The sewing thread

RosyRed

Hi No1Swimmum,glad you stopped lurking .I just put mine in one of those fabric covered baskets that I got from Ald i last year but then again I dont have that many and have just got rid of some to the CShop.
If I had a lot I suppose I'd look in somewhere like Wilkos or Dunelm for stacking plastic boxes- depends whether they will be on show or not too.I have seen some decorative boxes with lids (like archive boxes) which would stack. HTH

Jackyann -good luck with your backdrop,it sounds a hard job to me but I'm another who hates making curtains etc.Well done for trying and donating the money back too.

I haven't done any sewing for a few weeks either but would like to make a dress as I have 2 evening 'do's' at the end of November,we'll see

jackyann

Hello swimmum, not sure what your pain issues are. I find that sometimes sitting and sewing makes it worse, but doing something absorbing helps. I try to plan to sit awhile, then move around a bit. And definitely well done on jersey for a pound a yard! I used an old filing cabinet for my patterns, we bought it for a pound, 40 years ago! It was lovely wood, which my OH stained and varnished. I am now lucky enough to have a sewing room, in which he has made drawers to store the patterns.
Thanks rosyred, I shall let you all know how I get on, but won't be making the backdrop until the New Year, just needed to get the grant application in. It is a small festival, run entirely by volunteers, and is a highlight of our local year!

silvasava

Jackyann - I would suggest doubling your estimate. Handling large amounts of fabric can be very tiring! I have to make curtains for my sitting room to get the length and width - 8ft drop and 4 curtains needing 3 widths in each - it's a marathon! So even though you will be making this as a donation please don't under estimate your time. My old boss always used to add a percentage for what he called the !!!!!!ance factor! He's been right so many times!
No sewing done recently - I've a small mending pile that needs attacking and I had a LBM when tidying up. I bought a cheap mattress cover but the fitted cuff was made out of something like jcloth which split as soon as it was fitted over the mattress. I was going to repair it with an old fitted sheet but I've decided the quilted top can be cut up to make some more pillow protectors instead.

That should have read b*u*g*g*e*r*a*n*c*e

no.1swimmum

Hi Jackyann, your fiing cabinet sounds amazing - I dream of a sewing room, maybe one day when the boys move out I will get one!

I have fibromyalgia, so am in pain in numerous parts of my body, I do have to pace myself and can only sew for a short while, and on days when my hands aren't to painful! I work as a technician in a school, so I take my fabric and pattern to work with me and lay it all out on one of the tables in the textiles room and cut out my fabric in my breaks - I would have to lay it out on the floor at home as DH won't let me use the new dining room table!!

I bought some fabric to work with me today, to make ds a pair of pj bottoms as a joke birthday present, the fabric has maths sums all over it and he is a maths teacher.

daisy_1571

Morning sewing people, I have a nesting table set that has three round table slotting under an oblong table. The wee ones are sooooo useful however for the umpteen years I have had them I have been meaning to make round covers for them. This is my plan for the weekend plus couching over some gold coloured laces that had been glued but has dried and is falling off. (These are the pretend laces on one set of our "Xmas stockings", the ones that look like velvet knee high boots with gold laces and gold buttons and fur trimmed tops as opposed to our star trek xmas stockings). Unfortunately the dried glue has marked the velvet however it means I have a guide where I am sewing the laces back down. Plus I bought a lovely top but am making side splits in it so fiddly unpicking then sewing back up. All fiddly jobs but have been hanging around a while (esp the tablecloths)

silvasava

Once New Year is in and the Christmas decorations are packed away I will start on my sewing again. I have some and sods of mending - a top to shorten and then start on my big job! New Dodgers for my boat - I'll use the old ones as a pattern, they look fairly straightforward but will need brass eyelets to attach to the boat. I'm also trying to source some white lettering to put the boat name on them. The ones I can buy are 9" and I need 7" - I'd prefer ready made to sew on.
When I've done those I'll be making a main sail cover and I'm intending to have a long zip to close it when the sail is down - need to have them done by end March - no pressure lol!!!

PollyWollyDoodle

I'm not sure what dodgers are! I mentioned above making some sheet bags for my friend's boat, it nearly did for my Janome so I used the 100-year old workhorse which coped well. I left the eyelet/press studs for him to attach.

I'm definitely going to be doing more sewing in January. I received a French curve and a Tailor's Ham for Christmas, very happy as my aim is to make more of my own clothes. Plans are: more t-shirts, after a first successful attempt; possibly some more cotton tops now I've done my first ever pattern adjustment; a knit dress, I have a pattern all ready, just need some fabric. And I'm going to have a go at some knickers, using the links earlier in this thread - if it doesn't work, there's always M&S!

silvasava

Polly - Dodgers are the flat pieces that fit to the stanchions at the sides of the cockpit to keep the wind & weather off a bit if you are sitting down! They also usually have the boats name on so it can be clearly seen. I've an old singer heavy duty and a husquavarna that is sturdy so I'll have a practice first on some scraps to see which copes better.
Shortened DGD's trousers for her to wear tonight and while I had the machine out I've mended a frayed towel for DS1, mended 2 pairs of knickers where I'd put my thumb through the lace on the hip, shortened a top a friend gave me and took another top in under the arms as it was a 16 and I'm a 14 so the armholes were a bit too big although the rest fitted OK! I've a pair of DGD's jeans to mend - hole in the bum and they are VERY stretchy - she's been told I'll do the best I can. I also have a nice pair of shorts with a concealed zip but it's a b*gger to do up as there's no hook and bar at the top so that's another small job for tomorrow. Then I'll start on the boat stuff!

daisy_1571

Much joy, an ancient thick cotton tablecloth beautifully embroidered but stained with tea in places has now become a lovely dust cover for my machine so I don't have to wrestle it in and out its metal cover all the time.

Daisy xx

silvasava

Mended some jeans of DGD, now I've got a small curtain to make for DS1 for his utility room. I've managed to source some letters for my Dodgers so when they arrive that will be my next job. I have been procrastinating with starting them but need to get on with them soon. I did turn a mattress cover into 4 pillow protectors but not much else done.