The Sewing Room

Kandipandi

BlackNarcissus wrote: »

Hi everyone, hope you don't mind if I join in. I've recently bought a sewing machine and have been getting to grips with it. I haven't done anything yet, apart from taking up some curtains, but today I plan on attempting a book bag. Rather than buy fabric, I bought a lovely floral double sheet from the charity shop to practice on, so we'll see how it goes. One day I hope to attempt making my own clothes.

I've loved seeing what everyone has been making - your creations are amazing.

Right, off to put this rainy bank holiday weekend to good use.

Bye for now.

I have made loads of simple book bags, I used this tutorial when I first started give it a go - there are lots of other lovely and easy to make ideas on that site too.

Keiss_21

Thankyou everyone for the kind words about my creations...having a break today, hoping to get out in the garden this afternoon after work this morning. I Have to work out how to make padded covers of the wheel-chair arms...will get my thinking cap on tonight! I took loads of measurements yesterday..hope I can read my scribbles!

BlackNarcissus wrote: »

Hi everyone, hope you don't mind if I join in. I've recently bought a sewing machine and have been getting to grips with it. I haven't done anything yet, apart from taking up some curtains, but today I plan on attempting a book bag. Rather than buy fabric, I bought a lovely floral double sheet from the charity shop to practice on, so we'll see how it goes. One day I hope to attempt making my own clothes.

Hya, I used this tutorial to help me with making this lined bag



making sure the straps were on the right side and doubled over when attaching the lining so as not to get caught was a bit tricky.

Hope this helps. Good luck with the sewing!

danables

After getting annoyed about cutting long lengths of fabric in a straight (or in my case no so straight) line, I found myself stood in Hobbycraft with a rotary cutter, mat and ruler, but after realising I would have to pay £55 for the privilage I didnt think it was very MSE of me to go down that road until I tried something else/did some research first.

I thought a cheaper option might be a metre rule but I cant seem to find a metre rule anywhere! just wondering how everyone cuts their fabric? Do you fold it first and use a rotary cutter or cut without folding using a metre rule, marking your fabric with a disappearing ink pen, and using scissors on a flat surface?

Im not planning on quilting in the future but would like to try applique, one particular project involves cutting lots of very thin pieces of material to use as flower stalks, but im thinking this could be tricky with scissors...just not sure what to do?!...please help x

BlackNarcissus

Thanks for the welcome.

Kandipandi- that's the tutorial I have followed. I saved it following your previous recommendation. Thanks for that.

Keiss21 - thank you also. I love the button fastening on the straps of your bag.

Well, that's my first attempt. Have realised that I'm not very good at following instructions directly- I like to sit and work out how everything fits together IYSWIM. Anyway, the bag is a bit wonky and not finished off very well, but I'm quite pleased with the first attempt.

I will add pictures when I've worked out how to do it.:D

hart44

Danables, Im usless at straight lines so I got myself a disappearing ink pen and a quilters ruler (only a cheap one off ebay) and use them a lot and now get straight lines I also brought a rotary cutter off ebay but have not plucked up courage to use it yet.

I have been busy today making my mum a bag, she posted some fantastic fabric and asked for a sinple bag she could fold up and keep in her handbag, well when the fabric arrived I could make her bag using all of it ( if you go on my homepage it's on there ) .

Also used some of my junk as my OH calls it lol but then says Im so clever when he see's what I do with junk, these are also on my blog

Bunny200

danables wrote: »

After getting annoyed about cutting long lengths of fabric in a straight (or in my case no so straight) line, I found myself stood in Hobbycraft with a rotary cutter, mat and ruler, but after realising I would have to pay £55 for the privilage I didnt think it was very MSE of me to go down that road until I tried something else/did some research first.

I thought a cheaper option might be a metre rule but I cant seem to find a metre rule anywhere! just wondering how everyone cuts their fabric? Do you fold it first and use a rotary cutter or cut without folding using a metre rule, marking your fabric with a disappearing ink pen, and using scissors on a flat surface?

Im not planning on quilting in the future but would like to try applique, one particular project involves cutting lots of very thin pieces of material to use as flower stalks, but im thinking this could be tricky with scissors...just not sure what to do?!...please help x

I swear by my rotary cutter, mat and ruler. I paid a similar price and got the biggest mat I could find and I haven't looked back. I'm rubbish at cutting and can never get a straight line without jagged edge, I think I lift the fabric too much so it slips around. I would think the cutting you are describing for your applique would be easier with a rotary cutter. The only side effect of a large mat is that they should be stored flat so you need somewhere to put it when you are not using (under the bed) but really its worth getting as large as you can afford/store.

There were a few posts about this a couple of weeks ago if you can stand going back through the posts to find the views people had!

hth!

Georgiabay

Hello everyone :wave:

This is a fantastic thread! I found it a few days ago and have read the last ten pages or so and have now started from the beginning, although as there's so many pages I'm just looking at the pictures. I've also been distracted by reading all your blogs ( and also the links to tutorials - this is going to take me forever).
You've made some absolutely gorgeous things.

I used to make my own clothes years ago and for my daughter when she was small. I've got quite a lot of unfinished projects, some going back many years . I have a patchwork that I was making out of material from things I had made and from clothes that I used to wear so that I could look at it and remember the different clothes. It's small diamonds and had grown into a ramdom shape but I don't know what to do with it.

hart44

Just want to thank everyone who has commented on my blog , Im still trying to work it out

Hope everyone is keeping busy

I have just sorted through all my fabric and found some great coloured fabric (I had forgot about them) lurking at the bottom of the plastic boxes it is all stored in at the mo but as soon as I can get my chest of drawers painted up I can store where I will be able to see what I have

Tomrrow will be a no sew day as my Little princess is coming to see me (I feel so old being called nan :rotfl:) but I have a extra sew day this wk :j

mollymunchkin

How do I work out what size rotary cutter to get? And are there any recommendations? I'm dangerously browsing Ebay for things to buy

Please!

Dinah93

danables wrote: »

After getting annoyed about cutting long lengths of fabric in a straight (or in my case no so straight) line, I found myself stood in Hobbycraft with a rotary cutter, mat and ruler, but after realising I would have to pay £55 for the privilage I didnt think it was very MSE of me to go down that road until I tried something else/did some research first.

I thought a cheaper option might be a metre rule but I cant seem to find a metre rule anywhere! just wondering how everyone cuts their fabric? Do you fold it first and use a rotary cutter or cut without folding using a metre rule, marking your fabric with a disappearing ink pen, and using scissors on a flat surface?

Im not planning on quilting in the future but would like to try applique, one particular project involves cutting lots of very thin pieces of material to use as flower stalks, but im thinking this could be tricky with scissors...just not sure what to do?!...please help x

I have an A1 cutting mat, a rotary cutter and the thick plastic ruler with the measurements on. I find the measurements really handy and by being able to see through the ruler I can make sure the fabric is straight especially if it has a pattern to it. I got the mat for £11 on Amazon, the cutter for £7 on ebay and the ruler I think was £8 on ebay. Hobbycraft are evil for their pricing in my eyes - you can always get it a lot cheaper elsewhere.