Stripey t-shirt Butterick 6475

I made the V neck t-shirt and added a ruffled band to increase the length.

Summer shorts Simplicity 7655 six made easy

Janome Memory Craft card 31

Penguin embroidery

I made view C, the elastic waist shorts and added a patch pocket to each side. I also lengthened them by about 5 cm.

They were fast and easy to sew but took longer than expected because I had to join fabric to get enough length.

I used Janome Memory card 31 birds to embroider a penguin on the back and on a pocket.

Fabric - a poly cotton gingham remnant

Machine embroidery bunting

I made this decorative bunting for my thread shelves using machine embroidery. I nearly always do a practice run to test colour, size and tension and it is these practice pieces that I used to make this decorative piece.

Quick Cosmetics Bag

These bags are made from a free So Sew Easy pattern. Yes, they are easy to construct.
The first one has a paper pieced hexagon flower appliqued to it, the second is just printed fabric.

Asymmetrical stretch knit top McCalls 6400

This asymmetrical stretch knit top was partially sewn when I bought it along with the pattern. It's previous owner must have gotten really really frustrated with the slinky stretchy fabric and gave it away.

I overlocked the side seams and twin needled the sleeves, neckline and hem.

It fits, feels comfortable, looks weird and keeps sliding over to reveal bra straps.

It is very easy and quick to sew.

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Spring swimsuit practice

My first ever swimsuit top.

Modifications to the original pattern included: grading from s to m from the waist down, taking in the bust area another 2cm and sewing in bra cups salvaged from an old bra.

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"Make it yours" Clutch Bag

My smaller version of the 'Make it yours ' clutch bag from the So Sew Easy  website.

Was a good project to do while thinking about more complex things.

Made from cotton scraps, medium weight iron on interfacing and a snap closure.

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Pants for Mary made from a T-Shirt

Underwear cut from a cotton elastane t-shirt.

The shirt was not large enough to cut the pieces on the fold, nor were the side seams straight enough to use as the fold.  So I added a seam allowance and serged two front halves and two back halves together.

The side seams and crotch were serged and the stretch lace was attached using an ordinary zigzag stitch.

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Mary gets pants

This week I've been sewing underwear from a Bevknits pattern 7007.

Notes

Stretch is the key factor - the size that fits with a really stretchy fabric will be tight or too small with a minimum stretch fabric.

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A gentleman's vest

I have used this Burda pattern many times. Each time I have made it slightly different. Each time I have added a lining -  something that is not a feature of the pattern.

This version will have an edge to edge lining and no collar. There will be no ties at the back - the darts provide enough shaping.

The photos show the lining construction.

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Paper pieced hexagons - a sewing diversion

A friend has recently discovered patchwork and is passionately piecing quilts. She gave me a piece of happy pretty fabric.

I made a hexagon flower.

I am not sure what the paper pieced hexagon flower will become part of.

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Mary tries knitting with 20 mm needles

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Teeny Tiny bag

These small zip bags were created using a free pattern from So Sew Easy. I was able to make one in under an hour. Very cute.

http://so-sew-easy.com/teeny-tiny-mini-zipper-pouch/

Three cute bags

My very first teeny tiny zip pouch

Vogue 8793 - a creative long sleeved top

Vogue 8793

This pattern requires three different fabrics or prints. I used fabrics from my stash and did not have quite enough of one of the contrasts to cut the required collar pieces so introduced a fourth fabric for the collar. At that stage I was not very impressed with my selections so omitted the zipper trim on the collar.

The only fit adjustment was to shorten the sleeves by about an inch and half. I machine basted the body of the top together and tried it on for fit, which is when I found the sleeves too long. I then serged over the basting to complete the top.

The collar piece was quite thick due to all the layers and while it worked, it may be preferable to construct the top and collar with light weight knits throughout.

The hem was serged, then stuck down with hem tape. I used a size 90 4mm twin needle to stitch the hem.

Janome Memory Craft 5700 borders

Today I followed the instructions that came with the border design card and embroidered my first actual border. It is a bit lumpy because I didn't use stabiliser and didn't have enough fabric margin on one side to completely fill the hoop.

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T-shirts from Burda Start III 3197

I have made three t-shirts from the Burda 3197 pattern. Each one has a slight style variation, and each one fits slightly differently due to the differences in stretch of each fabric.

These t-shirts also mark my first attempts at twin needle stitching which did not go well until the last shirt. I have an old Janome 5700 and to get the twin needle to stitch with minimal skipping took a lot of trial and error.

 

The three settings that worked for me were - 

• putting paper strips under the fabric and stitching through it
• adjusting the needle position two steps to the left of centre
• having a shorter stitch length of 2.8 instead of my usual 3 or 3.5

 

With those three settings in place I almost eliminated the skipped stitches that occurred previously.

Each t-shirt had to have the shoulders adjusted inwards by about 1cm. I did not use the facing provided in the original pattern. Instead applying a cowl type rectangle to the black top, folding over and stitching the neck of the purple top and applying a narrow band to the green top.

The seams are over-locked/serged. The sleeves of the green top were machine embroidered using large flower motifs.

 

I completely missed the indelible knit line when sewing the green top and it has not come out in the wash. So today I embroidered a line of stitching over it.

 

 

 

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New Look 6735

It is my intention to make each item (however unlike the illustrations on the pattern envelope - mine are unlikely to coordinate!)

 

1. Three quarter sleeve top

• Interlock print
• Serged seams
• Twin needle hems

 

2. Panelled skirt

• Serged seams and zigzag elastic casing
• Twin needle hem (size 90 4mm)

3. Cardigan jacket

• Serged seams
• Twin needle hem
• Stretch buttonhole

 



 

 



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Burda Start III 3197 variation

 

Another variation of the Burda Start 3197 pattern. This time with a warm skivvy type neck. The fabric has thin stripes of silver sparkle thread - hence the "dots" in the photo.

I used my overlocker to do all the seams and neck and the sewing machine and twin needle for the wrists and hem.

This fabric "suited" the twin needle and I had no need to put paper under the hemline. Adjusting the needle position two steps to the left, and having a stitch length of 2.6, tension 3.5 was enough to get perfect twin needle stitches all the way around.

Butterick Classics 6598

I have a collection of fabrics that I take out, look at and put away again - too chicken to cut and sew, not sure enough what to do with them. This top was made with one of those pieces - it was a big piece of fabric and I always thought I should make something "big" out of it to fully utilise it.

A year has probably gone by, and I chopped it. This Butterick 6598 top took about half of it.

I followed the pattern but made these modifications -

• slightly widened the torso from the waist down
• put slits in the side
• put slits in the arm seam

These would have been unnecessary if the pattern had been my size or if I had remembered to cut the arms and sides a bit bigger in the first place!

Mary is Back

It has been a long time between posts, Mary has missed her time in the spotlight. There have been many items of clothing sewn in 2014, but none have been posted! A treasure trove awaits, well, maybe just some photos of clothes.