Zipped Vinyl Pouch

If you look over to the right of this blog, you will see I have a new tutorial in there.

I have been a little bit busy and with the material I have bought from Pennine Outdoors, I have crafted myself a zipped bag.

I have decided to make it 8" by 10", a sort of A4 size, so that I can take projects with me on my travels.  The one I have featured in my tutorial has already been to work with my sock knitting in it.  I put the handle over my wrist and was away.  Happy Days.

For the quilters out there, I have based the design on a piece of layer cake, then with an 8" zip and the vinyl I was on a roll.

Here's the second one I made

I can see my layer cakes becoming pouches!

Catch Up

As promised I am letting you see what I have made recently.

In October a student wanted a pattern for a twist front t-shirt.  She showed me a picture and after a few tries I managed to draft a pattern and make a t-shirt.

Needless to say my student hasn't made hers and I haven't worn this either.

To test out my new overlocker I then bought some t-shirt material to make a long sleeve t-shirt for myself.  Using Simplicity 1070 I was able to make a beautifully fitting t-shirt.

This t-shirt fits lovely and the hems look really professional using my coverstitch function on my overlocker.  I wore it with jeans to teach sewing.

It was time now to tackle my nemesis full in the face - trousers!  I have such a strange shape that I can not buy ready made trousers and I wanted to make some trousers, just so that I can say to my students that I can.  

I wore these for teaching that night and they fitted great, except they were too flared for me.  So back in the wardrobe they have gone and I will make them narrower when I get time!

I was now to go to India for three weeks and was determined to buy some fabric whilst there.  Not until the last day was I allowed to go to a fabric shop, with only about half an hour I bought some fabric.

The first three were in a pack to make an indian outfit, enough for a smock, trousers and a scarf.  I will make two dresses and a scarf.  Despite being told they were cotton, after washing they were obviously poly cotton.  But for six metres of material for £12, it was still a bargain and the colours are my favourites and they will remind me of my holiday.

The purple flowered material is also a poly cotton and washed really well, I bought three metres and hope to make a fifties styled dress from it.  

The emerald green material was sold to me as silk, but is a man made fabric, I loved the colour, was short of time and it was cheap, only £18.00.  It too, has washed well and I have a lovely pattern to make another fifties style dress from it.

At the end of November I was asked to teach yet another tunic dress.  For this time I made a light denim dress.

I have to say it looks better on the mannequin than it does on me.  I wore it to teach and don't think I will wear it again.  Hopefully the trend for tunic dresses is over, as I haven't found anyone they suit.

In early December I took my sister, Rachel, to Fabworks. To get some material for me to make an outfit to wear on Christmas day and also to get Rachel her Christmas present as well.  I bought her some tweed material and she took this home to make a shawl.  I bought some jersey and made her a dress, here it is and she loved it.

I have enough material left to make me a sleeveless top.

I bought some scuba and jersey to make a skirt; jacket and t-shirt for me.  Using the Simplicity 1070 pattern and on the 23rd December I finished the skirt and top, just in time for Christmas.

The jacket I finished at the end of March

The outfit looks great together and I wear it often to teach.

During December I started to take my overlocker to classes every week.  I tried to get a wheeled case for it, but these have been discontinued.  So I made myself a cover.  It is however waiting for a frame to protect the overlocker - hubby?

As it was made from materials and other items that are surplus or given to me it actually cost me nothing.

In February I found a jacket pattern I loved,  it is Kwik Sew K4139 and I found some gorgeous material from Stitch Fabrics.  It's called Blake Winter and is very soft.  the jacket is lovely to wear, but more for spring or autumn.

I hope you like my finished projects.  Hope not to be so long in writing again.  But I need to get lots of sewing done now that Neve will let me sit for hours on end.

Bloomin Steps Scrappy Quilt

Just thought I'd show you this picture

It is the finished centre section of my scrappy quilt.  With the border on, it will be a generous double or a top for a king size bed.  I started piecing it about 2 to 3 years ago, but have been buying and collecting old shirts and blouses for about 6 years.  The rest of the pieces have been left overs from previous projects.  Made with mainly 2" squares, and the outer border took over 300 of them, it took longer to cut the squares than it did to sew it all together.

Now all I need is enough pins and a large area to put the backing and batting on it.

Can't wait to quilt it.

Nothing much happening

For the last couple of weeks, my sewing has taken a back seat.  Have have been sewing, don't think I haven't, but it is December and the days are short and the sun low.  I like to sew in natural light, so after 4pm is too late and at this time of year in mid afternoon the sun is in my eyes.

But don't think I haven't been sewing.  I finished my pinafore dress and have started a blouse.  

I am making view A in a silver coloured satin backed polyester crepe, I have only got the sleeves to do on it now.  The fabric was in my stash and one of my students was wanting to make the blouse, as she is a beginner, I needed to check out the pitfalls.  But it is vintage and I wanted to make a vintage blouse anyway.  Interestingly it has a zip in the side seam!  I'm hoping to get it finished and wear it on Christmas day.

Hopefully today I will pin the Indigo quilt to it's backing and wadding, but not sure how I am going to quilt it.  But as it is all squares I think circles will look good.  

Today I will be putting up my tree, not a Christmas tree, but a mid winter tree.  I like to put it up a week before midwinter and take it down at least two weeks later (I'm late this year).  However, there are a couple of Christmas presents to put under it as well, so it doubles up as a Christmas tree.

My sewing classes have now finished and will continue in the New Year.  It is hoped I will run a beginners' class, with a pop in class for the intermediates at the same time.  Watch this space.

You will notice that on the front page of my blog I now have a button linking you to my Folksy Shop.  I am in the process of opening the shop again and will be putting kits and supplies on there very soon.