Vogue 8682 (V8682)

I've decided that it's really hard to concentrate at work when it is a Monday, and that Monday is the day before a public holiday.

My mind is on sewing projects and not on work.

In a previous post I mentioned that I was overcome by my sewing stash, I went around the house telling my husband, "Hi, I'm Sandra, and I have a fabric problem".  Now to tackle some of that problem.

I pulled out some patterns to, that I always had the intention of sewing, but never did.  The first one to get off that table of mine is Vogue 8682.  I then went through my stash and found four metres of red peach skin fabric.  (Now, are you having flashbacks to the 1990s?)  That's exactly how long I've had this piece, it was quite vogue back then, I love it's texture, it's probably the closest you get to a fake suede, but in a fabric form.  It will do nicely when the days become cooler (at present I've the fan on in our office and wearing a summer dress!)  OK, I'm not working either, when I should be.

Pattern:  V8682

What adjustments did I do to this pattern?

• 3cm (1") adjustment to extend the length at the waist
• I chose the short length with the long sleeves (long sleeves with longer length reminded me of a nightie).

The pattern called for a 22" zip, I had a 18" one on hand and finally decided to go with this because the fabric itself has some stretch.

I am very happy with the outcome.  It is comfortable and and easy pattern to put together.

Those quick projects that add to our wardrobe are just the best.

Items used from stash today:  reel of cotton and overlocking thread; four metres of fabric; one zip.

Happy sewing everyone.

Sandra

One feature fabric influencing patchwork design

I've been going through my fabric stash (that's really a whole story in itself).  When I came across some fabric that reminded me of the story of Cinderella.  It's not really, just a prince chasing his damsel, the things fairytales are made of.

I had so little of this fabric, it was sent to me when I ordered something online as a sorry because the order was delayed, unnecessary, but thoughtful.

So, as I was going through this stash, this fabric 'spoke to me'.  Since the last lot of patchwork tops, we have discovered three more pregnancies at work - we were ahead with our quilt making, these pregnancies put us behind again.

Here are two versions of how I used this feature fabric (very bright and colourful):

So, from now on, I'm trying to stick to my stash, I DON'T need to buy anymore.  This is going to be hard!

What sewing projects have you been doing?

Sandra

PS this means that I have destashed four five pieces of fabric!  Yay!

Simplicity 2148

I've gone through my sewing patterns and picked out a bunch that I want to make.

Some years ago I cleared out my winter wardrobe and haven't quite restocked.  So, I decided that the first thing I had to make were a few stretch fabric tops using my coverstitch machine.

I picked Simplicity 2148.  When I originally purchased this pattern I did so with the intention of entering a competition with the Australian Sewing Guild, their selection of patterns left me uninspired, so the pattern just sat there amongst my stash.

With my new coverstitch and a desire to improve my skills with working with stretch fabrics I decided that I would make one of the tops in this pattern set.

This is View A from this pattern:

It's made from a light woollen knit fabric, it'll do me during winter as I don't like to dress too warmly anyway

I'm happy with the top.

Happy sewing everyone.

Sandra

Burda - Vintage Chic Polka-Dot Dress

Ah, the holidays are at an end, school starts back tomorrow, only six weeks until a public holiday long weekend and nine weeks until the end of term one - but, who's counting?

I've had productive break with all my sewing.  My final dress for summer is a BurdaStyle dress from the book BurdaStyle Modern Sewing, which features 24 plus size patterns from Burda's magazines.

I've been intending to make the Vintage Chic Polka Dot Dress for a while and finally it's day came. No Polka-Dots here.

I had a piece of black polyester fabric in my stash that I wanted to use.  Yes, yes, a bit unusual for me to want to make a black dress, but black is useful and coordinate's well with other items.  Plus, it's a very Melbourne thing to do - wear black, that is.  I had enough fabric to make the dress, but with short sleeves.  So, short sleeves it is.

I just had to make my normal adjustments for my size to it.  Here it is:

The fabric is a bit difficult to work with, although the only place it gave me some trouble was in the collar, it also creases easily.  I know why the collar is flipping slightly upwards, so this will be rectified next time.

The next time I make this it will be in a cotton.  I will probably not waste my time putting in a zip at the side next time as it is easy to put on when you undo the buttons.

Will I wear it?  Yes.  It feels good to wear.  It's a good pattern, I probably decided to go with a stash fabric just in case I didn't like the pattern.

My overlocker (serger) was sent off for a service on Friday, seems that new blades are in order.  Not bad, I've had the machine since the early 1990s; paid good money for it at the time (we were running a business at the time and needed a sturdy machine).  When I took it in it still got good reviews from the serviceman. I thought this was a good time to take it in as I really couldn't see myself working on an outfit on my first week back at work.  It'll be back by next weekend, so, that's well timed.

Maybe some patchwork is in order in the meantime?

When my overlocker returns I will be focusing on Winter clothing (since I got rid of most of my Winter wardrobe in my latest clean up of clothing).

Happy sewing everyone.

Sandra

Happy New Year

Hello everyone

I hope that you had a Merry Christmas and Happy new year to all of you.

I'm on a mission at the moment, three babies are due at work this year, and since I am on holidays wanted to get these out of the way, so I wanted to get the quilt tops out of the way first.

I have completed three quilt tops this week, both using the strip piecing technique.  One will be familiar to you (I have blogged about this before) the other was a technique that I found on Pinterest 

Now, being a bit of a perfectionist the technique here actually produced two quilt tops for me.  I could have incorporated it into one quilt.  The printed fabric in this quilt is vintage.  It's not cotton. Herein lies my contradictions, because I'm not a purist when it comes to quilting (a purist would use 100% cotton all the way through).  The vintage fabric is from my mother in law, who also was a sewer. When she departed I went through her stuff and kept most of the vintage fabric.  How could I not use it?  It gives it such an Art Deco feel.

Here is the other, a familiar quilt top to me now.

Better go and pick up my new toy, more later.....

Happy sewing everyone.

Sandra

Fabric Christmas Postcard

Is this too late in the year to begin your Christmas projects?  Probably.

I set the challenge down to my friend Ronda a few weeks back.  That challenge is to exchange quilted/appliqued Christmas cards.

I, of course, had to give it to her first before I blogged about it.  I don't usually exchange cards until after December 1, but, I had to break my own rules this year.  What's life if you can't break a rule or two now and then?

I got the inspiration from Pinterest.  I must apologise, I have modified someone else's design slightly, but I can not acknowledge them as I have not saved their idea as a pin.  If someone finds it, let me know and I will acknowledge this person.

Let us start with the finished product:

While I prefer everything to be properly finished I chose a design that, was not.  It was more naive in finish.

You will need:

Visofix
Phellon (or fusible batting)
Cotton fabric (in red, white and green)
2 buttons

These are so easy to make.  Here's how it was done:

1     Cut out two 6" x 4" rectangles for each postcard that you wish to make.
2     Cut out two pieces of stiff interfacing - 6" x 4" - attach one piece to the wrong side of the pieces          that you cut out in point 1 above.
3     Fuse Visofix to each of the red, green and white fabrics.
4     I then used my Sizzix cutter to cut a 3" red circle and a 3" white circle.
5     With the white circle I cut these freehand through the middle to make the shape shown in the              picture above. I also freehand cut the leaves.
6     Remove the backing from the Visofix and iron down onto the backing fabric, as shown in the              picture below:

7     Cut out one piece of phellon (or you could spray glue attach a piece of batting) - 6" x 4" for each        card. Attach to the rear of the front piece with the applique and sandwich the three layers                    together holding together with pins or clips.
8     I then free motioned quilted the three layers together around the plum puddings.

9     Then, using one of the embroidery motifs on my machine, found a motif resembling snow flakes        and placed these randomly above the plum puddings and the leaves, also freemotion around the          perimeter of the card.
10   Hand sew the two buttons at the base of the two leaves,

And there we have it, I finally made eight of these cards.

This will become a yearly tradition.

Give it a try, they're quite easy to make.

Happy sewing everyone.

Sandra

PS and Merry Christmas to one and all.

So Sew Easy Boxy Bag

I decided to purchase this pattern, it was only a few dollars to download off the So-Sew-Easy.com website.  I weighed up the pros and cons of drafting myself, and decided that it would cost me more time to develop the pattern and test it and then produce it.  Plus, the patterns from this web site, whether you purchase them or are for free are as they suggest, so easy to sew.

Boxy bag

Boxy bag and tiny bags

Tiny bags

The red one is for me (finally made a decision about what fabric to use for me).  I'm always misplacing my keys, so this is their new home in my handbag.

If you are after free patterns and ones that fit (the clothing patterns) and other items such as these try out the patterns on this website.

Happy sewing everyone.

Sandra

Quilt gifts

Ok, I know, I said I would spend the six months until the end of the year pattern drafting for my own clothing.

Can I help it if people are having babies, retiring or are leaving their employment and we'd like to congratulate them?

I had finished the top to this quilt some time ago Fishing quilt for the man who likes fishing it was always intended for the person who will receive it now, I was just waiting for the opportunity to come up.

Whilst basting the quilt I was looking for a backing fabric, I had some wool flannel that was wide enough for the backing.  I did have batting as the second layer.

As you know by now, I am trying my hand in free motion quilting, I think this looks OK (I have high expectations of myself).  I started by marking the quilt, and then decided I was wasting too much time doing this, so I proceeded to free motion quilt (in the true sense of the words).  Brave, wasn't I?

Backing this quilt with the flannel has made it a heavy quilt. Probably knee size is the biggest I would make if the quilt is this heavy in the future.

This quilt is for a gentleman who we know that has very little spare time, but, enjoys fishing.  It was difficult to find fabric dealing with fishes, that I found tasteful.  I fussy cut the pieces and used a fat quarter pack of green progression colours to complete the blocks.



This next quilt is one that I made for a friend who is a hairdresser and refuses to take any money.  Although I have offered to pay for haircuts, she refuses to take payment. So I decided I would use the same design that I used in the three shirts quilt to complete this:

I call this, "Same, same, but different", note the red,block in the bottom corner, I ran out of the red fabric!  Oh well, as Tim Gunn would say, "make it work".  I like it.  I am retiring this quilt design now and moving onto another.

Babies?  Seems like the rush is on again at work and Ronda and I are busily working away at making baby quilts.  I do the patchwork and Ronda does the quilting.  Here are some of our latest creations:

There are more quilts to be done, stay tuned for pictures of these.

We (teachers) are on two weeks of holidays now, time for my sewing machine and I to become more familiar with each other.

Happy sewing everyone.

Sandra

Sometimes when your friends convince you to do something, it actually turns out to be a good thing...

Some months ago my friend Ronda spoke to me about a quilt challenge.  What attracted to me was two things:  $10 to be paid for fabric that must be used in the quilt, and the quilt would be auctioned of and the funds used for this organisation to help the intellectually disabled.

As mentioned in a previous post, I came up with the idea of the butterfly patchwork block.  I almost didn't finish the quilt as I didn't feel that if I quilted it that it would be up to scratch.

I asked my friend Ronda who works with me if she wanted to quilt it and then we could submit it as a joint entry.  I'm glad I did.  Our past collaborations have always had successful outcomes.  So, the quilt made it to the  Minda Quilt Challenge and it got shown at the Australian Machine Quilting Festival in Adelaide!  (Ronda got second prize for the circular quilt).

Look what I received in the mail today:

Happy sewing everyone.

Sandra

Baby quilt

This is the same patchwork pattern that I used in my Three Shirt Quilt:

It looks slightly different because I had to make do after I ran out of the purple fabric.  So I added sashing to the outer borders.  This time I used the Madeira Aeroquilt 3000 thread that I picked up at the last quilt show.

Now you know that quilting is something I am pushing myself to do as one of my challenges, but I must say that whilst using this thread I had a moment where I thought "I really enjoy doing this".  So I stitched in the ditch for most of this and then did this quilting pattern (didn't use the blue tailor's chalk this time to mark the pattern).

I used my regular sewing machine, not a long arm machine.  I think having the right equipment to do a job is very important.  Earlier this year I purchased a Horn Sewing/quilting table and it was the second time I'd used the quilting extension to the table.  Conclusion, it helps to keep the quilt flat and not running off the table.

Here's a close up of the quilting (the quilt has been washed, so that's why it's looking a bit crinkled):

I think I have a home for it to go to now.

What have you been up to?  I have another quilt of this design almost done and it seems that the baby making phase at work has started up again, so Ronda and I are busy again making baby quilts and one retirement quilt.

The weather is still coolish here, but, we are seeing the sun a bit more often, my October Design magazine has just arrived and it's time to investigate my stash to pull out some summer fabrics to make outfits from.

I have so many projects in mind that going to work is just an inconvenience (but funds the fabric addiction!)

I hope all is well in your world.

Happy sewing.

Sandra

Three shirt quilt...

So, what do you make when your brother hands you a bag with three of his favourite shirts, and says, "make something with them?"

Mm, cut off the cuffs and collars, save the buttons, and sit on the idea for a few years.

Then, the inspiration finally came, the fabric finally spoke to me. Cut the fabric into 2 1/2" strips, sew together the strips and then cut into 6 1/2" blocks. Sew together:

 As l have said in the past, quilting is not my favourite part, but l have also decided to push my boundaries in this regard.

So I grabbed the first thing that came into my hands to draw the quilting lines on.  Big mistake, I picked up a blue tailor's chalk pencil.....and it didn't want to brush out!

Great, get online, and guess what?  It appears that this is not unusual.

So, what was I to do?  I mixed up a paste of Vanish and water, and with an old toothbrush brushed this mix over the lines, throw into the wash, pray a little, and yes the pencil marks did come off!

Relieved.

I was hoping to give this quilt to my brother before l posted this, but that we couldn't get our schedules to sync. So here's your quilt Mark, I hope you like what I decided your three shirts should become:

I'm pleased with it.

Happy sewing everyone.

Sandra

A-line skirt.

I'm still on my self drafted pattern quest.

In a previous post French cuffs I had self drafted this pattern with long sleeves and french cuffs, since I like to make a pattern more than once (because of the amount of time it takes to draft and get to the final stage).

This time I made it with short sleeves, why?  Hmm, didn't have enough of this fabric to make it up as a long sleeve shirt. I also decided that I wanted to use lots of mother of pearl buttons that I had purchased online:

The skirt is an A Line pattern I made up from a wool/polyester fabric I had purchased for $7 a meter.

In hindsight, I should have cut this skirt on the bias to make the check more interesting.

The skirt is fully lined.

I know it is summery looking, but the skirt is quite a winter weight.  However, it suits me because I often find when indoors during winter that it gets too hot.

Working on a quilt or two right now as gifts, so maybe my next post will be about this.  Or maybe the new Ottobre magazine would have arrived by then!

Happy sewing everyone.

Sandra

Japanese Obi

Recently l was given this Japanese Obi and fabric.

I don't know whether l can bear to cut the Obi up.  I guess if l don't, it'll just be placed in a cupboard, and if l cut it up, then l feel that l've cut up a piece of history.

What to do?  I really don't know.

I think l'm going to send it to the dry cleaners and decide on it's outcome after it comes back.

Have you any suggestions to give me?

Happy sewing everyone.

Sandra