easily distracted by shiny things…
Posted in sewing on Jul 21st, 2009
A seam ripper is one of the most useful tools you can have as a dressmaker. Not just for those inevitable wobbles and wonky bits, but for tasks like this one.
My very petite friend had bought a dress that was too long for her, and she asked whether I could remove the ruffle from the [...]
I’d always wondered why you weren’t supposed to wash silk. I bought three metres of ivory dupion a little while ago, but it had a dirty mark on it, so I knew I was going to have to clean it somehow. In a fit of “what the heck”, I chucked it in the washing machine, [...]
As well as taking over the world with tunics, I also want to make a couple of new additions to my summer wardrobe.
This shirt is McCalls 5433, and it’s a Palmer Pletsch design.
I was a bit startled to discover that the instructions ran to seven pages, and was worried that the shirt would turn out [...]
From a huge roll of fabric, via a PhotoShop drawing, to a finished jacket!
The most difficult part was sourcing a truly enormous orange button. I bought this one on Etsy, from TheKitschEnd.
The jacket’s now in the post - hopefully Chloe will send some photos of the jacket in action, when it arrives!
Posted in sewing on May 6th, 2009
This is what I’m wearing today - a smocked and embroidered shirt.
It started life one of Paul’s old work shirts. It’s in perfectly good condition, it just doesn’t fit him any more. So I’ve smocked the sleeves and a bit on the back, and embroidered the button stand and collar.
I did this to see whether [...]
I spent half of the weekend in what can only be described as “a bit of a state”. Things seemed rather hopeless on the sewing front, and I wasn’t at all looking forward to coming out to my Shed to start work this morning.
I decided to finish off this fleecy skirt, which had been waiting [...]
Posted in sewing on Mar 27th, 2009
Work has been progressing at a snail’s page around here this week. I’ve finally put together a new bodice, but I think this neckline’s going to be too low. I like the shape of it, and I think it showcases the necklace beautifully, but I think it needs to come up just a little bit.
I’m [...]
Inspired by Ruth Singer, I’ve spent this afternoon making a wall hanging organiser for all my reels of thread.
(Possibly not the cleverest thing to do when suffering with a bad wrist and a splitting headache, but hey.)
Take one enormous cork board, a hundred and eighteen panel pins, and a big hammer…
I particularly like “Turkey Red [...]