvy_sewing

Florenceem wrote: »

Do you think this method turns out as well as the original way - front piece plus two back pieces?

I think it looks better, and there is much less to do. I have made these style often. Just made them for a local hairdressers seat cushions. Alas I didnt take a photo of them. See if I can get my daughter to take a picture for me, as she has taken them already to deliver.
It only makes sense to have the extra seams if you are using different fabrics, or smaller remenants of fabrics that you have.
Or inserting piping etc in the seams.:D

ps. the cushion that they made did have a flap that ended up on the patchwork side, which we would usually have thought would be the back of the cushion, but if you look at the programme closely you will see that they were not made that well at all. The fabric had slipped and didnt line up. The principle was there but it could have been done much better. I think it was more to show what you can make then the final outcome.! I think I would rather the Teatowelling had been on the back, and the floral pattern etc on the front, (Without the overflap being in the teatowelling, as it cut the patchwork up). Sorry nit picking!!!

Florenceem

:rotfl::rotfl:

Mooloo wrote: »

I think it looks better, and there is much less to do. I have made these style often. Just made them for a local hairdressers seat cushions. Alas I didnt take a photo of them. See if I can get my daughter to take a picture for me, as she has taken them already to deliver.
It only makes sense to have the extra seams if you are using different fabrics, or smaller remenants of fabrics that you have.
Or inserting piping etc in the seams.:D

ps. the cushion that they made did have a flap that ended up on the patchwork side, which we would usually have thought would be the back of the cushion, but if you look at the programme closely you will see that they were not made that well at all. The fabric had slipped and didnt line up. The principle was there but it could have been done much better. I think it was more to show what you can make then the final outcome.! I think I would rather the Teatowelling had been on the back, and the floral pattern etc on the front, (Without the overflap being in the teatowelling, as it cut the patchwork up). Sorry nit picking!!!

That was a big slip then! Thanks for the advice. I never do things the easy way! :rotfl:

cptkwoman

flossie217 wrote: »

Sorry for the late reply but I haven't been on the forum this weekend.
I have been extremely happy with my machine. I am more of a crafter than a dressmaker. It has sewn through several layers of denim with ease although I went over the leg seams very slowly just to make sure I didn't break the needle.
I haven't worked any very lightweight fabric so can't give an opinion on that.
The fabric feeds through nice and straight and overall it is a really nice machine to use. It's not the prettiest of machines to be honest, I'd describe it as more of a sturdy workhorse. Perfect for all general sewing, crafting, dressmaking and curtain making.
I can't think of any negatives about this machine if it has the features you are needing.

Hi, Thanks so much for your reply - to be honest, your original post was so long ago, I didn't really expect to hear from you, so a lovely surprise!

Really glad the Janome 5124 is working well for you. It's true, I've looked at the photos and thought it could be prettier, but then I don't have room to leave it out when not in use, so it's not really an issue I'm looking for a machine to replace a really old Husqvarna, which is particularly tank-like, so a sturdy workhorse is exactly what I want. I'm mainly a crafter myself, so primarily I want a machine that can just take everything I throw at it without it baulking, or jumping all over the table if I show it a few layers of thick canvas, or a bit of leather. My old Tank is very short of elegance or features, so a few more stitches, an up-down needle feature, and speed control sound just about right for me. I also like the idea of a DC motor to give it a bit extra power on slow stitching. I'm thinking I might like to play with some freestyle machine embroidery too... Mostly, I'd just like a machine I can trust.

I was originally looking at some different models, but the 5124 was recommended by the guy at Sewing Machines Direct. My only concern really is that this model has been long discontinued, so it's been difficult finding many reviews, and I wonder about availability of spares, etc.

I hope you don't mind me asking - but in your original post, you said you paid £269. It's up for £299 on their website now. I'm wondering whether it's just gone up in price, or whether SMD are open to a bit of price negotiation?!

Thanks again