Fabric Websites, Shops & Blogs I Love....

Hello Ladies and Gents,

Bill Murray and a beaver

Today is a dull, dank and dark day with the skies full of thick grey cloud...it has been so grey these last few days its been like a scene from Groundhog Day. As the weather is sooooo depressing the only thing to do is to look at fabric websites and dream about my next projects....

With my next projects simmering in the background (shower cap bloggie coming soon) I thought I would share with you websites that I truly love and have set me in good stead on my stitching journey. They will be split into four areas:

• Online
• Fabric shops
• Haberdashery shops
• Blogs & websites

So lets begin...

Online

Fabric Rehab - http://www.fabricrehab.co.uk/
This is a great online store that sells a wide range of fabrics from lightweight to heavyweight. They describe the fabric really well and take great quality photos and try to scale where possible - they also have good offers on bundles too. The delivery of the fabric is quick and if you feel you have made a mistake there is a number you can call and they are always helpful.

Fabric shops

Tikki - http://www.tikkilondon.com/
A great little shop in Kew (South West London) that specialises in quilting and patchwork and also sells an array of glorious fabrics. This shop is my nearest and I only discovered it today so definitely will be back to have a thorough look around (I only popped in today for some elastic). Its good to know I've a great shop on my doorstep (20 minute walk, or 5 mins on the bus!) as before I had to go into town if I forgot something.

Ray Stitch - http://www.raystitch.co.uk/
This shop in Islington (North East London) is a shop of fabric magic. It has a great selection of fabrics and a small haberdashery plus a cafe! The shop is neatly presented and the staff are very helpful. They also run classes for all skill types and I hopefully will be booking myself on one soon.

Liberty - http://www.liberty.co.uk/
To me, Liberty is a truly magnificent shop - having more to offer than cosmetics and clothes. The fabric range is dreamy and I love the fact that some of it is made in UK still. The prints are wonderful and I will purchase something from here soon to make something for my husbandy...

As my passion for sewing is growing all the time I need to get my fabric fix when I can. If I know me and husbandy are going on a day trip I search the web to see if they have any sewing shops... below are some little gems I have found so far...

The Sewing Shop Canterbury - http://www.thesewingshopcanterbury.co.uk/
This shop is a cutsie shop that is situated near the heart of Canterbury. Here I found some great 1950 print fabric but I didn't buy any at the time - oh well it just means I have to go back! 

The Brighton Sewing Centre - http://www.brightonsewingcentre.co.uk/
This shop is only 5 mins from the train station. Again it has a great selection of fabrics and also the added bonus of specialising in Berina sewing machines. The shop is neatly presented and friendly staff.

Haberdashery

Macculloch and Wallis - http://www.macculloch-wallis.co.uk/
Macculloch and Wallis is situated in the centre of London (just off Oxford Street) and sells a superb range of fabrics. The fabrics are totally wonderful but I love Macculloch and Wallis for it's haberdashery. If you think you can't find what you're looking for in the haberdashery world then look no further - they have more buttons, elastic, trimmings, craft tools, etc than you could possibly dream about. It always has what I want and I think it will do you for you too.

Blogs and websites

The Thirfty Stitcher - http://www.thethriftystitcher.co.uk/

This website really helped me on my way to start my sewing journey. The tutorials are clear and precise and offer great hints and tips on where to buy things and how to make things. Again, they offer tutorials ranging from beginners to advance so I may have to book myself on a beginners course soon!

Quilting along the Grain - http://quiltingalongthegrain.blogspot.co.uk/
I love the style of this blog...and this is what partly inspired me to do my blog today (a good blog on grey material). This blog offers great hints and tips and is always a good read!

Handmade Jane - http://handmadejane.blogspot.co.uk/
This blog always makes me smile and I love the photos used....Austin Powers, Percy from Blackadder 2.... I also used her blog to make my Mother-in-Law's wash bag (which was well received so big smiles all round). Great tutorials which are clear and concise - good for beginners!

There are a lot of websites, shops and blogs in the sewing world and I have shared with you the ones I have experienced so far. If there is not one here that suits you then get googling! As I said at the beginning of this blog, these websites, shops and blogs have set me in good stead at the start of my sewing journey and hopefully they will do for you too. 

Happy Stitching x

P.S. The piccie below is taken the same time last year (10/03/12)...what a difference in the weather!

Sunny March 2012

Mother's Day Wash Bag

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen,

With Mothering Sunday fast approaching I thought I better pull out my stitching fingers and make her a wash bag (as mentioned in a previous post). So without delay I started the hunt for a good tutorial. I simply googled 'sewing wash bag' and lots of great tutorials came up. Again I searched for one that would be slightly challenging and decided on this one by Handmade Jane: Kid's Wash Bag Tutorial: 

http://handmadejane.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/kids-wash-bag-tutorial.html

Although it said 'kid's' I knew the pattern size could be easily changed so all I needed to do now was search for some yummy fabric.

I decided to look for fabric that is nautical - well it is a wash bag after all. I headed straight over to my favourite fabric website Fabric Rehab and looked at their wonderful designs under the 'Nautical and Nice' section. In the end it came down to two - Coastal Houses Blue or Coastal Shells. It was a close call but I chose the Coastal Houses Blue because the pattern reminds me of a quaint coastal town in Cornwall, like St Ives, with all the lovely cottages and lighthouses all jostling for position - love it. Also as the wash bag required a waterproof lining (see link in tutorial for this as I sourced it from the same place) the best colour match I could get was for the Coastal Houses Blue. Here is a piccie of the fabulous fabric below:

Coastal Houses Blue Fabric

I patiently waited for the fabrics to arrive and as soon as it did I got stitching! Now, like the other posts, I won't go into detail on how to make the wash bag as this is clearly explained in the tutorial above. What I will do is help aid those who are beginners (like me) and to say how I overcame my hiccups. Below are the tools - plus my sewing machine - I will need for this exciting project.

The Essentials

I took my gorgeous fabric and measured it to 42cm long x 37cm wide. Now, this was my first challenge - to make sure that the fabric was cut straight and all the same size. I used my cutting board, rotary cutter, ruler, tape measure and chalk and got measuring up. I found this doubly hard as I don't have a wide surface, but please do not attempt this on the floor! I tried and it turned out to be a disaster so I took all my tools to the kitchen and used the side board where I had a lot more success. My cutting board has lines across it so provides a good guide to help cut the edges straight. After a lot of patience I cut the fabric the same size. Tip: Cut the fabric about one to two centimetres bigger just in case the lines aren't straight. This will allow you enough leeway so can make any alterations if necessary.

Pinning

I aligned the fabrics and pinned the wrong side of the cotton fabric to the wrong side of the waterproof fabric together. I then pinned the right sides of the waterproof fabric together so that the right side of the cotton fabric was on the outside. Tip: Remember to remove any pins you do not want. It is hard to explain, but when you pin the cotton and the waterproof fabric and then pin these pieces together you will know what I mean! I followed the tutorial to the letter...it was challenging but I enjoyed it! Again, I forgot to check my bobbin and thankfully it ran out when I had done around the edges but it could have been a disaster! Tip: Check your bobbin before sewing!

After cutting my fabric, it took me about 90 minutes to make the wash bag. I enjoyed running the fabric through the sewing machine and watching the pieces of fabric merge together to make a fancy finished item. All I have left to do is buy the cord and thread it through the whole that runs around the top (this maybe a trip to town next weekend - any excuse!). I am so pleased with this little wash bag and I know my mother-in-law will be too.

The Finished Wash Bag

Hint and tips

• Equipment: Iron, cutting board, metal ruler, rotary cutter, fabric scissors, tape measure, fabric, pins, tailors chalk, thread and a sewing machine
• Patience - Again, I mention this every time but as I'm setting out on this adventure I can't stress it enough!
• Check the bobbin for thread - I was lucky this time, but do check it - especially stitching large amounts of fabric
• Do not cut the fabric on the floor. Use a table, kitchen side, anything that would can look over.
• When cutting fabric the same size I would recommend you cut the fabric a couple of centimetres larger just in case the fabric is cut wonky - you can always trim it down
• Remove any excess pins as you go or they may end up inside your wash bag - ouch!

Enjoy and take your time!

Happy Stitching x

Sharing the Sewing Passion

Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen,

Since making my beautiful headscarf on Saturday, I have been wearing it with pride. I wore it all day on Sunday and found it extremely comfortable - making this stitching project a further success. This has now lead me to hunt for some more glorious material so I can make my next one (plus an excuse to go to Ray Stitch or place an order with Fabric Rehab!). With this success under my headscarf and my big mouth (as I have been telling friends, family and the wider Twitter community of my delights and new found talent) I have landed myself with commissions. I love this - the thought of meticulously planning my next project and getting stitching and doing it for people who want it is so exhilarating - its making me wonder why I did not start this years ago. 

My new headscarf

Until this year my sewing skills (or should I say sewing confidence) was limited and only went as far as sewing buttons on to my husbandy's shirt. Any other tasks, like when a thread was pulled, had to wait until I saw my mother-in-law who is a natural at this. It seems that the tables have now turned, now that I am armed with a Singer and a willingness to create that my new found flare is needed. My mother-in-law wants a nice wash bag (this is a great little project for me and with Mother's Day fast approaching I have the now got the perfect gift). Also my husbandy wants bespoke handkerchiefs and other little fabric-y goodies. The other added bonus to all of this is that these gifts will be handmade and made with love (and no doubt some sweat and tears along the way).  Let's hope I get a few extra pennies in my pay cheque this month to help move these ideas to fruition!

With all these great stitching projects waiting in the wings, I want to get started now but I don't know which one to start first. One thing I do know is that I shall only start on one stitching project at a time. This sound advice came from my a good friend (and sewing guru) of mine and I believe this to be sound advice, especially as I know what I am like. This is typically what happens with things that don't quite go to plan: I start a project, hit a snag, try and work it out, get frustrated, then get annoyed, throw all my toys out the pram and then give up and move onto something new - something that is less taxing. As I have mentioned in virtually all my sewing blogs that patience is vital when setting out on this journey and suddenly I've found out that I have more of this than I thought and thank goodness. If I was to have this old attitude with sewing I don't think I would have made anything yet with all the little glitches I have had to overcome in such a short amount of time. There is no issue in planning your projects so you can perhaps save money on bulk buying fabric, etc, but I will only physically start one project at a time and see it through to the end before starting a new one.

With the anticipation of undertaking these sewing gems I have been looking for some tutorials and I have stumbled across some great ones (all these tutorials and links will be included when I do these sewing projects). These tutorials have all ready helped me overcome my early worries, like where to buy waterproof fabric and how to resolve the issue of not having an upside down print on the wash bag! Prep, for me, is part of the excitement of my sewing journey - it adds to the experience and gets my sewing juices flowing. 

The best part of this is that I love the fact friends and family are giving me the opportunity to practice my new passion and share my new found passion and creativity with them.

Happy Stitching x

My First Project - the Tote Bag

Good Evening Ladies and Gents,

With the sewing machine fully threaded and my test stitches a success, I wanted to have a go on my first project. My bundle of fabric had arrived from Fabric Rehab (they are totally gorgeous) and I had decided to make a tote bag. I choose a tote bag for the simple reason that my husbandy and my rollers do not get on very well, especially when he stands on one at 3am with bare feet, so I thought a cute little tote bag to keep them all together would be a great idea! I trawled through 'You Tube' looking for a tutorial that was clear and concise and was not too simple, yet not too hard. I found this one called 'How to Sew an Easy/Simple Shoulder Tote Bag (Tutorial) - It's a Cinch!' by tlcinspirations - link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_a9Yt1gmutQ&feature=youtu.be

I got my pins, scissors, tape measures, chalk, ruler and fabric ready and measured my fabric. I marked my fabric to the following dimensions:

• Outer fabric - 10inch x 18inch
• Lining - 9.5inch x 18inch
• Ties - 2inch x 18inch

I marked it clearly and cut along the fabric. Tip: I would recommend not to cut the fabric on the floor. I found my lines were not as straight as they could have been but I have definitely selected the right pair of scissors as they glided through the fabric. With my slightly skew-whiff fabric I had all my pieces ready so I set the sewing machine roaring! I was in my element watching the needle glide seamlessly through the fabric leaving a trail of neat stitches behind - oh the satisfaction!

Now I'm not going to give you a full blown account on the steps as you can watch the tutorial for yourself. To personalise the bag I did alter a few things, e.g. I made the bag quite a lot smaller, had straight ties instead of angular ends and no runners up the side plus had lots of fun as I went along as I think the lady giving the tutorial (although very clear and concise) doesn't sound like she is enjoying it! I had quite a few bobbin issues, tensions issues, unpicking issues and the pressure foot falling off twice (tip: always have the manual handy) but I persevered and it took me approx. three hours in total to make my bag. I was impressed considering I hadn't sewn since 1996 and had no one to assist when things kept going wrong. In some ways I actually enjoyed the fluff ups as I think I understand the machine better and know I have more patience than I thought.

I now am the proud owner of a tote bag that has given my rollers a home - I 'm sure the odd one or two will make a run for it but hopefully my husbandy's bare feet won't find them!

The excitement this one project has given me is inspiring. It is making me think about myself in a whole new way and no doubt I will learn a great deal more about me - and maybe even sewing! I think the key thing is that even though I ran in to difficulties I persevered and managed to solve the problem calmly and logically. This may seem normal to some of you reading this, but when things go wrong - and normally with an electrical appliance - my logic goes out the window and a hammer is the usual course of action. Maybe because I really want this project to work I want to understand the basics and learn how to do it right rather than rush through it and think 'that'll do'. Who knows, but what I do know is this - there will be plenty more sewing projects and I think I all ready know what....

Hints and tips

• Again be patient - I had to unpick the same work twice but I knew I had to have it right and also it made very good practice
• Also have the manual and a good sewing book to hand
• Bobbins - Firstly the check you have enough thread in the bobbin - I ran out and was not impressed and secondly make sure you wind the bobbin up correctly - ensure you snap the thread into the bobbin threader as this will guarantee you get the right tension on the thread in
• Always have an unpicker at hand - it saved the day and also a lot of time
• Cut the fabric on a table or on a firm surface - this will help when cutting and keep the lines straight
• Next on the shopping list is a wooden metre rule and a fabric cutter - this will also help keep the lines straight!

My First Stitches

Hi Ladies and Gentlemen…

The essentials

With the anticipation of threading the machine all most making me burst with excitement I thought it was time to unleash the sewing machine. I prepared my working area by placing the table near the window for good light (although by the time I got around to sewing it was dark!), cleared all the clutter in the vicinity, made sure I had a power point and got all my sewing tool kit ready to go just in-case. This kit now includes a wonderful pin-cushion (Made in Britain) purchased from 'Random Button'. I got my Singer and whipped it out the box in all its glory - I was still so pleased with my choice of sewing machine. After reading the manual (again) and making a cup of tea I was good to start with threading the bobbin.

View from the top of Singer 2250

I took my Coats 100% cotton thread and inserted into the spool holder. Once inserted I took the thread and snapped it into the thread guide, around the bobbin thread guide and through the hole into the bobbin (making sure you go from the underneath). I then popped it on to the bobbin winder and slid it across to the right and pressed on the peddle. To watch the bobbin go round and round was very exciting. After a little while I stopped peddling and took the bobbin and ta-dah, it was done. (NB: On my first attempt it went wrong as I had not realised the thread had got caught on the handle of my machine. I had to unwind the bobbin and start again so top tip – check the thread carefully before pressing the peddle!). I inserted the bobbin into the bobbin case ensuring the cotton was through the top of the bobbin case with the thread falling to the right and inserted it into the machine. 

After my success I went onto to thread the machine. Firstly I made sure the needle was at the highest point by turning the handwheel and raising the pressure foot.  Again I took the cotton, passed it through the thread guide and the pre-tension spring, pass the thread down and up the channel, hook the thread behind the thin wire needle clamp guide and through the needle from front to back. I found locating the thin wire needle clamp guide a bit tricky and to begin with I thought it may have broken off but after a thorough examination it was there so all was well in my World!

Threaded machine!

‘What a success!’ I thought to myself and now to hook the two together by raising the bobbin thread. I put the presser foot up and turned the handwheel towards me lowering and raising the needle. The first time the needle went down it did not work, but a few more turns it was hooked and I gently pulled the bobbin thread up and pulled through the back of the machine! I now desperately wanted to get sewing but I had no scrap material so this is where the husbandy comes in handy. I took an old t-shirt and cut it up and started to stitch. It worked like a dream and started to practice a few stitches - it was so satisfying.

I am now waiting for my bundle to arrive from Fabric Rehab so I can get practicing and start on my project… hurry up Mr Postman!

Hints and tips

• Patience! When I came to thread it again had a total nightmare but I persevered and it all came good in the end
• Check the thread is not caught on any other part of the machine before winding the bobbin or starting on a project
• Have a pair of scissors on hand - always useful
• Do use the manual - it is like a Bible!
• Don't wear red lipstick when threading - I licked the end and it went pink!