paisley

I have been baking today. But I had a rummage for fabric to use for skirts. I wanted something more while the overlocker is threaded with cream thread.

I wasn't sure if I had donated these or not. Glad to find out they were still in the box. The same kind of sample fabric as the wrap skirt had been made out of.

See? It is hand printed in Italy! I probably would have done more with it if brown was a colour that suited me.

The length in the top one is a bit short, and the other a bit long, so I think they are compatable enough to add a band of the one to the other.

I guess this will be one of those 30 min at a time sort of jobs. I have refridgerated dough to turn into cookies and several parcels to do up and send off. Yes I know, I don't ever seem to send far enough ahead of Christmas.

And the Bead goes on...week 1

Daily Bead trial project so far.

I got out another mixed bead packet, but I like the glittery ones a bit better - at least on this colour.


This is how I fuse them. Roll up on the knitting needle and press here and there to hold it together. I added some purple strips to these because I was getting bored with the reddish fabric.

I learned that you don't want to work hard to get it all pressed securely because it becomes very hard to stitch through with the thin beading needles. You won't have to fret about it coming undone, because you are stitching through a few layers. I also stitch on each fabric bead while it is on the knitting needle. It is actually a lot easier than holding on to the little bit and try to stitch it.

I usually try to keep from going right down to the core when stitching, just thinking it might be difficult to keep from tangling when and if you actually thread them all together on a cord.

Confession - I didn't do very well with doing this every day. I will try a bit harder...but I have a guest this week. Perhaps I need to do this longer than 3 weeks to see how it evens out before I decide for certain to do it for 2013.

a bit of simple sewing

A Certain Lad is off on adventures this weekend with the paratroop division.
"Do you have any white fabric like a sheet?" which, after a length of time and effort turned into this.

He will write our surname across the white bit, and then it will be easier for the people doing the shouting out to know who they need to shout out to. Or as I said in a reverse psychology sort of a way...they will know who it is that needs help.

This was about all I was capable of today as all the activity of the past couple weeks caught up to me. Even though the rooms were "ready" to teach in, the new machines and returned serviced machines and new dressmaker dummies still in boxes have had to be moved here and there. At last this morning, my body said, "It is enough." I was a bit afraid I had flu, but I think I mainly just needed to go back to bed. So, I did.

jacket and skirt

Whilst coming up with a solution to the dilemma of the FOQ piece, I have:
cut and sewn the lining for the white jacket - still needs to be inserted
topstitched most of the jacket seams - which makes it look smarter
sewn the main seams of the green skirt

I will probably do some sort of pocket, so inserting the jacket lining is still on hold and so the hems are as well.

I did come up with a plan for the FOQ piece, but the weekend has been full, so I decided not to try to start it yet. I should get it going in the next couple days, even though I am doing several workshops this week.

white linen jacket

Since I got the overlocker to work, the potential of making garments quickly is finally there. Yes, I can make garments that take time and care, but that means I don't actually have many, because of all the other things I am doing.

So, since I got the green skirt and trouser cut out, I was going to stitch it up on the overlocker. And then, since it had white thread, I decided to go ahead and cut out white rough spun linen for a summer jacket that I had hope to cut out some time ago. I used the jacket pattern I already had from the jacket I made for City and Guilds. So, the cutting went quickly today. and so did the sewing up. while I was waiting for dinner to cook.

And here it is ready for several finishing off details. I had thought to have it unlined, but when I tried it on over a short sleeve top, I realised the rough linen was a bit too scratchy. I have some habotai silk I might cut for a lining. I may put in some pockets as well. Maybe next week though, as I need to get back to some of the other responsibilities I am doing.

I will change the overlocker thread and work on the green skirt and trouser. After all this time of having ideas for smart clothes and even fabric for them, it is really great to get some made! Then I can get rid of some of the things I have worn too long.

green skirt and trouser

I have still been busy with paperwork for college. But today I took time out to cut out a skirt and a pair of trousers from green fabric I have been hanging onto for sometime. I even had time to put the zip in!

 I have a linen jacket I made that has some green in. However, I don't wear it much since I don't have anything to wear it with. Although the colour will be the same, I don't think it will be a problem to have a skirt AND a pair of trousers of the same colours.

blue linen skirt

Amongst all the paperwork, I got the lining inserted and have started finishing off the waist. There is no waistband. It has a facing as well as a lining, because I am also putting petersham at the waist to keep it firm. I should have the waist and hem completed tomorrow.

I was also able to get my overlocker to do what I have wanted for ages. I have only been using 3- threads, because everytime I tried to use the 4 thread option, it broke. The tensions had begun to play up, as well, so I took the time to sort that. I figured it wouldn't matter to try to put the other needle back in and try again. AND, voila, it worked.

So, something isn't working tonight and I will have to upload this tomorrow.

blue linen skirt

I had a few moments this evening to cut out a lining for the blue linen skirt. I wasn't sure if I wanted one til I started sewing it. The weave is just a bit too loose for the skirt to retain its shape well.

Linings not only help to give substance to lightweight skirts or to keep the light from shining though. One of the best reasons is to take the strain when sitting, so the fabric doesn't stretch out of shape. This sort of thing happens especially at the back...it is often referred to "seating". In trousers it happens at the knee.

Because this skirt is A-line with a bit of flare, I chose to use a basic sort of lining. The weight of a crepe de chin would mean the lining would make the skirt hang awkwardly. This lining has enough stiffness to support the weave of the fabric. Rather than attaching the lining in such a way to hang seperately, as I did with the red skirt, I may enclose the bottom into the hem, so it moves as one with the skirt fabric.

I hope to sew up the seams tomorrow, and possibly begin to attach it to the skirt, but it will depend on how many more pattern drafting folders I get marked.

skirts

Today I finished 2 of the skirts.
The batik skirt will be a nice one for summer.

The red one will be a good one for dressing smart.

I am quite chuffed with the design I made with Free Machine Embroidery. It is based on one of my doodles from last year.

detail on front

back detail

Tomorrow I must get onto marking students' drafting folders, so the grey-blue linen skirt will have to wait.

zips

Yesterday I got the zips for the other 2 skirts in. Boring in progress photo at present, as I haven't finished off the waists yet. I put a lining in the red skirt, but didn't take time for the pressing and so on. I should be able to get to that tomorrow. (If I can, I like to use zips slightly longer than needed...then you don't have to try to sew round the zip pull.)

I had the option of using a basic skirt lining fabric, but this cherry red poly crepe de chin was in the lining box and I decided it feels much more luxurious! I love the weight of it too. I hate it when the basic type lining just does the slidey thing. I do like the ambience/bamberg type of linings, but I don't have any, and as you guess, I usually work with what I have if I can, rather than going out and buying something on purpose. I think I will like the feel of this round my legs when I walk! (grin) I will probably have to attach it to the skirt at the side seams with more than one set of french tacks, though. You don't want to attach it firmly, as you don't want it to pull the skirt in odd ways, but I am not sure if the drape of it might make it catch round my legs, too much.

Anyway, I will keep you posted when I first wear it and let you know if it was a good choice. I like to have linings of interest. Either in colour, print or luxury feel. It is like a secret! LOL

Merdragon

I was able to begin work on the Merdragon today. I am quite pleased at the amount I accomplished, as I had most of the day to work on it. Tomorrow I will finish stitching it to the background, trim it and add more detail along with some quilting. I have been trying out various colour combinations to see how one colour can make another colour "pop".

I am very late on the Fast Friday challenge again this month, which was about under the sea. But I have been planning to have this fit both schemes, especially as it also included threadwork. The background print already represents coral. I bought it to make a fun blouse. I think taking this small piece from a corner won't mean I have to scrimp if I ever get round to doing the blouse.

I was also able to put the zip into one of the skirts I started during the holiday. Sometime back I thought I might be able to take an idea from Somerset Banks and do something like 30 minutes a day (out of my sewing time) on garments for me. That never came to anything since I am generally a right out straight sort of person. However, I think if I manage to have a cutting out day, and get several items cut out, then I can do a few seams here a zip there, and so on. Today it worked because I did the zip first, and was able to put it aside because I wanted to work on the dragon more.

30 minutes at a time

Summerset Banks has a way of organising her sewing time so that she can get some quicker projects done while working on larger projects. She calls it 30 minutes a day. So, while she works on a major garment she also manages to make clothes for her children and some quick projects for herself.
I decided I would try to do something similar in amongst all my rushing around I may not always get to do it, but sometimes, if I actually did something in the 30 minutes here and there

between this thing and that, I could make some of the garments for me on my list.

So, here is a start. I want a white skirt...even though it is nearly deep autumn, I still wished I had one this summer, so if I make it now, I will have it next summer. Also, I have some forest green gabardine. there is enough to make trousers and a maybe a skirt if I want. It would go with a patterned linen jacket I made some time ago.

Before I can cut them out, I needed to prewash. So, it may seem that wouldn't take 30 in. But the linen would shred and the gabardine is a very large piece. So, I overlocked the ends together. It took a bit longer because of the overlocker becoming un-threaded. Grrr. But, anyway. I should be able to get to this later in the week. I still have a lot of prep for my classes to start next week. So, I am not going to push to incorporate the 30 minute plan every day till I can get used to the teaching schedule.

I do actually do something similar to this when I do my textile art pieces. But the clothes keep being put to the side. So, I am hoping this might help me to accomplish the tasks on that list.