The Sewing Room

dizzytina

hart44 wrote: »

I wish I had more time to sew, I have so many things I want to make and time keeps running away from me

Oh to win the lottery and stay at home to sew :rotfl:

Ah if only.............:D

I have just finished a cushion for my friends little boy freddie. I will try and add pics here at some point but i have uploaded pics on my blog if you want to have a look here:- http://scratchycatcrafter.blogspot.com/

I used half a fleece blanket from poundland and a scraps from an old pair of jeans

tootallulah

Dinah, you have a Boyes close by don't you? The one in Newark has polyester batting/wadding for quilts at reasonable prices. Mind you you don't need the batting until the quilted top is complete so that will be a wee while yet.

Gingerbiscuit_2

Sorry a few more starter questions! Have been looking at lots of lovely fabric but I'm getting confused on what is the average size it is sold by, per yard, per metre, and what on earth is a fat quater.....

Also what would you say is the baseline average price for cotton material per metre (or whatever it is ) I know the sky is the limit but what would you say is a good average price for everyday type plain material, this will really help me compare if the shop is a good deal or not.

Finally! Can you sew well with polycotton mix I've seen some thats cheaper than cotton but judging by some old pillowcases at home I assume the material would be harder to sew with? Any feedback on this would be much appreciated thank you.

23rdspiral

hi, sorry for the big post but now we're talking about quilts, patches, swaps and cutting, i've gotta write out what's in my head!

danables wrote: »

Ooo 23rdspiral, how do you get involved in fabric swops i have lots that id like to swop with someone...would love to know more...

Hi Danables, i've only done swaps through Flickr - through groups that are run by someone with all doing the same aim eg the hexagon charm quilt. there are several flickr groups though where you can swap fabric in scrap or fat 8ths or fat 1/4s or whatever - you post a pic in the group and whoever is interested approaches you. there are also groups to 'de-stash' your craft room where other things are swapped as well as fabric... i need to join one of these!!

hart44 wrote: »

I have started cutting squares to make a quilt. I enjoyed making the cushion covers I made for my mum and now want to make a light trow quilt for the back of the sofa (another project to do :rotfl:)

Good luck with your throw Hart!! What size squares are you doing? Hart and Danables, here's an idea... perhaps we could have a Sewing Room swap??

Dinah93 wrote: »

Has anyone any experience in making quilts? I'm trying to find the wadding or whatever you want to call it for making one padded rather than just two sheets of cotton. I've never made a quilt before, but I'm a bit bored of making dressesm and the veil material STILL hasn't arrived.

hi Dinah, i've made a couple, heres one that's finished apart from the actual 'quilting'!!: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23rdspiral/4496213307/ i always get my wadding from the market as i like to feel the thickness and support local people. i really enjoy patchwork as it's so thrifty and can suit my mood - machine or hand depending. a quilt can be a very large undertaking, depening on the piece size, sewing method and quilting method. so i started off with patchwork cushions:http://www.flickr.com/photos/23rdspiral/4479607478/in/set-72157594450167277/, and http://www.flickr.com/photos/23rdspiral/4496856208/in/set-72157594450167277/
here's one i made my nan. it's mine again now, which is sad but i liked that i was there for her comfort when i couldnt be there to hug her:


Gingerbiscuit: it is really confusing isnt it!? and that's before you discover jelly rolls! :rotfl:sorry, i'll keep on subject: fabric is priced per meter. a "fat quarter" is one square meter folded into four and cut along the folds, thus giving a square piece of fabric 50 x 50cm, as opposed to buying a quarter of a meter off the roll, resulting in a long thin piece that is only 25cm wide. Costs really depend on whether you are buying bog standard, named or designer, and in a shop, online or market. i always try the market first as its is cheaper, a real person in my community and he often has end of line of expensive stuff at good prices! I'm thinking of getting some good quality stripy cotton from him at 3quid a meter, his gingham is 2quid a meter. Sorry, i rarely buy new fabric!! but I hope that helps a bit!

oh and about Cutting Mats - i've a very old A3 size and find it ok. The grid lines printed on it are out a bit which is irritating and they are rarely the size i need so i use permanent marker to rule where i need. ie for 2.5" squares i've ruled 2 lines that distance apart down the length of the board, with lines to intersect to make squares but they 'stick out' beyond the square. then all i need do is line up the ruler with the sticking out lines and cut. this makes it very easy and quick for me to cut dozens. sorry, i know i havent explained that very well. i could take a photo if anyone's interested?

Bunny200

Gingerbiscuit wrote: »

Sorry a few more starter questions! Have been looking at lots of lovely fabric but I'm getting confused on what is the average size it is sold by, per yard, per metre, and what on earth is a fat quater.....

Fabric is usually sold in this country in metres (sometimes half metres if shop is willing) but in the states its usually yards (3ft or 36 inches or 91.5 cm) as they use imperial measurements.
A Fat Quarter is best explained here and here and are usually used for craft project, e.g. quilts, bags etc especially if you want a variety of colours/designs. Its an economical way of cutting fabric. FQ as they are often called usually sell for £2 - 5 each depending on designer. Sometimes you get Fat Eigths (FE) as well. There are some other terms used :
Charms are 5" squares
Jelly Rolls are 2.5" wide strips
Layer Cakes are 10" squares
Honey Buns are 1.5" wide strips
Turnovers are 6" triangles
Theses are all different packs that you can buy of quilting fabric to make it easier to design and cut the shapes you want.



Also what would you say is the baseline average price for cotton material per metre (or whatever it is ) I know the sky is the limit but what would you say is a good average price for everyday type plain material, this will really help me compare if the shop is a good deal or not.

Fabric prices can vary greatly, I've spent from 60p/metre to £10/metre and you can go even higher. I'd say average dressmaking cotton which could be a cotton/poly blend would be about £5-7/metre. Quilting fabric usually from designers such as Amy Butler, Alexander Henry, Moda, Heather Bailey are much more expensive around the £10/m mark. As they are predominatly US designers new fabric designs get released there first and take a while to make it across the ocean and can be very pricey. If you have a market selling fabric or sari-type/ethnic fabric shops near you (I wish!!) you will get a bargain. There are some good websites selling fabric at an acceptable price but you do pay for postage and as you can imagine a few metres of fabric will get heavy and cost a bit. Chawlas, Abakhan, Cheap Fabric are a few. If you are starting out best to go to a fabric shop and touch and stroke the fabrics, look at the tags to see the fabric composition to get and understanding of that they feel like, drape like and prices are. If you get there on a quiet day they will often help you out by describing the fabric names to you, Georgette, chiffon, tafetta etc.

Finally! Can you sew well with polycotton mix I've seen some thats cheaper than cotton but judging by some old pillowcases at home I assume the material would be harder to sew with? Any feedback on this would be much appreciated thank you.

Cotton/Poly blends are great depending on what your project is. Personally I do mainly dressmaking so I tend to go for something more on the cotton side than polyester side but there are a huge variety of fabrics. It all depends what you are making. A good source of cheap fabric especially if you are starting out and don't want to make expensive mistakes would be charity shop, look out for duvet covers and any items of clothing that catch your eye, esp larger sizes (more fabric to play with!!!)



hth!

Copper1977

Hi everyone,

Do you mind if I join you? I have been reading through the thread and very impressed with what everyone has been making.

I am a complete novice and have not done any sewing since school, but I want to get into sewing properly so that I can do clothes alterations, make things for round the house etc. My long term aim is to make a patchwork quilt!

I would like some advice if anyone is able to help - sewing machines. Are any of you able to recommend a good sewing machine suitable for myself as a complete beginner, but that will see me through to more difficult things such as quilt making?

I am very grateful for any input, and looking forwad to getting to know everyone a bit better.

Bunny200

Done an update on my nightmare dress (it didn't get any better!) and made something 100% better!!!! Unfortunatly not for me!
http://hereswhatididtoday.blogspot.com/2010/05/failure-and-success.html

cuddles123

Copper1977 wrote: »

Hi everyone,

Do you mind if I join you? I have been reading through the thread and very impressed with what everyone has been making.

I am a complete novice and have not done any sewing since school, but I want to get into sewing properly so that I can do clothes alterations, make things for round the house etc. My long term aim is to make a patchwork quilt!

I would like some advice if anyone is able to help - sewing machines. Are any of you able to recommend a good sewing machine suitable for myself as a complete beginner, but that will see me through to more difficult things such as quilt making?

I am very grateful for any input, and looking forwad to getting to know everyone a bit better.

Welcome Copper , come on in.:D

Lots of people ask the question about machines, so it really is worth going back through this thread to see what has been said - lots of useful advice

Do come and post pics of your makes - we love to see them :j

FifiMo

This is my first post on here. I've been a long time lurker and have to say that I have taken advantage of lots of your wonderful patterns and suggestions over the past few months, so I thought it was about time I posted something.

I noticed that someone was talking about cutting mats and how expensive they are - this firm here are the cheapest that I've found (£15 cheaper than my local hobby shop for example!!!) and they supply a lot more sewing items which all seem rather reasonably priced. Unfortunately it won't let me post a link (don't know why - says cos i'm a new user grrrrrrrrrrr) - but you can go to jmm-marketing dot co dot uk and check out page 22 of their catalogue for the cutting mats if you wish.

I sew mostly for Loving Hands charity which I love because i get to pick and choose what projects I can do next.

Kind regards

Fiona

flossie217

Copper1977 wrote: »

Hi everyone,


I would like some advice if anyone is able to help - sewing machines. Are any of you able to recommend a good sewing machine suitable for myself as a complete beginner, but that will see me through to more difficult things such as quilt making?

I am very grateful for any input, and looking forwad to getting to know everyone a bit better.

Hello. Here is a link that may be of some help with ideas and websites https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2169321
If you need any more help just let us know as I'm sure there will be someone who can help.