Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
I'm entering my wrap top for Made By Rae's Spring Top Sewalong! See this post for details of the top.
Just keep sewing, just keep sewing, sewing, sewing...
Thread catcher/tool holder
I made a thread catcher/tool holder for my friend Suzanne over at Making More With Less, based on the tutorials here (for the base) and here (for the pocket idea and thread catcher).
The base is a sturdy charcoal twill, and the pockets and thread catcher are quilter's cottons. I lined the thread catcher bag with a polyester lining fabric so clippings can be dumped easily. I changed up the thread catcher a bit by inserting a 1" strip of plastic cut from an empty mayo jar into the top edge, and I also attached the bag using polyresin snaps instead of a loop and button. The pockets can fit a pair of thread trimmers or small scissors, a seam ripper, and possibly a seamstress' gauge or another tool.
Gaudy Tote Bags
I was given some very bright, canvas-like fabric and had no clue what to do with it - so I combined it with a solid twill and made a bunch of totes. These are the two I made, and my two little sisters each did one too when they were here last weekend. They are fully reversible.
I made a thread catcher/tool holder for my friend Suzanne over at Making More With Less, based on the tutorials here (for the base) and here (for the pocket idea and thread catcher).
The base is a sturdy charcoal twill, and the pockets and thread catcher are quilter's cottons. I lined the thread catcher bag with a polyester lining fabric so clippings can be dumped easily. I changed up the thread catcher a bit by inserting a 1" strip of plastic cut from an empty mayo jar into the top edge, and I also attached the bag using polyresin snaps instead of a loop and button. The pockets can fit a pair of thread trimmers or small scissors, a seam ripper, and possibly a seamstress' gauge or another tool.
Gaudy Tote Bags
I was given some very bright, canvas-like fabric and had no clue what to do with it - so I combined it with a solid twill and made a bunch of totes. These are the two I made, and my two little sisters each did one too when they were here last weekend. They are fully reversible.
Friday, April 15, 2011
My Sewing Room
After almost 4 years in this house I have finally organized my sewing room. Well, not that bad - it's gone through stages. Yay for having three little sisters (10, 12, and 15) over who alternately helped me and entertained the boys today!
Finally finished bolting or folding all the fabric, filled the cupboards, got everything off the floor!! I still need to rehang the broken white board and some prints.
For now, two small desks side by side for my serger and machine. I need a single desk, no leg between - hope to shop for that tomorrow.
The laundry basket is wrap carriers in progress, which will hopefully be done soon. The shelf has shipping boxes on top, then UFOs, the gray box is patterns, next shelf also UFOs, bottom shelf things to recycle.
Fabric shelving. Most of the fabric on here is on small cardboard bolts. Hatbox is trim/ribbon, on top is sewing machine cover, stuffing and batting, then finished baby gifts, the two clear boxes are scraps, interfacings, stabilizer, fusible web. Next shelf is sewing books, some projects, then satins and brocades, etc, then knits. Next shelf has cottons in the first two sections, then twills on the end. Next is flannel and cords, and randoms. Next is project bags. Snap press needs a better home, and the diaper box is all knit scraps from wraps.
Thread drawer. The drawer is just the right size for my thread organizers! They sit right up on the front ledge of the drawer, so I can see the colours.
Next drawer serger threads, tools, bobbins.
Notion drawer. My little sisters packaged them all carefully in small separate ziploc baggies! Elastic, ribbons, cording, etc.
Fabric cupboard. On top is two clear boxes with finished things for my shop. Top two shelves are minky fabrics. Next two shelves are fleece, last shelf is cotton velour, bamboo jersey, hemp fleece, some micro fleece.
Yarn cupboard. The way the shelf holes are placed, I can't get very good usage out of this cupboard, but at least it's all sorted - by fibre, mostly. Less than I thought I had, at least!
Finally finished bolting or folding all the fabric, filled the cupboards, got everything off the floor!! I still need to rehang the broken white board and some prints.
For now, two small desks side by side for my serger and machine. I need a single desk, no leg between - hope to shop for that tomorrow.
The laundry basket is wrap carriers in progress, which will hopefully be done soon. The shelf has shipping boxes on top, then UFOs, the gray box is patterns, next shelf also UFOs, bottom shelf things to recycle.
Fabric shelving. Most of the fabric on here is on small cardboard bolts. Hatbox is trim/ribbon, on top is sewing machine cover, stuffing and batting, then finished baby gifts, the two clear boxes are scraps, interfacings, stabilizer, fusible web. Next shelf is sewing books, some projects, then satins and brocades, etc, then knits. Next shelf has cottons in the first two sections, then twills on the end. Next is flannel and cords, and randoms. Next is project bags. Snap press needs a better home, and the diaper box is all knit scraps from wraps.
Thread drawer. The drawer is just the right size for my thread organizers! They sit right up on the front ledge of the drawer, so I can see the colours.
Next drawer serger threads, tools, bobbins.
Notion drawer. My little sisters packaged them all carefully in small separate ziploc baggies! Elastic, ribbons, cording, etc.
Fabric cupboard. On top is two clear boxes with finished things for my shop. Top two shelves are minky fabrics. Next two shelves are fleece, last shelf is cotton velour, bamboo jersey, hemp fleece, some micro fleece.
Yarn cupboard. The way the shelf holes are placed, I can't get very good usage out of this cupboard, but at least it's all sorted - by fibre, mostly. Less than I thought I had, at least!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Toddler bed sheets from Queen flats
Our 3.5 year-old has been wetting a lot at night lately, which means daily sheet washings. I only have one fitted sheet that we bought with his bed, and I've been making do for too long with a flat twin sheet that shifts and rolls all over at night. When shopping for more sheets for his bed, I found that they aren't exactly cheap! So instead I scouted through the discount sheets at Superstore. Sure enough, I found these on sale, 2 sheets for $8. I picked up two queen size flats, one in a brown plaid, the other blue plaid.
Then I figured out from the size of the queen flat I could get two sheets and one pillowcase out! I folded the sheet in half, hotdog-wise, cut it down that fold, then cut each sheet to the length I needed (35" x 73" to make an 8" pocket). Then I cut a 7.5" square from each corner of the two sheets, and folded the two inside corner edges together and serged to make the pockets. Then I serged around the whole edge, zigzagged 1/4" elastic to the wrong side of the edge all the way around, folded it under, and zigzagged around again. Finished!
Out of the remainder, I made a pillowcase with inner pocket. I just cut one piece the size of the pillow, the other one about 8" longer. I finished one short edge on each piece, then matched up the pieces so there was the 8" overlap on one edge. That edge I folded back over on top of the shorter one to make the pocket, then serged down all three sides and turned it right side out.
Two fitted sheets and one matching pillowcase from one queen sized flat!
Then I figured out from the size of the queen flat I could get two sheets and one pillowcase out! I folded the sheet in half, hotdog-wise, cut it down that fold, then cut each sheet to the length I needed (35" x 73" to make an 8" pocket). Then I cut a 7.5" square from each corner of the two sheets, and folded the two inside corner edges together and serged to make the pockets. Then I serged around the whole edge, zigzagged 1/4" elastic to the wrong side of the edge all the way around, folded it under, and zigzagged around again. Finished!
Out of the remainder, I made a pillowcase with inner pocket. I just cut one piece the size of the pillow, the other one about 8" longer. I finished one short edge on each piece, then matched up the pieces so there was the 8" overlap on one edge. That edge I folded back over on top of the shorter one to make the pocket, then serged down all three sides and turned it right side out.
Two fitted sheets and one matching pillowcase from one queen sized flat!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
More maternity tops
Last weekend my friend and I sewed up the Perfect Maternity and Nursing Top together. I chose the wrong fabric for this - it didn't have enough stretch, so sadly doesn't really fit me. Too bad, because I love the fabric (bargin centre score)! Also, the cami piece underneath was stretchier than the outer, so it lay kind of funny...
My mods: added length to the top (long back); shortened the band - at the full size, it was way too wide - hit me way lower than it should, so I just cut it down to about 1.5" wide instead. I will definitely try this pattern again though!
The other top I did was Megan's Wrap Around Maternity Top. I used a soft drapey jersey knit in blue. My only mod was to add 1.5" to the sleeve length for my long arms.
My mods: added length to the top (long back); shortened the band - at the full size, it was way too wide - hit me way lower than it should, so I just cut it down to about 1.5" wide instead. I will definitely try this pattern again though!
The other top I did was Megan's Wrap Around Maternity Top. I used a soft drapey jersey knit in blue. My only mod was to add 1.5" to the sleeve length for my long arms.
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