a light bulb moment…

Tags

challenge, inspiration, minoru, sewing

… everyone who has been reading my posts recently must be sick of hearing me talk about how I have great plans to make a coat, and I keep turning in circles around it…

… this weekend I traced the pattern and cut the material, and didn’t get any further – I had 2 whole days to sew, I made a baby snow suit in less time… what is holding me back?

… last night I was thinking things through. It is not like I have never made a coat before, one of my early projects, when I was in high school, was a “fabulous” fashionable carpet coat (forgive me, it was the 80s). Later, during my university days I made a reversible fleece for my boyfriend’s sister, then I made myself a reversible rain jacket with a cosy fleece lining and I made a smart lined woollen blazer… there may have been others since, I can’t remember right now…

… so what is holding me back?

… I have always sewn alone, never really known anyone else who sews except my mother who guided me for my first steps, and a friend’s mother who worked on some of my early projects with me (including the carpet coat) and my best friend who has always been far away in another town, on another continent…

… I used to buy patterns, or burda magazine, buy my material and work my way through the instructions until I had a finished garment. Later I stopped buying patterns, used existing clothes, or ideas and drafted my own patterns, made things as I imagined them…

… the Minoru is very, very different. It seems everyone on the internet has already made it, already blogged about it, posted photos of their finished product… there is so much information available about it, every time I take a step towards starting it, I get lost in researching what someone has to say about some specific detail, I worry that mine won’t compare to all the amazing examples out there… and I lose a day, or two, stumbling from one blog to another, and not making progress!

… this morning I decided I need to shake this, and just go for it, as if it were my own design, something from a magazine, something I have no idea how it will end up – like everything else I make that turns out fine!

… and then this evening a post popped up in my reader, on the sewaholic blog – about “a little less inspiration, a little more action”… timely!

… so I am off to yoga, and when I get home I am going to take the first Minoru steps!

coming round the mountain…

Tags

flannel, pyjamas, sewing

… I had been looking for some happy flannel for a while, not serious checks, or sombre tones, but something bright and cheerful, in contrast to the grey of winter.

… last week, when I went to get the fleece for my friend’s baby’s blanket, I stumbled on some material which was exactly what I wanted… in fact, I had to chose between several wonderful designs, I need to spend more time in the children’s section of the fabric store.

… I hate being cold, and I am always cold, I live wrapped in layers and layers of clothes, bulked up against the elements. At night it is the same thing, I have 2 hot water bottles and love my flannel pyjamas. But I only have 1 pair, so I had been on the look out for some others for a while, until I realised it made no sense to buy expensive pyjama trousers when I could easily make myself some…

… so yesterday afternoon I made them. I realised a friend has borrowed my pyjama pattern, so I just used a trouser pattern from a magazine of Japanese patterns I bought last year, added a bit of width to them, and they worked out great… in fact, it turned out to be such a nice pattern, I think I will make some “real” trousers with it soon.

… and then, as I was inspired, I traced out the pattern for the Minoru. I didn’t want to cut the original pattern as I am still not sure about size – depending on whether I measure my bust, waist or hips I am 3 different sizes… I went for the bust measurement! Fingers crossed! I will cut the material this afternoon and start working on it.

rescue and recovery…

Tags

cowl, drawstring bag, etsy, flop, knitting, rescue, sewing

… my first knitting project, a pattern for a cowl bought on etsy, the list of supplies printed out, a trip to my local knitting shop and I came home with the right weight (if that is the term) yarn and the correct sized circular needle. Sat at my desk, and with the help of youtube, I cast on the required number of stitches. Another video taught me how to knit and another explained the intricacies of purling. I followed the pattern to the letter until I needed to go back on to youtube to learn how to cast off…

… and I hated the result! So I pulled it all apart and vaguely followed another pattern to make a different cowl, but I got my stitches twisted before I started knitting in the round, I thought it might be an interesting effect, it wasn’t, so I pulled it all apart and started again… this time I had read about seed stitch, so off I set, I improvised and third time lucky… I ended up with a cowl people still compliment me on today.

… so I am used to starting knitting projects again (and again…)…

… a big ball of chunky wool, 2 evenings watching dvd’s (silk and Somers town), and knit, knit, knit, I made a simple cowl and ran out of wool as I was casting off the last stitches. I have already grumbled about this fail! With hindsight I could probably have just patched it up by using some other similar wool to finish it off, instead I tugged on the end of the wool and frogged it.

… I think I have already confessed to my love for the purlbee blog, I had already made their garter gaiter once and it had been snatched out my hands no sooner than I had finished it. I decided to use the pattern again. This time with a single ball of wool, so no stripes, but I like the texture the stocking stitch gives with a chunky wool. A couple of evenings, another 2 films (the killer inside me and on the road), and I have a completed cowl. I even “timed it” right so I had a tiny bit of wool left over. I might list this one on etsy as I seem to have rather a lot of blue cowls already…

… and if it wasn’t enough to rescue one flop, last week, packing for a weekend in the mountains, I realised I could do with a few more simple drawstring bags. I use them for shoes and to keep types of clothes together in my bag, to keep my yoga gear separate from my horse riding stuff, my underwear together and separate from my pyjamas, etc…

… a moment of genius, I could use the failed quilt material to make a few such bags! I trimmed and tidied up the wrong side as it would no longer be completely out of sight inside a quilt. I cut the material into 3 strips about 35 cm wide, folded them lengthwise, sewed up the side seams, folded a hem at the top to run string through, found some matching string, and voilá! I have 3 more drawstring bags for my travels.

rush job…

Tags

baby, blanket, fleece, gift, sewing

… an unexpected arrival, or at least an early arrival!

… the other evening I was running through projects in my mind, thinking of all the things I want to make, the fabric I have bought, the ideas I have had, and trying to plan on actually moving some of them from idea to action.

… it wouldn’t make sense to plan without throwing some new ideas in to the mix, would it?! A couple of plans to recover some of my recent flops, and a completely new idea too, although admittedly it would use up a piece of fabric from the cupboard too.

… yesterday, after a trip to the police station to report the break in to my car (they took the radio and a very old cereal bar, I hope they got indigestion!), I decided a trip to the fabric shop was in order. It was just along the road. I only needed 1/2 meter of the petrol blue fleece I had already used for the baby suit. I wanted to make a matching baby blanket.

… not so lucky this time, none of the right blue fleece on display, and none in the storeroom either. I took some orange instead. And I somehow ended up with another metre of flannel for another project. It is an illness!

… home, and I dug out the patterned cotton, octopi and other wonderful underwater creatures, my friend is also a marine biologist. I cut a length of the cotton, and an equal length of the fleece, sewed them together up the sides right sides together, then laid them out flat, the fleece was 10 cm wider than the cotton so that made a fleece border on the cotton side, sewed them across the top and bottom, leaving a hand-sized hole, trimmed the corners, turned the whole thing right side out, pressed it, and top stitched the top and bottom closing the hand hole.

… I will go and see my friend tomorrow and meet her early arrival. I think she will like the surprise.

flop, flop, fail, fail…

Tags

failures, flops, knitting, sewing

… it has been quiet around here of late… not because I haven’t been doing anything, but because everything I have made of late has been a complete fail!

… well, there are a few things I made recently that I forgot to photograph before I gave them away, like the garter gaiter knitted following the pattern from the PurlBee. I had barely finished it and a friend saw it, asked for it, I gave it to her and she loves it. I did get a quick shot on instagram mid-knit…

… there was the bag I made from left over material from the Japanese tunic I made last autumn, that I sold at the Christmas market…

… and a few more hats, everyone I know is getting fleece hats, I love how quick and easy the pattern is, and with 1/2 m of fleece you can get 4 or 5 hats! I wore mine running this morning, it was so cosy…

… but there have been a fair share of flops too – like the chunky cowl I knitted up just after Christmas, while I was in bed with flu. A couple of evenings tucked up with my hot water bottle, a DVD and my knitting… and 5, yes FIVE, stitches from finishing casting off I ran out of yarn, so I frogged that… it was probably too long anyway.

… and this week I decided I wanted to do some sewing… and I decided to use up a bunch of material I bought last summer to make a duvet cover. I saw this image last summer, and fell in love with the duvet cover, decided I wanted to make one myself, but I couldn’t find striped material. I settled for some ok-ish fabric instead, despite knowing myself, and knowing, if I have my heart set on something, something else that is just OK is never going to make me happy… then this week I saw a picture of a triangle quilt, and decided maybe I could use my material to make a triangle quilt instead…

… I cut the triangles, spent hours faffing about how to arrange them, sewed up 5 rows of triangles, sewed the rows together and ended up with something blah… it is folded up and will be stored at the back of my cupboard until I feel compelled to get it back out and complete it…

… and all of this is procrastinating because I have bought the most gorgeous material to make the Minoru jacket, but this might be the most expensive material I ever bought, even with the 50% discount in the sales, and I am terrified of cutting it, terrified of making a mess of the jacket, of getting the size wrong – most clothes I make end up too big (most clothes I buy are too big too, there is a pattern there!)…

safely, safely, scratch free…

Tags

case, gift, laptop, pouch, sewing

… about to leave the house, I grab an old bubble wrap envelope and stick my shiny new laptop in it, it will do…

… I love my laptop, but it is bulky and the battery is dead, so I don’t love travelling with it. A new business venture last summer, a couple of business trips, lengthy flights/train journeys when I really wanted to be able to work. I decided to invest in a netbook for travelling. I used the most “technical” criteria I could to chose the perfect model: the colour…

… deciding an old envelope is perhaps not the most elegant long term solution, shortly after that first trip to London I whipped up a pouch for my new computer. Some towelling left over from the yoga towels I made last spring (I hate it when my towel doesn’t cover my whole mat in yoga, custom sized towels are essential!), a re-purposed pink tea towel and a couple of snap fasteners… a perfect pouch. It isn’t super classy, but it protects my laptop, and it matches!

… a few weeks ago, a friend I am teaching to sew was over, sewing. She spotted my laptop in its case and commented she needed to make a case for her ipad.

… this week, I needed a gift for this same friend, I thought about all the things I have made recently, wondering what to take her, then I remember her comment about the ipad case. I know she loves some material I picked up a while ago, planning to make a(nother) bag, material that is still sat in the hamper with all those other projects on my “to do” list.

… I google ipad dimensions, look at an online tutorial to check the dimensions they used, cut out my material and some fleece to line it. I add a length of vinyl to the bottom of the case as a contrast to the loose weave “wool” (I don’t think a sheep was ever anywhere near this material). I sew the side seams of the outer case, sew the bottom and side seams of the liner, I turn the outside right way out, keep the liner inside out and slip it into the outer. I fold over the top edges and top stitch the two cases together. Finally I added a little strip of vinyl and a snap fastener to close the pouch…

… before I actually give it to her I need to be sure it fits. I slip the pouch into my bag and head out to my local electronics shop… admiring the display of ipads, I get out my pouch and test it for fit. Perfect. I take the ipad out, put the pouch back in my bag… and notice the salesperson watching me with a puzzled expression… I explain… “oh, ok…” I guess its not everyday people come in to size test their creations!

forward planning (not)…

Tags

beanies, fleece, gifts, hats, sewing

… six pm, I need to leave in 90 minutes, I think I need another gift to take!

… the eve of new year’s eve I remember I want to take gifts for the hosts of my new year’s eve dinner, and I want them to be handmade. I spend the evening making an ipad cover for her. An easy choice, she has admired a laptop cover I made recently, and commented on how much she likes a particular piece of material in my stash. More about that in another post…

… but for him? At our recent christmas sale (which went very well), someone commented none of us had anything for boys or guys and had to leave empty handed… what do you make for guys? Running through the things he likes to do, I kept coming back to outdoor sports, and outdoor activities…

… half a day isn’t going to be enough to knit a scarf, even less so a hat…

… but then I remember the fleece baby beanie I just made, and that the pattern also exists in adult sizes. I check my fabric stash, none of the fleece remnants I have are really very manly…

… early morning, home from a (very muddy) run in the forest, quick shower and straight to the nearest fabric shop. I make a beeline to the back, to the fleeces, averting my eyes from the temptation of everything else, and they don’t have dark grey fleece, the color I had settled on in my mind. Plum, orange, yellow, baby blue, turquoise, a hideous green, navy, black… even a pale, pale grey, but none are the dark grey I have my mind set on…

… I decide to ask a salesperson, just in case… “Oh, I’ll go and get it from the storeroom”… phew! I get my half metre, enough for several hats, or a hat and several other ideas… “when do the sales start?” I venture to ask… “not until the 3rd, but show me what you want and I’ll tell you how much it will be discounted”. I point to some beautiful, and hideously expensive, grey wool, a coat project in the back of my mind. She picks up the bolt, carries it to the measuring table, tells me “it will be discounted 50%, but I can do that for you already today”… I swallow, and ask for 3 metres, and some lining…

… back home, coat project is carefully tucked to one side, hat pattern is printed, material is cut for a medium. I decide a knot on top is probably not manly, nothing on top is a bit boring, I get some contrasting blue fleece and cut a tassel. I sew up the hat in an instant! Perfect.

… later, dog walked, apple crumble made, and an hour and a half to spare, I decide I could also take a gift for another friend who will be spending the evening with us. The mother of the future baby suit wearer. I could make her a hat to match her son’s! I dig out the left over blue fleece, there isn’t enough, but I have a fair amount of plum fleece left over from my tunic. Another hat cut, a black tassel this time, and time to wrap everything before I rush out to dinner…

… I think E wore his hat for half the evening, I guess that constitutes a success!