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.

Sewing My Stash Sunday – 2

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I don’t usually get much sewing done during the week and it took until this afternoon before I did any.  I was determined to achieve something as part of this challenge so here it is.

003I have made a start on a polo shirt for The Duke.  I bought the fabric about 14 years ago for this project and it never got made.  I have made the tab front, stitched the shoulder seams and done one sleeve and side/underarm seam.  I had not done a tab front for well over 10 years, but like riding a bike, you never forget.

004With striped fabric it is important to match the stripes.  You can see the matching on the tab front in the picture above and the side seam in the following picture.  It is impossible to match the stripes with a set-in sleeve due to the shaping.

005Next week I hope to show you the completed polo shirt and what I am doing next.  It feels good to know that I am using up materials that have been hanging around for years.

Sew My Stash Sunday – 1

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I do not usually read heaps of sewing/craft blogs because they often feature projects or items that I am simply do not interest me.

However, I stumbled across this idea here and seemed almost too good to be true.  Basically, I can sew or make whatever I like as long as at least 50% comes from my stash.  I had pretty well intended to do this but had not thought of articulating my ideals quite so eloquently.  I love sewing and am working towards decluttering more stuff so this challenge will definitely help.

003My personal plan is to post each and every Sunday about what I have done in the preceding week which fits the challenge.  This will help to keep me accountable and will also be an interesting future record of just what sewing  I achieved in 2015.

002To see what I did last week see my previous post.

Thanks to the lovely Leasa who decided to run with this germ of an idea and also StitchnSewCreates for linking to the original.  Please check out these blogs if you are interested in this project.

001Then when the pieces are too small for much else there is always the ongoing patchwork!

I know that my fabric stash is not huge compared to what some people have but it is getting to the stage of frustrating me because I have so many plans/ideas for a lot of the pieces and I simply haven’t got around to doing it.  2015 is the year.