willowsmum's musings

Finished trousers

2010-09-21T08:58:00.000-07:00

I am finished my dog walking trousers, but once again I think they are too good to get muddy. The other thing about moleskin (not real moleskin, just given that title because of the feel of the fabric) it is designed to keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer so lining is not an option.......this fabric stretches and goes out of shape with only one wearing, the pile goes flat and they generally look shabby straight away......cord does the same IMHO.......but these fabrics are ideal for what I want so I have to put up and shut up.I used chalk to transfer the markings from the pattern to my fabric.

I then thread traced so that I would have markings on both sides.

I used organza to stop the slant pocket from stretching and stitched it on by handusing a herringbone stitch.....I thought iron on interfacing would flatten the pile.

Here they are same as usual, I took a few pictures but they were absolutely appalling, this was the best one and no these are not my dog walking shoes lol
I went to Linton tweeds.....I mentioned in my last post......here is the fabric I bought, the assistant gave me some labels to stitch into my garments.

Busy

2010-09-12T12:58:00.000-07:00

I have been busy for a few months with our kitchen extension, it's nearly finished now but it shows the rest of the house up... that will have to be decorated now...... tut..... I'm fed up with it.....I am not that keen on housework.
I have been busy sewing a pair of moleskin trousers for dog walking ( the last couple of pairs of moleskin trousers were RTW and they are nearly thread bare so I am desperate for new ones) RTW moleskins are really expensive some are £120 a pair. I have the waistband to put on and the hems to do.
We went to Carlisle yesterday and I went into Linton Tweeds to see what their fabrics were like. There were some beautiful Tweeds and their wool crepes are lovely for skirts and trousers.....well I couldn't come away with nothing, could I? I bought 4 metres of black wool crepe for a pair of tailored trousers and a skirt. I looked at the Tweeds (for my first jacket) but I didn't want anything that had to be matched.....I ended up with a black textured wool with sparkly bits in it and what looks like little bits of ribbon woven into it. I have no idea when I will get round to sewing these beautiful fabrics.....it cost me £150. They were reasonably priced for what they described as couture fabrics..
There was a striped wool fabric in red, blue and cream which had been used by Chanel and this was the remnant that was left, not my taste, then there was a beautiful textured wool but it was in a sickly sweet bright pink which was also a remnant from Chanel.
I will take some pictures of my new fabrics when I get some time.
It is nice to be sewing, my wardrobe is getting very sparse and shabby so I really need some quick projects, I might sew a few knits.
The silk blouse in the post below has never been worn yet, for some reason I am not that keen on it......never mind, I might wear it next summer.

Finished silk shirt

2010-06-06T08:06:00.000-07:00

Here are the pictures of my finished silk shirt.....I'm not that keen on it for all of the frustration I've had......I prefer cotton or linen if I am honest, I will wear it though.

From the back.

From the front.....there isn't anything more I can say about this shirt other than .......it's alright.....not worth the money I spent on it.

My Garden

2010-06-05T06:32:00.000-07:00

The flowers are starting to open in my garden so I thought I would take a few pictures, anyway we have the plasterers in the kitchen today so I am keeping out of the mess.

I have waited 2 years for this poppy, but worth the wait.

Another view.

My Clematis is just starting to flower.

Hostas and lupins.

Another variety of Hosta.

Sky likes to help in the garden too.

She is definately posing for this one.

I noticed when reading some blogs of the ladies in America that their Iris were in full flower, my Iris have just started to bud up. I can see a couple of them are ready to bloom.
I am finished my silk shirt, I finished it this morning while the plasterers were in. I am sick of this garment, I have made more mistakes on it than enough. I was really careful doing the buttonholes, stitching on the buttons and doing the hem, by hand, but I am not out of the woods yet! I tried to rub a few of the markings off with a clean wet cloth......some of them have come off but some of them haven't..... I have worried about this fabric until the end.....I will wear it a couple of times then rinse it in cold water to, hopefully, remove the markings then wash it properly. When I get myself looking respectable I will take a picture of me wearing it.

Living in chaos

2010-05-30T11:31:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of my kitchen.....it definately isn't a kitchen at the moment.....

The old ceiling had to come down, the steel girder is where the outside wall used to be.

I have lightened these pictures so much that Sky's grey muzzle is showing.....she doesn't like change or being disturbed. She hasn't slept properly during the day since the disruption started and she doesn't like strangers in the house.

View from my new kitchen windows.....my beautiful Acer has had a battering.

There is nothing much left of my small garden, this is supposed to be my patio....it is just a dumping ground at them moment. My old ceiling is in the plastic bags.

Beautiful new windows....if only the inside looked as good.

We now have 3 times as many windows in the kitchen but we still have lost a lot of light, it is darker than I thought it would be....I still love it though.

I have made more mistakes on this shirt than anything else I have ever made, in fact it has nearly gone in the bin a couple of times. The last huge mistake was while overlocking the hem I slashed into the body of the shirt with the knife on the machine (I have done this before on a grey skirt I was making, you think I would learn from my mistakes....no!) I was absolutely gutted because this fabric wasn't cheap, I had to put it down and walk away until I composed myself and thought about what I was going to do. I couldn't cut it down to where the cut was because it would be too short.....first of all I invisibly mended it with silk thread then I cut off 1/4" at a time all the way around the hem twice, the mistake was then turned under into the hem, I am hand stitching it because I need to be in full control, one more mistake and it will be ruined. There is too much going on in my mind and I am not concentrating on what I am doing.

Too much mess

2010-05-22T00:19:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged for a few days now but to say we have major disruption in our house is an understatement.
The builders have been in , on and off, for three weeks now and they are nearing the end of the extension to our kitchen, the windows and door are due next week. We have ordered all of the kitchen units, fridge freezer, range and dishwasher, we need the plasterer to plaster the new walls and skim all of the old walls, the list goes on.
I am still sewing, even if it is just a little, and am progressing with my silk shirt, I have just put the sleeves in that leaves the side seams, cuffs, buttons and buttonholes.
Yesterday I bought some more RTW tops for the summer, I just wasted my time because none of them fit, I get spoilt sewing my own stuff because I always find fault with RTW, now I have to take them all back.....tut
I will try to get photos of my shirt.......when I've got time.
On a different note, I got 2nd with my lovely little girl Piper in an open dog competition a couple of weeks ago.....I was absolutely delighted. (Open competitions are for older more experienced dogs and are difficult to win or even get placed.)

Silk shirt

2010-05-07T03:41:00.000-07:00

I have started another shirt the same as the white one and the flowered one .....my thoughts were, we have the builders in and I still wanted to sew so I thought I would do a TNT project so there is no stress just straight forward sewing.......huh!!!!!!!??????......that's what I thought.

This was not the time to use my favourite silk which cost me over £50. It is a pain in the a.....to work with, in fact at one stage I was just going to fold it up and put it away in my box and leave it there.

This is the villain in question.

This pattern has a yoke and the front shoulder seam has to have a stay to stop it from stretching.I tried organza

this was just to stiff and made the seam wavy. Then I tried batiste

this also made the seam wavy and was just to heavy for the delicate silk. I then used self fabric, cutting it on the straight grain so it wouldn't stretch.....still not suitable.....at this point I just wanted to fold it up and put it away.

This morning I decided I wouldn't put any stay in at all, everything is too heavy, so I decided to put a couple of rows of stay stitching in the seam before I sew it

this is a little better but as I have pulled this seam out about 3 times it has eventually stretched it but I am going to persevere with it and see if I can salvage it. The trouble is the V neck on the shirt and the back neck also has to have a stay and I will just have to put staystitching there as well. I wonder how this will turn out, will I have a beautiful silk shirt at the end of it or will it go back into my box and never see the light of day.

Stash

2010-05-01T09:56:00.001-07:00

This is my collection of fabrics or stash as everyone calls it......this is a blanket box that I have had for about 40 years, it was covered with quilted vinyl and had yellow flowers all over it so I recovered it and I keep my precious fabrics inside, it keeps them dust and grime free. This is all the stash I have, there maybe 20 or so different fabrics, I won't buy anymore until there is room inside for more...... as you can see it is full to the brim with fabrics that I love. The flowered fabric on top is what is left over from my latest project.

I am still not quite sure about the design on this shirt but the fabric is really lovely to wear.
This fits a lot better than the white shirt since I altered the neckline.
I like it open like this, I think the white camisole underneath breaks up the flowered pattern.
I think I will get some wear out of this in the summer, I didn't think I would wear it at all but it is growing on me just like the flowers lol lol. As you can see I have no furniture or carpets in my dining room, we have builders in at the moment we are having our kitchen extended.

My desk is cleared for my next project......same pattern but green silk, this is lovely fabric.

Shopping again

2010-04-29T07:22:00.001-07:00

I went shopping on Sunday of all days when the world and its children were out shopping...tut.....anyway I bought some fabric for more shirts and at last some fabric for a relaxed jacket and more linen for trousers. The thing is, and this is not an excuse to buy fabric, but I have to buy what I like when I see it otherwise it would be gone when I go back if that makes sense lol lol

Above.....from the left.....dark navy linen for trousers, £14.50 a metre.....good quality. Breathable lining in navy and sage £9.95 a metre, this is beautiful lining from John Lewis.

Above from the left .......a herringbone linen, it is blue but in fact it might be more of a violet, lovely colour, for a relaxed jacket, I am not quite sure if I suit tailored jackets, this was £13.50 a metre. The other fabric is for a shirt and is described as an ethnic floral and is £12 a metre, very pretty colours and is a viscose.

I am not quite sure about these 2 fabrics.....they are both 100% cotton the white is a slub weave at £6 a metre, the blue is an Oxford cotton also at £6 a metre both fabrics are for shirts but they feel a little stiff to me......maybe if I wash them a few times it will soften them up.

I posted I had bought this bag the other day.....well I tried to get all of my stuff in and it was just too small so I returned it and bought this one

Lovely soft tan leather.....scrummy if that is the right word.

I also needed some new make up.....well not really but I couldn't resist these from my favourite Clarins........eye shadow palette, a highlighter for cheek bones and brow arches and anywhere else you care to highlight and a tinted lip balm, all summer colours apparently.

Last but not least a dark maroon.....darker than it looks here.....nail varnish, there were four in a pack, this is one of them.

My flowery shirt only needs the cuffs , buttonholes and buttons stitched on.....I like it better than I did but I'm still not sure....my husband says he would wear it, not in my size he wouldn't lol lol

Comparison

2010-04-29T00:12:00.000-07:00

I have been compairing the shape of RTW shirts to the shirts that I make.

I know they are two totally different styles but the shape of the RTW on the left just doesn't flatter my shape at all infact I think it makes me look rather matronly and frumpy.......the one on the left which was handmade suits my shape a lot better even though I haven't quite got the fitting right over the shoulders.
I have bought more fabric for shirts I will take photographs later, we have got builders in at the moment.....ugh.... more mess.

Ready to wear

2010-04-22T08:05:00.000-07:00

I bought 3 tops when I went shopping yesterday and I'm not quite sure that I love any of them. I think I am so used to making my things I really don't know what to buy and if I am satisfied with the fit of them.

This is the first one, I don't mind the fabric, I think the style is a little young for me, I like the colour but I don't think I suit collars.

This little dog does make me laugh..........anyway on to the second, this fabric isn't very good it is also a dirty white......I think it is a poor quality voil, I don't like the grandad collar on this one, so this one is definitely a NO, even though Sky seems to like it lol lol

Very bad photograph......I love this fabric, it is linen and very pretty colours but it is one of those styles that makes you look pregnant, I am not keen on the neckline so I don't think I will be keeping this one either.

So I dont like any of these tops and the fabric of my latest project is awful.......I'm really having a great time......NOT

I really love this,

which I bought to go with these,

2010-04-20T09:56:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure about this fabric at all......ugh....I thought it was a really sweet, feminine, airy, summer cotton but it just reminds me of my grandma's flowerey all in one aprons that she used to wear. I should follow my instincts and I should know after all of my mistakes that I am a plain and simple sort of person and I just don't suit busy fabric designs. I am going to finish it though.
I have got the neckline done, I actually altered the neckline by taking a 1/4" wedge from the front neckline and tapering to nothing at the armsye, I am hoping this will stop the shoulder seams pulling to the back but .....who knows.

I pinned a sleeve in just to see if it would look a little bit better......no it doesn't.

It is lovely fabric and sews up beautifully, maybe I can wear it as sleepwear lol lol

Flowered shirt

2010-04-17T05:06:00.000-07:00

I have cut out my flowered shirt and marked it all.......I hate transferring markings with a passion. I know this is one of the most important tasks in sewing especially thread tracing, it helps me so much but I really hate doing it so I do it in small increments. I make sure all the preparation is done altogether cutting, marking, choosing and cutting interfacing and thread and button choice and it all takes so much time when you are impatient to get started sewing, it takes all of my willpower not to just jump in and start sewing on my machine.

I am a little disappointed with this fabric, it wasn't cheap but when I was making samples of different interfacings and I used some steam the dye came out of the fabric onto my ironing board. This has never happened to me before, if I had known what was going to happen I would have washed it another couple of times.....I washed it once......funnily enough the dye off the flowers hasn't come out onto the white backround of the fabric, I wonder if it is the heat and moisture together that is doing it. Anyway I am not going to waste it.

Above you can see the imprint on my ironing board cover from the fabric so I have covered my ironing board with some white sheeting while I make this shirt. I will definitely have to make another cover now.

I don't think I will get much sewing done for the next few months because we are having some home improvements done. Sigh, sigh.

Finished shirt

2010-04-11T04:40:00.000-07:00

I am calling this a shirt because I didn't want a fitted blouse, I wanted a slouchy shirt something relaxed and casual. Did I achieve that?......I don't know, I think I have too many curves and bulges but I am happy with the result even though there are lots of fitting issues to be sorted.

This is the shirt that I absolutely love

a Calvin Klein big slouchy shirt........this is my interpretation

as you can see the shoulders are slipping to the back but they are like that on the pattern picture as well. I could have added more darts but that would have been a fitted blouse and that isn't what I am looking for. This shirt would have been massive, I have had to take out about 4" from the width and about 2" from the sleeves, add a dart and do a FBA, the yoke..... I had to do extensive alterations because of my round shoulders, I also had to put a seam down the middle and add extra width.

The sleeves also had a lot of alterations, they weren''t long enough, they were far too wide, I had to extend the top of the armsye to accomodate my large shoulders and take out some pleats from the cuff .

The shoulder seam was too far down the arm so I adjusted for that as well. I am happy with everything except the shoulders, but I will have to live with it unless I want it more fitted.

These pictures are with my tailored trousers.

These pictures are with the navy chino cotton trousers I have just finished, I suppose I could wear my trainers with these for a more casual look.

These are with my white cotton and linen trousers, lovely and light an airy for summer.....not sure about the earrings. I tried a leather belt at my waist that was a no no, it looked ridiculous.

This little one had to get in on the act wanting her belly tickled .....as usual.

Finished

2010-04-09T13:08:00.000-07:00

I have finished my white top but it really needs a wash and press, I am going out tomorrow so it will have to wait until Sunday.

I think I might wash the crinkle cotton next and make the same top without the sleeves. I'll see.

Just for something to look at......here is a picture of me getting a retrieve from Piper in a competition, that is the judge standing next to me. This was last year, I came 3rd.

Shopping again

2010-04-05T08:40:00.000-07:00

I bought the two fabrics below over a year ago and I had decided to wash and dry them ready to sew them when I finish my white blouse..... so I went shopping today for some buttons for my white blouse and some thread for the fabrics below. The plain lighter green fabric is linen the other is lining.

This fabric is silk which has to dry cleaned but I put it on a delicate wash and it is fine, I can't be doing with dry cleaning blouses.

These are now washed and dried and put away in my box ready to be used..... however when I went shopping today I found some fabric for another summer shirt.

Now I am not a flowery person at all.....I am plain and simple really, but I saw this lovely crinkle cotton print which caught my eye. This was £5.95 a metre and I got 3 metres which cost me nearly £18.00.....not a cheap blouse when you can buy RTW cheaper, probably not the same quality though.

This is a closer look, lovely for summer.

I think I might wash this fabric for my next project......I'll see.

These are the other things that I bought, the white stuff is interfacing, a very lightweight interfacing which I bought for the silk shirt, the other interfacing is for stretch fabrics which I have never used before. The cream coloured threads are silk for the silk blouse and the green is pure cotton for the linen trousers. The buttons are lovely little shirt buttons with a gold trim, they were half price so I bought 24, I have had them before and they look lovely on white fabric. They won't be getting anymore so I bought extra.

All this little lot cost me £50 and a few pence, sewing is an expensive hobby.

White blouse

2010-04-01T05:50:00.000-07:00

This is the placket and pleats before the cuff goes on, I haven't done a sleeve with a cuff for a long time, I generally do 3/4 sleeves with a vent so I am enjoying doing this.

Another view, this is lovely fabric to work with, it is very delicate and airy.

This is the neckline and the facing, this is a big shirt, I have already taken out about 2" in width and it is still a big shirt......I hope I am going to like it.

This is the bust dart which I had to add for a bit of shaping, it was about a 2" dart so I had to trim and overcast it with a small zig zag stretch stitch, it looks a lot better trimmed down.

This is my iron, which I have had for over 20 years. It is a Hashima H1-350PS.....this looks a little bit dated but believe me this little contraption does the business, I don't use a sole plate either they are a real nuisance I would rather use a muslin cloth. The ironing board which my iron is standing on is about 40 years old, the top of it fell to bits so my DH put me a piece of plywood on top and screwed it on......it is wider than an average ironing board and is padded with flananette and a white ironing board cover on top which I made, I need a new one this one is quite discoloured now.

I know this looks a little strange, I have a hook with which to hang it from the ceiling but I would rather use this just incase it falls.

Interfacings

2010-03-25T05:26:00.000-07:00

I have been trying different interfacings for my blouse......I have always, always used a light weight iron on interfacing for blouses but after reading David Coffin's shirtmaking book I have decided to try different natural fibres for interfacing.

In the picture above you are instructed to stay the neck edge because the v is on the bias.....I have used cotton organza .......I just pinked a strip of organza on the grain instead of using the selvage which wasn't wide enough.

Here are more of my interfacings.....on the bottom is bleached soft muslin for the fronts, then a strip of organza for the front neck stay and I think I will also use organza for the cuffs because I want something a little bit more substantial than the muslin. As you can see from the cuff above I have marked all my pieces and at last I am ready to do some sewing.

Here is little Miss Poser, she just loves the camera......I just have to tell her to sit and she will sit forever as long as she is the centre of attention she is one happy little dog.

Another one......she was still sitting there .......I had to walk away so she would follow me otherwise she would be there all day.

2010-03-21T14:05:00.000-07:00

BJ asked "I see those shoulders are way down the arm...did you adjust your pattern to change that, or will you leave that design element as is? Love the idea of a loose fitting white top. Your fabric is gorgeous!"
I have actually scaled this pattern down an enormous amount.....it was far too big, it is an old pattern so this style is a bit dated......I took an inch out of the inside of each pattern piece.......I just made a 1/2" pleat down the centre of each pattern piece, then I took another inch out at the side seams. I took the pleat out of the back, put a seam in the yoke because of my round shoulders, because I have taken an inch out of the pattern pieces that made the sleeves too short......so the sleeves aren't as dropped as in the photograph.....I had to do some extensive work on the sleeves, I still don't think they are right. I really wanted a basic shirt pattern, with a yoke, sleeves with a cuff so that I could build it into a shirt that fits me, I intend to add a collar to this at some time.
I don't suppose this shirt will be a perfect fit, it is really difficult IMHO to fit a loose fitting shirt.......if you try and fit it too much it ends up as a fitted shirt.

Blouse

2010-03-20T05:44:00.000-07:00

This is the shirt I am trying to make.

Well I have eventually made a new pattern. I have been on for a few weeks now making a muslin and I have fitted it and refitted until there comes a point where it is the best it is going to get. I know it is not perfect, but this is an on going project to get a nice fitting shirt, I will probably keep tweaking after every shirt I make.......well I've got nobody to please but myself lol

This is a very basic shirt with a yoke, long sleeves with a cuff and a v neck opening, slits at the sides and it isn't fitted.....it's more of a loose fitting shirt.

This is the fabric I am using.....I bought this last year, it isn't fabulous quality it was about £5 a metre but I am not going to waste it. It has a flower design which goes across the fabric in strips. I didn't want the flowers across, I want them down so I have had to mess about with it to get the flowers the way I want them, I have wasted a bit of fabric in the process. This fabric is light and airy .....a very fine cotton. I am nearly finished cutting out then at last I can do some sewing, I hate fitting......it's so frustrating.

Here is one of my sweethearts, this is Sky....she is 9years old and she is a working cocker spaniel. She is lying on her favourite blankets that are a little bit smelly to say the least, but she loves them.....yes they have been washed over and over. If she moves her blankets are carried with her, she stands on them and wonders why she cannot move lololol. Sky lives in the house now as she is the oldest dog we have got. I am besotted with her, she has got such a sweet nature and she loves to pose for the camera.

New Phone

2010-03-10T14:24:00.000-08:00

I have been treating myself to one of these little beauties. I have had so much fun messing around with this iphone. I tell you it can do most anything you ask it to do.....well most things........expensive but worth it.

Navy chino cotton trousers

2010-02-20T09:40:00.001-08:00

Trousers.....I am even bored talking about them, but with my lifestyle that is what I wear mainly.......anyway here is another pair. White cotton tee shirt and white shoes, I haven't got any decent navy shoes so they will be on my list to buy. I could possibly wear trainers with these trousers as well for another casual look.

Back view....the sun was shining into my dining room and onto my leg.

Welt pocket.....I haven't got tired of this style yet.

Trousers with a blouse I made about 3 years ago.....needs navy shoes.

Closer look at my blouse.

Next on my list...... I am still trying to perfect the fit of my shirt, I don't think I will ever be satisfied with it.

Must do better

2010-02-16T03:02:00.000-08:00

I am my own worse critic and I don't need anyone to tell me my work just isn't good enough. I am trying .........not succeeding some of the time.......to go for quality and not quantity. I haven't got a lot of time to sew, but I really do enjoy it and with my kind of lifestyle I don't need lots of clothes. So I am trying to perfect my sewing. I thought I would take a few pictures of some of the things that need some practise. The picture above is of the finished closures of my waistband, not too bad to look at.

I have lightened this picture so you can see what a mess this buttonhole is.....this buttonhole at the pointed end of my waistband gives me a huge amount of grief......I think it is bulky in that area and my machine doesn't like it....I will have put up or shut up on this one.

Here is the same buttonhole after it has been tidied up. I put a double layer of stitch and tear underneath before I stitched my buttonhole....when I cut it open the white from the stitch and tear can be seen........I then took a blue marker and coloured in the white bits, this isn't my idea I read it somewhere. It doesn't look too bad now. I think if you sew you have to be an expert at covering up mistakes because you just can't be perfect.

This hook should go into the waistband and only the end bit should be seen, I will have to practise this one, I am frightened I spoil my waistband altogether if I try it on the actual garment.

This is the inside of my waist band which was stitched both top and bottom by hand. I have to search for my sanity on this one because it takes hours to do. Hemming stitches along the bottom into every machine stitch and felling along the top of the waistband.......it makes for a non bulky waistband but it is an awful lot of work, I need to try something different.

I only have the hems to do now but I have to go grocery shopping this afternoon.......not my favourite activity......maybe I can get somthing done tonight.

Happy sewing

Busy, Busy

2010-02-11T07:38:00.000-08:00

I still haven't finished my trousers, but there isn't much left to do.
The trouble is I am also treasurer of a dog club and Jan. & Feb. are really busy for me so the spare time I have for sewing is being used up by the club at the moment.
hclairec asked........ what breed of dog was Niamh? pronounced Neeve...... she was a working cocker spaniel, I still get choked up when I think of her.
I am on my way up to my mothers, my sister and niece are there waiting for me.....we will have a good old natter tonight.

Comments

2010-02-06T06:21:00.001-08:00

Sorry to those who commented on Niamh's post and your comment isn't there....I thought I had published them all but when I looked some have been lost. Thank you for your kind words I did read them all.

Niamh

2010-02-05T01:46:00.000-08:00

Sweet little girl.

This post is for Niamh, Sharon and Linzie's little pet who had to be put to sleep yesterday. They loved her so much.
Niamh deserves a post all to herself and for me to remember this little bundle of joy who brought so much joy into our lives.
A little pet who when entering the house would greet you and roll on her back in submission just to be stroked and would wander behind you carrying her toys. I also absolutely adored her.

More waistband finishes

2010-01-15T05:45:00.001-08:00

I have pinned the waistband lining onto the back of my waistband ready to be felled.....I will just do about 15 minutes at a time because it strains my eyes. I only have the waistband to do and the hems and as I can only do a little at a time I will start on my white blouse.

I must say David Page Coffin's book on shirt making is very, very interesting and I am really enjoying it. The other 2 books I have bought (previous post) I have only briefly looked at but they will be very useful as well.....money well spent.

This is the back of the pointed overlap on the waistband, catch stitches and the point is hemmed, I will only take the lining to end of the catch stitches and square it off instead of trying to take it to the end of the point.

Closer view of the point.

This is the front of the waistband.

A better picture of my welt pocket.....the last one was terrible.

I have got my white fabric for my shirt in the washing machine, I am going to take it out to dry and have a cuppa.

New books

2010-01-12T07:09:00.000-08:00

I have bought some new books for myself....they were all on special offer from Amazon and the

P & P was free so I think I got a pretty good deal.

I got them all for £21.60.

I am still, after all of these years of sewing, eager to learn new techniques. As I am a self taught sewer I need to buy books to show me how to do things, but as I have a budget I limit myself..... otherwise I would buy anything and everything in sight.

Inside workings

2010-01-12T05:33:00.000-08:00

I don't like stiff waistbands.....I like them to be comfortable so I use two layers of very firm iron on interfacing. I always make my waistbands 1" wide and lately I have been backing them with lining fabric so that they are not bulky......I stitch the lining onto the waistband by hand with felling stitches. This takes quite a few hours of hand sewing but my waistband is not bulky and it looks very tailored, IMHO.

My thread is passed through beeswax a couple of times and ironed in between layers of muslin to remove the excess wax.

Waxed thread

This is what the inside of my waistband looks like before I have lined it........

The stitches are catch stitches holding the lining of the trousers and the waistband facing together, I also took out bulk from darts and so on before I did this.This is a clearer picture.....basting top and bottom of waistband, catch stitches holding fabric and lining together and the end of the waisband turned in and hemmed trying to keep the end of the waistband square. This picture is from the right side of my trousers.

Red nails

2010-01-02T03:22:00.001-08:00

I haven't got lots of nail varnish but I am partial to a few strong colours.... I bought this last year

it's from Clarins and goes on beautifully....undercoat, 2 coats of polish and a top coat......actually the undercoat and top coat are the same clear varnish.....I wouldn't waste my money buying 2 bottles of clear varnish.......I also use my body lotion as hand cream.

Summing up

2010-01-01T07:27:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Summing up what I have done over the last year.....which isn't very much, and I must do better this year.......3 pairs of trousers, 1 top and a scalf, it really is pathetic considering what some people sew. To be fair to myself my mother was very, very poorly and I can't concentrate on anything when I am worried.....then I spent several weeks trying to fit muslins for 2 blouses, I did eventually put them both to one side because I got fed up of them, I will get them out again to try. Fitting gets me so frustrated.

I am trying to get organized with my sewing so I am making a pair of Spring/Summer trousers from my TNT pattern and I am half way.

This is my welt pocket.....still with the chalk lines.......not a very good picture either. I am putting in a full loose lining and I 'm using bremsilk from MacCulloch and Wallis. I am wanting a white blouse (very loose fitting) to go with these, I also want a pair of navy flat pumps

This is the shirt pattern that I love and is probably out of print, I have had it for years and is only in a size 14 but it is huge and might be alright with a FBA. I have made view A before many years ago but it was far too big and I didn't have the know how to make it smaller so it was no good by the time I had finished with it, but I still love the relaxed design.

I think I will try view C this time but I will have to do a dreaded muslin before I start...oh how I wish I didn't have to alter patterns.....really, that is what takes up my sewing time ......tut!

It's Christmas

2009-12-22T06:19:00.000-08:00

Here are a few of my Christmas decorations, I intended to take some last year but my camera broke and I didn't get them done. Inside of my porch.....looking out onto the snow...... brrrr it's very cold.

Close up of wreath which is covered in red berries...artificial ones.

Wreath on the front door..I think this is supposed to be an indoor wreath but I quite like it outside...it survived last winter I hope it survives again.

Close up of my decorations on the tree...some of these decorations are probably over 50 years old, some are years younger but all of them are treasured.

I put my Xmas tree in the dining room.....snow in the back garden and the temperatures are 0 degrees. The log man is coming this afternoon we need to stock up because it is so cold.

I have had this Santa for quite a number of years. I bought 2 one for each side of the mantle but I gave one to my daughter.

Sitting room mantle.

Wreath inside the front porch.....as you can see we have snow. Those little cross stitch decorations were made for me by my daughter when she was very young.

These are flowers my husband bought me....just because he wanted to.....ah

More trousers

2009-12-14T03:16:00.000-08:00

I know..I know more trousers.........but I have eventually ordered some samples for a jacket. I have only tried to make a jacket once and it was a total disaster but I have to say I am a little better at fitting now.

I have had some navy chino cotton for about 5 years, it has been washed and ready for cutting for a long time now....so I am making a couple of pairs of summer weight trousers (I am always behind with my sewing e.g. making winter garments in the winter and summer garments in the summer) and they will be ready for the warmer weather.

I have been on a couple of months trying to perfect my blouse muslin but it is still not right, I have put it to one side for now, I am so frustrated trying to fit my top half.....I don't know what I will do about my jacket lol lol.

I am using my TNT trouser pattern, if it's not broken then don't fix it....that's my motto, I hate fitting anyway.

Here are a couple of pictures of my muslin....I changed the front darts to princess seams......this fabric is stiff cotton so it does not have any drape whatsoever, maybe that is my problem, I don't know, or maybe I am just too picky.

Worry....Worry

2009-09-17T02:52:00.000-07:00

As I said in my last post my Mum hasn't been very well for a couple of months now.......she is 77 years old and still does her daily regime of exercises but lately her breathing has been terrible. She hasn't been to the doctors for years and after much persuasion she finally decided she needed an ambulance.
She has been given every test under the sun but they can't decide whether she has had a slight heart attack or not, but she has had fluid on her lungs....no pain.
We are just awaiting more results.
Sewing is off the cards for the moment...I have more important things to see to.

Sewing through the heartache

2009-08-26T05:48:00.000-07:00

At last I have finished these trousers, I have had a trumatic time over the last couple of months and didn't feel much like sewing.....as I have mentioned before we have lost 2 of our old labradors and although they have had a wonderful life I miss them terribly. One of my favourite aunts has also died, I was very, very upset but it was a blessing because she suffered terribly and my Mum hasn't been her usual self lately....so all in all a pretty miserable couple of months.

These trousers are based on my TNT pattern, I have made the legs slimmer and put in a slant pocket instead of the usual side pockets. I had also intended to put studs in the pockets and do a welt pocket in the back, however, I have been on so long with them that I didn't do the welt pocket and I should have put the studs in the pockets before I stitched the side seams because my little gadget for putting in the studs wasn't long enough. This is the back , I am quite happy with the fit of these. I had intended to use these trousers for walking my dogs, hense the cord fabric, but I think they are too good at the moment for pushing into wellies and getting all muddy.

I am not quite sure if these sandals go with these trousers, when I measured the hem I had flat shoes on......my DH thinks they look alright but I'm not sure.

I traced my TNT pattern, I measured the bottom width of another pair of trousers I had, then tapered the bottom of the pattern to about the crotch area ( I didn't want to touch the hips and waist or the darts so I stopped at the crotch). I stitched the darts then underlined each piece, then stitched everything together as one. I also had to adapt the top of the trousers for the slant pockets and make a pattern for the new pocket.....I think I did alright with the pockets, maybe a few tweaks here and there will be needed. I sewed everything together in my usual way but I tacked the side seams for fitting.....I needed to take them in another 1/4" at the bottom tapering to the crotch once again, I will adjust the pattern accordingly.

I am not sure whether it was worth all the hastle of changing the pockets because I can't wear anything tucked into my waist....my figure won't allow it.....so my pockets won't be seen anyway.

I am delighted that I have a new TNT pattern for trousers to work with, it will be well used I can tell you, like all of my patterns.

What is up next?.....the blouse I am wearing in the picture I have made quite a few times now, I might have a go at doing something different with that. I made two of these blouses out of linen, this one and a white one, they have been washed and worn over and over again, I have certainly had my wear out of them.

I could buy a new pattern for a shirt but the shape of it would end up like the one in the picture, so I might as well save myself some money and try to do somthing with my TNT pattern.

Sewing time

2009-07-26T15:47:00.000-07:00

I always have a problem with the amount of time dedicated to my sewing, I also think I put too much pressure on myself to finish things. I have decided that I will do approx. 10 hrs. sewing a week, which is quite enough otherwise I sicken myself of sewing altogether. I timed myself this week and this is how my sewing week has gone:
Monday.....10.15am to 11.15am........1hr
4.10pm to 4.35pm.........25mins
9.30pm to 9.45pm.........15mins 1hr 40mins
Tuesday......no sewing
Wednesday....... 10.30am to 11.45am ......1hr15mins
1.10pm to 2.00pm........50mins
3.00pm to 3.1opm.......10mins 2hrs 15mins.
Thursday............ 8.45am to 9.30am.......45mins
11.10am to 11.30am.......20mins
12.30pm to 1.00pm........30mins
2.25pm to 3.oopm.........35mins
6.20pm to 7.30pm........1hr10mins
9.00pm to 9.45pm.......45mins 4hrs 05mins
Friday .................9.00am to 9.30am........30mins
10am to 10.30am.........30mins
2.30pm to 3.20pm......50mins 1hr50mins
Saturday.........no sewing
Sunday.................12.00pm to 12.15pm.......15mins
6.00pm to 7.15pm...........1hr15mins
11pm to 11.45pm.............45mins 2hrs 15mins
Altogether, if my calculations are correct, I have sewn for 12hrs and 5mins. What have I achieved?I have lined the front of my trousers, added the darts, made the side pockets and topstitched them, inserted the zip, I also had to mark and thread trace the lining which takes at least a couple of hours. Not much I know compared to some sewers but I am happy and my sewing hasn't taken over my life this week.

Sadness

2009-07-23T05:32:00.000-07:00

We have lost another of our oldest dogs.....she was the niece of the one we lost a couple of months ago and she had to be put to sleep because of a womb infection ( both had the same infection ) We think the disease may be in that line of breeding.
We are absolutely devasted, as you can imagine, that we have lost 2 of our girls within a couple of months of each other.
Hannah wasn't my dog as such...she was my husbands dog and only his.....she didn't even like me holding her leader, but I loved her just the same. She was a fabulous working dog, on one occasion I can recall she ran down a river bank, swam a river, up the other side of the river bank, ran across a field, jumped a fence and half way across another field for a retrieve, and I am not joking...she was fabulous to watch. She was also beautiful to look at, glossy coat and very dark sparkling eyes.....these were her good points, but she wasn't a competition dog...she was a free spirit....my husband absolutely adored her and we both miss her so much....he says every other dog he will ever have are measured by her standards.

Slant pockets

2009-06-24T08:24:00.001-07:00

This is my pattern that I have drafted for my slant pockets.....I studied a pattern that I had for slant pockets and adapted my TNT pattern accordingly.

Here are a couple of pictures of my sample.....this is not the fabric I will be using, it is a scrap from another pair of trousers that I have made.....I dare not cut into the cord fabric that I will be using because I may not have enough for samples. I must remember to put a fusible interfacing stay on the diagonal of the pocket to stop it from stretching, it did on my sample.

These rivets are queer little things to put in.......this isn't the right fabric to try these but I wanted to practise before the real thing.

I received my moleskin fabric this morning, I only ordered it yesterday from Pennine outdoor so they have been very good at delivery. I am really happy with it....it was expensive but it is good quality fabric.....they also have really lovely quality knits for t shirts, no patterned only plain fabric.

New style

2009-06-23T03:01:00.000-07:00

I am trying to make a new pattern from my TNT trouser pattern. I am making slant pockets in the side instead of my usual side pockets....the legs will also be narrower and I am going to try these studs at the pockets and a jeans button at the waist.

This is the fabric I will be using.....I have only ever used cord once before when I made my daughter a pinafore skirt when she was little...I can remember the bits and pieces that came from it when I sewed it gave me a terrible cough and I have never used it again. I will have to be careful how I press it because of the pile. I have prepared the 2 fabrics....I am doing a half lining and joining the cord and the lining together and treating as one.

I have made the pattern for the pocket and now I am going to make a sample to make sure I am on the right lines. I will post pictures when I have done it.

I have also ordered some moleskin (not real moleskin I hasten to add) this is very good for outdoor wear and is warm in the winter and cool in the summer.There are 2 weights so I ordered an olive green in the heavier weight and a navy in the lighter weight both together cost me £77.87 which is not cheap. I am trying this new style in the cord before I tackle them in the more expensive moleskin. I will post pictures of this as well when I receive it, I have a busy week so I will do it when I have time.

Better late than never

2009-06-17T10:31:00.000-07:00

I have eventually finished my trousers......I have been so busy with my dogs lately that I haven't had much time for sewing. I had decided that 2hrs of sewing a day is quite enough for me and probably is all I have time for.....and I had also decided that if I couldn't manage the 2hrs one day it could be carried forward to the next day.....but I fell so far behind I gave that up as a bad idea lol lol.

I am quite pleased with these trousers, they are fully lined with white charmeuse, which feels lovely on my skin......it is like making 2 pairs of trousers when they are fully lined.

These are cotton and linen mix and they crease just looking at them, you can see the creases in the legs where they have been hanging over the hanger.

White trousers are very versatile and these go with lots of things in my wardrobe, I also invested in a new pair of white shoes.....I love these and they are very comfortable, they have a wedge heel (I am not very keen on wedges, but I love these) with a lovely big bow on the front, they were £40 from Next.

That is about it ......another pair of trousers next, for walking my dogs in......the one's I have got are really shabby. I have received samples of some lovely olive coloured moleskin which is pretty expensive but I like it a lot so I might treat myself.

Fitting

2009-06-02T07:30:00.000-07:00

This is the answer to a question I received in my comments from Myartistry about fitting......It is not a favourite passtime of mine, I do it because it is necessary but it is very frustrating trying to fit a figure like mine. I mainly read books and other people's blogs trying to pick up fitting tips, believe me when I say it is just trial and error, I could never just make a garment up straight out of a pattern envelope, it just wouldn't fit me....I have GOT to make a muslin which could take me weeks to get the fitting right. Once I have fitted it to the best of my ability I treasure the pattern so I make it over and over trying to do something different with it everytime and using different fabrics. I am learning everytime I alter a pattern but I am far from being an expert in fact I am better at fitting the bottom half than the top. I am also very slow with my sewing, I have four dogs and most of my spare time is took up with them, walking them etc.
All I can say is I love my sewing, not so much the fitting.

White trousers

2009-05-03T08:13:00.001-07:00

I have started my white trousers by making the welt pocket first.......I am still not confident making these pockets and am constantly following Ann Rowley's instructions. The picture above is the inside of the welt pocket, I like to pink the edges rather than overcast so as not to leave an imprint on the right side.

This is the underside of the pocket.....the lining is polyester charmeuse, originally I was going to make some lingerie out of this fabric, then I was going to make a blouse out of it now it is lining my white trousers. It is a little bit shiny for a blouse and I don't think I would wear it.

This is the finished welt...the tab is too long in my opinion and the corners are still not square...I can take a few stitches out and shorten the tab, that won't be a problem.....I didn't practise this welt on this fabric, maybe I should have.

These are my beige coloured cotton and linen trousers that I made last year. I have always thought that I took pride in my sewing and finished off my work to the best of my ability......when I saw this split I was a little bit taken aback because I thought My seams wouldn't come undone.....ha......look at the split in my trousers.

I have mended the seam this morning....when sewing the crotch seam the instructions tell you to stitch the seam and then stitch again 1/4" away.....I have sewn the seam again with a lightening stitch for a little added stretch then overcast it.....hopefully it won't come undone again.

Muslin

2009-05-01T05:45:00.000-07:00

I have an update on the Calvin Klein blouse above .......I was onto my third muslin for this blouse and it took me three weeks of raxing my brains to try and get a decent fit, I know I said I was satisfied with the fit a couple of posts ago but I had another look and decided it wasn't right at all. I have put it away in my cupboard until a later date because I was getting irritated with it.....I may come back to it ....or maybe not.
At the moment I am making a pair of my TNT trousers in a white cotton and linen mix....I am going to put a welt pocket in the back again, hopefully the pocket bag won't be seen because I am fully lining them. These trousers will go with my new black top I have just finished......I haven't had it on yet, I will wait until I have finished my trousers.
Normally when I make these trousers I thread trace all the seams and the hems etc. then I thought to myself, I have made these so many times surely I don't have to do this every time. This time I have only marked the darts, zip and pocket markings to see if I can make them a little bit quicker....it normally takes me anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks ( because I have a limited amount of sewing time ) to make them and I am very slow.

Vogue 8151

2009-04-27T06:01:00.000-07:00

I have made this top a few times before and have never been satisfied with it....the bands at the front have never been tight and figure hugging ....... I think this top needs to be tight to get the right effect. I did everything you are not supposed to do when fitting.
I made this out of fine black jersey in fact it was among the drapey dance fabrics. It is quite fiddley to work with and I had to put it down once or twice because I was getting quite annoyed and losing my patience with it.
I still haven't mastered my coverstitch machine yet some of the stitching still isn't very straight, more practise is needed in that department I think.

I have had to really lighten thes pictures so that some of the details can be seen. The back is really pulling tight but at least the folds of the ruching can be seen.

I like the extra long length on the sleeves....I love the way they hang over my hands. Some of the ruching can be seen at the sides.

The front bands are pulled tighter than I have made them in my previous efforts, I did this by cutting approx. 2" from the bands. There is a seam allowance of 1" but this time I made a seam allowance of 11/2" to make it tighter.

This isn't fitted right....but who cares?......I like the way it hangs and drapes. The side seams are pulling to the front because I didn't do my usual FBA so there isn't enough room in the front for my bust so the back is pulling tight. When I have made this before it didn't feel right and certainly didn't drape the way it should but because it is tight it looks better...who cares where the side seams are.

Flynne

2009-04-10T01:43:00.000-07:00

My beautiful, beautiful girl, Flynne , ( my oldest black labrador) had to be put to sleep on Wednesday....she had an infection in her womb. She had a wonderful life I entered her in competitions and we travelled the country far and wide, she was very obedient and a real pleasure...I loved her very, very much...she was my friend and I am honoured to have known her for 14 years....she was the apple of my eye, my companion....she didn't have a bad bone in her body and I miss her terribly......although she wasn't very well she would still struggle to come and greet me..my whole body aches I miss her so much.....sigh

Muslin 2

2009-04-03T01:53:00.000-07:00

I had another look at this muslin and there isn't enough room in the bust area....I know the problem is there but I have spent so long trying to put it right I am fed up of it.
I have since done another FBA of 1/2" and the front looks better from the side, it isn't pulling up as much but the back is too big now.......so this is still an ongoing project.....I really just want to get on with some sewing......sigh

Muslin continued

2009-03-27T06:35:00.000-07:00

Now this really annoys me because I spent a lot of time on this fitting so that the blouse would not pull towards the back......this is one of the reasons why I am pleased I sew, I can't get a nice fit on RTW tops because of this problem........so I am not happy about it, it may be the way I am standing.
I am finished fitting the muslin now, I think I have done the best I can so I will have to live with the rest.....I can get on with the best part now. Not tonight though because I am going bowling..well watching mostly lol lol.

I have a few issues with the back of the sleeve but I can live with them.

I don't think the front looks too bad considering I have pressed and pulled this muslin about....the sleeve isn't the right length, I ran out of fabric so this is as long as a sleeve as I could get out of the length that I had. The sleeve has a cuff or another variation is a pleat and a button, I don't know which yet. This is a dropped shoulder, I don't know if it looks right or not I can't make my mind up....I love the relaxed fit though.

Muslin.....ugh

2009-03-26T10:47:00.000-07:00

I took 1/4" out of the neckline. Before I did all of these adjustments I fitted the whole of the blouse with darts, back and front, but there was nothing left of the relaxed style that I like so I took it all to bits and started again..... so it has taken me forever to do these adjustments....these are the ones I have ended up with and are the best I can do to keep the style. I have tried every permutation, taking in, letting out, trying on, taking off and nearly tearing my hair out lol lol. I have actually tried a sleeve in and they are going to take a while to fit....wish me luck.

The neckline on the front is slightly off grain, all the grain lines are where they should be though, I shortened the waist by 1/2", I still think it needs to be shortened a bit more.

This is a straight seam blouse with no shaping at all, my clothes have to have shaping in the back otherwise they will end up looking like the blouse in the picture below.....having said that, I didn't want a fitted blouse. I ended up putting a couple of darts either side of the centre back seam, just gently shaping them, so it isn't fitted. I tried just adjusting the centre back seam...there wasn't enough shape for my curved spine, I tried every shape of dart and this is the best shape I could get without being too fitted. It actually looks as if it is too big just underneath the armhole but believe me if I had taken it in any further I will not be able to move my arms. I am hoping when I get the sleeves in it will be alright.

The back....what is right with it, I took the waist up 1/2" then I did a sway back alteration by taking the middle of the waist up 1/2" and tapering to nothing at the side seams.

Here is my first attempt at putting my muslin right...I took a 3/4" dart at the armhole because it was gaping because of my bust and transfered it to the bust dart, making the bust dart biggar, that worked quite well. I then brought the shoulder seams forward 1/2" to accomodate my forward shoulder.

Calvin Klein Blouse

2009-03-18T04:07:00.000-07:00

This Calvin Klein pattern I've had for years and have never tried it (as you do) but I thought I would give it a go. I am doing view C, I love simple, uncomplicated styles because my body shape is so comlicated to fit. Behind the pattern in the photograph is the fabric I am planning to use, it is a white polyester charmeuse at £7 a metre.I originally bought it for a couple of camisole tops but I am going to use it for this blouse. When I make my test garment I will find out if this blouse looks old fashioned, if it does I will try and bring it up to date.... maybe make it shorter or whatever..... or I will scrap it.

Right my alterations even before I make my test garment. This blouse has no dart so first of all I have added my dart, then do a 1" FBA using the Sandra Betzina method, I know I could do it altogether but I like it this way. I then had to make my dart longer because of the FBA. I also made my shoulder seams I" wide because I always have trouble there. My waist was lowered when putting in the dart so I didn't have to do that.

So up to now I have got my bust line and waist in the right place, my dart's in and it is the right length and enough room in the shoulder area for alteration. The back... (no photograph) I have put a 5/8" seam in the centre back and added 1/4" extra at about 5" from the top to allow for my rounded back. I have also lowered the waist 2" to bring it in line with the front I know I will have to alter at the waistline for a sway back during the musin fitting, I have also made a 1" seam at the shoulders to allow for alteration. Here is my test garment waiting to be made up and be fitted, I know there will be a lot of work involved. I only have a limited amount of sewing time, as I am sure everyone has, so it will take me a while.

Scarf

2009-03-12T04:00:00.000-07:00

After doing the alterations to my blouse and while I still had the thread in the machine, I decided to use some of the fabric that is left to make a scarf. I just tore a strip to keep it on the grain and hemmed the edges. It keeps my neck warm when I have got a v necked jumper on.

Better than wasting the left over fabric, I'm all for saving especially at this time.

New purchases

2009-03-11T04:14:00.000-07:00

Last but not least mundane things like zips and basting thread. I have never used proper basting thread before...I just use embroidery silks mainly, it's nice and soft and easy to pull out. I got a shock at this it is almost like very soft string a lot finer though.
These were my puchases which cost me about £200.....will they be worth it, I shall have to wait and see. I am badly in need of a new pair of pinking shears, I have had my last pair for about 30 years. Before I had an overlocker I used to widen my seams and pink them to stop them fraying. The left handed shears..well I have to buy them when I see them because they are also like hen's teeth to find.

These are studs and buttons for jeans like trousers, I got them for the brown needlecord fabric. I got 3 metres of that fabric so I am hoping to get 2 pairs of trousers out of it. I will use my Vogue basic trouser pattern and narrow the legs, hopefully change the pockets and put the studs in and hey presto......it's easy said, isn't it.

I absolutely love this fabric...... it is silk crepe and is £14.50 a metre.......I loved it that much I didn't look at the cleaning instructions. It is dry clean only, I never buy shirt fabric that has to be dry cleaned, I am hoping I can get away with the handwash cylcle in the washing machine. It goes beautifully with the sage linen.

This is lovely fabric.....it is a little paler in real life. It is linen, has to be hand washed and was£14.50 a metre....I am hoping to make a lovely pair of summer trousers with this and on the left some more of that b.......y lining that I think is not going to work. To be fair the lining is breathable and has an ant-static finish. I suppose they are not bothered if it leaves water marks.

On Saturday I went shopping for some new fabric for the warmer weather, I wanted some nice shirt weight linen ......could I get some....NO, so this is what I bought.

This is brown needlecord..... £8.50 a metre, 100% cotton and washable at 30 degrees, this is for trousers for walking my dogs. I have some moleskin trousers but they are getting a little bit shabby, I saw some moleskin in the fabric shop in a country green, I was delighted but there wasn't enough on the role (moleskin fabric is like hen's teeth to find).

Next to the needlecord is a lighter brown lining......now this lining cost me an arm and a leg, £9.95 a metre. It is hand wash only and as I was coming into the house from the car it was raining and a few drops went onto this lining, the watermarks have stayed on the lining fabric.....I'm not amused I can tell you.

Alterations

2009-03-10T05:53:00.000-07:00

It actually doesn't look much different but I feel more comfortable in it and that is more important to me.

I didn't know what I had let myself in for and I don't know how many times I pulled buttonholes out that had gone wrong...ugh.... anyway the first 2 buttonholes were really tight .....I used my sensor buttonhole....until I realised I would have to use a bigger button in the back of my buttonhole foot to allow for the depth of the covered buttons, after that the buttons went through the buttonholes quite easily. I also used some fray check on them incase they started to fray.

I spent a good few hours changing the loops to buttonholes, which wasn't an easy task because there is only a double stitched small hem up the middle at both sides.

I thought about this for a few days before I actually did it because I was worried incase I spoilt it.....I thought I might be able to put an interfaced facing up the front......I decided the top of the interfacing would have a messy edge to it because I could not continue right round to the centre back because of the neck ties. I decided to put buttonholes onto the double hem at the front. I used a double thickness of stitch and tear.

I made this top , view C, sometime last year.....I have never been satisfied with it because of these

loops instead of buttonholes.....I have still worn it but I always felt that the middle gaped and looked untidy.

Ready to go

2009-03-06T03:40:00.001-08:00

These photographs never go where I want them to.....any way I have dressed myself to the best of my ability lol lol and OH has taken these photographs. I must admit I like this pair of trousers I have made and the silk lining feels lovely on my skin, lovely and ligt and airy. I hope when I have worn them there is no static, the silk has been washed and rinsed in fabric conditioner before I started to make these so hopefully it will be alright.

What is on the cards next? perfecting the fit of a tee shirt, I think, unless I change my mind of course.

Shoes

2009-03-05T09:04:00.000-08:00

I have been on a shopping spree, well last week really.
Left is a beautiful red nail polish by Clarins, I also bought some tinted moisturiser which is a foundation ( I can't wear heavy make up) also from Clarins both were quite expensive but they will last me a while...if you keep your nail varnish in the fridge it will last a long, long time and won't go thick and awful.

I went to numerous shops looking for shoes....I didn't want high heels (they are alright if you are going out and just sitting) I wanted shoes that I could actually walk in and be comfortable. Could I find any? No in a word. Eventually after shopping for 3 days running I was successful.

These are the ballet shoes below, they are from M&S and are reasonably priced at £35.....they are really comfortable.

I absolutely love these sandals below.....they are from a Charles Clinkard outlet shop, the designer is Marco Tozzi. I saw these sandals and tried them on, they are very comfortable and the heel is just right for me......they are round about the £50 mark, but because it is an outlet shop they were reduced to £39.99. If however you bought 2 pairs of shoes you got the second pair for 25% off.....well I wasn't going to pass on a bargain.....I searched that shop high and low for another pair of shoes that I liked but I couldn't find any. What did I do?

Here you see below another pair the same only in a tan leather. These are also very comfortable and the sales assistant informed me if I had to have them heeled to make sure the person who is heeling them knows there is a shock absorber in the heel and not to remove it.

So all in all I was very happy with my purchases.

At last they are finished

2009-03-04T06:19:00.000-08:00

I have finished these trousers at last. I love this welt pocket but I practised it a few times before I tried it on my trousers.

To be fair to myself there are a few of the finer details that I had never done before so I spent at least 2 weeks trying to perfect them. I am really pleased with the fit of these, I have made them 3 times before but I always thought the legs were too wide. To get a better fit I took one inch seams instead of the usual 5/8 inch on the width of the legs and right through the hips and waist. I then narrowed the darts by 1/8 inch on all legs to keep the size of the waist the same.

I couldn't take a full picture of myself.....I didn't look my best lol lol

Back of trousers...I love the fit through the back and the way the welt pocket looks. I didn't put any belt loops on, I don't wear a belt and I don't suit clothes tucked in to my waist.

I also like the fit at the front and the crotch seem to fit better on these trousers than on the others.

On the sewing front

2009-02-15T03:09:00.000-08:00

Here is a view of the zip.....this is the best zip I have put in.....I used Sandra Betzina's fly front method, I must admit this fabric is lovely to work with and it is polyester.

I have taken a couple of pictures of this welt pocket. When I did my second sample of this welt pocket it was nearly perfect, but not quite......what happens when it's the real thing.....mistake after mistake. The corners of this pocket are not right by any means, I did the best I could and had to put some fray check into the corners to stop them fraying, which has left a mark, yes I did a sample first and it didn't mark, grrrrr. I don't think the mistakes are that noticeable but I know they are there. Never mind I will forget about them in time.

I couldn't get the right colour lining for this fabric, which was rather expensive for me at £15 a metre ( I needed 2mtrs 20cms), so I decided to make them a little bit special and line them with white silk( I bought 2 mtrs at £8 a mtr) .....it doesn't change the colour of the fabric so I hope I have made the right choice. I must admit it doesn't feel very sturdy for a lining fabric.

I have just been adding up...these are not cheap trousers, approx. £50 for the fabric then take into account electricity, thread etc. and lots and lots of time spent on them. I hope they last me forever lol lol.

Here are just a few details...side pocket, topstitched.

I am making another pair of my TNT tailored trousers.

Valentines flowers...ah sweet

2009-02-15T02:40:00.000-08:00

This flower is a small ornamental cabbage on a stalk.....I have never seen a one this small before.

The colours are beautiful.

I got a beautiful bunch of flowers from my DH for Valentines day, I thought I would share a few pictures because they are sooo lovely.

Camera....ugh

2009-02-01T13:18:00.000-08:00

I am afraid I can't upload any pictures as my camera is broken and I don't think it can be mended. I think we might be going for a new one sometime this week. We haven't had this Canon camera very long and it cost £350.00.....I am not paying that much again I can tell you, I hope I can get a one a lot cheaper than that.
I have made a second welt pocket and it is much better than the first one....the pattern I am using for my trousers doesn't have a welt pocket pattern so I have made one. I read all of the instructions the ladies from the Stitchers Guild gave me, then I altered the size to suit myself......I wrote all of my instructions down (needle positions, stitch sizes, every little detail I could think of) then I made a pattern. I can now add a welt pocket whenever I feel like it. When I make the welt pocket on my trousers I will take photographs (when I get my camera) and add them to my instructions.

Welt pocket

2009-01-25T05:10:00.000-08:00

I couldn't get this picture where I wanted it so I have made a new post.

Here is a picture of my first ever welt pocket made with help from the ladies of the Stitchers Guild. As you can see there are still a few mistakes but I am going to have another go at it.

TNT trouser pattern

2009-01-25T04:49:00.000-08:00

This is my one and only altered, tailored trouser pattern that I have. It is so easy to reach for this pattern when I need a new pair of trousers.

Everytime I make it I try to do something different with it. This time I am having a go at a back welt pocket, the pattern also needs another bit of tweaking. I still feel the legs of these trousers are a bit too wide so I am making 1" seams instead of the normal 5/8" seams. The waist darts will have to be narrowed to allow for the 1" seams ( then the waist won't be too tight ) I have narrowed all 4 darts by 1/8", then the size of the waist remains the same.

I had to ask the ladies of The Stitchers Guild to help me with a problem I had with my welt pocket. I didn't know how to handle the pocket having a long narrow dart at the back of my trousers. The dart can be cut through when making the welt pocket, the ladies also gave me some great tips on how to improve my pocket. Thank you ladies......you know who you are.

Fed up with building work.

2008-09-26T14:57:00.000-07:00

This is the bay window and the window of the side of the porch. The photograph above is from the front door looking through to the dining room and right through to the garden

I am fed up with building work, it isn't going fast enough for me....I think to date we have had them in for over a month now, nearly every day.....you can't go anywhere or do anything...I can't even sew because there are things stacked in my sewing area and there just isn't any room.

Withdrawal symptoms

2008-09-07T13:58:00.000-07:00

I haven't done any sewing for a couple of weeks now and I am getting withdrawal symptoms. The reason is we are having some home improvements done and all the dining room furniture is stacked in my sewing room, anyway I don't want to sit sewing when there are workmen in the house causing lots of dust........we are having patio doors put in the dining room.
I hope the rain eases a bit this week, it has been horrendous, the ground is saturated.....anyway I hope it eases because the builder is getting nowhere fast with the front porch and the plumber won't start with the new boiler until the builder is finished.......ugh......I hate the house being upset, not to mention having to get up early to try and make myself look presentable first thing in the morning, which is no mean feat I can tell you.

No sewing here

2008-08-27T01:23:00.000-07:00

There is no sewing for me for the next few weeks or so.....we are having some home improvements done so I have other things on my mind at the moment. We have already had some of our new windows fitted and are waiting for the builder to finish his holidays so he can start our front porch and large double doors in the dining room.....I will still be posting on my blog when I get a minute.

Here is a picture of one of our new windows.

Pattern tracing

2008-07-17T05:28:00.000-07:00

In the past I have never traced any of my patterns but just recently, after reading many different blogs, I have found that lots of people trace their patterns and keep the original pattern without mutilating it in any way. As I have said many times I really do mutilate my patterns and I have made lots and lots of mistakes while trying to alter them. Now as I am a follower and not a leader I decided I would trace my patterns from now on, believe me when I say how smug I feel knowing that my original pattern is still intact after I have made a mistake on my copy, then if I have mutilated my copy I can always trace another copy until I get my alterations right.

That said, I got out my my pattern paper, cellotape, pencil and the original pattern, to begin..... the pattern paper that I use is thick, white paper..... plain on one side, dots and crosses on the other an inch apart........ it is nice sturdy paper for patterns...... nice and sturdy it might be but very opaque, so much so I couldn't see my pattern markings to trace them. I tried and tried but I was giving myself a headache trying to see the damned things, so I put it down for the night to have a think about it and this is what I came up with the next morning.....

I taped my pattern to the pattern paper then taped everything to the window and hey presto I could see my pattern perfectly underneath......I just had to trace around it with a pencil.....this isn't my idea, cardmakers use this method to trace patterns, I just adapted their idea.

Another little tip I have picked up along the way.....those little glue pens are much better to use than cellotape for altering patterns.

Finished.......at last

2008-07-12T03:00:00.000-07:00

I like these trousers and the colour is very versatile, especially for warm days and I can wear my pumps or my strappy sandals......the only thing that is wrong with them, they are going to crease easily as they are a cotton and linen mix.
Onwards and upwards, hopefully.......I need to use my coverstitch machine, so maybe some knitted fabric tops.

This top I made last year goes lovely with these trousers....this is also Vogue 7063. I have a lot of alterations to do to my patterns, as I have mentioned before, so I have to make them out of various fabrics and make them last because it is such a laborious task to alter them. this top is made out of a polyester chiffon with ties at the back, just for a change. I made a camisole to go underneath...the nearest colour I could get to go underneath was a lining fabric, it matched perfectly.

This is the top I made a couple of weeks ago....yes I thought it would go with these trousers and I think it does. This top is Vogue 7935.

Here are the trousers worn with a white linen blouse ( Vogue 7063 )...... it looks nothing like the pattern, I just did my own thing as usual. I made this top about 3 years ago and it washes beautifully.....I love good quality fine linen....I also have a beige one I made after I made this one and they come out every summer.

This is the lining of the waistband being applied.....this is the nearest colour to my fabric that I could get at my local store, next time I do this technique I will use a colour nearer to my fabric and also a better quality.......I would probably have to order from the internet.

Back to my sewing

2008-06-29T02:43:00.000-07:00

I have had to have a break from my sewing as my daughter's work was getting behind so I have been helping for a few days. My trousers have been put to one side but over the last couple of days I have been working on them.

I am doing my waistband in a different way this time....this is Claire Shaeffer's couture method. As you can see the belt carriers are attached to the waist ( I altered the waistband so I attached the belt carriers to the garment instead of the waistband, as suggested by Ms. Shaeffer ). It is now ready to be top stitched and then lined on the inside. This method of attaching the waistband is very time consuming but I like it a lot.
After finishing the waisband I just have the hems to do and I'm finished them, I am going to make something with my coverstitch machine next, I haven't used it yet so I am looking forward to it.

This is the inside of the pocket and the hanging loops attached to the waistline.

I finished each end of the pocket and the end of the zip with a bartack....I really don't like to do this task because I can never get it right, but this time it didn't turn out too bad.

Downloads

2008-06-20T02:32:00.001-07:00

These are the blue Willow bears......cute aren't they lol lol.....These also come in a black and white image so they can be coloured to whatever takes your fancy

Can you remember these blue papers I spoke about them in an earlier post we have an addition to this download.

These are the co ordinating papers also available with the download.

This is Willow the pink bear and is available as a download as well as Willow the blue bear.

I have been busy helping my daughter this week as well as doing a little sewing.

Slow process

2008-06-18T08:52:00.000-07:00

I wish I was a little bit quicker with my sewing, but I'm not so I will just have to put up with it. I also have a young dog and her and I enter competitions together.....she takes up a lot of my time with her training .....anyway back to my sewing.
Trousers half lined with silk organza.....I used the selvage instead of taking up a hem.

My pockets are almost finished, I have them to topstitch and stitch a bar tack at each end.

I topstitched my zip with topstitching thread.

This is my zip facing which I just pinked instead of overlocking, it looks alright and saved me a little bit of time.

Comfort Zone

2008-05-23T03:05:00.000-07:00

I know I have been sewing for more years than I care to remember but I have always kept within my comfort zone. Now I am looking at different blogs and doing my research on the internet I am wanting to try new techniques...I have always lined my trousers the normal way (making a full lining the same way as the trousers and joining them together at the waist) there isn't anything wrong with that I just want to try something different. So with these summer cotton and linen trousers I am going to underline them......I am going to underline them with silk organza (which costs more than the fashion fabric) to 2" below the knee. Now most blogging people just line the front with silk organza but what happens to the back of my trousers if I get a saggy bum.....so I have decided to underline the back as well.

New project

2008-05-20T12:23:00.000-07:00

I am going to use this silk organza for the lining. I don't know whether to just line the front to the knee or line the back as well. Claire Shaeffer advisers you to do the front to the knee but doesn't mention the back....I will have to think about that one.
I have washed and pressed this fabric the same way as I washed the main fabric....the instructions on the fabric say to dry clean it but it has washed and pressed beautifully.....so I have this to cut out and mark, I will then sew the darts separately then put the two fabrics together and treat them as one.

This is the pattern I am using, I have used it a couple of times before to make tailored trousers. This pattern has been altered to fit me and I really like the fit of these trousers so I can just get straight on and make them without having to alter a pattern which takes me ages. Anyway these trousers are going to be more of a relaxed fit with no creases. I have straightened the ends, washed and pressed the fabric and line dried it, that is the way the trousers will be washed I won't put them in the drier.

I am making a pair of beige trousers for my next project. The fabric is a cotton and linen mix which I bought last year and never got round to making up. I know these are going to crease like mad but that is part and parcel of natural fibres. As you can see I have already cut the trousers out of the fashion fabric, this is the front you can see, I marked the crotch, knee and grain lines as well as marking the darts and the position of the fly front, I also marked the seam lines and waist line with tailor tacks.

Blogging

2008-05-14T06:53:00.000-07:00

I read lots of blogs, most of them are about sewing, and I really enjoy them and I am amazed at the amount of people who get sick of sewing and seem to feel guilty about it. This is a time consuming business and if you have a full time job as well, which most of the ladies do, I just don't know how they fit sewing time in. Some of these ladies turn out the most fabulous work but are never satisfied with the results.
Over the years I have learnt not to rush my work but to slow down and enjoy it and make every garment count. I am not fashion conscious anymore, I like classic clothes that mix and match with each other and which will last me for years, with my lifestyle I don't need a lot of clothes but I value the clothes that I make because of all of the hard work that has gone into them. I know it is fabulous to run up a couple of garments in a weekend but what happened to slowing down and enjoying your hobby.....so what if it takes a few weeks to turn out a garment as long as you have enjoyed it and really appreciate the work that has gone into it.

Finished blouse

2008-05-13T07:35:00.001-07:00

I look a little bit serious in the is one.....front view tailored trousers, black camisole and strappy sandals. I tried to show how versatile this feminine little blouse is unfortunately my photographs aren't very good but you get the idea.
I have enjoyed this project but I am glad it is finished, beige cotton trousers next, I'm sure this blouse will go with them as well.

Tailored trousers and strappy sandals.

Sorry for falling asleep on this one lol lol......this isn't a very good photograph, another pair of brown cotton trousers that I have had forever, a brown camisole and diamonte sandals.

Here is the finished blouse with a white camisole and cotton trousers I made a few years ago.

Spring

2008-05-08T01:03:00.001-07:00

This beautiful specimen is in the corner of my garden ( I have no idea what it is called ) but I love it. Every Spring I am amazed at it's beautiful white blossoms, the birds seem to love it as well, they perch in it and preen themselves and sing till their hearts content. It is really far too big to be in such a small garden but I don't care, I just love it.

This is the Acer in my garden just coming into leaf. I have two of them, just outside the kitchen window, in huge pots. We only have a small garden so I have to contain their growth. They are my pride and joy, when I bought them they were like little twigs and very expensive, I nurtured them and now they are quite beautiful in full growth and very ornamental.
As far as my blouse is concerned I have the second sleeve tacked in and ready to machine then there is just the bottom and sleeve hems to do......I think I am going to hem them by hand.

Buttons

2008-05-04T05:50:00.001-07:00

Other sleeve isn't in yet but it is cut out and tacked together ready to go in.

One sleeve is in.

These are the first two buttons I have done.......I knew these loop buttonholes weren't right, I have had to make them smaller with little tiny slip stitches. I followed the pattern to the letter (twice by the way) and they are still not right.....if you don't get the size of these loops right the fronts won't come together properly....it is a good job I am making a camisole to go under this because my fronts don't meet exactly lol lol.

These are the buttons for my top, I covered them with the same fabric.

Ugh.... sleeves

2008-04-30T06:51:00.000-07:00

Overlocking on finished sleeve.
I am not a happy bunny at the moment.....my sleeves are not turning out the way I want them to. I had added 1/2" to my sleeve head to make more room for my shoulders.....well my first sleeve I put in didn't need that extra 1/2" so on my second sleeve I cut the 1/2" off before I inserted the sleeve.....bad move......this sleeve needs the extra room.....now I am going to have to cut another sleeve with the 1/2" added....ugh.......why do I do stupid things ????????!!!!!!!
I was going to make myself a scalf with the fabric that is left over from this top but I don't think I will have enough now that I have to cut the extra sleeve.

I have turned and hemmed the soft collar on my blouse by hemming into every machine stitch, this leaves a lovely and almost invisible finish to collars and waistbands.

More of Vogue 7935

2008-04-28T05:01:00.000-07:00

Not very good pictures of the finished neckline, I still have to hem by hand on the inside of the collar.....sleeves next. Here is a close up of the finished ties..... This is the collar with the ties...it took quite a long time to do this. I had to machine stitch 1/2" from the cut edge, trim just above the stitching then turn a double seam, tack and then machine stitch again.......I suppose I could have overlocked and turned and machine stitched the edge but as usual I decided on the longest method. These ties have a curved edge which took some manipulating to get a smooth curve and it doesn't look too bad.

Blouse so far

2008-04-26T00:32:00.001-07:00

This is a close up of the the buttonholes, I had to do these twice, I made a right mess of them the first time, I haven't done buttonhole loops before and it isn't easy on a polyester fabric, man made fibres don't press like natural fibres, I would have liked them to be a little bit smaller but after doing them twice I 'd had enough.
More to come.
This is my blouse so far......I have added a seam down the back of the blouse, it was easier to fit with a seam rather than cutting the pattern apart. All I did was add 5/8 of an inch to the back and another 1/4 of an inch toward my shoulders, this allowed extra room for my rounded shoulders. I have sewn the shoulder seams....the right shoulder is fine but the left seam needs to come forward 1/2 an inch. I have done a FBA of 1/2 an inch which left me with extra fabric in the armhole area.......I transfered the the extra fabric into a another 11/2 inch dart (that is 2 darts I have in the bust area) and heightened the armhole by 11/2 inches. I then took out 1/4 inch at the neck to allow for my hollow chest. I also put a little more room in the hip area by adding 1/4 inch to the side seams and tapering to the original seam at the armholes. I overlocked all the seams and topstitched them with a 2 rows of stitching.
I have to tell you I have to make extensive alterations to my patterns and there are 10 darts in this top........in the front there are 2 waist darts and 4 darts in the bust area and in the back there are 2 back waist darts and I added 2 small shoulder darts to allow for the extra 1/2 inch that I added to the back to widen it using the S.B. method.... bringing the shoulder seam back to the orignial length. I have also tried my best to match the pattern while doing the seams and the darts, I haven't got it matched perfectly but I have tried my best...... and that is all anyone can do lol lol

I also had to lengthen the front and make a 1/2 inch adjustment for a sway back, adjust the bust and waist darts to bring them in line with my bust and add 1/2 inch to the sleeve head.

Phew !!!!!!????????? I think I have covered all of my alterations .....this post will remind me of what alterations I have to do on other tops.

Blouse

2008-04-25T02:20:00.000-07:00

This is the top I am making at the moment, I am making view C.....the one with the long floaty sleeves......I have changed the sleeve style to a straight sleeve, floaty sleeves are a little bit over the top for me lol lol. The fabric in the picture is a polyester see here and slightly transparent so I will have to make a camisole to match, there is a camisole pattern included so I will use that. I have altered this pattern extensively, fitting is a nightmare for me.

Coverstitch machine

2008-04-25T02:08:00.000-07:00

Here is a photograph of my new machine, as promised.

I haven't used it on anything yet but I have had a little bit of a play with it. I am so glad I chose this machine, it is simple to use and very sturdy.....I like it a lot.....and as I said I have never been disappointed with Janome sewing machines.

New Machine

2008-04-21T03:12:00.000-07:00

I am waiting patiently for a delivery today.....I know it's today because I have been tracking my parcel...... I have ordered a Janome 1000cp coverstitch machine. I have been thinking about a coverstitch machine for sometime now and didn't know which one to choose, I always use Janome sewing machines and have never been disappointed however I was taken with the Babylock Evolve which is an overlocker and coverstitch machine in one and is very expensive, over £1000 pounds. In the end I decided to go for a coverstitch only machine.....my way of thinking, the more that is on a machine the more that can go wrong. The only thing is this Janome coverstitch machine doesn't excite me and The Babylock Evolve does.......I hope I am not disappointed.
I will let you know in due course and take some pictures.

New downloads

2008-04-18T02:13:00.000-07:00

We have had enquiries as to why the new download isn't available yet......well there are other bits and pieces to be added to it but my daughter has loads of commissions at the moment and hasn't got time to put the finishing touches to it.
Please accept out apologies and it will be finished as soon as possible.
Sandra

New download

2008-04-09T04:02:00.000-07:00

Here is my card using the papers from below.
I used the small patchwork and the small spotty papers... I used an A6 card and rounded the corners of the papers attached them to the card layering them. I used my cricut and cut out the shapes of the cream coloured card and a round white shape ( If you haven't got a cricut

square shapes will do ) stamp Wilbert (available from Willow Designs) onto the white shape and water colour him in. Cut out the small triangular tag and attach a brad and cut out 3 small flowers from the small blue flowered paper and attach to the card as shown....last but not least attach a small blue bow to the left hand corner of the card.

Happy Crafting.

Here are some of the papers for our new download......making a card with them is next on the agenda.

Wilbert and green patchwork daisies

2008-04-07T09:59:00.000-07:00

I have been playing all day today using out patchwork daisy papers and Wilbert.

I used a plain green card for my first backing layer then the green patchwork frame paper for my next layer.....I cut out 2 daisies from the large patchwork daisy and a strip of small green flowers and placed them as shown on the card.

I used my cricut to cut the matting layers and coloured the scalloped layers with water colouring pencils.

I used the Wilbert and Wilbert sitting stamps from Willow Designs and coloured them also with water colouring pencils and placed them as shown on my card.

New papers for cd

2008-04-07T03:47:00.001-07:00

Fantasy daisy in blue.

Fantasy daisy in pink.

These are the fantasy daisy papers in green.

Cardmaking on a cold day

2008-04-06T08:01:00.000-07:00

This is another card I have done today.....I have used my cricut for the matting layers.....stamps from Willow Designs and the paper from the Springtime cd.
We have a covering of snow here today and it is really cold so I haven't had my nose out of the door today.

This is one of the cards I have been working on to day..... the little mouse in the mug, the hedgehog and the butterfly are all decoupaged, I also used my cricut to do the matting layers......the papers are from Willow Designs scrapbooking papers, the stamps are all from Willow Designs.

Mothers Day Card

2008-02-27T11:44:00.001-08:00

This is my Mothers Day card. Sharon my daughter designs cards and this is one of her sketchies ( a sketchie is basically a layout ).
I used the rosebud papers from the Occasions cd, the rose bouquet stamp, the For You sentiment stamp, some flower soft, H2O's and some pink organza ribbon.

New fabric

2008-02-13T05:51:00.001-08:00

The brown fabric is also a polyester suiting is washable at 40 degrees and is also £15 a metre.
The leopard print is the same as below.
I have had my fill of natural fibres making me look creased and untidy so this time I am going for crease resistant, I only hope because they are good quality man made fabrics they will look as lovely as natural fibres when they are made up.
There are three fabrics here....the white is a ployester charmeuse satin is washable at 40 degrees, I got this at the wedding section, it is for lingerie and is £7 a metre.
The other two fabrics are fine silk organza in ivory and black, also from the wedding section.....I got this for interlining my trousers but these fabrics are dry clean only....I am hoping they will be alright on a cool wash. These fabrics are also £7 a metre.

The beige fabric is a matka style polyester suiting is washable at 40 degrees and I got this for half price at £7.50 a metre.
The leopard print is a ployester crepe, is washable a 40 degrees and is £10 a metre.

This is the first of the fabrics I bought......these fabrics are all man made fibres, but they are not cheap fabrics by any means......at the moment I have had my fill of pre shrinking this and that so this time all of my new fabrics go in the wash.

The plain grey is a polyester suiting and is washable at 40 degrees and is £15 a metre.

The small fan is polyester chiffon and is also washable at 40 degrees and is £8 a metre.

New Fabrics

2008-02-11T10:52:00.000-08:00

I have a great deal of trouble trying to get decent fabrics that I like. I will only go up to £20 a metre and no more for fabric.......I am not experienced enough to spend lots of money on fabric, I make too many mistakes.
Today my husband, daughter and I took a trip to John Lewis to see if I could find some decent fabric......well I did and because I don't go there very often I really splashed out and spent £182, I won't be going back for some time lol lol
I got two lots of suiting in a light grey and chocolate brown for trousers.....two lengths of fabric for blouses to match.....a light beige viscose for more trousers for the summer......silk organzer for interlining and a press cloth and some white lingerie satin for two camisoles......also two weights of iron on interfacing.
I also went to the Janome counter to stock up on machine needles and they didn't have any.....apparently Janome and Elna have merged and have been in a mix up over machine needles, in all of the John Lewis stores there is only a few packs of Janome machine needles, can you believe it.
I am quite tired now but tomorrow I will take photographs of my fabrics if I have time.
In an earlier post I made a wearable muslin of a Sandra Betzina cross over top. I have got some light grey stretch cotton so I am going to make make this top again........this is going to be my next project......hopefully.

Summing up of skirt and trousers

2008-02-08T05:15:00.000-08:00

I quite like to see all of my hard work on the inside of my garments as long as it is neat and tidy that is why I have shown the inside details.
All in all I think these two garment have cost me round about £30.......and lots of blood, sweat and tears as they say.......but that isn't bad for two garment that fit and are comfortable.
I don't know what my next project will be...what I do know is I need to get some colour onto this blog .....there is too much grey and black at the moment lol lol.

Skirt details

2008-02-08T04:49:00.000-08:00

Finished skirt hem and I had to overcast the top of the skirt facing by hand.......I couldn't risk cutting into the seam allowance with my overlocker again.

Outside view of side slit after pressing.

This is an inside view of the side slit.....I used a catch stich to attach the facing to the lining.

This is a back view of the zip stitched in by machine......I could have stitched it in by hand but I quite like a row of straight stitching where the zip is......I need to attach the fastener at the back.

I always make my waistband 1" wide so that it is comfortable.....I machine stitch it on from the right side, turn it to the wrong side and hem by hand into every machine stitch this makes a very neat finish.

Trousers and skirt finished

2008-02-08T04:16:00.000-08:00

These are the finished trousers.....these have been worn numerous times and I feel comfortable in them, which is the most impotant thing for me.

This is the skirt finished apart from the fastener on the back. I was absolutely sick of this skirt because it has taken me forever to finish. This is the first time I have interlined with lining fabric and I think it is much better than a separate lining.

Cleansing routine

2008-02-01T07:02:00.001-08:00

I have never used soap on my face for years and years, mainly because I have a very dry sensitive skin.
I have used Liz Earl skin products for a while now..I use the cleanser and moisturiser religiously. I recently placed and order for my usual moisturiser and a few other things and I got a free gift because I have been a good customer.
My free gift is in the picture above.......I never get anything for nothing so I was absolutely delighted to receive these trial size products in a little bag.......they also smell beautiful.

Skirt

2008-02-01T06:06:00.001-08:00

Zip finally installed.....inside view with the underling showing.

These pictures won't go where I want them to go......arghhhh!!

I told you I had made mistakes on this skirt......can you see where I have got overcasting, well that bit is the slit that goes at the side.....I thought I could do no more than just machine overcast these side seams, what did I do nearly cut right through the seam line with the knife on the machine.......I just sat there stunned that I could be so stupid. I sat and composed myself wondering what to do.......firstly I got out my fray check to stop it fraying....sat back and did a bit more wondering and decided to try and mend it..I stitched it together as best I could, luckily the cut didn't go right through the seam line but I will have to make the side seam a little wider.

I have underlined this skirt instead of my usual separated lining and I find it is much better. I stitched the darts separately in the fabric and the lining first then joined the 2 pieces together.......my overlocker, which I have had for many, many years has never had the cutting knife changed, when I joined the 2 fabrics together at the side seams the old knife just couldn't cope.....the stitching was appaling and the knife just wasn't cutting the fabric at all.....more sitting wondering what to do the side seams were a mess......so I pulled all of the stitches out and did them again after changing to a new knife.

I also made a mess of the zip and had to redo that......every time I pick this skirt up I make mistakes.

This is the skirt I am making, it is an Anne Klein design, Vogue 2047.
I have made a few changes to this skirt.....I have put slits at both sides instead of just one side and lengthened it to just below my knee, I am going to put 2 side pockets in, I have also added a seam allowance and inserted the zip into the back of the skirt, it was previously a side zip and no seam allowance at the back.

Marking and thread tracing

2008-02-01T05:32:00.000-08:00

These pictures were taken a while ago of my trousers I was making. I had altered the pattern, cut them out and was busy marking amd thread tracing them, I find thread tracing very useful because it marks the fabric on both sides.

The little metal measuring gauge is an invaluable little tool. I mark my fabric with tailors chalk first then thread trace to make the markings permanent. I use embroidery silks for thread tracing, they are soft and don't leave a mark and also because I have lots and lots of them in all different colours, I don't embroider anymore and rather than waste them I am using them up.

The other picture you see is the fly fronted zipper marked with tailors chalk and then thread traced.

I have finished these trousers and have worn them numerous times, I will take a picture of me wearing them in another post. I had about a metre of this fabric left which is a dark grey worsted wool.......that is what I am making my skirt out of.

Sinuses

2008-01-31T14:58:00.000-08:00

I haven't been blogging for quite a while because I have been poorly.
I don't quite know what was wrong with me but I went to the doctors because I had a very sore throat......we have to see the nurse first, she checks you over and then decides if you are ill enough to see the doctor. Anyway she looked down my throat and said there was no infection and she would prescribe me some tablets but she wanted to check with the doctor first.....I hate doctors so I was happy just to be seen by the nurse........when she came back she said the doctor wanted to see me, she also wanted to check my blood pressure.....that was fine.
I went into see the doctor, she also said there was no infection in my throat but she said it could be my sinuses anyway she prescribed me some pills.......one a day for seven days.
The next day I could hardly speak, I just had to wet my tongue and to try and swallow that was torture, I couldn't swallow any food, my throat was on fire and I was in excrutiating pain. I took 2 tablets and it still wasn't any better........on the third day it started to ease a little bit. I was in bed for a week, I just didn't have the energy to get out of bed, infact I could have stayed in bed another week but I had to force myself to get up.
I still feel weak sometimes but I am better than I was, and I still get jelly legs as I call them..which is probably weakness. I don't actually know what has been wrong with me but whatever it was I don't want it again.
I have been working on my skirt for the past couple of days.......I have made a few stupid mistakes which I will write about in my next post.

Back view

2007-11-25T06:23:00.001-08:00

You can see from the back view that the shoulder seams are sliding to the back because of my forward shoulders. This makes the sleeves look as if they are twisted. I have this problem on all of my RTW clothes, but at least I can put it right when I make them.

Fitting the top

2007-11-25T06:09:00.000-08:00

I will be able to wear this muslin because the fit isn't too bad, there a a couple of things that I will still alter though.

The shoulders aren't to my liking, they need to come forward a little because they are sliding towards the back ( half an inch to the front ), I was going to do a FBA but I have changed my mind, I think it will make it too big at the front. I will make the darts a little shorter ( about half an inch ) also I think I will take the sides in 1/4 inch on all sides so it will be a little bit more fitted at the sides which will make the gathering at the sides a better fit.

That is all, I like the style and it is really comfortable......

Finished top

2007-11-25T05:59:00.000-08:00

I have finished this test top ( muslin ).

This top has elastic at the sides, I anchored the elastic at both ends first, then stretched it and sewed it on to the seam with a tricot zig zag stich. The front of the top is crossover so the front has a double layer of stretch fabric to deal with. I used a lightweight iron on interfacing an inch wide at the hemline which made the hems easier to sew without stretching, I also did this at the sleeve hems.

Neckline of top

2007-11-25T05:44:00.000-08:00

This fabric is quite tricky to work with.......I have used a size 11 ballpoint needle and the walking foot on my machine. I used a stretch stitch for the darts and seams and for the top stitching I used a medium straight stitch and again used the walking foot.

Top and fabric

2007-11-25T05:31:00.000-08:00

Here is the Sandra Betzina top and the fabric I am using.

This is just a test for the fit of the pattern, the fabric only cost me just under £4.00 so it is worth it not to spoil good fabric trying to get the fit right. This design of fabric is different to what I would usually buy but I thought the colours were quite pretty, if it isn't good enough to wear I will throw it away after I have taken note of the adjustments. I haven't worked on knit fabrics all that much and I know they are quite tricky and they tend stretch quite a bit when working on them. I have got a basic overlocker which I have had forever, the hems worry me a bit because I haven't got a cover stich machine, so I will just take my time and make the right decisions as to what to use to get the look I want.