The sewing thread

PollyWollyDoodle

Grr, going slightly mad - last year I did my first ever proper pattern adjustment, I did an FBA and in order to do it, I bought a roll of proper dressmaker's tracing paper. I know I did, I've even searched my old Amazon orders to check - and I bought a 20 metre roll of the flippin' stuff. Can I find it anywhere?

I've found quite a few forgotten items in the search, I've rationalised my stash somewhat and decided on some future projects ... since doing Kon Marie a few years ago, my craft stuff is pretty well organised so there aren't that many places to look. I think I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and order a new roll. And we all know what will happen then, don't we.

How's the skirt coming along, Laura?

Laura_Elsewhere

I think you are right about keeping it simple...

I could be cutting it out tomorrow, as the Sewing Group with the big cutting-out floor space is on a Wednesday, only I haven't yet done the required arithmetic to calculate the lay-out, oops...

It's a sort of constantly-revised-and-improved diy-pattern

I'm in the process of developing a similar button-front blouse pattern - currently wearing a short-sleeved blouse I designed and cut out yesterday morning, blimey that was fast! Dunelm were selling Rose&Hubble cottons for £2/m reduced, so I bought several yards so I can experiment a bit with blouses...

silvasava

Grey and windy here today and the temperature dropped considerably so......... I have mended a top, shortened 3 pairs of cut off's to a length I like and made another pair of cut off's into shorts. Another pair of cut off's pinned ready to hem tomorrow when I get some toning thread. Made good inroads today so might tackle the rest by the end of the week!

Laura_Elsewhere

I had an unexpected Day Being Feak & Weeble last week and decided not to rush the new skirt.

I've been happily experimenting with blouse designing, courtesy of the £2/m cotton from Dunelm. One finished and wearable although things I'd change in future versions. Another half-made and will, I think, be wearable. I'm learning tons, having never made a blouse before. It's great having the spare, quality, fabric to just cut and find out

I've done quite well lately - finished making my own-design Roman-blinds shorts (and again, a learning experience, having never made trousers or shorts before); re-made a sky-blue silk skirt to be a knee-length, flared, six-panel, welted-pockets, summer skirt; repaired my "long-legs" (cotton leggings from Primark, chopped off short and edged with wide crochet lace edging to stop them rolling up - essential for summer skirt wearing with plump legs like mine!); designed and made 1.5 blouses.

Next week is otherwise-occupied, but then I'm looking forward to the blue skirt, but also to starting to re-make a herringbone tweed skirt for autumn, which I originally bought and dismantled around the start of the century!

purpleivy

I'm pleased to report that in spite of recent work loads, I have managed to do some home sewing. I see I haven't checked in since 24th June. June was really busy for work. July is shaping up that way too. I was going away last Saturday and by Wed morning I had 27 things to alter, plus 44 t shirts to re label for someone. I knew I would enjoy it more if I had done it before I went, so decided I needed to do 9 things each Wed Thurs and Friday. This went up to 31 things total by Friday morning, but I did manage to get the original 27 done. I thought I might go to sewing class at the place I was visiting, but couldn't face getting everything out of the car and re packing then driving home in the rush hour. So I came home in the morning and didn't do work sewing (well, sewing a blouse for a friend) that day, just free choice!

Since then I caught up with my work, only to have 17 things arrive yesterday. I did everything that came till Thursday, then decided I would leave it till Monday. I have been working on a short sleeved shirt for hub, which has tropical fish on it! For Tropical night when we go on our cruise later in the year.

PollyWollyDoodle

Goodness PurpleIvy, I know you do it for a living but that sounds like a lot of work!

I've really got my sewing mojo back after buying fabric and patterns. I started making a shirtwaister dress, and (cue drum roll) I made a muslin. Not a big deal to some of you, but compared to my former days of 'pin it, slash it, sew it' this is a real change. I'm glad I did, as it's let me understand how the collar goes together- the first time I've used a Burda pattern, and they are not big on instructions.

I thought I'd need to enlarge the pattern, and couldn't find the tracing paper (see post above!) so I decided to make a top meanwhile. I used the pattern I spent so long hacking last year to make it fit, and cut one of the different shaped necklines. It went together so easily, and I did something I've read about but never done before (cue another drum roll!) I used bias binding on the neckline instead of facing. It was way easier than I'd expected and I'm so happy with the finish, I'll definitely be doing that again.

This is my fourth version of this top, and the time spent adjusting the pattern was well worth it. More on the dress later, I'm feeling really excited about sewing at the moment.

Laura_Elsewhere

Same here, PollyWD!

I've made clothes for nearly all my half-century, certainly before I was 10, but this is the first time I've really worked to understand better and pay attention to details. It's been gathering pace for a couple of years but the last few weeks it's really got going.

I feel quite resentful about the things next week that mean no sewing!

I'm now binding raw edges on seams, and on cotton I am doing French or bound seams without even thinking - actually it worked beautifully for a short-sleeved blouse: I had to do a narrow hem on the sleeve-edge so I simply started at the body's hem and did a narrow hem right the way up the raw edge of the side of the front-body piece, along the sleeve edge, and down the side of the back-body piece, then just seamed back and front, resulting in hemmed sleeve and no raw edges on the side-seams!

I'm using that £2/m cotton to make muslins that are then wearable (if they work - so far it's one-all, one wearable (just!) and one not wearable).

I'm so pleased with how much I'm learning! I hope to evolve a pattern I can use for making a cap-sleeved blouse with only one metre (a challenge on my portly frame) and then I'll be able to use various gorgeous fabrics I can never afford 2m of but can't use 1m of!

silvasava

Dont know if its any use to anyone - Lidl have a sewing offer on this Thursday with overlocker threads and a sewing machine among other things

purpleivy

Thanks Silva! I'm not sure I would want one of their sewing machines! I have used the overlocker thread and it's great!

silvasava

The sewing machine is a Singer........:) TBH though I don't know what the quality is like as mine is over 40 years old and still going strong!!
Have completed most of my alterations and all of my mending - just two more things to do and they are quite simple.