tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23514743935394301932024-03-13T15:53:30.196+00:00Sara's Little DabblingsSarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597414918948535209noreply@blogger.comBlogger184125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351474393539430193.post-69134025316061289322018-10-26T20:15:00.001+01:002018-10-26T20:15:26.570+01:00Tutorial: How to make Half Square Triangles for quilting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello!<br />
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Just posting a photo heavy tutorial as I'm currently making a patchwork gift basket for Christmas and it's very heavy on Half Square Triangles (HSTs). They are very commonly used in quilting, so once you've learnt to make some, you can do a lot of quilts!<br />
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To start with, chose the two fabrics you want and cut them to the size you need. Your instructions will tell you what size usually. If you're going your own way and making a quilt from scratch without a pattern then you can use online HST <a href="https://jacquelynnesteves.com/half-square-triangle-hst-cheat-sheet-and-tutorial/" target="_blank">reference/cheat sheets</a> or <a href="https://www.craftsy.com/quilting/article/half-square-triangle-formula/" target="_blank">do the maths yourself </a>to end up with the correct size.<br />
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**Pro tip! Spray starch your fabrics at this point. HSTs are cut and sewn on the bias which can make fabric stretch. To limit this, spray starch and iron them. The fabric will become much more rigid, easier to handle and less likely to stretch out of place, so you'll be more accurate and get a neater finish. The starch just washes out when you wash the item at the end.<br />
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If you're working with small pieces, you could draw them all out on one piece of fabric first, then spray starch the entire thing to make cutting easier too. Ironing lots of really small bits gets tiresome...<br />
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Turn the fabrics over, and draw a line going diagonally across the back. The back of your fabric is usually much paler (compare to the photo above). Sometimes fabrics are not that different from one side to the other. Have a good look and pick a side anyway. To make it easier on yourself, make a small mark within the seam allowance so you'll always be able to orientate yourself.<br />
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Once you have your chosen fabrics. Layer the two together, with the right sides together. Make sure the lines go in the same direction on both sides (i.e both go upwards from left to right). Either pin or clip the two together.<br />
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I've used wonder clips this time as it tends to keep the fabric flatter and saves time. [I bought 50 off eBay for £3.65.] If you're using pins you can pin so the pin sticks outwards (perpendicular) rather than going along the edges (parallel) to keep it flat.<br />
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Put your fabric square under your presser foot and line up to the left of the diagonal line.<br />
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I'm using a quilting 1/4 inch seam allowance foot, so you can see it's a bit different to a standard foot. The guide on the right hand side is 1/4 inch away from the needle, so that the seam allowance will always be accurate when the fabric is lined up with the guide. This is designed to have the fabric's cut edge against the foot, but I find it helpful for HSTs too.<br />
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Sew 1/4 inch to the left of the diagonal line. I usually use my preset straight stitch width of 0 and stitch length of 2.2mm, with the needle in the normal central position.<br />
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***Pro tip! Quilting HSTs lend themselves well to batch sewing. Once you've sewn a square, raise the needle and presser foot and move the square a little further from the needle to give yourself a small tail. Don't cut the threads. Just put the next square down, and sew that one. Repeat for each square.<br />
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These squares are all attached to each other still.<br />
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Now we need to turn them around and stitch along the diagonal line again - this time on the side you haven't yet sewn. When we're done, there will be two lines of stitching (1/2 inch apart) with your line drawn in between.<br />
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[Yep, I didn't check the lines were in the same direction on the top square. You can see the lines are quartering the square into 4 triangles instead of two. The fabric was dark enough the line didn't show through, otherwise I would have had to unpick.]<br />
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Once all of your squares have been sewn diagonally for the second time, it's time to cut them. Place them on a cutting mat, use a quilting ruler to line up with the line you have drawn and cut. Always push a rotary cutter away from you and put the safety back on each time you put the cutter down.<br /><br />***Pro tip! If you use a 28 mm blade, you can cut sitting down. The larger 45 mm blades are much bigger and will require standing up in order to safely apply enough pressure to cut through the layers.<br />
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If you use scissors instead, use the longest blades possible and use the full length of the blades when possible. This will cut more fabric, reducing jagged edges from moving the scissors along the line. I won't lecture on using fabric scissors only on fabric.... :D<br />
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Cut out all of your squares in a batch. Or if you're short on time then do some in small groups when you can. Once you're all done, then it's time for pressing.<br />
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Open up the fabrics, to reveal your square made of two triangles! Half square triangles...<br />
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The way you fold open the triangles will make a big difference. Always fold to the dark side - remember Star Wars! On this example, you can see in the above photo that the seam allowance is folded to the right (the lighter fabric).<br />
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The seam allowance will almost always show up under the light fabric (which is more visible against light).<br />
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By folding the seam allowance to the dark side instead...<br />
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[Apologies for not keeping the square the same way around as in the above photo!]<br />
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Then the seam allowance is a lot less visible and will give a much neater result.<br />
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***Pro tip! Spray starched fabrics can usually be 'finger folded' quite easily. By folding the seam allowance over and pressing with your fingers, this can sometimes be enough and eliminate needing to iron the squares. However pressing is the best option.<br />
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Once all your seam allowances are folded to the dark side, give the squares a press under an iron. Another batch process! Check first on scrap fabric to make sure the temperature is suitable. If you fabric contains polyester, it will almost always shrink if the iron gets too hot for it. Experiment!<br />
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***Pro tip! If you're struggling with having two light or similar coloured fabrics, try it both ways and see which once you prefer.<br />
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Now it's time to true up your squares! You need a quilting ruler for this part.<br />
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Place your square back on your cutting mat. Quilting rulers will always have 30, 45 and 60 degree lines printed on them. We need to use the 45 degree line, as our HSTs are sewn along the 45 degree diagonal line.<br />
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Line up the 45 degree line with the seam between the two fabrics. Cut them down to the size stated in your pattern. This will make the edges nice and neat again (which really helps with overall finish).<br />
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To get the most accurate results, ensure your ruler is exactly on the edge of the fabric rather than 1mm in. I learnt the hard way that those 1mm's are enough to throw the entire thing off and stop your points from matching up by the time you finish your quilt!<br />
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I bought this clever 4-in-1 quilting board, from Hobbycraft. The grey left hand side is sandpaper, which fabrics stick to and is useful for drawing lines. The black side is a slightly stickier fabric which you can stick your fabric pieces to once cut out. Once flipped over, there is a cutting mat built so that you can cut directly onto the board.<br />
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To finish off, you can close or fully open out the board and lie it flat to press on!<br /><br />Have fun with the HSTs, hope this made sense.<br />
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Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597414918948535209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351474393539430193.post-19501020167335583772018-10-22T13:09:00.001+01:002018-10-27T13:35:52.467+01:00Butterick B5748 Wedding reception dress<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hello!<br />
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This dress has a bit of back story. Good friends of ours were getting married in September and I'd been meaning to make my dress to wear. I also saw <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BVw2nxwAdXO/?hl=en" target="_blank">Craftypinup's beautiful dress </a>last summer on Instagram, thought it was beautiful and exactly like what I wanted to buy or make so immediately bought the same fabric and pattern! I then sat on it for over a year without doing anything as I had plenty of time...<br />
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I'm getting more and more turned off buying clothes on the high street, especially the higher end shops that I would have shopped in to buy a lovely occasion dress. Sometimes the sewing isn't quite up to scratch, but more often than not it just won't fit properly. I'm a classic pear, who prefers short waist fits so that skirts skim over my hips even though I'm 'normal waisted', I have rounded shoulders and my clothes frequently gape across my high bust and neckline. That's a lot of adjustments that RTW shops wouldn't cater for. I have found a few shops that I know I can buy a certain size and the fit will be close enough I won't need to get it tailored, but when it's not quite right it really bugs me now. One of the pitfalls of learning to sew clothes!<br />
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I worked a lot on this dress to get the fit right, and it's the best I've ever done to date. Woohoo! I did a lot of reading online, I read Fit for Real People (which I found confusing but also useful - I just wish it explained things at a slightly more basic level to make it easier to get into as a beginner). From reading other blogs, looking at their fitting photos and looking at my RTW clothes and how they sit I was pretty sure I have forward shoulders. I'm not sure if I have a rounded back or not, but the two adjustments seem to go together so I'm going to just assume I have for now. I don't have a 'dowager's hump' but have spotted that on others since - I'm definitely slowly assimilating it all in and learning!<br />
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The fabric I used was a gorgeous <a href="https://www.minervacrafts.com/shop/fabric/dress-fabrics/jardin4155-pink-m-floral-print-jardin-stretch-cotton-sateen-dress-fabric?colour=Pink" target="_blank">jardin stretch cotton sateen</a> and I don't have any other stretch cottons. Instead, I bought an extra metre of it and toiled from that. Due to my putting it off all year, I think I was really lucky to get the extra metre as it's since sold out and is non re-orderable. I spent 3-4 weeks on this part - mainly because I kept getting discouraged from making an adjustment, trying it on, making changes, then unpicking it all again to redo. Apart from that, the fabric behaved beautifully. It responded to pressing really well, sewed easily and was nice to handle and cut out. It's one of the more expensive fabrics I have used to date, so that was a relief! I thought about attempting to pattern match but the print is so big I didn't bother and wouldn't have had enough fabric.<br />
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I only toiled once properly (shown above), which was probably a mistake. I did a lot of changes from the original pattern. I did my usual grading from bust to hips, but this graded down on the shoulders one size too. The fit was massive initially, so I had to drop down one size across the entire dress so ended up with 6 at the shoulders and bust, 8 at waist and 10 at hips. I increased the size of the back bodice darts by 1/2 inch overall to try and reduce the sway back I seem to get. I lowered the bust darts (never done that before), made a forward shoulder adjustment by taking length from the front shoulder and adding it to the back piece (had never done this before either). However the shoulder straps were still hanging off my shoulders and I had some neckline gape- so I'm pretty sure I also have narrow shoulders. The fit on a lot of RTW dresses and tops bears this out, so I should probably have realised sooner!<br />
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To fix the narrow shoulder issue I redrew the neckline curve to add half an inch to the neckline and removed that from the outer shoulder piece which brought the straps closer together and back to sitting properly on my shoulders. As I didn't think I had enough fabric to keep re-toiling, I just unpicked and restitched the same toile. All of this stitching and unpicking was not welcomed by my fabric, which doesn't hide marks particularly well after the second attempt at stitching! It was just as well I had the extra metre! I also stitched the shoulders slightly diagonally to take some excess fabric off the inside of the shoulder straps which removed a small amount of gape from the back straps (which I think means I have sloping shoulders too!?). Craig told me it was barely noticeable but it was bugging me...<br />
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In the end, I properly started sewing on Tuesday afternoon and needed it for a wedding on the Saturday. This should have been plenty of time, apart from making several mistakes which needed unpicking. I ended up taking length off the straps as well, but sadly didn't realise this until I had already constructed and lined the bodice so had a precarious 2 hours unpicking the understitching and straps enough to access the seams to fix this. I also missed the important fact that we were travelling up Friday mid afternoon which actually meant I had a whole day less than I'd realised. I had over a years notice... Why do I always do it?! I ended up visiting my local fabric shop on the Tuesday morning to buy overlocker thread, then went back on the Wednesday when I realised I didn't have a matching zip. Lots of time wasted unnecessarily if I'd planned ahead more. Definitely something to think about going forward.<br />
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Anyway, it was my second attempt at a Big Four pattern, as my first ever make was a vintage skirt pattern. I found the instructions were pretty good but at some points just failed me completely. The complication of it being fully lined threw me off at quite a few points. Thankfully I have a Craig who is logically minded and he helped me work things out at those points. It was a lot of stress though, which wouldn't have been an issue if i wasn't working to a deadline. (Sorry Craig.) I still haven't worked out how/when I was supposed to attach the lining of the bodice to the waist seam, so I need to handstitch that at some point.<br />
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I had one major mishap, my iron melted my lining fabric! I bought an <a href="https://www.minervacrafts.com/shop/fabric/lining-fabrics/159-101-m-medium-stretch-lining-dress-fabric?colour=Ivory" target="_blank">ivory medium stretch lining</a>, also from Minerva Crafts. It was a lot easier to sew with than my previous experience of more slippery, anti-static style linings, however I did find it would ladder quite easily if I wasn't careful when unpicking. I was impressed until I caught it somehow while moving my iron to a different part of the dress to iron. I hadn't changed my iron settings since I started making the dress, so I genuinely don't know why the iron heated up so much. Either way, there's a small patch less than an inch where the lining has melted, the rest of it is hidden in the seams. I also had a bad moment where it got completely chewed up in the machine and I had to get the screwdriver out!<br />
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Thankfully the zip went in neatly on the first attempt. I even shortened a zip for the first time as I couldn't find one the right length that I needed. Shortening it was so much easier than I thought it would be. I measured where I wanted it to end and marked that. I then sewed over the teeth after adjusting the stitch width to land on either side (don't want to snap a needle) and reducing the stitch length to almost 0. Put your foot down for a few seconds, job done! Cut off the remainder with some sharp scissors and sew it into your dress! (I used my fabric scissors and felt kinda bad afterwards, but my others weren't sharp enough).<br />
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I'm really pleased with the overall fit, there's no gaping but I can still move in it. I'm not sure how much of that is due to the stretch of the fabric so I think if I was to try this in a woven I would have to retoile and possibly add in some more ease as it's very fitted. I could also stand to remove some of the fabric from the skirt and make this from less fabric. The skirt is amazingly full, but I feel like it's a bit wasted without a petticoat (and I don't own one). It was lovely to dance and twirl in though!<br />
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Overall verdict: A stressful but successful make! There are so many beautiful versions of the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/b5748/?hl=en" target="_blank">B5748 dress</a>, this is one I want to make again. More photos when I get a day off!</div>
Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597414918948535209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351474393539430193.post-47824511242600618682018-09-27T19:02:00.000+01:002018-10-27T13:49:20.318+01:002018 - The Year of Sewing! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Fair warning: This is a very, very long post!<br />
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I got disillusioned with blogging, and stopped in 2016. No one is reading my blog apart from me so what's the point?<br />
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Turns out, I find it helpful to record project notes, adjustments, fabrics, patterns... so while I have a <a href="http://www.makersworkbook.com/" target="_blank">Maker's Workbook</a> notebook in my sewing desk that I record into at the end of each project, it doesn't have space for any in-depth details. (But is well worth getting anyway, I've just bought my second volume.) I also feel like I haven't actually done much this year apart from be in work, which this post proves is ridiculous as I've still managed to make and do a lot.<br />
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Last year we bought/sold and moved house. I now have a beautiful sewing room, which is technically our spare room. I'm very, very lucky. It has a huge desk, so I get to look out over the valley, see the seasons change [read: freeze in the winter, sew in undies in the summer as it's in the attic!] and best of all the room has fitted furniture so all of my sewing stash hides away neatly.<br />
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I also found a surprise vintage Singer sewing machine in the cellar! Unfortunately it had several broken parts which were £40+ each to replace, so I bought a second machine (pictured below in its wooden frame) for £30 on ebay instead - which came with a coffin top box, original manual and key!<br />
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I managed to squeeze in a pair of yellow, grey and brown striped socks from The Knitting Goddess' stripe sock yarn club before Christmas. Oh, and meet our new cat Tyler! Unfortunately Minerva went missing in July and never returned :(<br />
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After not sewing anything for over a year, in October 2017 I was asked by an Australian locum friend in work to shorten some trousers for her. We got on brilliantly and as she sadly moved away to a new job in November 2017 I made a small bag for her to take on her travels, along with a pair of hand knitted socks. She crochets as well, so we used to have lovely chats and I still think about her often. She kickstarted a year of sewing, after (kindly) telling me off for not having touched my machine in over a year and telling me to get on with it!<br />
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While I was at it, I made a second bag for a dear friend in SF and posted it out to her, as a surprise Christmas present. When she visited in 2016 (oh dear) she picked out some fabric and then I packed everything away for when we moved house.... Finally got round to it.<br />
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Seeing as it was our first Christmas in the new house, we ended up hosting. So we bought two 6 foot folding tables and went to Ikea for 12 folding chairs. While there I decided to buy some fabric and made two white tablecloths, 12 placemats, 12 drinks coasters and two table runners to run the length of the tables. I finished these by sewing until gone 11pm the week before Christmas, in between working various shifts etc. I also handstitched a Christmas wall decoration.<br />
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Jemma came over for a few sewing sessions this year too, which was a lot of fun. Jemma was given a sewing machine last year by her Gran and wanted to check she was threading correctly etc, as she was teaching herself. We had a sleepover in January with wine, then made a lovely cushion the next day, before she went to work for her 4pm-midnight shift.<br />
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I also squeezed in another japanese knot bag for portable knitting projects.<br />
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We also had to say goodbye to Nigel this January, he had severe kidney disease as a result of being FIV positive, which we had never known about as he wasn't considered at risk and therefore had not been tested. I still miss them both so much.<br />
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After that I decided I wanted to make something to wear. I had been seeing loads of people posting pictures of beautiful Cleo dungaree dresses from Tilly, so I plucked up the courage. I used 1.5m of wine cotton twill from eBay, for £9.98 and was really pleased with it! I took 5 inches of ease off the waist, redrew the facings to match and redrew the hip curves to be more A-line rather than tulip. Unfortunately I learnt the hard way that that fabric needs overlocking, or at least an overcast stitch as the hem literally disappeared in the first wash right down to the zig-zag stitch and I would have liked to add a second line of stitching to stop the hem from falling down. Ah well.<br />
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I made that dress in 3 days and wore it to a hen party in Bristol at the beginning of February. While we were all drunk a few of the girls commented on my dress (which is always lovely!) and in our joint drunkenness Sam and I decided to strike a deal. She makes the most amazing pork pies from scratch, so we agreed I would sew her a Cleo and she would make a pork pie, and we'd swap! I love a skill swap!! I literally pulled off the Cleo there and then, thankfully Sam is the same size as me.<br />
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Sam chose royal blue with dungaree buckles and I made it from the same fabric off eBay. Conscious of making something for someone else, it was hands down the best I have ever sewed! I took so much time and care over it, the white contrast topstiching is beautiful! I overlocked all the insides too so it looks just as good on the inside.<br />
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While sewing Sam's Cleo I started a corduroy royal blue version for myself, so that I could practice the steps on mine then do hers. My wine coloured one only had buttons, so I wanted to practice the buckles at least. I love my corduroy version the most and it's the most worn me-made than I own! The fabric is slouchy and relaxed, comfy and the colour cheers me up. I feel awesome in it.<br />
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I marked Sam's hem at the wedding, then sent it off in the post for her. She brought the pork pie with her to the wedding rather than posting it. It was huge!!<br />
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Thankfully she loved her dress! In between making the two Cleo's, I also offered to help the bride with any decorations she wanted and make hundreds of hessian penants, then strung them all up on twine for bunting. I tried applique for the first time, learnt that you can get splinters from hessian (who knew?!) and used nearly 500m of thread! I took my machine in for a service not long after, as it had worked bloody hard!<br />
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A friend in work gave me some hessian tablerunners so I hemmed those and they were gratefully received too. In return, Sian put me in a gorgeous bridesmaid dress from Motee Maids which was a pleasure to wear and dance in. We got to meet the owner of the company and find out how they hand bead each dress, which was lovely.<br />
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That takes us up to April!<br />
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In early March I discovered a sewing school in Bridgend, entirely by chance online. They were running a jersey dress class which I really wanted to do but was sadly fully booked. Instead, I signed for a mini quilting course in April which ran for 4 weeks. I bought a gorgeous Makower Floral Splendor FQ bundle from Higgs and Higgs, along with an insane number of other fat quarters - it's hard work buying quilting fabric online and trying to guess if that grey is exactly the right shade...<br />
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We were offered 3 patterns to chose from, so of course I went for the most fiddly one which was hard work to get done between shifts! On the day of the last class, I happened to be off having worked the weekend. I still didn't have a fully pieced section, let alone a fully pieced quilt top. So I got up early like I was going to work and sewed solidly from 9am to 5.25pm, with half hour for lunch and a 15 min break in the morning! Hard work, but I got it done, just in time to jump in the shower and drive there. I wanted to have it all done so I could try quilting and binding, which I managed to do. The finished article could be neater (Note to self: you really DO have to be accurate and put your ruler on the edge, not 1mm in from the edge as it throws everything else out!)<br />
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Gemma runs a fab class, so I signed up for a cami top two week course which involved purposely picking trickier fabrics like viscose or voile. I bought a lovely, buttery soft but slippery as hell viscose from Minerva Crafts. You don't normally know the pattern in advance, but I was really pleased that it turned out to be the Ogden cami top as I actually own it and have been meaning to make it for ages! I lengthened it by 2 inches and graded up 2 sizes from the bust to hips. Unfortunately I fell behind as I could NOT get the hang of using a loop turner to make the straps (had to ask the textiles teacher sat next to me to do them, thank you again!) and then everything shifted everywhere so it wasn't my best make. I still have to finish it, I forgot to trim before sewing the second seam of the french seams so it all sticks out... rookie mistake!<br />
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After chatting during the mini quilting course, Gemma mentioned she was also running a Washi dress course in June. I immediately rejigged all my shifts and booked on, because the Washi dress is another pattern I've owned and meant to make since first finding it years and years ago via blogs and seeing <a href="http://dfabricate.blogspot.com/2014/11/jazzy-washi-dress.html" target="_blank">DFabrication</a> make several versions, plus wearing them on the Great British Sewing Bee!<br />
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We adopted two new cats in April. They're feral stray rescues and it's taken us 5 months just to get one to jump up on the sofa with us. Having to tread very carefully with these boys, but it's worth it.<br />
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I treated myself to some leather and bag making supplies after seeing a nice feature in Simply Sewing magazine, the May issue. I really liked the small purse, so had a go at making my own. Next time, need to double the stitch length and maybe use leather thread as I used regular and too small a stitch so it ended up tearing really easily. Also, don't weigh the triangle down with a stone as it'll somehow leave a mark and use way more binding clips than you think you need as it likes to move around! Disappointed with the overall result sadly.<br />
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The Washi dress class in June was great fun. Shirring is SO much easier than I expected it to be! Not sure if I had beginners luck, or if it's my machine to thank. Some ladies had machines that just would not accept the shirring elastic so Gemma brought her machine in for them to use. All the same, I was pleasantly surprised. I cut a straight Medium with no alterations, chosen for me by Gemma based on my high chest measurement. I have no other photos of this dress, this was taken in the pub the classes are held in as we waited for food afterwards!<br />
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The sewing school closes over the summer holidays, so instead Gemma ran a EPP hand sewing sew-a-long for a pattern she designed. It's called the Rennie. I started off so well! Got all my fabrics chosen, cut out and glued to the papers ready. I still haven't finished it to date though, so will have to update this post in the future.<br />
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In amongst this I also made up a pair of black out lined curtains for our spare room. No pics of this as yet, but they work and also make the room a lot colder/warmer depending on what we need in each season. Chalking that up as a win!<br />
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A colleague in work had seen my Cleo dresses, especially the two blue versions and asked me if I could make her one in July. She chose a lovely burgundy/wine coloured corduroy which I'm currently in the process of making.<br />
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I put that temporarily on hold in order to make a dress for a wedding of some close friends. Separate post on that, due to the sheer number of adjustments I had to make to the bodice! I'm also finishing a gift for them, which is why I put the Rennie sew-a-long on hold to make sure I had enough time to finish.<br />
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<u>So what else is in store for 2018?</u><br />
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At the same hen party in February, Mariam asked if I could make a Cleo for her too. She picked out a beautiful floral cotton twill, which I bought back in April. I made the mistake of giving her the corduroy version to try on, which is a much softer fabric and Maz decided she wanted a more fitted back. After dithering over fitting options, looking at entirely different patterns etc, I met up with her and got her to try the twill version on as the fabric is much stiffer and more like the floral twill she chose. Maz was a lot happier with the fit of that, so I plan to cut that out in the next few weeks and get that done before Christmas.<br />
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I went to a #Walessews meet up in September which was brilliant fun. It was lovely to meet other sewists, especially as sewing can feel quite lonely sometimes in a way that knitting doesn't. I picked up a few beautiful grey jerseys that I have grand plans for.<br />
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I'm midway through a Linden jumper too, made from plum coloured french terry from Minerva Crafts. It's been really easy to sew with so far. Ran into a problem with the neckband though, as my fabric just doesn't quite have enough stretch. I ended up unpicking and recutting a new band, around 2 inches longer and 1/2 inch wider to help with the edges curling up. Almost nailed the second one, i stopped pulling quite as much on one quarter - heaven knows why, so unsurprisingly that section sticks up slightly on one shoulder. I'm currently holding off hemming and attaching the cuffs until I decide how much this is going to bug me...<br />
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I also have fabrics cut out to make a quilted gift bag for Mam and my MIL. We're off to SF in December so I have my work cut out for me!<br />
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Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597414918948535209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351474393539430193.post-25981276088681898932016-05-01T09:45:00.001+01:002016-05-01T09:45:19.758+01:00Yarn Porn - New Stashes <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Had a mini pay day spree. The dark blue and red semi-solid skeins are destashes from Ravelry. The scrap ball and aquamarine variegated skeins are new from The Knitting Goddess. The rainbow mini skeins are from Mothy and The Squid.</div>
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Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597414918948535209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351474393539430193.post-466192062240256882016-04-19T20:33:00.000+01:002018-10-27T14:22:33.379+01:00Schibot garne vanilla latte socks <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A quick, easy make. Nice pattern and once I'll probably try again. The cuff detail adds just enough interest, which still keeping them easy to mindlessly sew.</div>
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Pictured with another pair of vanilla latte socks, which I gifted to Kirsty. </div>
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Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597414918948535209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351474393539430193.post-52972741455330805172016-03-13T00:20:00.001+00:002016-03-13T00:20:16.850+00:00Black cotton twill Arielle Skirt<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I completely forgot that I made an <a href="http://shop.tillyandthebuttons.com/products/arielle" target="_blank">Arielle skirt by Tilly</a> last summer. I rushed it in order to get it finished in time for Craig's <a href="http://www.carten100.co.uk/" target="_blank">Cardiff to Tenby</a> bike ride. I ended up finishing it the day before and the was hurriedly sewing on the silver filigree buttons during the morning of the ride. Once it was done, I threw my stuff into the car and drove to Tenby via our B&B in Milford Haven. I was 2 minutes too late to see him cross the finish line, but we had a lovely weekend.<br />
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I do love those buttons. It was my first time making buttonholes, which was really easy thanks to my new sewing machine which has a one-step button hole. I did try practicing buttons on my old J&S sewing machine and it was nowhere near as cleanly finished as these!<br />
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I have to be honest, I hated making this skirt - but purely because of the bad choices I made. It was a labour of love - the twill was a bit too thick and that made it difficult to handle the waistband. (It also picks up ALL the stray cat hairs and fibres in its vicinity.) I also screwed up the lining. I sewed the most perfect hem on the lining (which shifted all over the place and was the first slippery fabric I had ever used!). I then decided that the long length of the skirt was too much in solid black, and hacked around 8 inches off. However, I then had to hack the lining back!<br />
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Unfortunately I couldn't see the thread against the fabric, so wasn't able to fully unpick the lining - getting desperate I decided to cut it and wing the whole thing instead. This is how it turned out...<br />
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I cannot get that front corner to lie flat. The fabric is twisting from the inside, and no amount of pressing will fix it. I really need to open the skirt back up and fix it. The construction of the skirt amazed me, it's such a neat finish if only I'd taken my time and thought the length through properly.<br />
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I kept meaning to go back and fix the corner after we came back from the weekend away. It's been 10 months now. The skirt has lived in my chest of drawers ever since. I did wear it, once. I wore it to breakfast at the B&B. I teamed it with my black and white striped t-shirt and a pair of flats. I felt awesome. <br />
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<u>Things I liked:</u><br />First time doing buttonholes - easy so long as you remember the machine goes backwards, not forwards.<br />
The buttons - like filigree style buttons. Had to google how to sew on shanked buttons too, so 'learnt' a new skill.<br />
The skirt is quite stiff which means I hold my posture better and feel more poised.<br />
The original hem of the lining - best & cleanest finished hem I'd sewn to date.<br />
Skirt construction - really clever and not at all how I imagined it would work out. Really clean finish.<br />
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<u>Things I disliked:</u><br />Working the waistband - the fabric is a bit too stiff and thick.<br />
Working with lining - the most horrid, moving fabric ever. I fought like hell with it to sew around the corners of the skirt Was so relieved when it was over.<br />
Not being able to fix the front corner - or rather, not having the foggiest idea how to start fixing it.<br />
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Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597414918948535209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351474393539430193.post-8340704114680660992016-03-03T09:48:00.002+00:002016-03-13T00:25:32.370+00:00Stretch fabric fail <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Well, I have another failed top to add to the scrap heap. I didn't bother photographing or blogging my first failed two tops!<br />
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I'm still quite new to sewing and recently encountered a poly stretch fabric that my needles just couldn't seem to pierce consistently. Not the best project to break a 5 month sewing hiatus with! I started off with a ballpoint needle, triple zig zag stitch and a normal straight stitch foot.<br />
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I tried different stitch widths, lengths and reducing the foot pressure. Nothing improved. Then I found some stretch needles I had forgotten I'd bought, with my walking foot still on reduced foot pressure and it was better, but it was not much better.<br />
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It's been consigned to the scrap heap now as I just couldn't wear it, all the fabric gathered up while sewing and I had to stretch out the fabric to ease it out. I forgot once to leave the thread tails super long and had to resew half the seam! Stretching the seams also meant that sometimes the thread ripped. At other points it acted like a drawstring and I had to feed the thread back through and even out the gathers from the stitches. It was just really frustrating.<br />
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I might go back another day once I've played around a lot more. There's nothing wrong with the pattern, it's just that I don't know how to handle the fabric and I'm too inexperienced to help my machine out more.<br />
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On the plus side though, I sewed my first ever set in sleeves! That feels like a pretty big win!!<br />
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<u>Things I liked:</u><br />
First time sewing set in sleeves - the finish looks a lot cleaner than I'd hoped for considering it's a 3 step zig zag stitch and I really struggled to pin the fabric together.<br /><br /><u>Things I disliked:</u><br />The fabric - it's a mystery content 'stretch poly' fabric from eBay, but it acts completely different to the viscose elastane grey fabric I've used before. This fabric feels almost like it's elasticated. The machine really didn't get on with it ad the needle kept bouncing off.<br />
The fit - it's very clingy in all the wrong places and makes me feel a stone heavier. I guess I prefer less negative ease on my clothes, at least with this fabric.<br />
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Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597414918948535209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351474393539430193.post-56339169288025432752016-01-12T21:12:00.003+00:002016-01-12T21:12:56.362+00:00Phoebe dress sewalong <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The Phoebe sewalong begins this week if you'd like to join in.<br />
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<pre class="”code”" style="background-color: white; border: 1px solid rgb(171, 171, 171); box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; direction: ltr; line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 40px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 10px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 400px;"><a href="https://www.sewalongs.com/phoebe"><img alt="Join the Phoebe Sewalong!" height="250" src="https://media.sewalongs.com/2016/01/phoebe-button-300.jpg" title="Join the Phoebe Sewalong!" width="300" /></a></pre>
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Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597414918948535209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351474393539430193.post-82578435762915668892016-01-07T16:48:00.001+00:002016-01-07T16:48:47.524+00:00Making Plans<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I can be fairly organised in life. Mainly in certain aspects which are important to me, the rest can go to hell. Our wedding is mostly organised for example with most being done in 6 weeks despite there being 9 months to go. I put aside most of my hobbies to get that done.<br />
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Now that I've organised the majority of the wedding I've been in a bit of a general slump, but I know that I need to get back to making and being creative again, as physically producing things makes me feel good. <br />
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So... I'm going to start with jumping on the bandwagon and sew up a <a href="https://www.colettepatterns.com/catalog/phoebe" target="_blank">Pheobe</a> from Colette! In a red and yellow tartan flannel, just for giggles. I've never tried sewing with flannel or pattern matching so I'm not 100% convinced this will be matching either, but I'll never know till I try! I'm hoping for a warm, snuggly dress that I can wear with my 3/4 sleeve black t shirt, black leggings and boots. </div>
Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597414918948535209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351474393539430193.post-19998834817905779672015-12-19T17:40:00.003+00:002015-12-19T17:40:42.752+00:00Christmas Make<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A work in progress! My eczema has been playing up this weekend which is making it difficukt to bend or straighten my fingers so I'm feeling too antsy and grumpy to finish it off. Not much left, must push through to get it ready by Christmas day.</div>
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Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597414918948535209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351474393539430193.post-37235282351545241822015-11-03T05:19:00.000+00:002015-11-03T05:19:06.431+00:00Mojo slump<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I haven't updated in a while, 'cos I simply haven't made anything since the last post!<br />
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After finishing the crepe dress, I needed a break and as Craig proposed in August, threw myself into wedding planning instead! The majority of the 'big decisions' are made and most are booked. I've a few secret pinterest boards that are holding ideas until much closer to the time, which will be September 2016. I've already chosen and bought my dress! Realistically, I'm unlikely to be able to sew a more complicated dress with construction so decided to buy one instead. I am going to sew my evening dress though! <br />
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I haven't been on nights since September either, which always provided me with more off duty time in order to create. I'm hoping to sit down and get my patterns and fabric stashes organised this week. Hopefully it'll trigger the Mojo again! I read a little while ago on her blog that Lladybird has a box with precut fabric and patterns, so she always has something ready to sew at hand. I quite like this idea as I hate cutting out, but I'm quite indecisive so not sure I can commit too far in advance by cutting fabric ahead of time! She also uses a swatch system to organise upcoming patterns and ideas, which I will definitely try to start doing! </div>
Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597414918948535209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351474393539430193.post-30820247338119085302015-09-17T11:38:00.002+01:002015-09-17T11:38:15.709+01:00New Bike<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Craig has been asking me if I'd like to cycle with him for about 3 years now. I have very unstable ankles which culminated in my physio advising me to completely stop running as I'm just damaging myself. Since then, Craig has been dropping hints about how cycling helped his knees and improved the alignment of his legs (which is something I also need to work on, cos my knee caps point inwards when my legs are facing straight ahead)!</div>
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So this came home with us on Monday, on my drive home via Halfords and a nice meal with Craig. And with his help, I turned that mismash of cardboard and metal into...</div>
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Tadah!</div>
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The bike is the men's version as I'm too tall for the ladies sizes (5ft7). The ladies came in a nice light grey with the yellow, so I thought I'd just have to make my version pretty too. I bought these 'Spokins' from TopShop as a laugh for Craig's birthday 3 years and he point blank refused to use them. So they are mine, and are finally now in use! </div>
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I'm planning on using the bike purely on a turbo trainer for a while, which is why there isn't any decor on the back wheel. On a trainer, only the back moves and Craig was concerned the spokins might move and be too noisy on the back wheel... I'm gonna move them there gradually when he isn't looking and prove him wrong!</div>
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Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597414918948535209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351474393539430193.post-38132554501804072242015-08-31T15:49:00.000+01:002015-08-31T15:49:19.937+01:00French crepe Anna dress<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This dress was a true labour of love, to borrow from House of Pinheiro's IG theme.</div>
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I took my time cutting out the fabric as it was pretty stretchy and liked to move around. I initially tried carbon paper and gave up, going straight to my rotary cutters. I had printed out the pdf pattern so I wasn't feeling precious about cutting the pattern pieces. I cut an 8 on the shoulders and bust, grading to 10 for waist and hips.</div>
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I got stuck in with my standard sewing foot and straight stitch settings and the bodice came together really quickly. I used Prym wonder tape on the sleeves which made hemming them much simpler and neater. I'm hoping washing will disolve the tape and reduce the sleeve flicks. I also finished the seam allowances with a 3 step zigzag stitch.</div>
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The problem came when I started sewing the skirt. I sewed the entire thing, plus the seam allowances then realised the stitches were badly puckering the fabric, giving an overall tulip shape as each seam curved inwards as it travelled near the hem.</div>
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I ended up unpicking the entire thing, then reseting the seams over & over until I eventually had a skirt than fell straight down rather than curving in. For that I used a walking foot, reduced my stitch length and used a narrow one step zig zag stitch with top thread tension of 3, a slowly rewound bobbin with reduced tension and a pressure foot set to 2 instead of 6!</div>
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The 22 inch zip went in okay first time, I basted it into the dress first as it was moving around despite being full of pins. I sewed the centre back seam an inch above the bottom of the zip which looked much neater & I don't need the full zip length anyway.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOgI9kqmGnpMqYwxosINjE-GPmJRTJEmKH3HGCxS28Vcg1N1j54aQAVySbsEJjLBXyeOv520gPA1RL6aMI0dckI_cd_M9oMqVt9dUjcXHRZUe8aHesU8DlB547DcknZbG0dMfDwZ5_j5o/s1600/2015-08-30-2044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOgI9kqmGnpMqYwxosINjE-GPmJRTJEmKH3HGCxS28Vcg1N1j54aQAVySbsEJjLBXyeOv520gPA1RL6aMI0dckI_cd_M9oMqVt9dUjcXHRZUe8aHesU8DlB547DcknZbG0dMfDwZ5_j5o/s320/2015-08-30-2044.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSLEqLCNtufXRgc0YCgRhMBSi5UOUh412Lm6SglL9nE_U0V0wvr91BmkXydzUHLpOkkPMCbZtAa0RscsIrJLDhIBuazGylFTDjOh8smrzzrM1bRKxEH0q25QNlp3EpM2JMW8EMv746it8/s1600/2015-08-30-2043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSLEqLCNtufXRgc0YCgRhMBSi5UOUh412Lm6SglL9nE_U0V0wvr91BmkXydzUHLpOkkPMCbZtAa0RscsIrJLDhIBuazGylFTDjOh8smrzzrM1bRKxEH0q25QNlp3EpM2JMW8EMv746it8/s320/2015-08-30-2043.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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I have a semi-intentional high-low seam as the panels moved during cutting plus the bodice likes to slip backwards on my shoulders so the back hem is lower. It's a bit annoying but I'm done with this dress now! I hemmed neatly using my 1/4 inch foot however the insides are a mess as my pinking shears couldn't cope with the stretch of the fabric and barely cut it. Most of my seam allowances in the skirt are unfinished as zigzag makes it pucker. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_8TZpykScgTLAAi4F9hseP7PAltgQFRX87yU_slnBHyezQe60ldszurFwplwhrtqHDmEesSreJ3mqrjWLxkqKSC_qaQv64PCsibzLdKuezZLkfCfpykUX8fkRzX5js4m4EbrO0nVXPQw/s1600/2015-08-30-2042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_8TZpykScgTLAAi4F9hseP7PAltgQFRX87yU_slnBHyezQe60ldszurFwplwhrtqHDmEesSreJ3mqrjWLxkqKSC_qaQv64PCsibzLdKuezZLkfCfpykUX8fkRzX5js4m4EbrO0nVXPQw/s320/2015-08-30-2042.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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So in summary, a badly made but lovely dress!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlfIu9p4bOVwrn0xUwVmwSVcMRAq3h4QWawpulk8Fz-qNYtaImsW8mVL3I1xUXtuyn2WINhFyflGjCGCB0h2kkb2_sMAZVR9EFGV6v1sp1y-9rbGeVNMN9JBPUXBj3xhjLO2eDkRX__LE/s1600/2015-08-30-2040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlfIu9p4bOVwrn0xUwVmwSVcMRAq3h4QWawpulk8Fz-qNYtaImsW8mVL3I1xUXtuyn2WINhFyflGjCGCB0h2kkb2_sMAZVR9EFGV6v1sp1y-9rbGeVNMN9JBPUXBj3xhjLO2eDkRX__LE/s320/2015-08-30-2040.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597414918948535209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351474393539430193.post-73561104310331438112015-08-20T17:17:00.000+01:002015-08-20T17:17:20.120+01:00Meet Nigel!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgICNpeKea6qNGv_ENiO4MTDo-CLBCbeaBPYKQyws-4FK0uXulYbXHE9ibJ4NolySpev1DuUerV0lJKcquBD-rvjulkdOICVG_ooDgJ6rxZeCU-JuGjXrciVtHOHMFvIYSeArFQlA8nhlk/s1600/13082015301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgICNpeKea6qNGv_ENiO4MTDo-CLBCbeaBPYKQyws-4FK0uXulYbXHE9ibJ4NolySpev1DuUerV0lJKcquBD-rvjulkdOICVG_ooDgJ6rxZeCU-JuGjXrciVtHOHMFvIYSeArFQlA8nhlk/s320/13082015301.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We adopted a new kitty last week, called Nigel. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7J0jlbrQKoPngCYOvmoLafvaGAGXatRItG4_jc2r-JlRRuQWJsI3A82iUUlBU7k4_uSYGXdZVSeKkLVNBtIV99Afmqr9VGMMg5X-qN2oJ_SflrAnLKB9kJsLsk24ZGZ5S8i82dCRyigM/s1600/12082015289.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7J0jlbrQKoPngCYOvmoLafvaGAGXatRItG4_jc2r-JlRRuQWJsI3A82iUUlBU7k4_uSYGXdZVSeKkLVNBtIV99Afmqr9VGMMg5X-qN2oJ_SflrAnLKB9kJsLsk24ZGZ5S8i82dCRyigM/s320/12082015289.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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He's very looooong! He's about a year old, based on his teeth. He's a rescue cat with an uncertain history. He should be fully grown in a year or so, he's going to be a big cat!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSDWZzF4s0QWfhuV3ATh0_s1W2EdS0unpsw-of5MHQP9GuorsFouFRzRyeuI2I2EGtoEl7pRzrjsBtlEEKeob31VzjCpsWpdt0H5clP4gk_LPVSoGwt04fgI6psfK8D-zDRa1ftHQxdH4/s1600/13082015302.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSDWZzF4s0QWfhuV3ATh0_s1W2EdS0unpsw-of5MHQP9GuorsFouFRzRyeuI2I2EGtoEl7pRzrjsBtlEEKeob31VzjCpsWpdt0H5clP4gk_LPVSoGwt04fgI6psfK8D-zDRa1ftHQxdH4/s320/13082015302.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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He loves a good cuddle, he's such a nice cat. Always purring, always happy to see you.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx9wXQ8BbWnIOfcBWMcZwr6w_PCZ5tuva7HqXnKCvSWItRji9L2bkt_gIZQ5uu37Ig_DJUm0boid0PIaPM-MJcZo6FH8BPWw5LlIW2ef7bN3rdRW_sPNzXXqPsfiLExTSxa7TUgv5btC0/s1600/13082015304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx9wXQ8BbWnIOfcBWMcZwr6w_PCZ5tuva7HqXnKCvSWItRji9L2bkt_gIZQ5uu37Ig_DJUm0boid0PIaPM-MJcZo6FH8BPWw5LlIW2ef7bN3rdRW_sPNzXXqPsfiLExTSxa7TUgv5btC0/s320/13082015304.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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He was rescued with a horrific inner ear infection due to a bad ear mite infestation. It left him with a head tilt and balance problems, so for the first few days he walked like he was drunk and kept rolling around.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhghCGYWlO7lUPaHw3E9PrXl8Ue3j1LHD-ND-NsVwCb2RDuogrbcAkqSF6SQzJM4Btc-Ae6SCkbA11pptYGAIvTuzeGzqCrU1BjygpHI1p6d3zWFIMUKUUkZ7C_BBWQxYf2ENl14Tdqvfo/s1600/14082015307.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhghCGYWlO7lUPaHw3E9PrXl8Ue3j1LHD-ND-NsVwCb2RDuogrbcAkqSF6SQzJM4Btc-Ae6SCkbA11pptYGAIvTuzeGzqCrU1BjygpHI1p6d3zWFIMUKUUkZ7C_BBWQxYf2ENl14Tdqvfo/s320/14082015307.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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He's doing really well now though, we've been playing with him using Da Bird (BEST cat toy ever!) and he's improved so much he can jump and catch the bait in his mouth. For a cat that used to lose his balance while walking around on the flat, this is amazing!</div>
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In some sewing related updates:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrUmIPjyzucq_bViNiovB3YdxlETRXwwF3E7O9efZsPDG1lCaAW30EwtjyIqfXqcfgpMn4rOQH6ZRL533kwC7YgpgJsdhL0rSP47uf8EfqN35EVE-b1mJoy5LZVo6Ss9n6W9M7qnoCPaQ/s1600/IMG_20150814_144024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrUmIPjyzucq_bViNiovB3YdxlETRXwwF3E7O9efZsPDG1lCaAW30EwtjyIqfXqcfgpMn4rOQH6ZRL533kwC7YgpgJsdhL0rSP47uf8EfqN35EVE-b1mJoy5LZVo6Ss9n6W9M7qnoCPaQ/s320/IMG_20150814_144024.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I never actually blogged about a grey jersey<a href="https://premium.seamworkmag.com/projects/aurora" target="_blank"> Aurora </a>top I made for the Edinburgh trip. I thought I'd post a recent instagram photo I took as part of the #sewphotohop challenge run by <a href="http://houseofpinheiro.com/" target="_blank">Rachel, House of Pinheiro</a>. I've not used knit fabrics before, but this was great fun. Quick to make up and the viscose jersey so soft and lovely to wear.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRpRObayA5s2CETIVmCNm-c1LnaArtPTsV8I9fIzccMl-GR3Q-_l60fNDpwZ2SZNgPdHjtS_8DDa1RCnPeHG_h_gnmERF-m0WLUzANzOqBoIbuAqf8yK6vbyyFtua8p-6WaPRhzqwIjc/s1600/14082015309.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRpRObayA5s2CETIVmCNm-c1LnaArtPTsV8I9fIzccMl-GR3Q-_l60fNDpwZ2SZNgPdHjtS_8DDa1RCnPeHG_h_gnmERF-m0WLUzANzOqBoIbuAqf8yK6vbyyFtua8p-6WaPRhzqwIjc/s320/14082015309.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I've also started my first <a href="http://byhandlondon.com/products/anna-dress" target="_blank">Anna dress</a>! This is the bodice. It's a poly french crepe which drapes beautifully but is horrific to work with. I really should learn to use easier fabrics!! The gored skirt panels have bias cut edges and I knackered the tension so they all curve inwards and made a tulip shaped skirt. I hate it. My seams didn't match up perfectly with the bodice side seams and pleats either - and I only realised once I was ready to put the 22 inch zip in! I'm unpicking the skirt, plus all the seam finishings as I used a 3step zigzag to allow it to stretch with the fabric but it caused it to pucker also. Anyone got any tips for working with crepe?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs_CxDpbGdnOuOT1dNwslMMl7Ix-V7y_diVtdxhhHuqIPdUpMPEOEunhEEBMdriY90YnvyRTvP_jLeeFUve9jnY3f5Si1jQi7e3NTx1l9QqeLItP27ycwUamVglBuv-qweNYZmJ8YDNYI/s1600/15082015310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs_CxDpbGdnOuOT1dNwslMMl7Ix-V7y_diVtdxhhHuqIPdUpMPEOEunhEEBMdriY90YnvyRTvP_jLeeFUve9jnY3f5Si1jQi7e3NTx1l9QqeLItP27ycwUamVglBuv-qweNYZmJ8YDNYI/s320/15082015310.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Nigel's watching you!</div>
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Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597414918948535209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351474393539430193.post-57922113060393359452015-08-12T13:15:00.001+01:002015-08-12T13:15:31.773+01:00Sewing indie month bundle sale <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Today is the last day that you can buy the mega-discounted bundle of patterns from <a href="https://www.sewindependent.com/product/sewing-indie-month-pattern-bundle-1/" target="_blank">Sew Independent</a> for Sewing Indie Month!<br />
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<a href="http://seamsterpatterns.com/sewing-indie-month/%20%E2%80%8EE" title="Sewing Indie Month"><img alt="Sewing Indie Month" src="http://seamsterpatterns.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/button_300_sewingindie-300x300.jpg" style="border: none;" /></a><br />
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I bought mine today and splurged on the complete bundle - due to the exchange rate being kind to the British pound, it cost just under £31 including tax. Bargain!!</div>
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Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597414918948535209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351474393539430193.post-620763400429030742015-08-06T18:33:00.001+01:002015-08-06T18:33:53.936+01:00Tryfan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I went on holiday with my family to North Wales last week. Dad decided we had to climb <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tryfan" target="_blank">this mountain called Tryfan</a>...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhwYoUWPtmJaFHtovBO9VI8q6b83RevQzN1IqRDLEOxKM_SJh0sz0oHr9Z6n7EcFtmbt3DRWnR5rMW8VOAmybyS14j2MzFfyaYNyPtiKlzTmCFLA6JqPGvBwly0CmRULG1-hYaARP4yMI/s1600/30072015258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhwYoUWPtmJaFHtovBO9VI8q6b83RevQzN1IqRDLEOxKM_SJh0sz0oHr9Z6n7EcFtmbt3DRWnR5rMW8VOAmybyS14j2MzFfyaYNyPtiKlzTmCFLA6JqPGvBwly0CmRULG1-hYaARP4yMI/s320/30072015258.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIqI7MsEibMRWLWo2LjYKHsMHtKdo7FxjFcMnK3JNQ9sUkBmVY6jdfeQ4m5CkmQ-yC2vPHJ__8I-i5r_gPpSImrswZmTA4rdK3JaoFkBjCqAe4uRZsWDkTr0pG20g2ZaOvI4HvHehcHEw/s1600/30072015259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIqI7MsEibMRWLWo2LjYKHsMHtKdo7FxjFcMnK3JNQ9sUkBmVY6jdfeQ4m5CkmQ-yC2vPHJ__8I-i5r_gPpSImrswZmTA4rdK3JaoFkBjCqAe4uRZsWDkTr0pG20g2ZaOvI4HvHehcHEw/s320/30072015259.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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View overlooking the valley, from very near the summit. </div>
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See these rocks? The last bit up is a scramble over seemingly endless boulders. The two stones that mark the summit can be seen in the background.</div>
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Me, sitting next to the stones. They're named Adam & Eve because they look like people from the bottom of the valley.</div>
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Why was there a seagull on the top of the mountain?!</div>
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Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597414918948535209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351474393539430193.post-72019212082064159282015-07-27T17:37:00.000+01:002015-07-27T17:37:10.691+01:00All work and no play...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
...means another week without much sewing!<br />
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I have been squeezing in some sock knitting in instead, on work breaks and occasionally in the evenings. Despite what the Government seems to think about healthcare workers not working outside of 9-5pm, I worked a mixture of 9-5pm and 12.30-8pm shifts Mon-Fri last week, then launched straight into a run of 3 night shifts of 7.30pm-8am on Saturday. Thankfully my hospital puts us as off duty once we've worked our allocated contracted hours for the week. Tonight's my last 12.5 hour shift and then I'm off until next Monday.<br />
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It's been such a long time since I've done any knitting, Chrome has completely forgotten that if I type R I mean for it to go straight to Ravelry! The last two projects I worked on have regressed from WIPs to 'forgotten in a bag somewhere'. I have a hat that was intended as a Christmas present, and a lace shawl that co-ordinated with the outfit I wore to my cousin's wedding over a year ago. One of the Domestics at work no longer calls me 'Woolly' as a nickname, she's changed it to 'Tink' instead - presumably cos I'm always tinkering away at some project, even if it's not wool related!<br />
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I dug out a ball of now discontinued <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Regia-World-Circus-Color-color/dp/B004HOYVLY" target="_blank">Regia World Circus Colour in 3752</a>, a blue self-patterning yarn that alternates between light & dark blue, with some green & navy thrown in for good measure. According to Ravelry I stashed it back in April 2011 so it's about time it was used! It's quite pretty, and a mindless knit. Think this is the 8th pair of socks I've made now, and the 6th one using <a href="http://www.cometosilver.com/socks/SockClass_Start.htm" target="_blank">Silver's Sock Class.</a> Highly recommended pattern if anyone fancies knitting socks - it'll hold your hand all the way and the photo tutorials are brilliant for beginners. I still use it cos I know it will just work!<br />
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Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597414918948535209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351474393539430193.post-8639779844723184452015-07-21T16:11:00.000+01:002015-07-21T16:11:00.163+01:00Quilt HSTs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
According to http://www.generations-quilt-patterns.com/triangle-square.html.<br />
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HST's are 2 6/8 finished size. (2 & 3/4 inches)<br />
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Add 6/8 + 7/8 = 13/8 = 1 5/8. Plus 2 inches so 3 5/8.<br />
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Times 2: 6 10/8 = 7 2/8 inch large squares to make 8 HSTs at a time.<br />
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Posting this here to help me remember! So used to metric, I keep messing up inches.<br />
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Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597414918948535209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351474393539430193.post-82667363207898318912015-07-17T10:33:00.001+01:002015-07-18T14:05:14.261+01:00Solid plan of action<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Right, plan of action for the crepe du chine & viscose is sorted! <br />
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My plan is to make view 3 of Colette's Aster blouse, then buy more and make <a href="http://shop.tillyandthebuttons.com/products/bettine" target="_blank">Tilly's new Bettine </a>summer dress. The next few weeks will be brilliant!<br />
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<pre class="”code”" style="background-color: white; border: 1px solid rgb(171, 171, 171); box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; direction: ltr; line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 40px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 10px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 400px;"><a href="http://www.sewalongs.com/aster"><img alt="Join the aster Sewalong!" height="250" src="//media.sewalongs.com/promo/aster-300.jpg" title="Join the aster Sewalong!" width="300" /></a></pre>
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Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597414918948535209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351474393539430193.post-16468598223782922252015-07-15T20:54:00.000+01:002015-07-15T20:54:38.456+01:00Not the most exciting week<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I haven't been doing that much creatively since returning from Edinburgh, I've been working lots instead.<br />
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I have treated myself to a new 45mm rotary cutter though, mine was a cheap & cheaply made 20mm one that I bought off eBay last year. I had used it a fair amount and the blade was still fairly sharp but the plastic it lived in was falling apart. Sometimes it clunked as it rolled and cut unevenly, so by pressing harder to avoid that it cut into the plastic guard and the blade would get pushed into the cutter so it was barely clearing the plastic to cut anything. It used to loosen itself over time too. It was my first one so these may be common issues, but I have waved goodbye to it as I couldn't find any replacement blades for it either! </div>
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I also picked up some quilting rulers, a 4.5 inch triangle and a 6 inch square. I spent a few hours cutting out squares ready to be sewn & cut into 8 half square triangles but otherwise haven't touched my sewing stash all week!</div>
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Three metres of floral crepe and three metres of black & cream clover viscose arrived too. Any hints on how to best use them? The viscose isn't sheer if I lay it over my arm but while drying I noticed I could see the window fairly easily through it!</div>
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Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597414918948535209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351474393539430193.post-85577487179657549502015-07-07T17:59:00.002+01:002015-07-07T22:44:05.970+01:00Long Weekend Away Diary<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Not long arrived back home from a lovely long weekend in Edinburgh. I've never been before but it's an absolutely stunning city. I'm not an architect or particularly interested in architecture but the buildings and the location is gorgeous.<br />
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<u>Friday </u><br />
I woke up very early on Friday morning, hated my 4.30am alarm after going to bed gone midnight! (Had to wait up for some friends to arrive, they were stopping over pre-stag do in a nearby city.) I was a bit anxious as I was flying on my own for the first time. Craig & our friend James spent 10 days cycling from Lands End to John O'Groats and we'd made plans to meet in Edinburgh and stay there for a few days over the weekend. Unfortunately it took them 8 hours to get to Edinburgh and they arrived at 9pm, but I went for the cheapest flight and arrived at 8am! I'm not that great at being my own company in public places. I'm more than happy to stay in & read, but I can feel uncomfortable travelling on my own for such a long time with no one to talk to!<br />
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Thankfully the flight went really smoothly, I caught the bus into town and guesstimated when to get off. I'd heard that Edinburgh was made up of two distinct areas, New Town and Old Town. I walked through New Town without realising that's where I was! It was about 9am so I made a beeline for the first Costa I found and woke myself up with a coffee. They really do mean large when you order a large! It came in a bloody soup bowl!! It took me an hour to finish it, but tbh I had meant to spend the day slowly so I didn't mind.<br />
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I then wandered around New Town for a while, I tracked it on Sports Tracker and I did a nice loop around some of the streets! I should have taken a rucksack really, dragging a cabin suitcase behind me wasn't always the easiest with the slopes & people milling around. I walked pretty aimlessly then found a shopping centre and walked through that, then gradually made my way to Old Town. It's a really odd feeling to be looking down off a bridge and find that there's no water underneath you as expected, but a massive train station instead! I went and had an early lunch in Pret then lost an hour in there too. I was sat there during the minute silence for the Tunisian massacre last week which was a poignant moment.<br />
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After that I bought a ticket for the <a href="http://edinburghtour.com/tours/edinburgh-tour" target="_blank">green open top bus tours</a> and made myself comfy. I was so tired I ended up just sitting there and went round 2.5 times! The guide changed after the first so it was interesting to hear the different stories they were saying, plus I definitely remember a lot of the info now. I caught the sun really badly though, it was a gorgeous day and I just didn't twig that I might burn as I was being kept cool by the bus movement.<br />
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I could pick up the keys to the flat at 3pm so I lost another hour walking out of town and after a stressful fight with all 3 door locks that stood in my way, FINALLY got to stop, chill out and promptly fell asleep! The flat was gorgeous, really nicely decorated, lovely and bright and cosy. Craig & I took lots of photos as we've been saving snippets from different hotels or homes we've been to for inspiration for when we hope to move next year. The guys finally arrived at 9.45pm and we crashed out with a takeaway pizza.<br />
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<u>Saturday</u><br />
Had a lovely lie in, the sofas were really comfy and the three of us were pretty tired. Having cycled 1,000 miles the guys had far more justified reasons for being tired than me though!! We wandered into Old Town and I got to play at being their tour guide thanks to the 2.5 hours spent on the tour bus. We had lunch at<a href="http://www.monstermashcafe.co.uk/" target="_blank"> Mum's </a>which was really nice. I had two pork & leek sausages with cheese & onion mash, plus caramelised onion gravy - lush! After that we walked around and ended up calling into <a href="http://www.marysmilkbar.com/" target="_blank">Mary's Milk Bar</a> for some excellent ice cream. After a couple of pints in random pubs we went to <a href="http://www.camera-obscura.co.uk/" target="_blank">Camera Obscura </a>which was great fun and a brilliant recommendation from several friends!<br />
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Despite lots of photo opportunities I completely failed to take any of my new top! I hurriedly sewed the <a href="https://premium.seamworkmag.com/projects/aurora" target="_blank">Aurora tank top</a> from my subscription to the <a href="http://www.seamworkmag.com/" target="_blank">Seamwork magazine</a> on Thursday. I wanted to have something to surprise Craig with, plus I'm starting to feel that I need to fill my days off with sewing or else I don't have anything to show for them! I guess I'll have to post about it another time, but I'll just say that it's probably the best fit I've achieved so far - and the first ever knit project I've sewn! WOoohooo!<br />
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After another drink we started walking back to the flat. Despite being advertised as close to the city centre it was a full 45 minute walk and I didn't feel that confident navigating the bus routes. Maybe next time? It was good to walk off some of the food though, except that we found a random chinese hot pot restaurant and ended up going in for some lovely food. Then we headed home and watched some bad movies on the TV.<br />
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<u>Sunday</u><br />
Sunday was an awesome day because we didn't do anything and it felt great! We raided the local corner shop and Craig made a fantastic, although incredibly garlic heavy spaghetti bolognese. He makes a great version, but this one had an entire bulb of garlic in it plus another bulb of garlic in the homemade garlic bread. Bloody hell, I think I finally felt like my taste buds had reset on Monday evening despite lots of tooth brushing! Probably kinder to the general population that we didn't leave the house on Sunday!<br />
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<u>Monday</u><br />
After a nice breakfast James went to meet up with some friends so Craig and I walked back into town to the New Town part. We had a nice afternoon wandering around the streets (I got to be a tour guide again), had a couple of pints in different places and had a really nice meal in a random pub. I opted for balmoral chicken which was chicken breast topped with a large slice of haggis, served with veg and a whiskey cream sauce. Craig had a double decker burger where the second 'burger' was an equally large slice of haggis!<br />
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I then dragged him to a bar I'd seen recommended on Buzzfeed & Trip Advisor - <a href="http://pandaandsons.com/" target="_blank">Panda & Sons</a>. It's a themed cocktail bar, made up as a 1920s speakeasy and it's awesome! I won't spoil the surprise on where it is or how to get in, because Craig definitely had more fun and confusion being completely in the dark about the place! Craig had an Emperor's New Clothes and a Rum Dappler which were both really nice, especially the rum dappler which is simply rum and a blitzed whole apple and really refreshing. I went for a cocktail which isn't on the current online menu but was really nice and contained rum, sherry and agave syrup, plus a Trolley Trampage which was served with the spirits in a tin can & the fruity mixer in a small bottle served in a mini trolley!<br />
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Today has been spent getting up at 4.45am, stressing over buses and flying home. I think the 3 of us had a really good time in Edinburgh and we've been talking about renting the flat again for another long weekend in April or so, as we definitely have a lot more sightseeing to do! I'd love to see the castle, the 1617 house, have something to eat in the Elephant House and visit the museum next time!<br />
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Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597414918948535209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351474393539430193.post-64789497786593419252015-07-01T18:27:00.000+01:002015-07-01T18:27:00.516+01:00New Additions<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I'm thinking of taking part in the <a href="http://handmadebyheatherb.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/its-baaaack-sundress-sew-long.html">Sundress Sew-a-long, hosted by Heather B</a>. These are the sleeveless dress patterns I have narrowed it down to. I have got a blue flowered french crepe on the way also, but I haven't settled on a fabric yet. </div>
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I really like the back wrap detail on this one, I haven't seen one like it before. I also really like the square neckline and the pockets. Even if I don't make this for the sew-a-long, I suspect I'll be making it anyway!</div>
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Far more modern pattern, I like views C and D. View A would probably be a good make for a wedding I've been invited to in September.</div>
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Yup, caved and bought the M6696. I'd chose to make this in view A for the sew-a-long, and I quite fancy making view B in the future too.</div>
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I really like view A and D of this pattern. The sew-a-long does say it needs to be a sleeveless dress though. </div>
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I bought this one during the same pattern sale on a whim, but I actually really like the shape of it. I'm not that full busted for a halter neck however, but I fancy making up view A or view D.</div>
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I had a mini eBay payday shopping spree, and bought this vintage skirt pattern, the instruction sheet inside says it's a vogue 8176 pattern.<br />
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I LOVE view B! I really want to make this. I haven't used my new machine's 1 step auto buttonhole much yet, but it's much simpler than my old machine so I'm sure it'll be fun.</div>
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I also picked up some bias binding after failing to make some myself. I know I should just suck it up and give it another go, but these were all fairly priced and I thought it would be nice to have some bias binding in a variety of colours.</div>
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Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597414918948535209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351474393539430193.post-82000365619042437172015-06-28T18:50:00.000+01:002015-07-07T18:00:19.750+01:00Sundress Sew-a-long<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://handmadebyheatherb.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow"> <img alt="Handmade By Heather B" src="http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a223/Heather_Beckley/Smaller%20Badge_zpstlhrwddh.png" height="175" width="200" /> </a></div>
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I recently discovered that <a href="http://handmadebyheatherb.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/its-baaaack-sundress-sew-long.html">Handmade by Heather B</a> is hosting a sundress sew-a-long from 1st July to August 31st and I think I want to take part! Two months should be a doable timeframe, especially when taking my work shifts into account.<br />
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I've bought a few vintage patterns on eBay recently, so now I just need to have a think about which fabrics to use. Part of me feels that I should use a modern pattern though, as they tend to have much fuller, detailed instructions which will make the process a lot easier!</div>
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Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597414918948535209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351474393539430193.post-63927915750184973102015-06-26T11:09:00.000+01:002015-06-26T11:09:00.670+01:00Matilda Cushions<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I realised that despite <a href="http://saraslittledabblings.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/getting-back-into-sewing.html">blogging </a>about going on a sewing class to make these, I never actually posted any photos of the finished items!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpZnVfmkWJOsYDMZkxyMDKU2K5HNBfolSpx2Izhy2eTFkNLK4B7c4lelMz73DkMlBoPFglIWyoFLMjWmk3XTf5yaEYWRKoburN0PSE54XuaHP55PwtIN_fzqwU4ub4PWIz22H03Y4jmiE/s1600/IMG_0500.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpZnVfmkWJOsYDMZkxyMDKU2K5HNBfolSpx2Izhy2eTFkNLK4B7c4lelMz73DkMlBoPFglIWyoFLMjWmk3XTf5yaEYWRKoburN0PSE54XuaHP55PwtIN_fzqwU4ub4PWIz22H03Y4jmiE/s320/IMG_0500.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I made one of these at a beginners sewing class back in October through The Stitching Boutique in Cardiff. I really enjoyed the class and it was such a relief to find out that my self taught sewing was actually along the right lines! I upgraded from a 15 inch to 17 inch cushion and to a softer, luxurious feel cotton from the Roald Dahl fabric range. </div>
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As I'd upgraded and bought a metre of the £12.50 p/m fabric for £10, I still had enough left to make a second. I left it initially, then back in March I went to another masterclass with Tamzin, to make a <a href="http://saraslittledabblings.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/photo-update.html">tote bag</a>. While there I bought a cushion insert for £2.50 and that night I went straight home, said hello to Craig, wolfed down my tea and locked myself in the spare room to make a second cushion. </div>
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It was a very quick, easy make. I cut out one 19 inch square piece of fabric, then a longer rectangle to allow a 3 inch overlap. I cut the pieces consecutively out of the fabric and I'm so pleased with the pattern matching - look at Matilda's foot! It was unintentional but I'll take it all the same! :D</div>
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Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597414918948535209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2351474393539430193.post-9107639831661329682015-06-23T14:08:00.000+01:002015-06-23T14:08:00.192+01:00New Patterns<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Just a quite round up of some recent pattern purchases. I really need to invest in a database/app of some kind to keep them all organised. I currently have all my vintage patterns stored in individual poly pockets in two box folders, but I've outgrown them and need a third now! Perhaps I should have a third box that only contains newer, modern patterns?<br />
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McCall's recently had a pattern sale where each pattern was $3.99 - brilliant stuff! Postage & packaging was $15 to ship to the UK, so I had to limit myself to 3 or it tipped me into a higher weight category and P&P increased to $25.<br /><br />I made sure to buy the famous <a href="http://mccallpattern.mccall.com/m6696-products-44752.php?page_id=96" target="_blank">M6696</a> which so many lovely bloggers have sewn up. I'm jumping on the shirtdress bandwagon and trying to find something to sew that will match the love I had for a sleeveless cream heart polka dot shirtdress I bought in New Look about 3 years ago. I wore the dress almost daily as it was just the right amount of casual but also knee length so looked good during the day and night. Unfortunately I fried it in my tumble dryer when I was insistent on wearing it to a houseparty and had left it too late to wash and allow to dry on the line. Paid for that one big time, it shrank by a good 10cm and is now indecent if not worn with thick leggings. Hopefully I can sew a worthy alternative between M6696 and <a href="http://mccallpattern.mccall.com/m6891-products-47891.php?page_id=96" target="_blank">M6891</a>.</div>
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I also bought these two Butterick patterns from the opening sale of <a href="http://weaverdee.com/">WeaverDee.com</a>. I picked up some buttons, Gutterman thread and these patterns for a decent amount. They have had several good pattern sales since opening - there's an up to 50% Burda pattern sale on until July 15th atm.<br /><br />I really like the shape and neckline of the Lisette dress, plus I bought another shirtdress pattern (did I mention getting slightly obsessed with recreating a certain dress?!)</div>
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Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08597414918948535209noreply@blogger.com0