Showing posts with label sewing projects. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sewing projects. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Literary Sewing Circle: A Project Round Up!

The deadline for sharing makes for this round of the Literary Sewing Circle (featuring Banyan Moon by Thao Thai) was last Friday, and so today I'm sharing a round-up of all the projects shared in various places online. I'd forgotten that the link-up process was complicated and so didn't work for adding our projects on the final LSC post. So here are the many items made, shared here today! 

I'll start with my own. I decided to make the Full Moon Bag by All Well Workshop, a free pattern with a subscription to their newsletter.  Full details of making this bag can be found on my original blog post - I made this with scraps and really enjoyed it. I was inspired by the title of our book, and by the folktale about Chu Cuoi.


Next up we have DT Sewing Stories, who was also inspired by Chu Cuoi - but she made a Remy Raglan by Sew House Seven, with her fabric as her inspiration. You can read all about this beautiful top on her blog post, which is full of details. 


Silverdell over at PatternReview joined in the fun by making a top from a Japanese sewing book, her second version - in a bright Kumquat colour, inspired by Ann's nickname for her baby. 



Sarah (@sew.focused) shared her project on Instagram. It's an upcycled cardigan, inspired by the descriptions of Ann and Huong both wearing different cardigans & sweaters, and by Minh's love of thrift stores.



And Jan also shared her project on IG, this time a red blouse with gold embroidered accents, recalling Ann's discovery of the red fabric shot through with gold peonies in the trunk in the attic. 




If you made a project but didn't quite finish it by deadline, please share a link in the comments - we'd all love to see it! Hope you've all enjoyed this round of the Literary Sewing Circle. Keep your eye out for the next round sometime in late Spring 2025. 

Tuesday, October 8, 2024

October Sewing

October's off to a busy start! I'm not finishing things as quickly as I'd like, but I'm working away on a few things anyhow. The most important one right now is my project for the Fabricville blog; it's proved a little more time-consuming than I'd planned for -- I'm working on this Vogue 2053 jacket (the white view) in a cream corduroy, and to go with it I'm also going to make Butterick 6871 in this pretty patchwork print. Hopefully these will be done soon! 




Then I'll be moving on to this cool retro fabric. I've got it into my head to make another Merchant & Mills Factory Dress Top using this cotton. I have great buttons to add to this print, too! 


PatternReview is holding the Bargainista Fashionista contest right now as well, which is always so fun to plan for -- getting something done can be another story though ;) If I get through my previous projects, I'm thinking of copying an 80s style Akris dress using some blue cotton in my stash, probably using the bodice of this Burda and the skirt from a 90s Burda magazine dress which I've made before. 



And of course I will be planning my Literary Sewing Circle project as well! It might be something from this inspiration post, or perhaps something from an upcoming one... Lots of fun to come up with a plan! So a busy month or two of fall sewing ahead. 



Thursday, July 20, 2023

Biscornu aka Pincushion

When I was at the SAQA Conference in Toronto at the end of April, we had one night in which a few people got together to play some rousing games of Bananagrams - if you haven't tried this game before, it's like a quick moving Scrabble, and a lot of fun. A couple of the participants had brought along some little prizes for the winners of each round, which was unexpected and entertaining. Some of them were jokey prizes and some were more sewing related. 

I won one of the last rounds at my table, and so won the materials for this lovely little biscornu. A biscornu is a pincushion made of two squares, turned on point to one another then sewn and stuffed. I've only seen them as embroidery projects before, but this is one that is a quick & easy version using two interesting prints. The sparkly pins were even included! 

I finally got around to stitching this project up, even though the conference was a couple of months ago ;) I had to find some stuffing to fill it with! It didn't take too much time - the steps are straightforward. 



Turn the squares and pin them with one point in the middle of each flat side.


Sew up 7 of the 8 sides.

Turn inside out and stuff.


Close up the opening you left to stuff it.

Sew a button right through the centre to give it that bouncy silhouette. 


Put pins in it! 


Thursday, June 29, 2023

Whittling away at the Mending Pile!

During MeMadeMay this year, one of my goals was to work on the pile of mending in my sewing room and decide whether to fix and wear or give away all the items languishing there. I got a few pieces done during May, and have been able to get a couple more back into the wardrobe this month. 


I made a quick repair of a red linen blouse -- the Ruffle Sleeve Top by In the Folds for Peppermint Magazine. This has been in the mending stack for a while, and yet the mending only took about 15 minutes. I had a small hole on the seam of the interior facing to stitch up, to start. And I had finished the edges of the facing by turning under and stitching, but with this very lightweight linen, I didn't like it -- it added bulk across the edge of the facing that could be seen as a line from the outside. 

So I made a line of straight stitch about 1/2" above the original edge, added a line of narrow zigzag just beside it, and trimmed off the original clunky hem with my pinking shears. I figure that one of those will keep it from fraying! And now it looks so much better that I've already worn it this week. 

The second project was another thing I've been putting off because it felt like so much work...but it really wasn't much! I made this rayon Burda in 2021 but after a few wears I felt that the elastic waist casing was starting to go.

It was still wearable but didn't feel too reliable. This pattern used the technique where you stitch together the seam allowances of the waist seam and use that for the casing, but with a lightweight rayon like this I find that unless you have a large seam allowance it starts to fray and pull out. So I trimmed the fraying edge, pressed the remaining seam allowance flat, and stitched a wide bias binding strip over the waistline seam. 

I then threaded elastic back in to the new casing and stitched the hole closed. Now it feels secure and sits nicely at the waist, and I won't have to worry about the elastic popping out anytime soon! 

I have a couple more blouse hems and sleeves to work on, as well as a few skirts. They are all minor fixes but are all necessary to make the items wearable again. I hope to keep working away at the pile and catch up through the summer. We'll see how it goes! 

Friday, January 27, 2023

Thinking Ahead to February Sewing Challenges!

I can't believe it's nearly the end of January already. Time has simply whizzed by and I feel like I turned my head and two weeks have disappeared. I'm still working on the one project I have started in January -- nearly done now and looking forward to sharing it soon! 

But as I draw close the finishing this item, I'm also thinking about February. I have lots of my own plans, as evidenced by my Make Nine; however, February is full of great sewing challenges. One of my favourites happens every February, the Black History Month Pattern Designers Challenge. It's run by Nateida of SewNaturalDane, and features all sorts of Black pattern designers - for sewing, knitting/crochet, bags, fabric etc. The challenge is to make something by a Black pattern designer between Feb 1 & Feb 28, and share it following the rules on the website/IG post. It's always great fun to discover new designers and see all the projects coming in. Really interesting every year. 

I'm thinking about what I will make this go round -- I have a number of items in my pattern stash that would suit. Two which I bought last year but haven't made yet  are from two different Indie Black designers. I picked up the Temi Top/Dress by Sewphilia, and the Nikki Blazer by Style Sew Me. They are still on my to-sew list, especially the blazer as it really fits in with my wardrobe plans currently.  


I also picked up a 1979 Willi Smith pattern at the thrift store a while back. I love the blouse, but I would have to grade the pattern up since mine is a 12, so not sure I'll get to it in time. And of course I have many Khaliah Ali patterns in my stash too! 

Another temptation is this unique pattern I came across recently. It's the Girma Dress/Top from Les Lubies de Cadia. It's a French pattern company but seems to have English instructions too. I love the wrap style and the cute side pleat feature. 


I'm kind of spoiled for choice for this challenge, the difficulty is in deciding what to make!





The next big thing that's happening in February is the start of the Pattern Review Sewing Bee! Well, it actually starts Monday, Jan 30. This is such a fun event -- the first round is open to everyone and then you get selected (or not) to move on through other rounds. I've been knocked out in first rounds before, and made it to the third round last year. If the first challenge is something that appeals to me I might jump in on this year as well. I don't like to spend my sewing time making things that I will never wear though, so it'll have be something within my sewing preferences to make me jump in. Either way it's fun to follow along and see what people are making for each rapid challenge! 

Other February plans are to continue with my stash cull and reorganization, and to work on at least one project from my Make Nine plans. Let's see if this short month will be full to bursting with sewing!


Tuesday, November 22, 2022

It's a Wrap

Sewing Challenges are always a fun thing to follow on Instagram -- I must admit I don't do all that catch my eye, as my sewing schedule is always pretty full with preplanned things. But now and again one aligns with my ideas and my stash and piques my interest.

The latest one is #SewWrapped, hosted by @cloth_edit and @dahlia_sewciety

I have come across this one at the eleventh hour: the deadline is Nov 27, NZ time. The challenge is to make an item of clothing with a wrap or surplice feature. I'm not always very fond of wrap designs so don't have a ton of patterns with that feature -- or at least I thought I didn't, until I sorted through some patterns to see what I could make. 

Here are some of the patterns I'm considering: 




These are all stash patterns and I'm hoping to find the appropriate fabric in my stash as well, as I am not buying any more fabric this year!

And I also hope that by this Saturday (deadline Canadian time!) I'll have something to share with you from this collection. The only problem now is choosing a project so I can get busy in the evenings this week and start sewing :)

Thursday, November 10, 2022

Works in Progress, or #waiwot


What Am I Working On Today? Well, at least this week? A bunch of different things! 

I haven't been getting much finished on the garment making side of things. Life is busy, and in my sewing time I've been working on some small art quilts -- one just started and one an older project I've gotten back out to finish. I've just used basting spray for the first time to prep these for stitching and it is FAB! I'll never go back. Lots left to do on these, but I was missing the feeling of prepping a garment. So there's some cutting going on as well. 

What you can't see in the picture is that for the last week or so I've also been deep cleaning and reorganizing my stash. Yikes, so much to look at and it all takes SO much time. I'm nearly there now, just a few more decisions to make and a couple more bins to buy and it should all be somewhat tidier and all the fabric more accessible. That will be a huge relief, and I'm hoping it will also make it easier to grab what I need from my stash without searching for hours. All this 'getting ready' makes me feel like projects will be coming soon. That's the plan anyhow... 

Do you need a tidy space to work or do you prefer more of a creative mess? I've always been solidly on the mess side, but I'm finding that I am starting to need more organization. I guess it's a balance. And I hope I find the right ratio! 



Friday, September 2, 2022

September: Time for Fall Sewing plans!

I can barely believe it's already September again. I think many of us are feeling it this year - summer has sped by. Fall has felt so far away and suddenly I'm right in the midst of thinking about those projects that I had tentatively put on the list for "in the fall sometime". Well, the time is now, so here is my loose plan for my fall sewing so that I don't lose track of anything. 

First up are a couple of transitional pieces that are late summer/early fall wearable, both in busy cotton prints.

1. Simplicity 8014, View C but with the collar from View D added. The print has a pen for scale.


2. Merchant & Mills Factory Dress in this book print from Fabricville. I've been trying to decide what to make with this fabric, and I realized that I really like the Factory Dress and that it seems to work with prints. Also, I kind of work in a book factory, in a way ;)



Next up I want to return to my Fall 2021 sewing plans: some Bold and Playful Power Suit makes. 

I recently bought a cotton sateen floral on a white ground, and I really want to make a long blazer from it. I'm thinking either Burda 107 from April 2021, or an old McCalls pattern I thrifted. And I have a black floral cotton sateen that is also destined for some kind of jacket, I haven't decided which yet.


Then on to quite a few solids. There's hot pink silk noil and lawn green linen blend, plus three linens: acid yellow, cobalt and plain black, that I want to make a variety of simple fitted dresses from, to go under all those printed jackets! I'm sorting through my pattern stash to decide which dresses to choose for these fabrics; I have many choices.

I might come up with some more wintery projects a little later on in the fall once I see what fabrics are calling me - like a black and emerald knit I've had for a long while! But the key is really to use my stash and all the wonderful jewel tones I have there already. No autumnal tones for me, I'm all about the brights these days. Have you shifted to Fall sewing plans yet?

Sunday, July 10, 2022

Weekend Review: The Shirt Off His Back

 

The Shirt Off His Back / Juliet Bawden
Hauppage, NY: Barrons, c2011
143 p.

Another upcycling title this month - this book is an interesting look at using men's shirts to make household and decorative items, rather than new clothing. There's a wide variety of projects here, so hopefully there's something to suit everyone. 

The book is arranged in an interesting way: starting with an introduction on dress shirts and the basics of deconstruction, it then arranges the chapters by type of shirt. We have Businessmen's Shirts, Creative Men's shirts, Outdoorsy Men's shirts, and Sporty Men's shirts. The different fabrics and prints of these kinds of shirts are used to advantage in the varied projects included. 


From pillows and bunting to chair covers and cloth buckets, to hats, place mats, doorstops or hampers, there is a wide range of ideas included - these are only a few of the 30 projects found here. For each, there is a good clear photo of the finished item, step by step instructions and a few illustrations. For a few of the projects there are also templates, found at the back of the book to be traced off (right on the final pages, not a separate enclosure). 


Anyone who enjoys upcycling and happens to have some men's shirts to reuse will find this a useful book. So many ways to use a shirt that is mostly still good! I love the idea of making bunting from striped shirts, so cute -- and using the front of a button down to cut into a quick apron. Lots of great ideas to reuse things that can't be a good donation to thrift shops because of condition, or just because you might love the fabric a lot. And this kind of upcycling is also a great way to get newer sewists interested in the wide world of making ;) This was an enjoyable book, a great collection of useful and practical upcycle projects that you might actually want to make. 


Tuesday, June 7, 2022

Literary Sewing Circle Round Up

The Spring round of the Literary Sewing Circle featured Premeditated Myrtle by Elizabeth C. Bunce, a fun middle grade mystery. While there were only a few finished projects shared, there were lots of readers involved! This series has 3 books so far, with 2 more titles forthcoming. So lots of Myrtle to read ahead :) 

Here are the projects that were finished and shared for the Literary Sewing Circle, Premeditated Myrtle round: 

Jan at @conlon.jan
Making the Castlepoint Skirt by Itch to Stitch
Featuring florals to suit the theme of the novel as well as a nod to Myrtle Hardcastle...


Sara making a great Zero Waste apron
 embroidered with a gilded lily
-- inspired by both the key flower in
 this tale and Cook's useful apron


Sarah at @a.little.quiet.sewing 
with a Flora Blouse by SBCC
inspired by the gardening theme
 & featuring a guest appearance
 by a special cat!


And finally, me! Wearing a
  Pivoine Blouse by Delphine & Morrissette
Inspired by Peony the cat and
 of course writing itself


Hope you enjoyed this trip through some projects! Keep your eyes open for our next Literary Sewing Circle round this fall.

Friday, May 6, 2022

Literary Sewing Circle: Finale & Project Round Up

 


Today is already our final day of the Literary Sewing Circle focusing on Elizabeth C. Bunce's Premeditated Myrtle!

I hope you've had the chance to read the book, and both the first and second inspiration posts, and are getting lots of ideas for a project of your own. 

The project linkup will be added to the bottom of this post: as soon as you are done your project, just pop a link to your post into the linkup and we will all be able to visit your blog/instagram etc. and explore your creation -- remember, it can be sewn, or knitted, crocheted, embroidered... any textile art that you practice.


I shared a lot of my thoughts on the book in our earlier book talk post, and I reviewed this novel on my book blog when I first read it. You can explore those for some of my thoughts; today I'll share an overview of my impressions of this novel. I hope you will too!

I really enjoyed this book each time I read it. The clever chapter headings and footnotes, the variety of characters, the well plotted mystery, and the Victorian setting were all pluses for me.  I found Myrtle reminiscent of some of my other favourite girl sleuths like Flavia de Luce or even Harriet the Spy - especially in the relationship between Myrtle and Miss Judson, one of the most pleasing bits of the series for me. 

The story held up to rereadings, as it was both clever and full of detail that could be enjoyed on the second go-round. I appreciated the attention given to the setting and domestic details, which were added in so naturally but grounded the story in its place. Seeing Myrtle's reactions to clues and facts and other characters was also richer the second time, when you know what's going to happen and can slow down a little and take in all the elements of the narrative. 

Of course I loved the clothing and household descriptions; as one of our participants mentioned previously, the clothing adds to the development of each character when you notice that what they are wearing expresses them in varied ways. 

Also, the emotional element of Myrtle's connection to Miss Judson as a mother figure is touching. I loved the addition of Miss Judson's background, which adds depth and nuance to her as a person and to her role in the family. And Myrtle's much hoped-for romance between Miss Judson and her father is a great touch. I have enjoyed the additional books in the series and hope some of you will too!


Questions for you all:

Did you enjoy this mystery for younger readers? Are you intrigued to follow up with some of the other titles in this series? (heads up, book two has some sewing related content as well...) Did you connect with Myrtle's character? How does she compare, for you, to other young female sleuths?



Please share your thoughts on the book, its themes, characters, or anything you noted about it -- either in the comments here or on our first Book Talk post, or on your own blog with a link to your longer thoughts in the comments so we can find it. I love to talk about the experience of reading so feel free to comment no matter when you're reading this post; if you've read this I'd love to hear your thoughts.



What project have you made, inspired by your reading of Premeditated Myrtle? Share a link to your project on this post as soon as you're done! The linkup will be live until May 31 --  you have another 3 1/2 weeks of sewing time to finish and share.



Friday, June 4, 2021

Literary Sewing Circle: Amatka project roundup

 


This round of the Literary Sewing Circle has been a fascinating one, with lots of conversation about this thought-provoking book. Today I'm sharing the projects that were finished and shared by deadline. (If you are working on something and finish later, please share a link in the comments on this or the link up post!

There was a wide variety of inspiration going on for the various projects this time. They also range in technique. Here are the projects shared so far. 

A fun project - the Seamwork Graham tie! - inspired by the author's own personal style, by Alissa

A Zadie Jumpsuit by Lori, who says " I got the impression that utilitarian clothes were the mainstay of Amatka. The minimalist aesthetic of the Zadie strikes me as being appropriate inspiration."


A pair of Clyde Work Pants, made by Sarah who was also "Inspired by the minimalist and work- oriented nature of the commune called Amatka". Pants are complete with tag reading "pants" just to reinforce their nature ;)


A blouse made by Sara, inspired by Vanja's loss of language near the end of the book. She says "for me it is the fabric - the tangled web of speech, the thoughts are there but not the speech. The red buttons are my pop of colour for hope in a brighter future."


A project that used hand embroidery, rather than making a garment, complete with a deep discussion of the themes of language in Amatka, and how we shape our own worlds by how we speak about them, by Andrea. 

gorgeous photo ©Andrea McDowell

And finally my own projects. I was inspired to make two, both using green and mushrooms as themes. The first was the Factory Dress by Merchant & Mills, made into a top, using some quilting fabric from my stash. Little tiny mushrooms in that print! 

Last was the Metamorphic Dress by Sew Liberated. I thought that the idea of a dress that transforms represents this book perfectly, especially with one side of it a green mushroom print. Mushrooms are the source of form in Amatka, and this dress had better stay a dress!


I've really enjoyed hosting this round of the Literary Sewing Circle and seeing all of people's creativity and engagement with this book. Our next round will start up in the fall, keep your eye on this space!