The sewing thread

PollyWollyDoodle

HOW much? - I'd love to see some of these clothes for real and see if they really look as if they're well made and good quality. I don't think my construction skills are high enough to equal that but I'm sure the stuff I turn out is as good as or better than, say, Primark! :rotfl:

It's really funny that you mention the pattern notcher, Kittie - I had no idea such a thing existed until it popped up on Amazon yesterday while I was looking at something else. I was wondering if it's really worth it or whether it's just another piece of kit that won't get used. Sounds as if it's something else for me to add to my Christmas/birthday list. I already have French curve and thread clippers written down.

No sewing today due to paid work getting in the way, although that's not a bad thing - might allow me to order something from Croft & Mills next month!

[Deleted User]

a mini skirt from
http://www.celticfusionfabrics.com/ourshop/prod_6037815-Rifle-Paper-Co-wonderland-navy-metallic-CANVAS-weight.html

not me, just thinking grandchildren when they are older. If I was famous then I would charge £500. In reality, cost would be <£13.

Got to get going, slept so well last night, must have been the exercise. Got esme copied while leaving the tissue uncut, last night at 8 as would have faeen asleep if I sat. Works well using white card on tablecloth and pencil not sharpie. This swedish paper is better than the first lot that I used a long time ago, it doesn`t retain curl and you can use pencil easily. Also ironed long length of brushed tartan, was a beggar to get grain as it was sticking to itself. Trial run of that first, no darts in esme and looks very easy but I will put a little interfacing on the back facing, maybe. Next after this, if it is a good fit, will be essex metallic linen, I have a short length washed and ready and it is lightweight. Could potentially look very good worn with the essex linen skirt I made.
http://www.robertkaufman.com/fabrics/essex_yarn_dyed_metallic/E105-171/

http://www.robertkaufman.com/fabrics/essex_yarn_dyed/E064-1019/

[Deleted User]

esme was a surprise. I was expecting that it might look like a maternity smock but it didn`t, it atually looked quite slimming on me and it goes over the head easily, so will not be getting buttonholes. The sleeve cuff was too restricting on the elbow so I have lengthened the sleeve by an inch. This is meant to be a beginner pattern but the facings are confusing, I ended up just putting it together quickly as a muslin and did the facings quickly. Then binned the muslin

The sleeves are wonderful to insert, cut on the bias, they just ease in without any gathering. There is some fabric gathering under the front yoke, I did that and took it out to replace with a couple of small pleats on each side of the button band, which I left above an unpleated section. Its a lovely pattern and easy to cut and put together and I have already cut another in a stash poplin, could be a liberty design from years past. It will fit onto a 44 wide fabric and takes 2.2 m for a size 18. The yoke seam was at the right place and looked like a princess seam, helping the top to fit nicely. It is going into my reliable pile
http://www.backstitch.co.uk/sew-liberated-esme-top

I had to wash that poplin as it smelt of cotton so I didn`t know if it had been done. While waiting for it to dry, I started work on style arc maddison, which arrived quickly from amazon. There were multi sizes on the pattern, all in different colours and the paper is thick. I moved the side bust dart down about 2 inches to point towards my BP and re-graded the side seam. Btw the bust point below pattern BP is very common in larger busted women. To find the exact BP, you pin the pattern at the SA and place it on your shoulder with the centre at your centre front, then you mark your own BP on the pattern. Moving a side dart is not difficult but you need to be accurate and a large quilting rectangle comes in very handy. It isn`t a full bust adjustment. You need tape and patching paper and a french curve to re-align the side seam

I felt confident in style arc and am not making a muslin but have cut two tops out as I want to keep the living area tidier, rather than keep taking everything out. The fabrics I used are
https://www.sewhot.co.uk/product/outback-wife-blue-mary/
I had 2m and had bits over
and
https://drapersdaughter.com/collections/fabrics/products/robert-kaufman-yarn-dyed-essex-linen-metallic-water
this was tight to cut out, I didn`t have a mm left as there is a long bias strip for the neckline. I had 2m

https://www.stylearc.com/shop/sewing-patterns/maddison-top/

Artytarty

Eh, well I made a new ironing board cover!
I had enough of a very heavy checked cotton,- old tablecloth and enough elastic.

PollyWollyDoodle

Always good to do, Arty - I really should replace mine.

Kittie I can't believe the amount you get through - you've got some lovely fabrics in your stash. Can I ask - do you just buy it without a specific project in mind, and how do you know how much to buy? The Esme top looks nice.

Still no sewing here, frustrating but I haven't got a free day till Saturday. Please keep inspiring me, I'm getting so much impetus from reading what other people are doing.

[Deleted User]

wd arty, very satisfying job

Polly, I wish I was disciplined re my stash, its building up again but this time I am being more fussy. I don`t often have a pattern in mind when I buy and the trouble with buying online is that you cannot feel the texture and drape, so even if I have a pattern, I may change my mind. I did recently make a simple pull on A line skirt from brown paper patterns, which fits well and is lovely so I am repeating that in x number of fabrics in future. I know that takes 2m of 110 wide fabric and if I know that I 100% love a particular make/type of fabric then I will buy a few to put by for the future, in case I cannot get them again. I basically calculate 2 to 3.5m but sometimes more than I need because of shrinkage

I am treating the last stash esme as a trial, it is too big around the neck, was going so well too. The poplin isn`t drapey enough to hang comfortably from my shoulders, without slipping. Pinterest is full of these tops and most of their necks look snugger than mine. I am going to make another today in a thin linen that I have in my old stash and I will make the length shorter or will make a curved hem. I am going down two sizes to a 14 but will grade the skirt to an 16 at the hem. I am determined to get this top right. I added band interfacing to the cuffs, not needed and makes them too stiff also serging around the neckband and bib was not a good idea, I am going to do the tricot stitching as suggested. If I grade up to 16, then I can easily grade back to 14 on the sides if it needs be
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/patterny/esme-sew-liberated/?lp=true

The white and red top on top right, she raised the neckline, that is what I need to do, she says it is simple, so that is what I will aim at

PollyWollyDoodle

Wow - light-bulb moment, I never thought of looking on Pinterest to see what other people have done with a pattern! D'oh. :rotfl:

I like the contrast yoke, they all look very different don't they - sleeve length, some looser, some more fitted. It's a lovely top.

I don't really have a dressmaking stash. When I got back into sewing a few years ago I started acquiring fabric but at that time I was making bags, cushions, pencil cases etc and using thrifted fabric. Then I discovered that the 'local search' on eBay sometimes brings up fabric, and I acquired a suitcase full of stuff from a lady who was clearing her mum's house. Now I've discovered Marie Kondo I need to go through these and be realistic about whether I'm going to use any of it. However I think I'm more likely to make one project at a time, trying to stop myself from buying things in case they turn into UFOs.

[Deleted User]

Polly, I have been sewing since 9 and got married at 22 having made my wedding dress and four bridesmaids dresses, at the time they all had those sleeves that were fitted but with puffs at the top. Each dress was made straight out of the pattern, so it was easy. Was so cheap with market fabric. I have a photo at home with the five of us, the youngest age 2, I was 31 and this was 1979. I had made every single item we were wearing, including machine knit dresses for me and the two dds and sown everything else including shirts and trousers, Hah, don`t know how I did it, couldn`t do it again. That led me to accumulate loads of fabric over a long time and looking back it was most of the cheap fabrics that gave the short lives. Now I am retired and widowed, there is no holding me back with fabrics

I am determined to rescue this esme fabric, so I measured the size 18 to 14 difference on the pattern and basted all down the sleeves to the hem, having cut the cuffs off. Gosh it fits me, couldn`t believe it, size 14, ok american. Neck was still too loose, so I undid the bottom of the button bands and all the top stitching and overlapped by as much as I could, about 1.5 inches. Lo and behold the neck now fits much better. I used the sm mock overlock to tidy the inside yoke. Used to use that all the time before I got the overlocker. I cut the hem off 1.5 inches and took an incredible 8 cm off the diameter all down

I have enough to make new shorter cuffs and will be finished in an hour with a very wearable top, when last night I felt despondent about it. I will be making this top again but in a 14 and will change the pattern to cut a higher back neck, so will have to taper it in a little or better still make a pleat in the centre back and just a neater facing

Love this sewing!!

[Deleted User]

I am comfortably wearing my altered top, so next step was to permanently alter my copied size 18 pattern, hardly wasted anything, just needed a bit of patching tochange to a 14 with a good inch taller at the back. Did that and delved into my ebay pink washed linen fron about 5 years ago and was pleasantly surprised at how nice it looks cut out. Its a rose pink and has a different appearance to woven linen and does not appear to fray. Much better quality than my cream thin stuff. I remember buying 2.5m and thinking ooh thats nice, so bought another length. Both were hanging in the cupboard for five years but then again events overtook me

So yet once again I am tidied up and this pink top will be an evening make as it successfully keeps me awake. The sleeve hems are nice at elbow length and soft without the interfacing, better. I have a hint of a twitch about the smaller armcye, so will baste that to try on as SA is 5/8 and I can make SA less

Having lunch now and need to get out in the fresh air, got to make the most of this fresh weather if we are heading to 40 degree temperatures next month

[Deleted User]

welcome jondav, lovely to see someone new on here

Janome is a very good make of machine and this is an excellent company to buy from
https://www.gursewingmachines.com/janome-217_s-sewing-machine-28095
There are plenty of other machines on their site, this was second to cheapest and looks good

A good place to start looking for cheap fabrics would be in charity shops and then just start simple with forwards and backwards and maybe seam finishing and perhaps edge stitching, to get back into the swing of it

Esme number 2 is almost finished, just sleeve hems and tidying up. I think it is going to fit perfectly, fingers crossed. The fabric is certainly very nice and I found some indie buttons. I remember picking them up at wonderwool in wales
http://www.injabulo.com/acatalog/Ceramic-buttons.html
Blooming busy again, its the summer thing, come autumn I can`t wait to put the allotment to bed.