Akita - Seamworks

Seamworks patterns are designed to be made in about three hours and use simple finishing techniques - good for when you just want to quickly add something new to your wardrobe.

Front and back of this top are cut in one piece, two seams to sew and four yards of bias binding, and there you have it, a new top.

I am pleased with the fit and sizing of this pattern, I would recommend someone trying Seamworks patterns, the sizing is real, rather than fashion industry driven.

Plus I used a fabric that had been sitting in my stash from the 1980s, I bought this on the day that I decided in my sewing life, that you should always spend money on good quality fabric.  Bonus also I had the perfectly coloured vintage bias binding to match the top!

Happy sewing everyone.

Sandra

UFO - 1

Pocket section of Quillow

Since I've been on school holidays, this has been a good time to yet again tackle my my fabric stash.  Last break, I was was unhappy with the way I stacked my fabric in the wardrobes as the method of folding I used didn't allow me to store very much.

After some contemplation, I decided to use my quilting ruler to wrap fabric around to fold.  It worked, and as a result, after numerous hours, I was able to fit a lot more fabric in my wardrobe.  The job is not yet finished.  It's a process.  Decisions need to be made as to what stays and what goes.  One laundry basket full of fabric and wool has gone to the textiles teacher at work.  The next lot will go to a group teaching refugee women to sew.  (I haven't got to that yet).

I thought I didn't have many self covering buttons (not so); I thought I didn't have much elastic (not so).  Up side is, I won't have to buy any of these things for a very long time!

I have found some UFOs in the process.  A shirt (now gone); a jacket (that I didn't like the pattern when I first did it - gone).  I have a dress sitting on my machine, and if that isn't finished in the next two weeks - you guessed it, it will also go.

Almost finished quillow (with wonder clips holding binding)

However, I found a quillow that almost was finished. (A quilt with an attached pocket into which the whole blanket can be folded, thus making a pillow. - Wiktionary)  I started this some 15 years ago, I guess.  A friend and I used to get together to sew about once a month.  She gave me this fabric to make a quillow.  It just needed to have the quilting finished and the binding.  This was back in the days that I used to tie my quilts rather than baste them.  So, the underside may have moved slightly in the process, but all that needs to be done now is the hand stitching on the binding.

Happy sewing everyone.

Sandra

Cushion Covers Part 2

I'm not going crazy when I say this, but, sometimes the fabric just needs to talk to you and tell you what it wants to be.

I had chosen the fabrics below to create another pillow case for the pillows on our lounge suite.  The brown and the orange with white are Japanese kimono fabrics and the gold is a quilt making cotton.  Initially the two Japanese prints 'talked' to me, but I needed a third one.  I finally settled on the gold cotton.

Then for the pattern, originally I wanted to do this pillow in the Drunkards Path design with only the two Japanese prints, alas, I did not have enough fabric, that's why I had to find a third fabric. So, maybe some Drunkards Path at a later date.

I finally settled on a pattern called, "Carpenter's Wheel or Star Quilt", I had used this design before in my blog "Happy Retirement".  The design can be found online in Pinterest in many forms.

Well in typical Sandra style I cut enough to make another pillow in this design (could be cushion number 3), but, that's another story...


What will cushion three be?  I don't quite know yet, nothing as 'spoken' to me! LOL

It's Australia Day over here, I'm off to do more sewing before returning to work tomorrow (many a teacher in mourning today).

Happy sewing everyone.

Sandra

Cushion covers. Part 1

My couch is in need of some pillows. This means that l need to make five cushion covers.

I pulled out some Japanese prints, which are cuts from kimonos.  A mix of pieces that are cotton, silk and polyester.

My first cushion cover l have used three fabrics from this lot.  The fabrics, although beautiful, have imperfections - hence the reason they were cut up and sold as fabric pieces.  I didn't go out of my way to hide these imperfections either.

Using the 'Rocket Man', design from Kathy Doughty's book, 'Material Obsession', I created a cushion cover.

Since the block in the book is not meant to be symmetric, l felt this would suit my imperfect fabric. It was more like free styling or crazy patchwork, without the embellishments.

Now for some quilting.

Happy sewing everyone.

Sandra