Antwerp Pullover

 

I can't remember the last time I bought a jumper.  I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not.

However, I am always on the look out for a cosy, interesting jumper.  So when I found the Antwerp Pullover pattern on a website, while looking for something completely different, I had to add it to my basket.

Unfortunately the material I chose to make it from, while a lovely colour wasn't really thick enough (I think I'll make it into a dress maybe?) and so I put it to one side while I decided what to do.

 

With a week off booked for Easter I decided to try again and so ordered some needlecord fabric in a stunning ochre (yellow) colour.  Still not as thick as I'd hoped, but I decided to try it out anyway.

I started by working out what size I wanted and cutting out all the pieces, before following the instructions and carefully putting it all together.  I've made a few clothing items before so I had an understanding of how it would go together but I didn't think the instructions were as clear as they could be.

I also found that the needlecord would stick to itself, which wasn't very helpful.  And it left lots of little yellow bits of fluff everywhere.  As I don't have a good way of finishing edges I assume I'll have little bits of yellow fluff with me for some time to come. 

 

I haven't decided if I like the end result or not.  I love the colour and the feel of the needlecord.  But it's quite a light weight jumper and not very snuggly.  It might be good for the week of warm weather we might get if we're lucky.  However the fit is pretty good and I could probably have gone down a size if I'd wanted something a bit more fitted.

I'm thinking about making it again in a thicker material.  The design also came with a collar option instead of a hood, which might be better with a thicker material too. 

I need to live with it for a bit first I think.

A Bench Apron

 

 I am very lucky to have a lovely little studio at the bottom of the garden where I can do all my messy creative stuff like working with glass.

Over the last year as I've learnt more skills the poor studio has had more and more things added to it (tools and materials), to allow me to create everything I want.

I was very lucky to have a set of drawers donated to me from our neighbours who no longer needed them,  which helped with the storage issue, but I would like to start making some jewellery in there too and that needs a slightly different set up.

 

Traditionally, jewellers have a bench with a half circle cut out of it, with a bench peg that sticks out of the back edge of the circle to allow them to work on an item, with a fabric or leather bench apron which hangs under the peg and catches things as they drop - for instance if you are cutting a piece of silver wire to lenght.

Because I have such a small space and it needs to do many things, I can't really afford to cut a half circle in one of my worktops or have a bench peg sticking out all the time.

So 'im outdoors made me a peg and got me a clamp so I can use it when I need it.  I just needed a bench apron to catch things that I drop as the dog doesn't like them falling on his head, and it's really frustrating when you drop the thing your working on and then you have to spend ages looking for it!

After a lot of thinking and a discussion with 'im outdoors we came up with the idea to use sliding towel rails to make a sliding bench apron.  When I don't need it, it sits under the bench but when I need it I can just pull it out and set my peg up above it.

 

'im outdoors was very happy as all he needed to do was screw in four screws.  Then I could would out how to make the fabric sling to sit under the peg.

I decided to use an off cut of the waxed cotton from the bags I made in December.  And having made a paper prototype to make sure it would work set up my sewing machine.  

It was very simple.  Hem the front edge.  Make two tunnels, one on each edge for the towel rails to slot into, then create a dart at the back to raise the back edge and hopefully stop things escaping that way.  It reminded me of the canvas chair seats my mum made when I was a kid.

I'm very happy with it so far, it looks just right.  But the proof will be in trying it out.  I'm not sure what the next project will be yet, but I'm ready when I think if it! 

Pyramid Pouch

 

 I've had a few sewing projects going on in the background recently and as I was looking for some guidance on how to do a few things I came across this lovely free project - a cute pyramid pouch. (the whole site is full of lovely projects - try not to get distracted!)

I thought it might make a nice small gift and I had some fabric left over from the Lotus Tunic that I thought would work well too.

 

A visit to my local sewing shop supplied a zip and some interfacing (which I used to help it keep its shape) then all I had to do was cut it all out and sew it all back together.

The zip was a little tricky but the project instructions helped and I'm pleased with how it turned out.  The green zip matches the outer fabric well, and the cotton matches the lining but makes a nice contrast to the outer fabric.

 

It's fun to make projects like this, which help to use my stash up and was a good reminder of how to work with zips - I have more of these coming up on other projects!  And made a sweet little gift, while not taking too long.

Two Bags

 For the last 9 months, most Friday mornings I've gone to the Old Barn Workshop for jewellery classes.  The more times I go, the more stuff I seem to need to take with me.

My apron; A4 sketchbook and pencil; projects I'm currently working on; things I'd like to be working on; fire blanket (just a small piece to protect glass beads when heating the item they are threaded on); bottle of water; snack; car keys; wallet etc.

It was all getting a bit silly and only a few of those things fitted in my normal bag.  So I started designing a work bag in my head.  It would need to be big enough to hold everything, and it should be a purposeful bag so I don't have to empty everything out after each class.  It would have pockets for everything and be made from tough material.

 

So then I started looking for all the things I would need to make a bag.  (A lot of it came from Croft Mill.)  And as I did this I realised I would also like a smaller bag that would fit a book and my wallet for when I know I'll have some time to read while waiting, like when I give blood.

 

When classes finished for the year I knew what I'd be spending my Fridays on.

I started with the big work bag as I didn't mind too much if this wasn't perfect, and I could learn from my mistakes for the smaller bag.

 

With some very helpful blog posts from Debbie and Bethany I managed to create a lining from some material in my stash and match it up with an oiled cotton outer.  I just love the rainbox strap!  The inner middle pocket was probably the most complicated part and took a whole afternoon to make!

But it all came together into a useful sized bag that will hold all my kit.  I won't really know how good it is until I start using it when term starts again.

With one bag complete and lots of knowledge in my head, I jumped straight into the next one.

 

Much smaller than the last and meant to be used out and about, I wanted this one to be, if not perfect, at least pretty good.  This one was always meant to have yellow highlights, so I bought some brilliant yellow fabric for the lining.

With a better idea of how it would all fit together, and because it was smaller and didn't have a middle pocket, it went together very quickly.  I took some time to add some decoration to the front flap, and again added a rainbow strap, ending up with a sweet little bag that I look forward to using.

I could of course have bought a bag, or bought a pattern to work from, but where's the fun in that?  I had a couple of great days making and I'm really please with the end results.

Berries & Blooms Biscornu

 

 I first saw this kit at one of the Farnham Malting festivals.  I was really intrigued by it's odd shape and wanted to have a go, so added it to my birthday list.  But when I then received the kit for my birthday it got added to the pile and never got started.

 

However, going to Wales on holiday this year I thought it would be the perfect project to take with me, seeing as I knew there wouldn't be room in the car for my knitting!

I started it before we left so I'd just be able to pick it up and work on it at any point during the holiday and that worked quite well.

The side with the flowers on worked well and didn't take long to finish.  However the side with the berries on was a little more tricky.  I'd done a chunk before realising something was out of alignment and decided the best thing to do would be to unpick it and start again.

 

Annoying, but I think the best decision.  This time I created the boarder first then filled in the pattern.  I also worked with all three colours at once rather than one at a time, which helped me to get all my spacings right.

Lastly was sewing it all up.  It's quite simple when you know how, but looks very effective.  Adding the tiny seed beads is a lovely detail.

A lovely little project to work on.  I'd forgotten how much I enjoy cross stitch.

Moving Blanket Labels

 Two unrelated things happened this summer.

1. ‘im outdoors bought some big blankets for keeping his furniture safe when sending items to customers.  He now has a courier who can deliver the furniture for him, so it’s likely the blankets will spend some time with them too.

2. My next door neighbour June asked if I’d like to see how to free sew.  She used to do this for a living and was a well known artist, so of course I said yes.  I spent a lovely hour or so in her studio where she showed me how it works and let me have a go.  So much fun.

The special free sewing foot

Following on from my morning with June, I bought the sewing foot for my machine, but then did nothing more as I got busy and didn’t have a project in mind.

And this is where those two unrelated items suddenly come together.  ‘im outdoors had said something about marking his blankets so he would get them back from the courier.  And I’d been thinking about ways to do this.

 

And then suddenly he sold a chest of drawers and they needed to get to London by the end of the week!

So with no real prep and no time to practice I found myself having a go at free sewing.  It took a little time to get my machine set up.  I had to swap feet and cover the feed dog as mine aren’t retractable, then I had to have a practice and play with the tension etc.  

 

 

Then, running out of time, I just got on with it.  The design was drawn in pencil on an old sheet we didn’t need any more and I free stitched the logo and then the writing.  Then I stitched the whole thing to the blanket.

At the time I made two, but there were another 8 blankets to mark up, so I did those the following weekend.

 

 

They aren’t perfect.  But they don’t need to be.  They just need to show who’s blanket it is so that ‘im outdoors can get them back after a job.  And actually I quite like how they turned out.  

I’ve put everything away for now, but I definitely want to have another go when I’ve got time.  It's a really interesting look and quite fun to do, if you can get over trying to make it perfect.

 

 

Fixing My Jeans

 

I wouldn't normally bother to post about a small fix to a hole in a pair of jeans.  However, I tried something a little different this time.  Rather than just patching the hole I added a little decoration, and I have to say I'm rather please with how it turned out. 

 

Normally when I see things like this on the internet and have a go for myself, I don't get quite the same effect, but for once its turned out just as I wanted.

While I've sewn a patch inside the jeans the little stars just help to secure it and add a tiny little detail which now makes these jeans kinda special.

I'm looking forward to making my next repair, although I'm pretty sure 'im outdoors won't want anything like this on his work trousers.

Itsy Bitsy Christmas Bear Hug

 In September I wrote a post about a tiny felt bear that I made.

Having made one, I had no real desire to make another, however I did have an idea of how to amend the pattern to create some Christmas presents for people.

 

I started by creating some tiny yellow stars, then some shiny silver wings, before creating the bear.  Wings and faces were added first, then the bear was sewn up, remembering to add a ribben for hanging as I went, before stuffing and adding the stars.

 

Again, I made full use of train commute to the office.  There is something very satisfing to get off the train knowing you've made full use of the time.

A very simple gift, but something I hope will be added to the tree decorations of the future.

Itsy Bitsy Bear Hug

 A while ago I found this free cute tiny bear pattern and wanted to have a go at making it.

I downloaded and printed the pattern, before sticking it to some card and cutting the bits out ready.  I found some felt in my stash and cut out bear bits and heart bits.  I even started sewing them together, but then I found out that I find this sort of sewing really boring!

I'd do a couple of stitches then think of something else I needed to do, so the pattern and bits got put away.

However, I am starting to commute into the office more, so decided to take it with me to do on the train.

This worked really well.  It's small enough to fit in my bag and not get in the way while sitting next to people on the train, and because I don't have a wifi signal I can't get distracted unless I look out of the window.  

One journey into London and I had a bear that just needed stuffing.  He's really sweet.  Only 7cm tall he would fit in a pocket to take some love with you if needed.  He'd probably go through the post quite well too.

I shall have to see what else I can use my commute time for.

A Bonsai Tool Roll

 

As I've started to do more bonsai, so my collection of bonsai tools has grown.  So I decided to make a tool roll for them to make it easy when I want to go out into the garden and use them, rather than having to pick up a selection of loose tools.

I had an old pair of jeans which a hole in the bum - the legs made a perfect 'sheet' of denim, once I'd sewn them together.  And I found a ribben from a past Christmas gift to act as a tie.

It's not perfect, but it does the job nicely, keeping all my tools safe together, and making it easy to take everything with me when I next need to work on my bonsai.  I've even left space knowing I'm likely to add to my collection in the future.

A Lotus Tunic

Last weekend I was due to be a participant on a map reading course but it got cancelled due to low numbers.  I was notified a couple of weeks ahead of time so had a decision to make.  I could cancel the annual leave that I'd already booked and just have a normal weekend, or I could find something else to do with my time.

I decided on the latter.  I bought the Amy Butler Lotus Tunic sewing pattern maybe 10 years ago.  When I started reading the pattern I freaked out a bit and gave up - it looked really complicated and included a lining - something I'd never done before.  But I've made all sorts of clothing since then, the Coco dress, a pair of trousers, a t-shirt, the joni dress, and a whole bunch of other things.  So I was starting to feel a little more confident.

I'd found some lovely capri peach skin fabric (it really does feel like a peach skin) from Lulou Designs for the dress and I'd meant to try making the dress at Easter 2020, but lockdown stopped that (we got locked down before I could get all the other things needed).  But we're out of lockdown now and the shops are back open so I paid a visit to my local sewing show and the lady there was so helpful and found me a pale green cotton lawn to make the lining with. 

So last weekend, with everything prepared, fabric washed and ironed and all the other things I needed collected I started making the dress.  It was actually much easier that I thought it was going to be.  I did make a couple of mistakes where I had to unpick bits, but in general it came together very well.  I also added some pockets following a Tilly and the Buttons tutorial - they worked very well too.

I didn't quite finish it last weekend, so I finished the sleeves and hemmed it this weekend.  I'm really please with how its turned out.  However it's a bit more formal that I thought it would be, it feels like something a charactor from a Jane Austen novel would wear, not something I would wear into the office.  Of course I haven't worn a dress for over a year, so anything is going to feel more formal than my standard jeans and t-shirt right now.  Not something I have to worry about right now I guess.

More Face Masks

In May I made myself a couple of face masks in case we had to start wearing them in public.  Which actually became a thing.  I was quite pleased with them, and I have been wearing them when out and about, but I have to say they are a little annoying when you need to pop in somewhere quickly as you have to stop to tie them on (and you need both hands), and they are a little hard to breath in.

So I had a look for a different sort of pattern and came across the Olson face mask pattern. The beauty of this design is it uses hair bands round the ears so I didn't have to find/buy any elastic or make more ties for round the head.

Also the pattern and video are so easy to follow it took no time as all to make both masks.

I've spent most of the morning wearing mine - so many errands!  And it was really comfortable and easy to breath in, although my ears did get tired after a while.

So now I have even more choice about what mask to wear depending on what I'm doing and where I'm going.  Plus this is such an easy design to make I can easily make myself more, if I need to wear one more often than I am at the moment.

Mine is made from old pyjama bottoms while 'im outdoors' is made from off cuts from the t-shirt I made a while ago. (and yes I've had a hair cut - love it so short!)