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.

Teddy Kit for Sale

I have today had time to put my teddy kits on eBay.

With free delivery the kit is only £7.50 and to complete your own bear you will only need to had your own material and optional ribbon.

The item number is 321604934828 and my seller name is jaki.clai.  

Busy Week

Time to reflect on how busy I have been this week and all in all I think it has been a very successful week.

Again I have been struggling to sleep, so have found myself in my work room at 6am in the morning (it is 6:30am as I am writing this blog).  I have found this a great time to finish off things.

The first thing to be finished was my Seamstar Lucky Elephant Hanging.  It now takes pride of place above my sewing machine.

This table runner was the next thing to be finished and is now posted to Germany.  It was a piece of material that came with the December 2014 issue of Love Sewing Magazine.

Thursday afternoon saw me glueing and sewing the rings onto my IMA Double Wedding Ring Quilt.  I have omitted the small segments, as I am fed up of making the applique pieces.  As I have already said it is something that I have enjoyed learning, but don't wish to do again.  Obviously, I may need to use the technique for other items, but the rings were not my favourite.  I now can't wait to quilt it, but first I need to buy a small amount of material for the sashing on the border.  I am thinking of trying to get a yellow close to the centre ring colour.  It's sort of mustard/greenish/yellow.  The border and back will be made in the dark grey, which has lovely butterflies on it.

When I finished the top of the quilt (that has now been put away), I cut out the lining for my grey and purple tartan pinafore.  This has now been sewn together waiting for a zip, which has been ordered.  Hopefully I will have it finished for the 10th of December.  This date is very significant.

Last Wednesday the 26th of November, was the last lesson in my Beginner's Dressmaking Course and the ladies were so sad to see it finish that they have asked for a further lesson.  This will be on the 10th December.  I was so chuffed, that I couldn't say no.  They want to come every Wednesday, but alas, we are waiting for Lorrayne to confirm the dates of next year.

So to say thank you for my ladies who have stuck by me I have made them Christmas presents and here they are:

They are 5 needle cases and each one is slightly different.  The patchwork cotton was from Seamstar and part of one of their craft kits; the linen on the outside is also left over linen from one of their craft kits, as is the wool felt on the inside and the grosgrain ribbon; the lining is from an old pair of linen trousers.  I hope they like them and think of me when they are sewing in the future.  I know one of the girls will keep coming on the odd Wednesday, as she will want to make a dress for a wedding she is going to.  

I just hope next year will be more successful.

As for today, will I be sewing?  NO.  Not until the zip comes for my pinafore, I won't be sewing . . . . . . but I have fabric and buttons for a blouse . . .

IMA

Or Invisible Machine Appliqué.

Yesterday (instead of going to work) I went on a one day course to study this technique with Dawn Cameron-Dick.  Dawn travels the country (and further afield) giving lessons, talks and demonstrations and if she is near you in the new year, go to one of her classes.  They were chilled and relaxed and Dawn has a depth of knowledge to draw on, I certainly picked her brains and taken away things to add to my classes.

I have always loved the look of the wedding ring quilts, but didn't fancy all the piecing of those fiddly little bits, but Dawn has a great way of making them.  I have to admit, that, once this quilt is done, I won't be making another.  But, never say never, as I will be using the technique for other applications.  The day was great, and I for one, learned loads and took away ideas for my dressmaking classes.
Here is my quilt so far, all the rings are pinned for transport and ignore the freezer paper ring.

The fabric was from Seamstar and is a collection called September Blue.

New Table

Well what a busy week I have had.  So sorry for not writing in my blog, but I have plenty of things to tell you about.

It started on Saturday with a change in my shifts.  I had to work four day shifts, that's four 5am starts and four lots of 12 hour shifts.  Mum went into hospital, so was visiting her after work, then to bed and back to work.  No time for sewing at all.  Mum is better now and at home, so will be spending time going to see her, she had the plate from her leg removed, she is on her feet, with a walking stick, but can't drive.

But despite all of Saturday to Tuesday taken up with work, I have been very busy with my sewing and now on reflection am very pleased with what I have achieved, even though they weren't in my to do book.

Wednesday started with me sewing the top for my Indigo quilt.  Two packs of Moda 5" squares in Indigo a fat quarter from my stash and some calico and by Friday morning the top was finished.  Made in the super simple disappearing nine patch, and I can't wait to quilt it.  As dragonflies appear on the red section, it would be great to include these in the quilting as well.  In the evening, I made some baby clothes for "Oh Sew Sweet Shop".  These are samples of the material they are stocking and are a pair of trousers and a a Kimono one piece.  

My Horn Table has arrived, this can Wednesday morning when I was out and in the afternoon, hubby and I put it together.  Although a bit big for the space at the moment, it will be great when my room is organised.  I have a plan to get more room, but that will mean me sewing and selling lots of things, therefore reducing my stash.

Having finished the top to my Indigo Dragonfly Quilt, I was in a mood then for more patchwork.  So Friday morning I got out my Bloomin' Steps Scrappy Blue Quilt and did about an hours worth of piecing.  I am having mixed feelings about the scrappy quilt.  You spend hours cutting up small squares, then spend hours putting them together.  The size of the squares are 2" and I am making a king size quilt, a momentous task if I say so myself.  But to truly call myself a patchwork and quilter I suppose this is a right of passage.  To make it harder, I am making the back in "a mile a minute", I just hope I can find a machine needle that will be strong enough.

Getting the patchwork out of my system I was able to do an item on my "to do" list.  this was to cut out my Grey Tartan Pinafore Dress.  Putting my new table to use I was able to cut out the pattern with complete ease.

You are probably reading this and thinking I have been very busy with very little time for other things, but I have done my housework, went skiing on Thursday and on Friday went for a three hour walk with hubby and dog.

Now what to do today? 

  

I can knit too

I mentioned in my last blog about me knitting as well.  I don't do this on a small scale either.  I can definitely call myself industrial when it comes to knitting.  

Most times I actually buy the buttons, then find a knitting project.  But my hubby has other ideas.

We are both avid skiers, and Tony has always fancied a woollen ski jumper.  

Here he is proudly wearing it.

This jumper pattern is the Le Massif 2004 and was knitted in a beautiful wool from Texere Yarns.  The main body is knitted in the round and on very small needles, so had over 300 stitches on it!  One of the tricky bits is the armholes.  You complete the jumper all the way up to the neck, then cut a hole for the sleeve and sew them in!  I was horrified.  I started the jumper in September 2012 and true to my word I got it knitted in time for him to go skiing as it took less than 4 months.

But, unknown to him, at work I made him a hat:- 

He loves the hat more (he has no hair), and the jumper is too warm for a normal english winter.  

One day I will knit myself a jacket from the collection.

Loosing My Mojo

Yesterday I was sewing away and felt completely uninspired and my fingers felt like sausages.  Most of this could have been because I am getting over a cold, but it could also be I have been doing too much.

Even so, I have been beating myself up for it.  I've been making myself feel bad.  So this morning I thought it is time for reflection.

Something useful I learnt on teacher training, was the art of reflection.  We very rarely stop to think where we are in life, or how far we have come.  Life is a journey after all, but unlike a journey we have no map, we rarely stop at a roadside cafe and get the map out, see where we have been, calculate how far we need to go and what our are aims should be.

To start reflecting we need a starting point.  I mainly have three things, when it comes to my sewing, to help me do this.  I have three books, one for "Things to Do", one for "Development" of designs/kits, and a third that is a "Journal".

The book of "Things to Do" comes into use now and again, I am after all a Pisces and hate being tied down to demands!  At the moment though it is in vogue with me and I am sticking to it.  I started it again when I felt my Mojo was waning and also because my stash was getting out of hand (again).  Yesterday, when I didn't feel like sewing, I opened my "Things to Do" book and completed 3 items from the list.  So on reflection, yesterday was very productive.

My "Development" book, is one that I am very proud of.  This came about when I started teaching at Oh Sew Sweet Shop.  My lessons, kits and ideas to develop go in there.  

The journal has now been running for over 3 years and everything I sew goes in there.  (I knit and make lace as well, but they don't go in.)  This was started because I work shifts and was thinking that I didn't sew much, so, everyday that I sew I make an entry, sometimes only one or two lines, but mainly a page.  I then bought a POGO printer (these are great, a Polaroid(R) printer producing business card sized pictures that are self adhesive) and take pictures to put in my journal.

Along with quilts, craft items and gifts, I have also been adding to my wardrobe.

These are my wardrobe items so far:

A-line skirt developed for sewing lesson

Linen Dress for a Wedding

A-line skirt variation 

Pillowcase dress variation

Kimono style dressing gown

Dress Upcycled to skirt

Skirt upcycled to a top

Silk Maxi dress

Librarian Blouse in Liberty Cotton

A pair of jeans and a dress upcycled to a skirt

Shift dress in John Kaldor polyester

Mock wrap dress in John Kaldor jersey

Blouse made from left over silk

Pencil skirt made from stash

These are items I have made for my wardrobe, as well as these I have made 54 other items either sewn or knitted.  That is more than one item per week finished, plus working full time, plus teaching 3 hours a week.

On reflection I have made loads of things this year so far,  I should be very proud of the new items in my wardrobe, also I have a right to be tired - I've been busy.

Now where is that grey and purple tartan . . . . .