a night of UFOs…

Tags

bag, drawstring bag, japanese pattern, makebra hipster, plaintain, sewing, tote, ufos

… it has been more than a month since I got my sewing machine out…

… unless you count the 3h introduction to your overlocker course I did at the Bernina shop a few weeks ago – 3h course that was over in 1h30, and where every time I asked a question I was told “you need to do the next course to learn that”…

… progress has been made on the kitchen renovation front, but that meant since I got back from holiday the apartment has either been a building site, or I have been cleaning… then I had a surprise trip to Ethiopia…

… back from Ethiopia, the land of incredible basket and cotton weaving skills, still feeling delicate after a cold and a stomach bug (it was quite the three days!), and yesterday I decided a quiet afternoon at home was what I needed…

… sewing machine and overlocker out, my pile of UFOs pulled out, as was the fabric for a couple of quick projects that have been whirling around in the back of my mind for at least a year…

… I made a waterproof bag for my yoga clothes post hot yoga work out – after 90 minutes of exercise in a room at 40°C you need a waterproof bag – with some green nylon I got at last years blogger meet up. I still have enough fabric for about another 6 bags, or for some other project!!

… I sewed FOE onto the third pair of makebra hipster undies I had made way back in January…

… I sewed the hem and cuffs of the Plantain t-shirt I made while I was in California…

… I re-sewed the neck into another top I made just before I went to California from a Japanese sewing pattern. I hadn’t been 100% satisfied with how the gathers fell first time round. This is a beautiful drapey soft wool knit I picked up in the sales the day I bought the fabric for the pirate top I made way back in January…

… and finally I threw together a shopping tote from some waxed cotton (I think that is what it is, it came from the basement of Berger, where composition is often a mystery!) I bought probably a couple of years ago… it should have been so straight forward, but I tried to be too fancy, so the French seams ended up feeling bulky, and I didn’t have quite enough fabric for a second facing. I may or may not use it!!

… now I can move onto some new projects, and I have a long list of plans… another Plantain, another 3 Renfrews (what can I say, I love the pattern!), a Scout, a t-shirt from the Great British Sewing Bee book (can anyone recommend a link to watch the final episodes online), some pyjamas….

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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.