Last night I started knitting the Slither gloves, from Knitty.

Today I will mostly be unravelling them, and starting again. Wah!
(I made a mistake right at the beginning of the stripes, dammit.)

The pattern is marked as “tangy”, which is not really very complicated in the great scheme of things. The particular difficulty with this pattern is that you’re doing three things at the same time.

Decrease every sixth row; repeat twelve times.
Change colour every eighth row; repeat ten times.
Make a buttonhole on the third row of every colour change.

Given my current inability to remember what day it is, I can’t keep all of that lot in my brain and knit at the same time. So, I have made myself a handy chart, writing out the rows in blocks of two stripes at a time. I’ve simply numbered the rows, 1-16 in five columns, and I’ve written “dec” or “butt” on the appropriate row, to remind me that I have to do something other than just keep knitting.

Now I just need to keep track of which row I’m working on, and everything will be fine!

The pattern and the image above are © Veronica O’Neil. She also has some handy hints and comments about the pattern on her blog!

Tags: gloves, knitting, knitty, slither

I was invited to a 1920s Tea Dance, so of course I took the opportunity to make a 1920s dress!

It’s Folkwear 261, the “Paris Promenade Dress”.
That’s front and back - you can tell the back by the tassels on the ends of the sash. (Look closely - they’re camouflaged, but they are there.)

Folkwear are apparently very accurate with their period sewing patterns, and this one assumed that you weren’t going to be using a sewing machine for anything but the long, straight seams. This meant that it was constructed in such a way that you couldn’t use a sewing machine for anything but the long, straight seams, and so I spent a Very Long Time doing a heck of a lot of hand sewing.

I’m very, very pleased with the work that’s gone into this dress. There was a lot of hand sewing, and the construction was like origami, but I’m (mostly) happy with the results.

I also made a last-minute hat which apparently made me look like some kind of demented floral sous-chef, which wasn’t quite the look I’d been going for. Pretend you didn’t see that, if you like. ;)

Here’s the dress, complete with bad hair moment after I’d decided that I couldn’t tolerate the stupid hat any longer.

That front apron part actually works as one truly ENORMOUS pocket, by the way. (Not all the way down to the point, there’s a seam about half way across the wide part, on the inside. That I sewed by hand. Aargh.)

That poofy bit at the hem is REALLY ANNOYING. Doesn’t do it on the dress form. Doesn’t do it on the coathanger. Doesn’t do it on the ironing board. Put the dress on? Poof. Grrrrr.
The hem is actually on a very deep fold of the fabric, so even though it’s been pressed into place, it’s draping differently because I’m not the same shape as my dress form. I think the best way to fix this is going to be to have someone else pin the hem into place while I’m wearing it, and then I can press the fold in the same place that it’s going to fall when the dress is being worn.

I have to say that the dress was absolutely FABULOUS to wear. I’m not usually a fan of synthetic fabrics, but the main body of the dress is a polyester crepe lightweight suiting, and it flows and drapes absolutely beautifully. Because the sash is also slippery (polyester georgette), you can lift your arms up very easily, and the dress just slides around. So floaty, so comfortable, and very glamorous-feeling.

Possibly also very comfortable because the narrowest part of the dress measures 68″ around, with the widest part clocking in at 84″. (That’s roughly twice as big as me.) I’d been a bit worried that all that fabric might make it look as though I’d gone to a party in a big beige sack, but thankfully that wasn’t the case at all!

I’m half considering making another one, perhaps in black. And without the silly hat.

Tags: folkwear

I was making a very simple gathered skirt with an elastic waist yesterday, and I remembered that I already had a tutorial for that style.

The tutorial is over here, and you can also download a PDF version.
There are no pictures in the version on the blog (computer failure, oops), but there are pictures in the PDF.

I’ve also uploaded a PDF version of the elasticated skirt tutorial that I posted a while back.

Thanks to everyone for such positive feedback on my previous tutorials - I really appreciate it! Comments and questions help me to make them better for you in the future.

I’ve had several requests to write up a tutorial for the wheat pads and lavender bags, so that’s going on the To-Do list.

I’m also considering giving away the secret of how I draft my underbust corsets. One of the most common searches which leads to this blog is “how to draft a corset pattern”, and that information isn’t even here yet! (Although you can get some clues from looking at the pictures.) I think it’s about time I rectified that situation.

Tags: tutorials

I’ve been making a lot of tote bags recently, mostly from recycled pillowcases and duvet covers.

Now that supermarkets are starting to charge for their plastic bags, more and more people are getting back into the idea of using fabric shopping bags. They’re strong, they can fold up neatly into your handbag, and they can hold a heck of a lot of shopping!

I was planning to write up a tutorial for making a tote bag from a standard pillowcase, but I see that the first issue of the new Sew Hip Magazine has beaten me to it.

I’ve seen similar tutorials online, for bags made from pillowcases and pretty tea towels. My bags use only half of a pillowcase, and they’re not lined, but there’s no reason why you couldn’t go to town and make yours enormous, or as fancy as you like!

Tags: recycling, tote bags

These were both taken on my walk back from the local Post Office this morning.

I had my little camera (a Pentax Optio A30) on its maximum zoom capacity, so I was able to take both of these from a distance, while I was being eyed suspiciously from the top of a tree!

I’ve been using this camera for just over a year, and I continue to be thrilled to bits with it.

Tags: nature, photos

I didn’t go foraging for hazelnuts or sloes this year. There didn’t seem to be any sloes growing at all (no sloe gin!), and by the time Sarah had gone to look for hazelnuts, the squirrels had eaten them all.

Except for this one, apparently, which I found on the edge of my lawn this morning.

One day earlier this year, I spent all afternoon watching a squirrel coming back and forth into my garden, hurriedly burying fistfuls of goodies in the lawn. As soon as he’d gone, a pair of magpies came along and dug them all up again.

Apparently they missed one!

Tags: nature

This is the toile for what will eventually be Simplicity 5303, the long beige version. Only not in beige.

Jenny’s coming over tomorrow, to bring the not-beige fabric that she’s chosen, and to try on the top.

I’ve only made the top half of the dress because the only part that needs fitting is to make sure that the underbust seam actually does sit under the bust, and not half way up. If it fits, Jenny can keep it; if it doesn’t, I’ve got a new top!

This one’s a copy of Miss Alice’s favourite work top.

It’s cut on the bias, and has really pretty sleeves. Hopefully I’ve managed to adjust the bust darts and the length for a better fit.

All I need to do now is bind the neckline, and finish the pair of trousers that I need to send off in the same parcel.

I also need to do something about the lighting in the Shed. I’ve got three halogen spotlights, a standard lamp and a net of LED fairy lights blazing out in there, and it’s still too dark to see properly.

Tags: pattern drafting, Simplicity 5303

Here we go - matching lavender bags, to go with yesterday’s wheat pads.

These are half the size of the wheat pads, so approximately 10cm (that’s 4″) square. They’re made in the same way, with a recycled polycotton inner bag which contains the lavender. How I made these without spilling tons lavender and wheat into the guts of my overlocker, I’m not too sure! There’s approximately three ice-cream scoops of lavender in each little bag. Measured very scientifically, I can assure you.

As you can see, the little loop makes them easy to hang up wherever you like!

I’m thinking of making some cinnamon and clove bags to hang up at Christmas, for a seasonal scent. Some cedar or pine scented bags might be nice too, to keep the moths at bay from your wardrobe or knitting stash…

These are also on their way to the Art Market, but when I return I’ll be making some more. I’ve been asked to make a tutorial too, so I’ll make a new page for that when it’s done.

Tags: art market, lavender bags

I swear by using these little wheat pads to relieve pain. You can pop them in the microwave to warm them up, or in the freezer to cool them down. These little ones are a perfect size to drape across your forehead or cuddle up to your stomach.

They’re made from milling grade organic wheat kernels, which I bought from Brow Farm. Each bag has an inner pouch made from recycled polycotton - this contains the wheat. The outer bag is made like a tiny pillowcase, and can be removed for washing. These are made from offcuts of quilting fabrics that I bought before I made the switch to using only organic and sustainable materials.

This basket full of goodies is on its way to the Rising Sun Art Market on the 22nd. All I need to do now is print out the instruction sheets, which read as follows:

to use hot:
remove the inner wheat pad from its cover, and place in the microwave. Half fill a mug with cold water, and place this inside the microwave with the wheat pad. Heat for one minute. Continue to heat in ten second bursts until the desired temperature has been reached. Once heated, replace the wheat pad inside its cover.

to use cold:
remove the inner wheat pad from its cover, and place inside a plastic bag. Place the wheat pad in the freezer until cooled. Once cool, remove the wheat pad from the plastic bag, and replace inside its cover.

Next up - making some matching lavender sachets from the leftover fabric.

Tags: art market, brow farm, wheat pads

Thanks to a combination of my new medicine and the truly dreary weather we’ve been having lately, I’ve been finding it very difficult to feel inspired by anything much.

Suddenly, thanks to a little visit from the postman, I feel much better!

(Sorry about the terrible picture - it’s raining so hard that it’s been dark all day.)

Both of the large pieces of fabric are organic cotton pointelle. Three yards of each, in chestnut and natural. The natural piece won’t stay that way for long - I plan to chuck it in the washing machine and dye it Flamingo Pink! After that, I plan to transform it into a pair of leggings and a top.

(The chestnut piece is going to be transformed into a Christmas present, so I can’t elaborate on that any further.)

The swatches… oooh, where to start!

• The one with the trees (top left) is Enchanted Forest, and it’s a wonderfully soft twill.
• The one with the ladybirds is Tickled Pink, on the same twill base. I can imagine pretty skirts made from each of these.
• The one with the aubergines is Eggplants, which is a hemp and cotton blend in a linen-type weave. I adore the colour and the little gold flecks in the fabric, so I think I might have to send off for a skirt’s-worth in my next order.
• The plain black swatch is a wonderfully smooth sateen. 

Tags: Near Sea Naturals, organic cotton, organic wool