Finishing Off and Catching Up... oh and Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year Ladies and Gents...

Firstly apologies for the lack of love I've been giving my blog... life has been getting in the way... so I'll do my best to update you with what projects I've been up to and other adventures along the way :)

My last blog was about cutting out the fabric and practicing button holes for the Tofino Lounge Trousers. Now with all the pieces cut out ready, I needed to tidy the edges of the fabric so they didn't fray. I've mentioned before I don't have an Overlocker so I use a zig-zag stitch to stop the edges from fraying. To do this, you put one part of the zig-zag stitch into the fabric and the other over the edge. A great blog which shows this is Tilly and the Buttons - Finishing Seams - Zig-Zag Stitch. Once I had gone around all the pieces of fabric, I pinned the fabric (right sides together) aligning the notches. Once pinned, I took the first leg to the sewing machine, sewing 1.5cm along the seam. I did this to both legs. With legs had been sewn now came the tricky part of sewing them together!

So with this in mind, I re-read the pattern. I inserted one leg inside the other (with one leg right side out and the other inside out), lined up the notches, pinned and sewed following the 1.5cm allowances and as per the pattern. Top Tip: Please make sure you follow the 1.5cm allowance... I think mine varied so when finished the trousers were a little snug. Once sewn together, I pulled the leg out and they actually looked they the beginnings of some trousers... smiles all round :)

The next steps was to make the waistband. As my fabric was light-weight I bought some interface to give the fabric more strength - specifically around the the button holes. I purchased some interface that would be ironed on. Top Tip: Practice ironing the interface on a bit of scrap fabric. This will ensure you iron the right side to the fabric and also check out much heat needs to be applied to make it a success. Once I had done a test run, I cut the interface to fit over the buttonholes and ironed accordingly. Once completed, I made the buttonholes (more information on buttonholes on my previous blog Preparing for Tofino Lounge Trousers) and followed the pattern on attaching the waistband to the legs. 

Waistbands and I don't seem to get along very well. It took me over an hour to understand what the pattern meant. What I worked out was that the waistband goes over legs and not just attached to the top. This is hard to explain, but from the pattern I thought it was pinned to the top - not that the waistband was actually attached up-side-down, wrong side out and over the legs - I hope I've explained it ok! Top Tip: When sewing the waistband don't forget to leave a big enough hole at the back to allow the tie belt and elastic through. Ok, so waistband and legs all attached and nearly finished - hurrah!

Here is when I had a change of heart and made the tie belt. I was lucky enough to have red fabric left over from when I made the red circle skirt so cut out the pattern and fabric and started to make the belt. Once sewn, turn the fabric inside out - please allow some patience for this - it made my hands have cramp but it is worth it. Top Tip: To make sharp points gently push the ends with some fabric scissors but don't push to hard or you'll go through the fabric! Once the belt was complete, I inserted the elastic through the opening in the back of the waistband. Top Tip: When threading the elastic pin one end with a nappy pin to the fabric and put a good size nappy pin on the other end. This makes it easier to thread around the waistband. Once threaded, hand sew the ends of the elastic together - make sure you do this securely. Now thread the tie belt around and hand sew the hole at the back of the waistband. The only thing left to do is hem the trousers and ta-dah - I had finished my Tofino Lounge Trousers all ready for Rhythm Riot!

All in all I would say the trousers took me about 10 hours or so. I found the pattern quite taxing but as a beginner I thought I did quite well. The most challenging part I found was connecting the waistband to the trousers and making the waistband align when stitching in the ditch (stitching in the ditch being sewing in the seam line). I failed badly on this part and had to hand sew the inside part of the waistband as I had sewn this when using the sewing machine. Again, this will take practice and as the trousers are so comfortable I will be making another pair!

Top Tips:

• Equipment: Fabric, pins, pattern, scissors, sewing machine, button hole presser foot and thread - oh and patience!
• Please make sure you follow the 1.5cm allowance... I think mine varied so when finished the trousers were a little snug.
• Practice ironing the interface on a bit of scrap fabric. This will ensure you iron the right side and check out much heat needs to be applied to make it a success
• When sewing the waistband don't forget to leave a big enough hole at the back to allow the tie belt and elastic through
• To make sharp points gently push the ends with some fabric scissors but don't push to hard or you'll go through the fabric!
• When threading the elastic pin (using a nappy pin) one end to the fabric and put a good size pin (again, using a nappy pin) on the other end. This makes it easier to thread around the waistband

Useful websites:

• Tilly and the Buttons:  http://www.tillyandthebuttons.com/2013/03/finishing-seams-zigzag-stitch.html
• 'All you need to know about machine and hand sewing - Sewing Basics' by Sandra Bardwell

Happy Sewing x

Seeing Red? Zips, Waistbands and Hems...

Hello Ladies and Gents,

This is the second blog on making a circle skirt and they'll be a limited amount of photos... I was merrily taking pictures and when my Husbandy was looking through them when he spotted that they hadn't come out as the camera was on the wrong setting...I wasn't amused to say the least but I will try and explain the best I can and your imagination will also help!

So, I'm about to join the front and the back of the skirt together. I marked a 1.5cm seam along the side of my fabric and pinned the pieces together (right sides facing). I stitched the sides together using my Singer 2250, carefully following the line I had marked on the fabric. With one side done, I then moved onto the other which involved the invisible zip. Now I had been eager to use my invisible zipper foot for a while so now the moment had come! With my blog and Coletterie blog called "Installing an Invisible Zipper" at the ready, I was good to go!

When installing the invisible zip turn the fabric wrong side facing each other and rights sides on the outside. Mark a 1.5cm seam along the length of the zip and marking the bottom of the zip with tailors chalk. Unzip the zip and pin the zip right-side-down onto the right side of the fabric. Take the skirt to the machine and stitch making sure the zip teeth go in the left hand hole in the invisible zipper foot. Once done, do the same to the other side, pinning the right-side-down to the right side of the fabric only this time put zipper teeth into the right hole on the invisible zipper foot. Phew... invisible zip done! I must confess it took me more than one attempt to get right - especially as when doing the right hand side I puckered the fabric so had to do it again...and again. Practice does make perfect and one day I'll be the master of stitching invisible zips but until then I will do my best and not give up! To finish the seam I swapped over the pressure foot, turned the fabric inside out so right sides were facing, placed a pin at the bottom of the zip as well as pinning the two sides together and stitched. 

#selfie #nowaistband

So in theory I had a skirt and all it needed was some tarting up... how hard could it be! Now in my case I found the instructions for inserting the waistband a bit sparse so I went on to You Tube and found this great tutorial by Professor Pincushion called 'How to sew a classic waistband'. This tutorial is great for beginners and it really got me out a jam. 

With my fabric ready, I pinned the waistband to the right side of the fabric along the stay stitch which was stitched earlier. I then sewed along the edge of the waistband as close to the edge I could make it. I then took this to the iron and pressed. Once pressed you then had a nice smooth line to put in the top-stitch. With top-stitch complete, I folded over the fabric onto the wrong side of the fabric and hand sewed the waistband using a slip stitch making sure not to pierce all the way through the fabric. I then hung the skirt up over night.

Well I left it hung for a little longer than a night but it had all hung beautifully

Measuring up the hem

and I was ready to do the hem. I read the pattern and measured from the top to the bottom leaving a 1.5cm hem at the bottom. It was at this point that I could tell I had not been very accurate when cutting out the pattern so instead of measuring 1.5cm from the bottom, I measured from the top and measured at 61.5cm and joined up the marks. I then stitched using the sewing machine all along the tailors chalk mark. After stitching I took the fabric to the ironing board and pressed the fabric along the stitch I had just done. I then folded the fabric under to make a neat role and pressed and pinned - see photo below. Once pinned I did herringbone stitch all the way around to make a neat hem and ta-dah my skirt's complete.

Rolling under to make the hem

I enjoyed making this circle skirt by Simplicity but I will say a few things... 1) the pattern comes up big! When I had stitched it altogether (including the invisible zip) I had a size check and it virtually fell off! So this involved a lot of unpicking and cutting but all this made good practice for me so I saw the positive side. I followed the size 16 pattern (which says a 30" waist) and in the end made a size 12 (which says a 26" waist) so please double check before you stitch. 2) The other thing I would do differently is make the waistband double the thickness and perhaps insert some interfacing. By doing this it won't be so fiddly and make the waistband more firm and 3) The pattern is for beginners but still found the instructions a little confusing and perhaps lacking in detail. I do enjoy a challenge and working things out for myself but sometimes it can take the enjoyment away by not even having enough info to look up about! All this said, I will definitely make the skirt again and next time use a more exciting fabric!

Top Tips:

• Equipment: Fabric (2m) with matching zip and thread, fabric scissors, paper scissors, tailors chalk, pins, sewing pattern, sewing machine, invisible zipper foot, general purpose zipper foot, tape measure, iron and time!
• Don't be afraid to research how to do something... if you're like me you like to figure things out for yourself but when you're learning you need to take 5 and research how others have done it to help overcome those little challenges
• Double check the measurements before taking the fabric to the sewing machine! Although I didn't mind in the long run, if you were using a more delicate fabric it could stretch or damage the fabric which would be a nightmare. Pin the fabric together and make any adjustments with safety pins

Useful Websites: 

• Professor Pincushion called 'How to sew a classic waistband'. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oe9ks9u4e8U
• Coletterie blog called "Installing an Invisible Zipper"   http://www.coletterie.com/tutorials-tips-tricks/tutorial-installing-an-invisible-zipper

Happy Zipping x

Quilting... the Rockabilly Stitch Way

Hello Ladies and Gents,

Well I thought I would update you on one of my stitching projects as it has been a while. A little while a go I shared with you I was starting a stitching project for a good friend and now it is successfully completed! For my birthday my good friend and sewing advisor bought me a sewing book called 'Cute and Easy Quilting and Stitching: 35 step-by-step projects for you and your home' by Charlotte Liddle. I browsed through the pages and found the perfect gift to make for my friend - a baby quilt. After reading the pattern I knew I could make it - especially as it seemed quite simple and you can customise it as much or as little as you want - perfect for me!

Option 1 - Template

So the first thing I did was raid the fabric stash that has been growing over recent months. I looked through what I had and decided that I had enough fabric to follow the pattern so I went for it. My fabric was all ready washed so the next thing I did was iron everything...this ensures the fabric is smooth and easy to manage. I then had to make 30 squares of 4"x4" in order to make the quilt element. Now to do this I started off by cutting out square templates out of paper (option 1), pinning them to the fabric and cutting around them. After a few attempts of this I was concerned the squares would not be even so I thought of another way (option 2) - to use a

Option 2 

metal ruler, a rotary cutter and the markings on my cutting board. This method made the squares more even, less fiddly and a lot quicker to do. I cut out 7 plain fabric, 5 spotty fabric and 18 flowery fabric (4 different flowery patterns). With the squares I went on to design the lay out the quilt. Once I was happy with it, I then started sewing with my faithful singer machine (not hand sewing I hear some of you cry!). One day I will hand sew a quilt but this pattern can be done either way but I really wanted to use my

Quilt Pattern

machine as I hadn't used it since I cleaned it and put a new needle in. On using the machine I couldn't believe what a difference it made, so top tip, do maintain your machine and change the needle frequently! My machine has only had light use but even I, a beginner, could tell the difference.

This is where I became lazy and in hindsight I should have done this a bit differently. Instead of pinning a row of squares together, I just took two squares and sewed them using the pressure foot as the guide. I did this for each square and ended up with five rows of six. A thing I'm not lazy about (which I'm sure my husbandy will disagree on) is ironing the fabric as you go. Once I had five rows of six squares I ironed the

The lazy way...

seam to make it lie flat and keep the material in shape. When joining the rows together I did pin the edges and again followed the pressure foot as the guide. With all rows now joined it was starting to look more like a quilt! Again don't forget to iron the seams open. The next trick was to cut out the boarders....

Pinning the boarders

Now this is when I had to use maths to solve my problem. The two shorter pieces were the same width as the length of the quilted pieces (5x4"=20). I cut out two pieces of 20"x2" in the plain fabric. I then cut the long side pieces which had to be the same length as the quilt, plus the boarder - the total measurement being 28".  I cut out two pieces of 28"x2" in flowery fabric. I pinned the shorter boarder to the quilt and sewed with the sewing machine. I then pinned the long boarder and again sewed this on.... I was very pleased with myself at this stage and was having loads of fun doing it! 

My quilt was almost complete and all I had to do was attach the backing piece. For this you use one piece of material in what ever design you like. Again, I used a floral design and cut the fabric 24"x28". I pinned the fabric (right sides facing) and stitched around the edge leaving a four inch gap at one end so the wadding can be inserted. Once stitched I turned the quilt inside out and ta dah... I was finished! And I truly was finished as there has been a change of plan since its original use. Once completed I wanted to show off my work so I put it over a little table we have. My husbandy saw it and loved it so much we now use it as a table cloth! So I best get cutting more squares and making another one for my friend as the baby is due very soon! It just shows how versatile this simple pattern is. Without the wadding it is not a table cloth and with the wadding it could be used as a quilt. Sewing is a great way to express yourself... take a pattern and put your own stamp on it... and you'll have loads of fun doing it!

Top tips:

• Equipment: Fabric (30 x 4" squares, 2 x 20"x2", 2 x 28" x 2" and 1 x 28" x 24"), Cutting Mat, Rotary Cutters, Fabric Scissors, Pins, Iron, Ruler and Sewing Machine.
• Use what ever fabric you like - it's your quilt!
• Do pin the squares together...it may seem tedious but you'll have a much neater outcome - trust me :)
• Do maintain your machine and change the needle frequently! My machine has only had light use but even I, a beginner, could tell the difference.

Happy Quilting x

Sewing, Facing and Invisible Zips.... The Finale

Dear Ladies and Gents....

Let me firstly apologies for the delay in getting the final installment to you on completing the 'A' line skirt - mostly to 'The Thrifty Stitcher', Claire-Louise - life has got in the way and now I will finish what I started.

So with all the sides overlocked it was now time to join all the pieces together. With the pieces pinned together and the sewing machine set to a straight stitch, follow the tailors chalk line to join the two back pieces to the front piece - taking the pins out as you go. Now its time to insert the invisible zip! Take the 10 inch invisible zip and line the top of the zip with the top of the skirt and mark with tailors chalk where the bottom of the zip is to go on the fabric. The zip goes right side down onto the right side of the fabric - this is then pinned into place (remembering to be 15mm away from the fabric edge). On the sewing machine change the zipper foot to an invisible zipper foot. Align the foot over the zip. To align the zip, it should go down the small hole to the left as you look at the sewing machine and stitch as close to the zip teeth as you can remember not to backstitch as it may damage the fabric and needle. Sew down the side of the zip until the place where you marked the fabric. Top Tip: You need to go as far down as you can so its secure but not too far down otherwise you will catch the zip lever and snap the needle. Also remember as there is not back stitch at either end don't forget to unpick the last loop and manually tie a knot. Now, do the same the otherside. Un-zip the zip and pin the zip to the right side of the fabric remembering to keep the same distance from the fabric edge. Top Tip: do not panic at this point! My brain could not work out how it would work, but trust me and the experts - it does! Do the same as the other side and slip the zip teeth into the right hand hole on the invisible zipper foot. You're almost there! Now swap the invisible zipper foot to a general-purpose foot. Start at the top of the zip and stitch as close as you can get and then all the way to the bottom of your skirt and ta-dah you have a skirt-ish!! I appreciate this is complex but do persevere... once done it is so satisfying! A great tutorial to help you out is 'How to sew an invisible zip' by ctquiltingvideos - link below.

Joining the facing

Now there is only a couple more part to do and one of them is fixing your facing. A facing is not required all the time but for this skirt one was inserted. To create the facings trace the pattern onto dressmakers square patterned paper using the pattern from the skirt. Before tracing remember to take out the darts and measure down approximately 3.5inches - do this for both the front piece and back two pieces. This then needs to be pinned to the fabric and cut out using fabric scissors - remember to place the front facing on the edge of folded fabric to make one long piece and cut out two back pieces. Once cut out pin the back pieces to the front pieces remember the 15mm hem line. Once the three pieces are joined together, overlock the sides and the bottom. Once overlocked, pin the right sides together at the top of the skirt. Now to ensure you don't go over you zip, mark each side with a pin - this will be your start and end point. Go back to the sewing machine and sew the facing to the skirt. Turn the facing into the skirt and its almost done!

The hem ready to the hand-stitched

The final part of the skirt is the bottom hem. As I wanted my skirt to have a more vintage feel I hand sewed this by using a herringbone stitch. I would describe this as hand sewn zig-zag stitch; only catching a tiny thread on the outer fabric and catching the hem as you go - this should also appear invisible on the outside. I decided to do this bit at home as the day was all ready drawing to a close - but one thing was for sure...I had made a skirt :)

Top tips:

• Equipment: Hemming ruler, fabric scissors, fabric, dressmakers square patterned paper, pins, sewing machine, invisible zipper foot, invisible zip and patience!

Useful websites/ blogs:

• 'How to sew an invisible zip' by ctquiltingvideos - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2Dz6tk_fW4

Blurred photo of finished item!

I wear the stunning blue skirt regularly and its been complimented a great deal. I never appreciated the time and effort it takes to make a garment and I now have first hand stitching experience. Before I made a skirt I used to think about where my clothes were made and now this is more important than ever. I do try and buy British made where I can and that is why businesses like Vivien of Holloway and other independent shops are so important to me and to keep the British textile industry alive.

For anyone learning to sew I would highly recommend 'The Thrifty Stitcher'. The course is relaxed with clear guidance and support. The day goes so quickly and you will learn a great deal of skills in a short amount of time and retain them for years to come! Again, I'd would like to say a massive thank you to Claire-Louise and to all at The Thrifty Stitcher for a wonderful creative day - I will use all these wonderful skills to make another skirt and other clothes! 

Happy Stitching x

Cutting, Pinning and Overlocking...

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen....

With another sunny day in London I cracked on with my next sewing project and am well pleased with my progress... I'll blog on this soon but as it is a gift for a good friend it'll have to be kept under wraps for a little while longer! 

In my last bloggie I got to the point of pinning the pattern to the fabric. So, armed with fabric scissors I snipped out the pattern - slowly and carefully to make sure it was as accurate as possible. With the pattern still attached the fabric the darts needed to the drawn on. As I wanted a more vintage skirt, I put all the darts on the skirt - this gives it more shape and shows off those dangerous curves. This part is a little fiddly and takes patience - the best way to do this is to put a pin through the dart pattern (where the little circles are) all the way through to the pattern from the wrong side of the fabric. By putting the pin through you will be able to see where the dart goes and be able to mark with tailors chalk on the wrong side of the fabric. Once marked, remove the pins and join the tailors chalk together to make a 'V' shape. A great link to show this is called Accurate Darts without Permanent Mark posted on Thread Magazine website - link below. Do this for all darts.

 

Trying on for size

With my pattern pieces successfully cut out I was eager just to pin the pieces together, but this wasn't the case - the seam needed to marked on the wrong side of the fabric. When marking the seam, I used a hemming ruler to measure 1.5cm along the edge to ensure the seam would be equal on the inside. A great blog on marking fabric is by Tilly and the Buttons called Marking and Cutting Fabric - link below. Once marked with tailors chalked I pinned the pieces together, also not forgetting to pin the darts (when pinning the darts, align where the tailors chalk is and pin it - it'll make a mini 3D triangle) and for the first time I could actually visualise the skirt.  Top tip: Before going on, do try on what you have pinned. Be careful not to stab yourself when doing this but this will help to see how the skirt will fit and check the length. With some assistance, the waist of my skirt had to be taken in a bit to make it more snug. This was simply pinned on both sides. As the waist was altered the darts needed to be checked but I was lucky as the alignment was still good. With the skirt ajusted I gently wiggled out of it and went and make the slight alterations. To ensure this was accurate, where the new pins

Marking with chalk

were I marked with tailors chalk on the wrong side of the fabric before removing them. This shows a line which will need to be drawn and again measured 1.5cm to get the seam correct. Top tip: If any alterations are made at this stage it is good to pin the pattern back on the fabric when cutting out the alterations. This will save time when you make the skirt next time as the measurements will all ready have been done!

Overlocking bliss!

With the fabric cut the edges needed to be tidied in order not to fray or damage the fabric. There are numerous ways this can be done however we were fortunate enough to have overlockers. I've never used an overlocker before so Claire-Louise showed me how to use it and I was amazed by this machine. It first cuts the fabric then encapsulates the edges by weaving four threads around them - it was flippin' fantastic and now on the wants list! Top tip: If you don't have an overlocker another way to tidy the edges is with a zig-zag stitch. Let one stitch go into the fabric and the other fall out of it so it catches the loose threads. This is good but won't work on all fabrics, so please check before trying! The pieces of fabric were overlocked on three sides (leaving the top) and I was ready to join the pieces together.... but that is for another day and another blog.

Again, I learnt so much in a short amount of time. From cutting the fabric, marking darts, using overlockers and again that patience is crucial when learning something new. Next time I will look at sewing, facings and invisible zips!

Top tips:

• Equipment: Pattern, dress makers ruler (or a long ruler), hemming ruler, tape measure, scissors, tailors chalk, pins, overlocker (or a zig zag stitch) and a mirror to look at your garment under construction.
• Before going on, do try on what you have pinned. Be careful not to stab yourself when doing this but this will help to see how the skirt will fit and check the length
• If any alterations are made at this stage it is good to pin the pattern back on the fabric when cutting out the alterations. This will save time when you make the skirt next time as the measurements will all ready have been done!
• If you don't have an overlocker another way to tidy the edges is with a zig-zag stitch. Let on stitch go in the fabric and the other fall out of it so it catches the loose threads. This is good but won't work on all fabrics, so please check before trying! 
• Patience!!!!!!!!!!

Useful websites/ blogs:

• Thread Magazine website - http://www.threadsmagazine.com/item/4513/video-accurate-darts-without-permanent-marks
• Tilly and the Buttons - http://www.tillyandthebuttons.com/2013/01/marking-cutting-fabric.html

Happy Overlocking x

Shower Cap... Circles & Thread

Hello Ladies and Gents,

Over recent months I've started to use dry shampoo and can't believe I've only discovered this wonderful product now. So with my new found love of dry hair shampoo, the need to wash my hair daily has decreased so I thought a shower cap would be a great sewing project. I did my usual world wide web search and found these great blogs by Junie Moon - One Yard Adventure: Shower Cap Tutorial and SewDelish - Some Sewing - How to Make a Shower Cap - Tutorial - links below:

http://junie-moon.blogspot.com.au/2008/08/one-yard-adventure-shower-cap-tutorial.html?m=1

http://sewdelish.blogspot.co.uk/2008/08/some-sewing-shower-cap-mini-tutorial.html?m=1

I assembled all my equipment and started to make the shower cap (see tutorials above for this information). The first challenge was how big was my head?? I got out the tape measure and measured it - it was around 22" (is that big??). After reading the tutorial to calculate how much fabric I'd need I added a buffer of two inches to this to ensure there was enough fabric to fold over and still fit my head.

Tools for the circle

Circle outline

The second challenge was how do I make a perfect circle? After thinking about what I had in the house, I got a large piece of paper, string and a pen. I folded the paper into quarters, cut the string to 12", tied the string around the pen and drew the circle. I then cut the circle out of the paper and laid this on top of the fabric and used my rotary cutter to go around the fabric. I did this for both the waterproof lining and outer fabric.

Paper circle on fabric

Cut fabric - ready to stitch

Pinned fabric

After all this prep I was eager to start sewing...so I followed the instructions and basted the material together in order to keep the fabrics from slipping. So after basting the fabric together, I went to the ironing board, ironed over about a quarter of an inch and then a further inch - when sewn this makes the pocket to thread the elastic through. As I ironed over the fabric, I pinned it down....and this is when I started to wonder if sewing a circle was such a wise choice after all...anyway I had got this far so I persevered. 

All pinned and ready I went back to the sewing machine and started to sew...this is when my patience was well and truly tested. At first I could not understand how to follow the circle - I kept having straight lines! So after a lot of unpicking and re-ironing I started again. This time, I realised I had to nip in little bits as I went round in order to make the circle. I was very pleased with myself that I had worked this out! So feeling confident, I was merrily sewing when disaster struck.... I ran out of thread - how could I run out of thread????

AAHHHHHH!!

With no thread my shower cap project came to an abrupt end -  I couldn't get over how annoyed at myself I was so top tip: always have a spare thread!

A few weeks later, armed with mountains of thread, I carried on with this project... I had mastered how to do the circle and went around the one inch hem (leaving a two inch space so the elastic could be thread around) and stitched around the outer edge. I cut the elastic to 20 inches long, put a safety pin at the end and thread it through. At this point I found it tricky, so I will explain how I overcame the challenge.

When threading the elastic, pin one end at the opening. Use a safety pin on the

Pinned ends

other end of the elastic and thread it all the way through. When back at the start pull the elastic through, safety pin the two ends together and spread the material around over the elastic (by doing this you will be able to see if you need to trim the elastic). I did need to trim the elastic and took off a further 4 inches. With the safety pin now holding both pieces together I hand stitched the ends together. Once happy the ends were secure I undid the safety pin and machine sewed over the top to ensure the elastic was secure...and ta-dah, one finished shower cap!!!

I was so pleased at what I achieved making this. It may seem simple and the tutorials are detailed and easy to follow, but for someone who is new to the sewing bug it used lots of different skills and own initiative to complete this. My next project involve zips so lets see where this takes me!

Hint and tips

• Equipment: Paper, string, pen, iron, cutting board, rotary cutter, water-proof fabric, fabric scissors, pins, safety pins, needles, THREAD, elastic and a sewing machine
• Check what you have in your sewing box...I double check everything now so I don't run out of thread again!
• Research - find a tutorial that works for you
• Patience - I do mention this every time, but it is important. I did take me a good 3-4 weeks to carry on with this project, but I'm so pleased I did as I love what I've made!

Enjoy and take your time!

Happy Stitching x

Finished shower cap!

Wall Tidy Dilemma!

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen,

With the weather lingering at freezing temperatures I could not face going out so I thought I would make a much needed wall tidy. In my bedroom I have a shelf which is crammed full of hair products, hair brushes, hair grips - basically the hair offering from Boots on a shelf that is about a a foot long by a quarter foot wide. This drives both my husbandy and I nuts so thought a wall tidy would do the trick.

Tools for the job

So with a fabric delivery of a whole host of yummy material on Friday  I selected one to be the background (being green with cream spots) and popped to Ray Stitch (love this shop) to get a half a metre of plain cream  cotton to be the pockets. With all the ingredients ready I was good to get stitching.

I didn't follow any pattern.... I just measured where I wanted it to go (being 12inch x 25inch) and added an extra couple of inches and cut the spotty fabric. The reason I added the inches is because you will need to hem and mitre the fabric and as I've learnt by doing corners this way it will use more fabric. I decided I needed one large pocket at the top for my hairbrushes and a smaller one for my grips and bits. I measured the cream fabric to 10inch x 14inch for the large pocket and 10inch x 9 inch for the smaller one.

Hemming

I hemmed and mitred all three pieces of fabric (check out my blog Mitered Corners and Headscarf Success! to show how this is done) and then went to pin the pockets onto the fabric. This is when my idea went wrong.... I had made the pockets too big and could not work out how to attach them. This is really hard to explain but tip: always research what you are going to make! I have only been stitching for two months and although I was pleased I felt confident enough to venture forth on my own, I was sadly mistaken and my stitching heaven soon turned into an unpicking hell. I just could not fathom out how to do this so I went onto 'You Tube' and searched 'wall tidy sewing'. After a couple of attempts of following other tutorials I stumbled across one by Sewing Republic called 'Closet Organizer' (link below):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLKu-ukprgA&list=PLG-EZUMWlx6fdibG2Hm2GfnmUC6t9VBNF&index=4

This link basically saved my bacon and after a few minor alterations to the pocket pieces, I pinned the pocket fabric onto the backing piece and sewed together to make my finished wall tidy! All I need to do now is purchase the Prym eyelets and washers plus a couple of suction hooks and this little beauty will be good to go!

Finished wall tidy

All in all I have learnt a few lessons today. I never realised I had so much patience and my new journey of sewing is finding out new things about me. I wonder what other talents and traits it will unearth....

Hint and tips

• Equipment: Iron, cutting board, metal ruler, rotary cutter, fabric scissors, tape measure, fabric, pins, tailors chalk, thread and a sewing machine
• Sewing pattern or tutorial - this will save you a lot of stress - especially as you are new to the sewing world. I will not venture forth without one again - or definitely not in the near future
• Patience - Again, I mention this every time but as I'm setting out on this adventure I can't stress it enough!
• When doing mitred corners don't forget to make your project slightly larger to allow for the  hem.

Enjoy and take your time!

Happy Stitching x

Mitered Corners and Headscarf Success!

Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today I thought I would attempt to make my perfect headscarf. As I have mentioned in one of my previous blogs, the main reason I want to make headscarves is because I find it difficult to find the perfect  dimension to fit my head comfortably and have enough material left over to do a bow or something on top. This is also a simple project for a novice to begin with so I got stitching.

So in order to make the headscarf I looked at how to do hemming and more importantly, mitered corners. These little corners make square and rectangular fabric so neat and tidy that I just had to learn how to do them. I went on to You Tube and found this great tutorial by TreadleLady - link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdOSLpZ37kU

...plus another great site was recommended to me by my Twitter sewing friends - see link below:

http://www.craftstylish.com/item/13024/how-to-make-cocktail-and-dinner-napkins/page/all

Both tutorials are great and looked easy to follow so I began on my stitching quest. BTY - I'm not going to give a blow by blow account as you can get this from the super tutorials above. I'm going to describe how I got on as a beginner and what additional pearls of wisdom I can share to all you new fellow stitching novices.

First attempt - the willie warmer

I thought I ought to practice first as although it looked simple from the tutorials, I had a sneaky suspicion that these little corners were more tricky than they seemed. I used some left over material from my tote back and ironed the edge to about an inch (sorry if I jump from inches to cm - I like to mix a bit of old and new together !). I then brought this back to the sewing machine and followed the tutorial. Well, my first attempt was a shambles! It ended up looking like a willy warmer gone wrong and the corners were so uneven that I could only sew the hem three out of the four sides!

So attempt two - I measured the fabric and cut it using my new Pyrm rotary cutter. With even corners and ironing back about a half an inch of fabric I took to the sewing machine again. This attempt was better although the corners were still not great and the hem was rather wonky.

My new motto has definitely got to be 'if at first you don't succeed; try, try again' as I gave these tricksy corners a final go. I measured and trimmed the fabric. I ironed about a third of an inch all the way round and tried out these corners again - and bingo - I was impressed. Third time lucky! Tip: although bigger is normally easier to practice on, I didn't find this.  With this third attempt being a triumph I thought I would give my headscarf a whirl.

Measuring up

Cutting up

This time I made sure all the measurements were completely accurate. I cut an 82cmx82cm piece of fabric using my Fissler scissors, Pyrm rotary cutter, metal ruler, tape measure and craft mat.  This was the first time I had cut fabric to size before and my tip on this is to buy a quilting ruler. I have not bought one yet but I think this help to achieve straight lines and be able to put enough pressure on the fabric to stop it from moving. Anyway, after much measuring, cutting and slicing I was ready to prepare my scarf for stitching. I ironed a hem a third of inch wide and constantly measure as I ironed to ensure that the hem was consistent all the way around. This may sound anal but by doing this you are more likely to get a straight hem and great mitered corners. After pressing I went and did my corners. I followed the tutorial to guarantee I did not make any slip ups. Tip: Do try to make sure the corners are the same length as this is crucial for final hemming.  I pinned the hem as there was almost a metre of material and would aid the sewing of the hem. I took the fabric back the machine and sewed my hem and ta-dah- one completed headscarf! This made me very happy and although it took about 3 hours to get the technique of the mitered corners right (plus bobbin winding, re-threading of the machine and other little dilemmas) I now have a headscarf that I made and will wear with pride!

Hint and tips

Pinned headscarf ready to stitch

• Equipment: Iron, craft mat, metal ruler, rotary cutter or fabric scissors, tape measure, fabric, pins, thread and a sewing machine
• Patience - oh my, 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 - luckily mine ran out on attempt three so was not a major disaster, but I had forgotten so please check  - especially when stitching large amounts of fabric
• Make sure you measure the hem - this is will help when making the mitered corners
• Measure the fabric correctly - I thought I had and instead of being an 80cmx80cm, it is actually 78cmx78cm so not quite perfect! I think I should have cut the fabric at 83cm or 84cm but I will know for next time

Enjoy and take your time!

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!