Tag Archives: sewing

Daily Stuff

Leave a comment

After writing this blog for over 12 years I sometimes wonder whether it has become a little stale or repetitive. However, I am reminded that there are new people popping in all the time so I will continue to share my activities here.

Since it is winter and I am struggling with a cold it is not a great time to be outdoors. There is plenty to do inside the house and most of it can be distilled down to cooking and sewing.

Cooking is essential for feeding ourselves and I try to build up a bit of a supply of meals as well as condiments. In the past few days I have made grapefruit marmalade (recipe here) from fruit which was in a giveaway box in the next block, a new batch of gluten-free pizza bases (recipe here), sourdough bread (GMan’s handiwork) as well as Eggplant Rolls and Pumpkin, Eggplant and Chickpea Curry. You can check our my vegetable curry recipe here.

The next blog post will be the full recipe for the Eggplant Rolls.

On the sewing front, I have completed a couple of mending jobs.

New elastic (salvaged from worn-out undies) to replace the elastic and drawstring in this pair of pyjama bottoms which were originally purchased 2 years ago from the $1 rack at the op shop.

This jacket is 11 years old and still in excellent condition but the zip had broken so I bought a new zip and replaced it.

I think that is the mending out of the way for the moment so I do need to set my mind to making a dress to wear to a family wedding in 7 weeks time. Watch this space as the saying goes.

A Zippy Day

1 Comment

One of the op shop buys I mentioned in my last post was a vest which had a broken front zip.

Yesterday I bought a new zip and my project for today was to replace the broken zip.

Replacing zips can be a bit of a challenge as they are generally inserted fairly early in the garment construction, therefore, it is a bit of a balancing act to deconstruct enough of the garment to allow the removal and replacement of the zip.

I have managed to achieve my goal reasonably successfully.

Is it perfect? No.

Is it good? Yes.

Am I happy with the result? Absolutely.

New zip inserted

Zipped up.

Wearing the finished garment.

The zip cost me $8.50 which was more than double what I paid for the vest but I still regard it as $12.50 well spent to have this addition to my wardrobe.

Monday – Mending and Making

Leave a comment

Today I tackled the growing pile of mending.

This pair of GMan’s work jeans already had one patch – I added another two.

I had managed to put a rip in the knee of a pair of my lightweight travel pants so they got the same treatment.

I us double-sided iron-on interfacing to fuse the patch to the inside of the garment before reinforcing it with a zigzag stitch.

I darned a hole in the cuff of a woollen jumper. Once again, this is some of GMan’s workwear as evidenced by the touches of paint.

I also mended holes in the toes of two pairs of socks but no photos.

Finally, I moved on to actually making something. This is not terribly exciting but I used part of an old sheet to make a cover for GMan’s Drizabone coat.

It has hung in the shed for many years with minimal wear but I imagine it will get much more use in the colder climate. Since it is oilskin, it is not ideal to have it hanging against other clothes so I made a slipcover for it.

Now that I feel I have pretty well cleared the decks, I can make a start on some ‘real’ sewing. The first project I have planned is to make some trackpants for GMan.

Sewing Stuff Sorted

Leave a comment

It is over 2 weeks since I posted this photo of some shelving I repurposed from our walk-in wardrobe to my sewing room.

I knew that there some new IKEA flat packs which had been left by the previous owners but I had not investigated exactly what they were until yesterday. In what I would describe as a massive win, I discovered that there were 4 cupboards, a set of 2 drawers and 2 glass shelves – all designed for the above-mentioned shelving units.

So, I set to work and this is the result.

While there is still some fine-tuning to be done, I am pretty happy with the set-up and mostly know where everything is.

Now to get on with some sewing before too long……………

A Parisian Creation

Leave a comment

I was looking back over my posts from the past few weeks and it seems to be all about sewing. This is primarily because we have been house-sitting and any kind of organisation is really not happening.

Apart from sewing, we have been quite social with a variety of lunches and catch-ups with numerous people before we depart for Victoria.

Meanwhile, my final sewing project for a while was this dress for a friend. I created the pattern from an existing dress. The fabric was some offcuts which were in a box of scraps given to us. When J first spied it she immediately wanted a garment from it. There was not enough for trousers but we realised that a simple dress was possible with a bit of creativity.

I am really pleased with how it turned out.

Sewing Success

Leave a comment

Today I set about assembling a piece of patchwork for a small quilt. This one came about after I had saved the embroidered panels from the landfill pile at a thrift shop. They were clearly part of an unfinished project and I simply could not see someone’s handiwork discarded without a second glance.

Initially, I was unsure of how I could use them but I gradually developed a plan. Some of the plain fabric came from offcuts in my own stash and the remainder from a couple of friends.

In due course I will add batting and the backing and outsource the actual quilting as I do not have a long-arm machine.

The other project was much more modest. This is the second of a pair of potholders that I have made for a friend. They were both made from a discarded cushion cover and with 2 layers of flannel fabric for heat resistance.

I am really pleased to have achieved these and the patchwork will be packed away until we are settled in our new home.

Very Vintage

Leave a comment

At the end of my last post I mentioned that I had been able to borrow a sewing machine. This is not just any sewing machine. It is a very solid metal Elna machine which was made in Switzerland. A bit of research indicates that it dates to the early to mid 1960s.

As well as the Boomerang bags and bunting I have also made a pair of trousers for a friend. These were made from a salvaged piece of vintage curtain fabric and she is thrilled with the result. We are involved in an Eco Creative Festival this weekend so these pants will be a perfect real-life example of upcycling.

Finally, here is a throwback photo which I dug out today. I enjoyed lunch with 3 friends from my schooldays and during our reminiscing the conversation turned to our Home Economics lessons and our rather dysfunctional relationship with the teacher. I had been sewing for a few years under the guidance of my mother before I completed the green tunic dress in this photo. Yes, it really was that short.

Taking a Break

Leave a comment

It has been a week between blog posts and that is primarily because there has not been much to share.

We are staying in a small house and there is no real organising to be doing. The household chores have consisted of preparing a few meals, sweeping the floor and doing a couple of loads of washing.

Apart from that we have been out to lunch, attended a film festival in the local town and I have been doing some sewing. I had barely touched any sewing for the last 6 weeks as I was entirely focused on packing. However, a few days ago a friend and I were gifted a big box of unwanted fabric so we have had some fun sorting that out and choosing what we can use it for.

I have made 6 Boomerang Bags. Here are some of them. They still need pockets and labels to be added.

I also found several pieces which will be suitable for a future quilt. So I have been cutting out 5 inch squares in preparation for that use.

My sewing machine has been packed and sent with the removalists but I have been fortunate to be able to borrow one from a friend. I have a couple more sewing projects planned in the next week and I will share more in the coming days.

Selling and Sewing

8 Comments

One of the challenges of having our home for sale and regularly open for inspection is that I cannot leave my sewing room as it is when I am in the middle of a project.

Before we went on holidays I cut out a blouse. I had pinned the darts in place and then had to pack everything away as there were going to be an inspection while we were away.

When I retrieved the project it took me a while to work out where I was up to. Then it was full steam ahead and I finished the blouse. The fabric and buttons were all sourced from my stash.

Here is the work in progress.

The finished blouse.

A close-up showing the wooden buttons and a glimpse of the self-patterned fabric.

While making the blouse, I realised that I needed an appropriate outfit that I would be comfortable wearing to a funeral. I did not want or need the outfit to be black. So, once again I dived into the stash of fabric I had on hand a found a piece of linen/cotton that had been given to me. It is not a colour I would generally wear but I rather liked it so decided that I could make a skirt to go with the blouse.

Unlike some of the more complex details on the shirt such as the one piece collar and the split turnback on the sleeves, the skirt is a very simple pull-on skirt with an elasticised waist.

I was happy with how the entire finished outfit looked.

The sewing room is now looking pristine once again as we have another open inspection tomorrow.