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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something fishy…

Tags

fish, japanese pattern, jersey, sewing, t-shirt

… the fish broke the proverbial ice…

… at the stoffen spektakel fabric market last month, I was walking round in a daze, overwhelmed by all the choices, undecided what to buy, despite my clear list of projects, unwilling to commit to anything until I had seen everything in the huge warehouse…

… then I spotted fish, and I stopped in my tracks. 1.5m of fishy jersey were purchased, they didn’t fit anything on my project list, but I knew straight away I would make a t-shirt with it…

… May was the month of challenges, the t-shirt wasn’t one of them, and I was still wearing my down jacket for a lot of the month, a t-shirt was the last thing on my mind…

… a couple of weeks ago the sun came out, I wore my turquoise “Japanese” t-shirt for the first time. One evening I thought about whipping up a pair of pyjamas to participate in Karen’s pyjama party, but realised I didn’t have a metre of suitable fabric to make them*, so I needed to go shopping first…

… so I took out my fishy jersey, used the same Japanese pattern as the turquoise t-shirt as a guide. I didn’t add the collar, opting rather for a regular round neck… 4 seams and 4 hems and I have something fishy to wear if the sun comes back!

*no unfortunately I don’t have a stash of fabric, I have a box with a few projects I haven’t gotten round to making yet, I usually buy fabric for a specific project, or number of projects!

pockets galore…

Tags

cargo pants, japanese pattern, sewing, trousers

… step by step, they came together, inner pockets, outer pockets, front pockets, back pockets and side pockets – with a flap!

… there is also a decorative fly, and the elastic in the waist comes out the waist band on the front sides to be secured with adjustable fabric endings (no idea what the technical term for these is!) that attach to buttons. There are 2 size options for fat days and thin days! All these details took a while to sew up, but it was totally worth it as the trousers look really good.

… I have tried and tried again, I have even had the instruction manual out, but I cannot manage to sew button holes on my Bernina. Everything jams early on in the process. I could have gotten out my old machine which does button holes well, but I just decided to use snap fasteners instead. I think they match the casual style of the trousers well. Luckily I got to this step mid-afternoon, as I have had neighbours complain in the past, when I have been hammering away at fasteners, finishing off wallets before our Christmas sale!

… I am not sure what the fabric is, some kind of heavy duty cotton, it is very soft to the touch, and very thick. Needles were broken when I had to fight through 3 or 4 layers of it, like when I sewed the side pocket flaps on. I think it may actually be intended for covering sofas and the such like, it was 2.80m wide, I still have a lot of the stuff left! It was another piece from my “lottery win” at the beginning of the year.

… I am definitely going to make another pair of these, in lighter weight fabric, for the summer. They are both comfortable and super flattering. The pattern says they are low waisted, I clearly have a low waist as they sit at exactly my waist. I actually prefer that.

and then there were three…

Tags

japanese pattern, jersey, knit, sewing, t-shirt, top

… last September, looking for inspiration for my sewing “school”, easy patterns as a next step from A-line skirts for my friends to make… Burda magazine had a few options, but nothing fantastic, and then I stumbled upon the “Dossiers couture” Japanese sewing series.

… plastic wrapped, I took a gamble, the cover looked promising, when I got home I loved almost everything. In fact, I liked it so much I went back the next day to buy another copy for my best friend, and the next volume had just been released, so I bought a second copy of the first magazine and 2 copies of the second!

… the first pattern I tried was a mandarin collared shirt. I had some light flowery material I had picked up in Lisbon in the spring from the bargain bin. It was perfect, and sewed up in an instant, but it was already too cold to wear such a light blouse, so I then picked up some bouclé wool material and made a second version. The lady in the fabric shop persuaded me to go for the mustard, I really wasn’t sure, but I actually wore the top all winter.

… spring arrived in Brussels this week, and at the beginning of the week temperatures were hovering around 20ºC. I decided to wear the flowery top over a long sleeved t-shirt, it was perfect and I got a bunch of compliments all day.

… walking home from a series of meetings, I happened to pass in front of the fabric shop, and despite trying to persuade myself to “keep walking”, I succumbed to temptation and popped in “just to see the new materials”. I was even impressed with myself as nothing really tempted me… until I got to the back of the shop and the “children’s” jerseys. “I’ll take a metre of that please”…

… I came home and cut out a third top and sewed it up the same evening…

… now I just need to finish my cargo trousers I am working on.

winter trousers…

Tags

japanese pattern, sewing, snowdrops, trousers, winter

… working my way through the pile of fabric I “won” from fabric shop, my next project was a pair of trousers.

… I am not sure what the material is, I thought it was wool, but I carefully washed a 10×10 cm square, and it came out the washer 10x10cm, so I guess it isn’t wool after all. Phew, I don’t do unwashable clothes willingly. Just to be safe, I threw the whole length of material in the wash. I forget to do this too often. Luckily I have a short thin friend who is happy to receive the countless trousers I have made, that then shrank on the first wash. It happens embarrassingly often!

… I went back to the Japanese pattern I already used for my pyjamas, they fit really well. This time I sewed in the darts, added the invisible zipper. I also added a side pocket. I hate trousers without pockets. I followed the pattern instructions and added belt loops, lined the waist band to ensure a neater edge, and voilà. A super pair of warm winter trousers…

… I know I should be thinking about spring, the snowdrops already made an appearance in the garden, but they were too early this year, and are now under a thick layer of fresh snow!