Dressmaking Archives - Page 4 of 5

Cosy Winter – the Ivy pinafore

Post author:clobbercreations
Post published:January 20, 2017
Post category:Craft Skills Dressmaking Sewing
Post comments:1 Comment

I’ve been enjoying a bit of dressmaking this month and am finally cutting into some fabrics I bought in one go for numerous projects. One piece of fabric was some navy polka dot cotton bought especially for the ivy pinafore pattern by Jennifer Lauren.

One worry I had at the very beginning was that I didn’t have enough fabric. The pattern for view 1 advises to purchase 150cm wide fabric, and my own fabric was 115cm after pre-washing. However, my fabric did not have a one way nap or design, so i was able to re-jig the cutting layout plan, which reduced fabric waste as well. I may have enough to make a tote bag too at some point!

I still have my stash of ceramic buttons from taking pottery classes last year, and have only used one so far, so I wanted to use some of these if possible for the fastenings. The pattern suggests larger buttons, and I was worried that they wouldn’t be big enough. However, I left worrying about this until the button hole stage came up, and decided that my own buttons would work well. It’s a real buzz to see my own handmade buttons on a garment!

I selected a traditional lining fabric for the lining, as I wanted this make to work well with tights, leggings or jeggings. It was a little tricky to work with, and I ended up hemming the lining by hand, but I think it means I will get a lot more use out of it!

It’s a real joy to wear this garment. It’s loose fittings with seam pockets, which makes it a great lazy Sunday wear when all I want to do is sit in my rocking chair and knit or crochet with a cup of tea! I can imagine wearing it out on a walk too, when I am on the hunt for discarded rusty items to use when rust dyeing! It’s definitely a make reserved for my days off!

I’ll have to try out the gable top sometime soon as I only have one top that goes nicely with this pinafore! The gable top has a high neckline, which works well with this style of pinafore. Looks like I will be getting the walking foot and ball point needles out very soon!

Review of 2016 highlights and lessons

Post author:clobbercreations
Post published:December 31, 2016
Post category:Ceramics Craft Skills Dressmaking Free Machine Embroidery Stash Busting Upcycling
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It’s nice to pause and reflect back over the year before looking forward to the new year, so here are my highlights and lessons from 2016:

Highlights

Ceramic buttons!
I don’t have any plans to continue ceramics at the moment, but a highlight for me has been making ceramic buttons! So far, I have only used one (which may be part of the reason I have decided to leave ceramics for the moment from my stream of hobbies) but I have plans in the new year to use more of them.
Free machine embroidery
Free machine embroidery has increased the use of my sewing machine greatly. Since taking a 10 week workshop at the beginning of the year, I’ve struggled to stop! I find it very fun and an easy way to personalise makes without the use of an expensive embroidery machine!
Man Engine Stitch
Following on from my discovery of free machine embroidery comes my most focused project using the method – The Man Engine stitched. It took a day – from editing a photo on the computer which I took in St Austell – to stitching the design onto calico.
Instagram
I hadn’t really used instagram until this year and I have found it a great way to connect with other crafters and keep up to date with designers and artists.
Poppy Playsuit (by Sew Over it)
The Poppy Playsuit is my favourite make of the year garment wise (just a shame that the UK isn’t ideal weather-wise for it!)
Upcycled pouffee
The new cover for the inherited pouffee makes me smile!
Baby showers mobile (from Chloe Owens All Sewn Up)
Probably the longest and probably the most complicated make of the year! However, it does look nice now it’s finished (and I should have started it much earlier than I did)
Upcycled t shirt cushions
Another Christmas gift make to be shortlisted are the t shirt cushions. They came out much better than expected and it has been great to get them out of my stash!

Lessons

Sewing with knit fabrics
The main points I learnt were to use stay tape to stop seams stretching too much and to use a walking foot.
Starting presents much earlier!
I did learn this lesson a long time ago, but I still struggle to adjust my working pattern accordingly! A couple of years ago, I made everyone’s gifts well in time for Christmas. It hasn’t happened again, but it will be something I strive towards in 2017. While I always argue that I need the deadline looming to be motivated, I am going to try new methods to get that motivation working much earlier to make it less stressful!
Don’t always follow patterns blindly
I had trouble making the baby showers mobile by Chloe Owens as the fabric glue made it too hard to attach the flowers at the end. In the end, I had to adapt the pattern anyway.

Pyjama bottoms!

Post author:clobbercreations
Post published:October 28, 2016
Post category:Craft Skills Dressmaking Sewing
Post comments:0 Comments

I don’t make a lot clothes-wise for my boyfriend… the thought of making a shirt is quite daunting (he has a lot too). The only item I have made in ten years is a onesie funnily enough, which I made the day before Christmas Eve manically on my mum’s sewing machine. It is the biggest gift I’ve made him, and it would be more impressive garment I’ve made… if I hadn’t cut half the pieces the wrong way round on the fleece!

Making pyjamas for him has been on my list for a while. However, I found this lovely bear print woven fabric at the stitching, sewing and hobbycrafts show last month which I knew he would like, so I decided that it was time to get this gift idea off the list.

The main issue with making clothes for someone else even – even when you are making something quite simple like elasticated pj bottoms – is making sure they fit right. Fortunately I knew the inner leg measurement from trouser shopping in the past, but it was tricky to gauge the waist measurement beyond requesting a tactical hug! Even with the leg length, I ended up making them a little longer out of fear that if they were too short, I couldn’t remedy that scenario as easily as if they ended up too long.

I cut the fabric one afternoon and began stitching the first couple of stages, but had to shut myself away to finish them off the next day. It was good to have a short time frame to be able to make them as it meant I spent less time worrying and more time making. I found and bought a suitable top to match on this occasion.

They were well received and I enjoyed making him something practical. next time, I think I will try out a summer set (at least leg length isn’t required for shorts which eliminates one issue) and perhaps by then I will be confident enough with knits to make the top too!

The air erasable pen

Post author:clobbercreations
Post published:October 21, 2016
Post category:Craft Tools Dressmaking Sewing
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At the end of September, I bought my first air erasable pen and thought I’d share my first few weeks’ experience with it.

The air erasable pen I got at the the stitching, sewing and hobbycrafts show at Westpoint, Exeter, was from Barn Yarns.

As you can see from the images, there are two ends to this pen. There is a fine point and a thicker nib. the difference between these two nibs can be seen in the image below:

I like the use of two different thicknesses because it suits the purposes I use it for very well. I can use the finer point to create much more precision on intricate machine embroidery designs which need to be mapped out on the material before stitching. However, the thicker nib is useful for making marks dressmaking as it show up better and doesn’t disappear quite so quickly! However, I have used it for larger embroidery designs. For example, I have begun making some new tote bag designs for Christmas which include larger stitched words than I normally produce. I write with the machine freehand in general, but as the words are a lot bigger than I’m comfortable with, it was good to use the thick nib of the pen to draft it out before I began.

The directions for this pen advise that the markings will disappear between 24-48 hours in general, but it depends on the location. Humidity plays a factor, and I found that the stag design markings with the fine point disappeared within 24 hours. Cornwall is quite humid, so I expect that other locations may find the markings last longer! I think it depends on the fabric too.

The time it takes to disappear can be an advantage and disadvantage. For me, it’s great for a project I am going to make straight away, as the markings are there for as long as I need, and will disappear on their own without the need of water, which removes the risk of shrinking the fabric (if it gets to wet) or causing the thread to run. However, it would not be so good if you used it for a dressmaking project which you could not complete within a weekend, as there’s a good chance your markings will disappear if you take too long! In this instance, I’d probably stick to the water soluble pen variety, which tends to last much longer in my experience.

Overall though, this pen has improved the way I make certain items and I have used it a lot in a short space of time. It will be interesting to see how long it lasts before I need to purchase a new one!

The Walkley Dress

Post author:clobbercreations
Post published:October 14, 2016
Post category:Craft Skills Dressmaking
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While on a bit of a dressmaking roll, I decided to delve back into the realm of knit fabrics. Having only made one successful garment with knit, I decided that I wanted to keep the pattern as simple as possible.

The simple question for this project was The Walkley Dress by Wendy Ward MIY.

This pattern requires two pieces to be cut out of your fabric, and they come from the same template. If you’re lucky enough to have 150cm wide fabric, you only need a metre! In this instance, I already had some fabric ready and waiting – a remnant from a fabric shop!

Setting up the machine proved the most difficult part. It’s been about six months since I last tried a stretch pattern, and it was a challenge to set up my machine. Following the advice from the pattern, I opted for the small zigzag stitch for the seams, and the three stitch zigzag for the hems. In addition, I attached a walking foot to my machine and loosened the pressure of the presser foot; without these adjustments, my machine did not want to stitch!

Originally, I planned to try a twin needle on the hems, but I managed to break my stretch needle one a while ago and haven’t replaced it yet. It turns out that I keep loosening the needle whenever I attach the walking foot to my machine!

I didn’t colour match the thread for this garment as I had recently acquired a set of threads in different colours (none of which were a perfect match) and I didn’t want to go out and buy more supplies on this occasion. The downside to this is that the hemming is a lot more noticeable than it would have been.

Also, I stretched the hem a bit while stitching (I did the hem before the neck and armholes). I didn’t have any stay tape or stabiliser, which could have helped to prevent this, but I did adjust my stitching technique to decrease the amount of stretching after noticing the issue on the hem.

The neckline is quite wide (though this could be in part due to my stitching ability!) but it’s really comfy and it is definitely a pattern which provides you with fast results which are satisfying! It’s a brilliant ‘first knit’ pattern too as there aren’t too many steps or seams to stitch which means you can focus on working carefully with the knit medium.

I think next time I use this pattern, I will definitely try out some knit stay tape to ensure that the garment lasts a long time. Also, I think I may opt for a patterned material.

I think I will give this pattern another go with the lessons learnt from this occasion in mind! As it only requires a metre of fabric to create a whole dress, and can be made in less time than a lot of the other patterns I have, I think another one will be made! As the pattern says, this make is versatile for all seasons as you can layer it for the winter or wear it as it is for the summer.

The stitching, sewing and hobbycrafts show!

Post author:clobbercreations
Post published:September 29, 2016
Post category:Dressmaking Inspiration
Post comments:1 Comment

Last Saturday, I went to the stitching, sewing and hobbycrafts show at Westpoint, Exeter, UK!

My friend and I went as part of a day coach trip to avoid the prospect of driving. Unfortunately, the pick up point was not in our town, so we had to get a lift to Truro.

When we arrived, there was a queue which wandered around the building! Once in, we decided to dive into the middle aisle which seemed quieter as others opted to choose to tackle the show from one end to the other.

The first fabric shop we saw was Fabrcis Galore, which contained an array of wonderful fabrics. After deliberation, i went back later to buy some printed corduroy, which will be perfect for a project I have in mind to make after all the Christmas gifts are made (so probably January)!

Also I picked up a lovely polar bear print from another fabric shop, which will be used in a gift I need to make very soon (currently being prewashed so no photo)!

My very first purchase was this fleece. As the nights draw in, I think I will turn to practising spinning with my drop spindle once more, and I like to pick up small amounts of fleece for this purpose. I’m not a fast spinner, so this bag is a suitable size.

We managed to sign up to a wonderful glass workshop with The Glass Garden Studio where we learned the basics in stained glass construction. I took home this angel that I made.

Tactile Treasures was another stall I was particularly interested in. Now I have a niece, I am interested in making toys which will be perfect for her learning and development. this stall sold all sorts of attachments which are teething friendly and different stitchable surfaces, such as this mirror, which can be cut, stuck and appliqued onto items. I bought some rattle inserts too which will be great to use, and received excellent tips from the owners of the business on ensuring that the toys you make a safe and meet safety standards.

I came across an air erasable pen, which is something I have been looking out for having read about them. I’ve been having a bit of trouble with water erasable pens, which have at times caused the thread to run onto the background fabric. I’m not sure they this has happened as the thread should be colour fast, but I am intrigued to find out whether the use of an air erasable pen would be safer. I plan to review this in the coming month.

The block printing stall from The Arty Crafty place was lovely as well. When we finally managed to get up to the front and admire the blocks, we were very tempted with their £30 starter pack. However, I decided to select a couple of small blocks. They were packaged in a beautiful drawstring bag. We also found some simple leaf shapes for £1 on another stall, which we plan to try out for block printing too at some point.

There were lovely displays of artwork too, including an impressive stitched cardigan!

As it was a day coach trip, it meant we were there for the whole hog and were shattered by the time we crawled back onto the coach at 5pm! But it was an interesting experience. I found it a bit overwhelming as someone who tends to avoid large crowds, but the inspiration was immense and I feel as though I’ve been drawn to another handful of hobbies in a very short time!!

Dungarees!

Post author:clobbercreations
Post published:September 15, 2016
Post category:Craft Skills Dressmaking Sewing
Post comments:1 Comment

When I took part in the #miymarch16 instagram challenge, I put down this dungarees pattern as my sewing ambition (new Burda 3779). I bought the pattern from a charity shop for £2 just over a year ago because I loved the idea of making some, and bought some denim shortly after. However, the amount of pieces in the pattern felt overwhelming, and I couldn’t get started.

A couple of months ago, I asked my mum if I could bring along the pattern and fabric when I visited her to see if she could encourage me to get started. Over the weekend, I managed to trace the pattern, pin it onto the fabric, and then cut it out.

One of my main worries was altering the pattern to my size. However, we decided that as it was designed to be very loose fitting, I could cut it a size smaller than usual, which would ensure that the bottom half would not be too baggy!

I didn’t manage to pick it up again for about a month after this visit! Feeling that I still needed a boost, I went back to my mum’s for a crafty retreat to get the pattern finished.

It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. When I attached the bib section to the shorts, it didn’t provide a completely sealed finish, but I think I might have misread it. I would plan to take steps to create a better finish next time. Also, the inner sides of the bib are tacked in place and then secured by edge stitching and top stitching. However, I decided to slip stitch it in place by hand to secure it before the two rows of machine stitching.

The braces were simple to attach. The buttons have to be hammered on, but in my view, this is much easier than stitching button holes and working out where to place the buttons on the straps! There’s the added benefit that you can adjust it to size.

The pleats on the front were also a worry, but turned out to be really simple to complete. They were more like tucks. The denim material is so sturdy that it was easy to tack in place and press well at every step.

I think these may become my ‘uniform’ for craft days! I think I will have to make a trouser version for the winter though (I’m already imagining some navy polka dot material which could be used for the second pair…)Harry did become jealous of the sewing project during its production, and kept sitting or laying on the instructions. When I moved the instructions out of the way so he couldn’t make any further holes in it with his claws, he decided to settle on the garment instead!

Completed PHD: Pyjama pattern from The Makery

Post author:clobbercreations
Post published:July 7, 2016
Post category:Craft Skills Dressmaking Sewing
Post comments:0 Comments

After a review of my work practices, I decided that it was time to stand up and confront my PHDs (projects half done)!

The list of incomplete projects is threateningly high so I decided that this list needed to be dealt with (or at least cut back a bit!)

Enter Simply Sewing Magazine’s exclusive pattern from The Makery – pyjamas. I think I began this pattern last August and then became distracted by a looming deadline for something else. I’d cut all the pieces out and even sewn a couple of sections for the shorts but then put it away until now.

This project has been a good introductory one for tackling the PHDs because as the cover of the pattern boasts, it’s an “easy sew”. I was a bit thrown off by the shorts being made out of two pieces instead of four, but once I got my head around it, the pattern was even easier than anticipated.

I haven’t done much gathering, and I feel that it shows on the final piece. However, as they are pjs, this doesn’t matter much and it’s been a good way to practise gathering as a skill.

The gathering works well for shaping, and personally I think the fit is good for this make. I could have done with cutting the ribbon for the shorts waistband a little longer than instructed. I needed assistance for fitting the straps as well. Overall, a lovely weekend project!

#mmmay16 – Me Made May and the versatile wardrobe

Post author:clobbercreations
Post published:June 30, 2016
Post category:Dressmaking Sewing
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Me Made May is an event created by Zoe from So Zo… ‘What do you know?’ to encourage people to wear the clothes they make, whether this is through knitting, crocheting, sewing, weaving, etc. It’s designed to motivate crafters to celebrate their achievements and confront any perfectionistic thoughts which may be keeping some garments in the back of the wardrobe!

There’s no pressure to wear something everyday, or to charter your progress through social media. The challenge is an individual one set by you.

I didn’t officially sign up this year (mainly because I didn’t read the post properly to see that you needed to add a comment to sign up) but went along with it anyway. The challenge I found with #mmmay16 was that I have made a lot of summery dresses and May in the UK this year has been quite cold at times! I did set an achievable goal – to wear something me made on a couple of days each week in May – but I found that the most versatile garment in my me made wardrobe is the knitted cardigan I made 3 years ago in double knit weight yarn!

The second garment I wore the most was the top I made as part of #miymarch16 for the knit material day. This top was great as I could layer it up depending on the weather!

Other items I wore was the dress I made during #miymarch16 and the wrap skirt, which was good for the warmer days of the month!

This challenge has made me reflect on the type of garments I make. I can see that although it took a good couple of months to make my knitted cardigan, the pattern was a good one and I wear it a lot. Also, I have tended to stick to simpler patterns with easy to use fabrics which are more suitable for hot summer days in my dressmaking experience.

As a result, it looks like I need to diversify my dressmaking challenges. here are the ways I am going to do this:

Make more tops in knit materials
Make more tops in specially selected materials
Make more items for all year or in particular Autumn, Winter and Spring
Learn to make fitted trousers
Make more knitted cardigans!

It will be interesting to take part next year and see if there’s any progression!

The Poppy Playsuit

Post author:clobbercreations
Post published:June 16, 2016
Post category:Dressmaking Sewing Upcycling
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Once again, it’s been a while since I’ve had another go at dressmaking. I remedied this by combining a recent pattern in Simply Sewing with a recent material purchase!

There’s a lovely charity shop nearby who sell craft supplies. I was very lucky to go into the shop when they had a material sale on, which meant I got two fabrics for the price of one! One of the fabrics I came across is this lovely one above.

I am not sure what type of material it is, but it drapes well and there was enough to try out the Poppy Playsuit by Sew Over It, which came with issue 16 of Simply Sewing. The main criteria for the material for this pattern was one which drapes well so I had the perfect match!

This is the first pattern I have tried making a basic alteration with. I found that the bust and waist measurements were close enough to one pattern size, but my hips definitely needed a smaller size. The pattern pieces did not highlight where the hipline was, which was a shame, but I still made a basic alteration from the waist to one of the notches which I felt was close to the hip measurement area.

The fabric was a challenge to cut out as it moves easily – I found that pattern weights and then pinning it helped. The pattern’s instructions suggested pinning the edge of the fabric too, which was a useful tip.

As I was concerned about the material moving too much, I pinned and tacked at every stage. Tacking increases the time considerably, but it did mean that I didn’t have any major unpicking sessions!

The pattern directions are clear and and concise. Key terms are defined, which saves a google search part way through your make! The only section I had to re-read again was how to do the turn-ups, and they turned out to be really simple once I focused on the directions carefully.

The only bit of unpicking I had to do was related to the hook and eye. I attached the hook so that it would meet the edge of the right hand side opening. This caused a gape in the material when fastened. I changed this by placing the hook on the very edge of the right hand side opening and put the bar further in on the left hand side. Also, I didn’t read the pattern carefully when attaching the facing and did a 1.5cm seam allowance instead of 1cm!

I was surprised by how long it took me to make this item, but that’s mainly because (a) I’m rusty at dressmaking and (b) the material required more care than a standard cotton or linen. However I think it’s well worth it and I look forward to some warmer weather soon so I can wear it!! I would definitely complete this pattern again, and I expect I would find it even easier and faster second time round.

Although it took some time, this pattern is great for beginners because (a) there are only 4 main parts to the pattern, (b) no darts, (c) the shaping and fastening is the hook and eye and elastic casing at the waist, which means no zips or buttonholes. The fabric really helps to define its shape, so as long as you get that right, you’ll end up with a lovely addition to your wardrobe!

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