Stretch Sewing

 Hello everyone, what a rainy week we are having here in the UK. I hope you are well wherever you are and keeping safe I know our rain is nothing in comparsion to the weather conditions going on in other parts of the world, but being English I am preoocupied with the weather always. 

I am making quite a lot of French Terry projects at the moment so I though I would share some of that with you.  It has also given me a scrap busting idea as it is cotton and so soft I have decided to make some knickers with all the little offcuts from it.  Now I have only just decided this today so nothing to show as yet  but I know a lot of people like the Iris Pattern by Tilly and the Buttons, well I had a look and the price! Well I won't be buying it, for a pair of knickers, there are only a few bits to them.  So I am going to use my own as a pattern and work from there.  I have made some quite a while ago but I seem to remember the fabric wasn't quite right I am hoping this will work better.

Here is the fenix sweatshirt by style arc that I made on Monday...

It has side panels with topstitching and the pattern call for twin needle around arm holes and at cuff and bottom. I only chose to do the twin needle around the neck as it is so patterned I felt it would just get lost every where else.  There are also pockets into the side panel seams, I am wearing it today and it is very comfy.

Yesterday was another Style ARC make this time the Kristin dress, these colours are lovely and bright.  The sizing came out right on this dress although I did taper across sizes at the shoulder as I am small there.  

It was evening when I photographed this so it is a little dark. There are lots more to come and I have to say stretchy soft fabrics are the comfiest, not all are going to be made in my size so the manneqinn will be doing the modelling for me.  That said my mannequinn feels like she is about to fall apart if I size her up, the whole point is supposed to be you can adjust them but mine doesn't seem to like it.  I already had an incident once before where the whole top popped off that is why I have ribbon around the top now, it is hiding tape!

I am really enjoying reading the Lighthouse Witches, made even sweeter by having come from the library after I had picked it up in Waterstones before Christmas.  I may have mentioned that already in  my previous post but I love it when that happens. 

Tomorrow lunch is booked to take my mum out,  part of  this years aim to get her out more.  It won't be a weekly thing but I thought maybe once a month for lunch and also when the weather is fit maybe somewhere she can have a potter around markets or garden centres she has not been to, so that could be two outings a month.  Not too far for her  to walk though I will drive of course she is 84 but just a change of scene.

What have you all been up to so far this week, anybody doing anything exciting?

Take care everyone. 

McCall's Shirt Make and Other Sewing

 

Hello I hope you are all having a lovely weekend, a quick catch uo today to show what I have been making and doing this week.  So far I am on track with my intentions, last week I split one of my projects over two days  to take advantage of the dry period on one of the days to get out for a longer walk with my dogs although it did catch us while we were out and the two Jack Russels kept stopping and had to be pulled along. They do not like rain!  The project I split up in sessions was this McCall's shirt and here is my husband in it, he doesn't want his face in the picture though.  The fabric is cotton gingham in a blush pink, my husband really likes this shirt.

I also made two dresses and they are both very bright viscose challis, the red one is lined and the white one ha a lined bodice.

Doesn't this just look like water colours?

I love the colours on this one, the red with the pink is such a good combination and probably not one I would put together when dressing.

The Anthony Horowitz book I was reading A Line to Kill was another good read and I finished that earlier today.  Although I am going to start my library book  before reading the rest of my Anthony Horowitz books as I feel if I read them all in one go it may put me off, too much of the same can do that can't it?

After visiting my mum a few days ago we have arranged to go out later in the week in the day time, this is something I want to try and get her to do more often as she enjoys it once out but can be a bit reluctant when asked, but then feels she is in a lot.  It is just a case of once out and made the effort she enjoys it.

Friday evening we went to see Avatar the way of water, it was so long. Visually really good but being in the cinema for such a long time is not for me.  It seemed everyone was getting a bit fidgety. 

Yesterday I spent a good few hours drawing then adding colour, I chose a ballerina from one of my ballet programmes.  I am really happy with it especially the limbs, also one hand good the other not so much so this needs a lot of practise.  I chose it because I really loved the line of the body, also had fun adding colour to the tull skirt. Later I did some more figures but trying to sketch quickly, I find this hard as I want to stop and rub out and redo. 

I hope you all have a super week, back soon. 

My Sewing Scrapbook

 Hello I hope you are all feeling good and are back into the swing of things now the new year has properly begun.  I know a lot of people were back to work today, me included although that is working from home so it softens the effect but still back into that routine of getting things done.

I have started my sewing scrapbook that I mentioned previously and thought that I would share it with you now before it slips my mind.  If you follow me on instagram you will have already had a peek it was updated as I finished my work for today so I hope this is a habit that will be fun as well as really useful.

Here it is...

I did start with the last projects of December just to get it up and going.

So what I decided to do was divide each page into four boxes because I usually do three work projects per week and then perhaps something of my own, if more I can always go over onto the next side but this will normally give me a week to view.  I know I don't have to write project each time I just wanted it there, I write the pattern, number, view, then list the fabric choices, code if available and any notes if I have altered anything.  For example I may sometimes change things afterwards if they are not entirely to my taste, or make something shorter, slimmer etc.   Also there is a fabric sample and a printed out photograph.

I am hoping this will keep me organised but on the plus side it will be nice to look back on as things get passed on, gifted or returned as in the case of work projects.  There will need to be a little bit of will power involved in filling it in every day, especially if I have been worrking on something complex and it has been a long day.  This will save time later though, in terms of not having to hunt high and low for a pattern number or fabric swatch code.  Oh I almost forgot that I have also added a little pencil line drawing too.

The scrapbook has been in my possesion for about two years so it was destined to be this! Let me know in the comments how you organise yourselves with your sewing, I am always interested in finding new ways to do things.

Have a lovely evening. Back soon.