Those of you who know me well (and possibly people who know me a little) will know how I frequently want to knit ALL the things and cast them on right now.
Now I also want to sew ALL the things right now!
Tuesday, 29 July 2014
Sunday, 27 July 2014
15 things I have learnt since I started my new adventures in sewing
- Sewing draws more blood than knitting
- Measure and measure again
- It is possible to mislay three stitch rippers in 24 hours (one still missing)
- Do not sew the fabric over the bit the back of the zip needs to glide over
- It matters which way round you put the bobbin in the bobbin case
- My husband is unable to resist pushing pins further into a pin cushion
- Measuring fabric on your lap is generally not very accurate
- It is a good idea to take your foot off the pedal when you have stopped the sewing machine, rather than resting it on it
- You need to be careful when cutting off loose ends not to snip the fabric
- If I am going to make a habit of laying fabric out on the floor to measure and/or cut I ought to vacuum said floor more often
- Sewing has just as much potential as knitting to keep me up late while I "just do this bit" before I go to bed
- Sewing is not as scary as I thought it was
- Carefully handstitching a hem is quite calming and relaxing
- Despite my newly discovered love for sewing, I have not lost one speck of my love for knitting
- Pins like to go exploring. That is the only way I can account for finding one in the fridge.
Sunday, 6 July 2014
New adventures in sewing
I decided it was time to get over my fear of my sewing machine and make friends with it. I have owned a sewing machine for years and have intended to sew myself some clothes for a lot of that time. I have made a few items of clothing in the past. As a child various items for my Sindy doll - then at school all the girls made a wraparound skirt when we were 11/12. There's also a gingham apron I made myself at some point. I didn't enjoy sewing lessons as much at high school - I remember sewing a blouse but I don't think it was ever finished.
In my first term away as a student, I made myself a skirt. I got the pattern from a magazine - it was a long skirt, with six panels and pockets in each side. I bought some blue fabric, thread and elastic at Oxford market and spent the autumn/winter evenings sitting in my bedroom at my lodgings sewing it. I had no sewing machine back then, so the whole thing was handsewn.
That was 25 years ago and that was the last item of clothing I successfully made myself. There was another attempt at a blouse in the early 1990s (again handsewn) but that was a failure and unfinished. The shop I bought the fabric from also sold other sewing items and I moved onto sewing tapestry and then counted cross stitch (some of which I still unfinished).
In more recent years, although I've been sewing my hexagon quilt, I've mostly concentrated on knitting. I have however, not forgotten my plans to sew and have read lots of sewing blogs for inspiration and have built up quite a fabric stash ready for when I got around to it.
So last Sunday I took the plunge. I knew I wanted to make a skirt and it would be similar to the skirt I made 25 years ago with panels. This time I wanted to alternate the panels. I picked out some fabric for it a few weeks ago and last Sunday I picked up the scissors and started cutting.
Then I put down the scissors and found my cutting wheel, which was much more efficient.
The end result would not win me any awards on Great British Sewing Bee - in fact, I'd probably get sent home when the judges had recovered from their horror at my wonky seams and haphazard techniques. But I wore it for an evening, danced it in and it did not fall apart - so I'm happy with it.
In my first term away as a student, I made myself a skirt. I got the pattern from a magazine - it was a long skirt, with six panels and pockets in each side. I bought some blue fabric, thread and elastic at Oxford market and spent the autumn/winter evenings sitting in my bedroom at my lodgings sewing it. I had no sewing machine back then, so the whole thing was handsewn.
That was 25 years ago and that was the last item of clothing I successfully made myself. There was another attempt at a blouse in the early 1990s (again handsewn) but that was a failure and unfinished. The shop I bought the fabric from also sold other sewing items and I moved onto sewing tapestry and then counted cross stitch (some of which I still unfinished).
In more recent years, although I've been sewing my hexagon quilt, I've mostly concentrated on knitting. I have however, not forgotten my plans to sew and have read lots of sewing blogs for inspiration and have built up quite a fabric stash ready for when I got around to it.
So last Sunday I took the plunge. I knew I wanted to make a skirt and it would be similar to the skirt I made 25 years ago with panels. This time I wanted to alternate the panels. I picked out some fabric for it a few weeks ago and last Sunday I picked up the scissors and started cutting.
Then I put down the scissors and found my cutting wheel, which was much more efficient.
The end result would not win me any awards on Great British Sewing Bee - in fact, I'd probably get sent home when the judges had recovered from their horror at my wonky seams and haphazard techniques. But I wore it for an evening, danced it in and it did not fall apart - so I'm happy with it.
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