Sew My Stash Sunday – 11

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The recurring theme of these posts lately seems to be how little I have done.  This week has been no exception to that pattern.

2015-03-29 01This photo of my ironing board covered in fabric tells this week’s story.  I decided to take a break from dressmaking and make a start on a cover for my KitchenAid mixer which lives on the bench in the corner of my kitchen.  I bought this fabric a few months ago.  It is off-white with black silhouettes of kitchen utensils which seemed perfect to use for this project.  I washed and ironed the fabric this morning and found various pieces of calico for the lining.  I intend to use some bamboo batting to pad it and machine quilt the pieces before assembling the cover.  I have cut out the calico pieces.

The mauve and blue floral top which I started last week has come to a grinding halt as I need to buy some fabric to line the front yoke and cut a facing for the back neckline.  It is not feasible to use the same fabric because the pattern will show through.  I thought I could use some plain white lawn but it shows through a too bright, if that makes sense.  I tested for a suitable colour by placing a pale grey t-shirt behind the fabric and that colour works perfectly so I will buy some silver/grey lawn fabric this week and hopefully will get back to that top before next Sunday comes around.

Sew My Stash Sunday – 10

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Another week has flown by and the sewing had not been touched.  Before I could start sewing I had to do the ironing and there was quite a bit as I did not do it last weekend and had just ironed a few things during the week to keep us going.  I got it all done early this morning and then we headed out for a few hours with our overseas guest.  This afternoon has been wet so it was a good excuse to sew rather than being out in the garden.

I could have finished the hand sewing on the green skirt or finished making the denim one but I decided that I needed a change of scenery.  The first thing I did was cut out a white shirt for my daughter from the pattern I had drafted a couple of weeks ago.

Then I moved on to drafting another pattern.  I have given quite a bit of thought to what style I would use for this piece of fabric.

2015-03-08 02I drafted the top from this ensemble but with a few modifications.

2015-03-22 01The neckline will be a ‘v’ rather than square.  The lower edge of the sleeves and body will have a few rows of shirring elastic rather than being gathered into a band.

I decided to make a prototype before cutting into my new fabric that I bought especially to make this top.  In the spirit of using up my stash, I found a pretty piece of lightweight fabric which was given to me a year or so ago.  Despite much thought I had never been able to come up with an idea of how to use it and there is just over 4 metres of fabric.  So at least some of it is now the prototype.

To get an idea of how it might look I decided to simply baste the pieces together in the first instance.

2015-03-22 02This is not a particularly flattering photograph but it gives an idea of the style.

Things I discovered:

I can easily get it over my head
The neckline is perfect
I will cut the sleeve a bit longer next time
I am going to recut the front body as there is too much fullness in the front
When I cut the pattern in the good fabric I will straighten the side seams and take out the little bit of shaping at the waistline

Even though this is just a test run, I really like the fabric and I am sure it will earn a place in my wardrobe.

Sew My Stash Sunday – 9

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I have made steady progress this week with my sewing.

I cut out and have started sewing my next skirt.

2015-03-08 01The pockets, side seams, yoke and facing are stitched.  I had hoped to get more done today but Miss O and Izz came to stay.  It is pretty well a full-time job to keep them fed and entertained so sewing took a back seat.

The green skirt now has a zip.

2015-02-22 03I actually added to my stash early in the week when I bought this piece of fabric.

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The photograph does not really tell the full story.  It is lightweight with a variable texture and is 100% cotton.  I paid $35/metre which seems a lot but for $52 I will have a gorgeous quality blouse to wear with the green skirt.  This will be my ‘good’ outfit if we go out in the evening when we are in Singapore.  I have not made a final decision on the exact style of the blouse yet.

My other achievement was to draft the pattern for a long-sleeve shirt for my daughter.  I hope the cut it out next week.

Sew My Stash Sunday – 8

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Sadly, I have not done any sewing this week.  I had a particularly busy week at work this week so the weekend was mostly devoted to household chores like washing and ironing.  I probably could have squeezed some sewing in today but instead I helped The Duke build another raised garden bed.  More about that another day.

2015-03-01 01I have also been working on re-installing the photos into all of the old posts.  It is a slow process but I am making progress.

So, I lieu of any new sewing projects I thought I would share this blog post from 2012.  It sounds as though nothing much has changed – I am still trying to tidy up my sewing room and complete some projects!

Sew My Stash Sunday – 7

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Here we are back at Sunday evening again so it is time to share what sewing I have done this week.

Firstly, this is what I have finished.

A pair of bloomers as part of summer pyjamas – Size 4.

2015-02-22 01A pair of boxer shorts for pyjamas for me.

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I have been working on my next skirt.  I can’t do anymore until I get the zip.  Then it will just be the facing and hem that need to be handstitched.

2015-02-22 03 I mentioned in this post that I had discovered that the polo shirt I was making for The Duke was too big so I would have to recut it.  I tried that today but unfortunately it was not successful as even when I got the width of the body right, I was not happy with the shape of the armhole and sleeves.  I decided to cut my losses and that is going to the op shop in the hope that someone else is the right shape for it.  In the interests of my sanity, the pattern is going as well.  If it did not work this time it will not be any better in the future.

My next foray was more successful.  This is a piece of fabric I bought about 6 weeks ago so it is not strictly part of my stash but if I don’t make it up soon it will end up being added to the pile.  I bought it to make a top for myself.  It is a knit fabric but not super stretchy.  I found a basic pattern to use in the pattern-making book. and here is the result so far.2015-02-22 05The original pattern had a round neckline but I prefer a vee.  I have done the basic construction and now need to finish the neckline and hems on the sleeves and lower edge.

All in all, I am pretty pleased with the results of my sewing for this week.  I wish I had more time to sew as have so many things planned and I am just itching to get started.

Sew My Stash Sunday – 6

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The only problem with having a commitment to a weekly series is that the weeks fly by incredibly quickly.  This week has not been completely devoid of progress as I have cut out the mint green linen skirt.

2015-02-15 01Belle was here today and was most impressed with the skirt I had completed.  I showed her the pattern drafting system and some of the pattern choices.  She commented that she wanted some long-sleeved shirts for work but that she finds that the ready-made ones are not long enough to stay tucked in.  We delved into the stash and found a piece of fabric which would be suitable and she has chosen a pattern so that has been added to the list.

2015-02-15 02Meanwhile, I had a couple of bits of mending to do so I completed those jobs and can now get back to the skirt.  I darned a sock for The Duke.  There is nothing fancy about my ‘darning’.  I use a zigzag stitch on the sewing machine  which is not particularly pretty but is effective.

2015-02-15 03Then I patched (yet again) a pair of his trousers.  These are his stylish weekend wear when out in the yard and there are now patches on the patches!

2015-02-15 04This is the inside of one leg with no fewer than 3 patches!  I guess there will come a time when they are more patches than trousers but in the meantime they remain perfectly serviceable.

Sew My Stash Sunday – 5

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Well, this week I have not done any sewing but I have been working on my stash in a roundabout sort of way.

While a lot of my sewing room is quite well organised there is always some that seems to defeat me.  Some months ago I tossed it all in a plastic laundry basket and shoved it under the table until I had time to deal with it.  At the beginning of the week I sorted it into 2 piles – fabric and pattern pieces.

Most of the fabric has been sorted but yesterday I spent quite a bit of time sorting sorting out pattern pieces.  There was a mixture of commercial drafted patterns.  Over the years I have offloaded quite a few patterns and more have gone in the op shop bag.  They are ones that I will never use again – either due to the sizing, being dated styles or simply not fitting with my current style.

2015-02-08 01As you can see from the photo, this is still a work in progress but I am determined to finish it before the weekend as the bed will be needed when Miss O and Izz come to stay for the weekend.

On a more positive note, here are the completed patterns all sorted and stacked.

2015-02-08 02Now that I know what I have it will be back to the sewing and I will hopefully have some more to show you next Sunday.

Sew My Stash Sunday – 4

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Just a short post tonight but I can show you the completed skirt.  This afternoon I inserted the zip, finished the hem and facing on the yoke.  It is now ready to wear.

060aThe fit is absolutely perfect so I am very pleased with the pattern making which is based entirely on the hip measurement for this skirt.  I will definitely be making other patterns from the system.  I will share more of the details with you next week.

The yoke on the skirt sits nicely and means that it can be worn with a fitted top like the one in the photo.  The skirt is lightweight and will be perfect for our Singapore trip but in the meantime I will probably wear it to work as our weather is hot and humid at the moment.  I will probably team it with this blouse.

2015-01-03 01I am pleased to have been able to create an entire summer outfit using fabric from my stash.  The total cost was $2.70 for the buttons and $1.15 for the zip.

Sew My Stash Sunday – 3

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As promised, here is an update on how my sewing from my stash is progressing.  This week I have done pretty well, albeit with a couple of hiccups along the way.

This is the polo shirt for The Duke that I started a couple of weeks ago.

001I have put the collar on and finished the tab front, however, when he tried it on it is way too big.  How did I manage that?  I chose the size of a multi-sized pattern based on an existing polo shirt that fits him well.  Anyway, now I know.  So, it is back to the drawing board with this one.  The sizing does not influence the neckline/collar or tab front so I think I should be able to cut it apart along the side, underarm and sleeve seams and recut the pieces to a smaller size while maintaining all of the neckline and collar.  Here’s hoping!

In the meantime I decided to make myself another pair of boxer shorts for pyjamas.  This was another sizing issue as I could not remember whether I had previously used the medium or large sizing of a multi-sized pattern.  I went for the medium and of course I was wrong but all was not lost.  I went ahead and completed the boxer shorts and a camisole top and have given them to my sister.

002I have now cut out a pair for myself in the correct size but have yet to start sewing them.  It is a quick and easy task so I may do that after dinner.

002A few weeks ago my mother gave me a book and equipment for making your own custom-sized patterns.  It is not for the faint-hearted or novice as there are no real instructions, just an expectation that you are familiar with dressmaking techniques and construction.  There is a selection of nearly 300 designs so there are plenty to choose from.

I decided to start with a fairly simple skirt using a piece of navy/white striped seersucker from my stash.  Once I had created the pattern I checked it for fit and felt that it would be OK.  Today I cut out and made the skirt apart from the zip and finishing the inside of the facing and the hem.

003It has loose inverted pleats off a wide, shaped yoke with side pockets and a centre back zip.  The fit is absolutely perfect so if the other patterns work similarly, I will be very happy.

I also managed to re-fashion one of The Duke’s long-sleeved business shirts into a short-sleeved one as the cuffs had worn out but the rest of the shirt was still in good condition.

I am not sure what my next project is as I need to finish these first but stayed tuned for more sewing next Sunday.

Bedroom Blitz

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First of all, here is an update on the things I am not writing about.

Sewing My Stash Sunday is not happening this week because I simply have not done any sewing.

War on Weeds Update – I am glad I didn’t rush out and buy a heap of vinegar because although the leaves definitely wilted and browned off somewhat the weeds are certainly not dead.  I think this would be ideal for liquid weeding the edges of paths and between pavers or even for random weeds that survive the heavy mulching that we generally do when the garden areas are completed.  However, it is simply not heavy-duty enough for the widespread weeds that are well-established.  Back to the drawing board or more importantly the gardening gloves and get on with pulling out the weeds and getting this particular garden bed established with more shrubs and lots of mulch to naturally suppress the weeds.

On to the focus of this blog post – our bedroom.  I decided to seriously clean the bedroom and while it is not completely finished, I did get the wardrobe doors and the 2 large windows cleaned.

The wardrobe was built almost 6 years ago and I must confess that the doors have never been cleaned.  There were a few insect spots as well as some fingerprints and some small patches of mould on the off-white vinyl-finish doors.  I cleaned the doors using a damp cloth and some of my home-made cream cleanser.  The most difficult part was rinsing it off as I could not splash water everywhere due to the carpet on the floor.  I finished it off by cleaning all of the metal surrounds as well as the tracks.  I do the tracks every few months as they get really grubby.  All of the shoes were removed, the carpet in the wardrobe vacuumed and shoes replaced.  I have more shoes than I really need but I did not discard any as they all have a purpose and are worn, albeit, some not terribly often.

2015-01-17 01The other task was an even bigger undertaking.  I dislike cleaning windows at the best of times but the two on the side of our bedroom really do my head in.  The accumulated dirt and cobwebs made these unsightly and since we have no curtains, that is the view I wake up to each and every morning.  They are sliding windows with Crimsafe screens.  This is not so much for security to stop intruders but to prevent anyone falling out through a normal flyscreen as there is no verandah on this side and it is quite highset.  I can remove the sliding panel of glass and clean that but I have no way of cleaning the outside of the fixed panel nor the screen apart from washing it from the outside.  Due to the height this entails assembling the scaffolding that we have and using the Gerni to blast the window and screen from the outside.  I did these 2 windows as well as the screen on a small panel of louvres at the top of the stairs and the window in the sewing room which has the same outlook.

2015-01-17 02These two jobs took the best part of the day but I also managed to vacuum the cornices to remove any cobwebs as well as vacuuming the carpet.

The things which didn’t get done were the window above the bed which is easy because it is over the verandah, dusting and polishing my dressing table and cleaning the light fittings.  All of those will need to wait for another day.