Sewing tips

Ever done this...?!

Dropped a whole tin of pins on the floor. My friend bought me a pin pebble for Christmas. A palm sized magnet in a plastic casing to pick up pins or keep them on the table. Genius!

I read a post at Love,Lucie and giggled at her procrastination to change the thread colour on her overlocker. I used to be like that until bloke walked in one day while I was trying to re-thread mine. He said "Why don't you just tie the new colour on, that is what we do on a machine at work that packs yoghurt." So I did and it works.
(9 times out of 10)

You cut the threads on the reel side and remove the spools as above.

Put on the new colour and tie a small knot to join the threads. Then slowly chain off a new piece. The first two reels go through easily but you sometimes lose the last two if the knot can't quite get through the eye of the needle(s). It sometimes works but if you have to put the ends through the needle that is no great job, at least you don't have to open up the front and get it all wrong inside.

Today Big sis had her first go on the overlocker. She was frightened, it was perilous, I am not going to lie, however she soon got the hang of it. I'll show you what she made next week when it is finished.

Enjoy sewing or making whatever makes you happy. 

Jo xxx

Tantilizing Crochet

Hey! I bought new yarn, I loved the feel of that navy yarn so much I used for the Saroyan scarf.

I can get through the January blues because it is my birthday month and those that love me the most get me the best presents:

How did my bessie know I wanted this book? I love the crochet dress in it. It was the inspiration for my New Years resolution on crocheting something beautiful for myself. I hadn't even said anything to her. However, I have bought the wool to make this fab jumper for summer instead because I am gonna look like that picture when I wear it - all sassy and cool.

Although I think I would have a melt down if I had that much unused stash to peruse everyday. How does she sleep at night? I would be wanting to sew in my slumber.

Anyway it is on the hook. Timescale? - no idea, I really want it to be just right so no bodging Jo, do it properly. I really do have to do it properly, the yarn cost £44.00 and that was with 50% off!

xxxx

Making

I don't make many clothes for the children, I have never needed to. My friend has three girls older than mine and we have a constant stream of lovely clothes arriving season by season but sometimes I make them something using smaller pieces of fabric left from my dressmaking projects, especially if they love the fabric like Big Sis did with this one.

Both patterns are from an old copy of Ottobre magazine. The skirt has a deep ribbing cuff which my girls love because they are slim and are not so keen on the pull-button-elastic on bought skirts because they have to pull them in so much it becomes uncomfortable. This is a breeze to make.

I have made this combo before but I had the wavy hem problem three years ago when I first started sewing with Jersey - not anymore.

She really likes it and there will be some years in the skirt but the leggings are for this year only probably as they are a bit of a  tighter fit. I made them while she was at school hence I miscalculated my growing girl.

I would be happy if I had bought that little set home from the shops. Wouldn't you?

Thanks for calling in as ever. Have a great weekend.
Jo xxx

The Monotony of Black

Oh black thingy go away and turn yourself into a fabulous cardigan I reach for all the time because it goes with everything. Where are those pesky elves when you need them? making leather shoes for Mary I shouldn't wonder.

I really, really, wanty, want it. Please send me good knitting vibes, or an elf, before I go out of my mind!

Jo x

That's fate I tell you...

No wonder the clothes I keep making for Heidi are too small, I have been using the pattern pieces I traced off at 122cm high and she is now 134cm! She is growing, she is 8, she doesn't want to hold her dad's hand anymore and holds the side of her head out for me to kiss in the mornings as I drop her off at school.

My friend bought her this book for her birthday. I didn't even know there was a sequel to the wonderful story of Heidi. It is a really heartwarming story of how she goes away to school and returns to her beloved mountains and family to realise her dream of becoming a school teacher.

Bloke and I sat and mulled over the cabin situation last night. We had a log cabin but it was destroyed in the hurricanes before Christmas and we are trying to decide what to do about it. In the end, although we could have talked ourselves in or out of either decision because of the cost, we decided to buy a new cabin.

 As my opening paragraph suggests the children are not children for long and we wanted to enjoy being there with them while they are excited about being outdoors, playing, getting muddy and being engrossed in nature. That is quite a valuable commodity we felt. We had some money saved for a 'rainy day' and I guess a windy one came along so it is just the same justification.

The parts that remain are soaked through after this wet winter so we didn't even go for a new roof on the old walls, we went for the whole lot just to be sure. We gulped, swapped some money around, cut our cloth and ordered it.

Then I read this as I was reading in bed last night and I truly believed we had done the right thing. That is fate I tell you...

Keep you posted of course. Jo x

Birch Trees and Birdies

I received this contemporary Art Jersey from White tree fabrics last month to make an item of clothing. The large print called for a dress with not too many pattern slashes so I went for my first Coco dress or Tunic to keep the tree trunks in tact. I would say that the actual fabric is a brighter blue than on the internet pictures in which it appears a bit more 'duck-egg-grey-blue'

A coco comes together really quickly so they are a joy to make.I pre-washed the fabric at 40 degrees and it came out as good as new. The problem I have had in the past sewing jersey is that the hem wobbles as it stretches and goes under the machine so I tried a stabilising technique. 

Pin up your hem and then with the wrong side of the dress showing, sew under the machine with a layer of grease proof paper between the foot and the fabric. It stops the fabric stretching and leaves you with a beautifully flat hem to press. See...

I did the same on the cuffs. You peel off the paper and pick any little bits off which is small fry compared to wavy cuffs and hems. Try it, it really works.

Then we went out to find some birch trees and some fresh air so my footwear is slightly dubious. I have long grey boots which look great with it but a three mile wet walk in the woods was not the day to be wearing them. Here are a lot of photos just because we took them, laughed a great deal and tried to look normal at a National Trust Property last Sunday.

My petticoat is hanging down with the icy breeze blowing the skirt front up in the air.

At one point some people were looking so we made it look like we were having a normal family photo.

Then because we were being silly, Bloke said, 'show us your bum mum!' - so I showed my legging covered bottom.

My children are too young to be embarrassed by me yet so they were in fits of giggles begging me to put my layers back on because it was so cold not because people might see me. 

Well folks, that was us looking normal.

I hope the sewing tip helps someone grappling with Jersey out there. Thank you White Tree for the sponsorship of fabric, it was a joy to work with.

See you soon.

Jo x

Saroyan scarf

All finished, totally gorgeous and ready to wrap for my friend.

 

1.5 skeins of Katia Tupa 50% Merino 50% silk

FREE pattern on ravelry: Saroyan Scarf

A 6 leaf increase then 6 leaf decrease with 10 repeats in the centre as stated in the pattern. If I did it again I would make it longer in the centre section.

I really rather enjoyed knitting that. 

Jo x