Just a quick post to let you know that I'm back on Twitter! I'll tweet about all things sewing related: WIP's, updates, sneak peeks, frustrations and revelations!
Follow me @lisamakes to see the first sneak peek of a nearly finished project!
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Summer Knitting
I'm knitting again! It's pattern from the Ariadne summer issue of 1980. Basically a few squares with a pretty pattern. I'm using 4mm needles, the yarn is a cotton with 4% polyester, Lana Grossa Elastico. It's light and perfect for summer. I'm knitting it in black though, as you know white does not go well with my outstanding food spilling capabilities. And I'm making the sleeves 3/4 instead of long. I'm halfway through, so I have good hopes of finishing this before the summer ends!
ALSO, did you know my 2nd blogoversary is coming up in a few days? I am a big fan of celebrating whenever you can, so stay tuned for some grand giveaways! Woohoo!
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| On the train. Knitting in public, yo! Only for cool people. |
ALSO, did you know my 2nd blogoversary is coming up in a few days? I am a big fan of celebrating whenever you can, so stay tuned for some grand giveaways! Woohoo!
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Some Sleeves
You know what the problem is with stash busting? It creates more scraps! I'm trying to reduce both, but every time I make a garment, I am left with more scraps. And I know there are things like small purses or pincushions or headbands I could make, but one can only have so much of those. Hmmm...
Anyway, I've made a laptop sleeve for a friend. When I made my first sleeve, she asked me if I could make her one too. I said yes, she bought fabric. That was about a year ago. She bought a new laptop in the meantime. Moral of the story: never ask me to make you something :) At least there's one advantage: I learned to sew much better in the meantime. I finally made her sleeve last week. I needed a new one too, so I made another one with the leftover fabric to prevent my scrap pile getting higher.
Doesn't the pink one remind you of an oyster or mussel? I used this tutorial for both sleeves, but omitted the iron-on fleece. If you choose the right materials, it's a fun half an hour project!
(15:60 #6)
Anyway, I've made a laptop sleeve for a friend. When I made my first sleeve, she asked me if I could make her one too. I said yes, she bought fabric. That was about a year ago. She bought a new laptop in the meantime. Moral of the story: never ask me to make you something :) At least there's one advantage: I learned to sew much better in the meantime. I finally made her sleeve last week. I needed a new one too, so I made another one with the leftover fabric to prevent my scrap pile getting higher.
The pink one is my friends sleeve. The outer fabric is a soft wool, the lining is a super soft and flowy something. This girl knows quality when she sees it! I handsewed the lining close to the zipper so it wouldn't get stuck. I also made an extra piece of fabric to protect her laptop from the metal zipper. And I used an extra piece of white cotton in between because the pink fabric is see through. It turned out well, but it was hard to combine a coarse zipper with such fine fabric. It took me about three hours to get it right! I made mine second, and was done in about half an hour. I used a smaller zipper this time, and a piece of quilting cotton from the scrap pile. There was no need for handsewing or an extra protection strip.
Doesn't the pink one remind you of an oyster or mussel? I used this tutorial for both sleeves, but omitted the iron-on fleece. If you choose the right materials, it's a fun half an hour project!
(15:60 #6)
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Summer Dress for Next Year #2
As predicted, I never got to wear the first summer dress I made last year. Even worse, I wore it only once this year. Nevertheless, I like the pattern and wanted to give it another go. Sadly, this summer is as bad as last years. I have worn the second version once in France but with my fleece jacket over it. Which kind of takes all the summer out of the dress... Anyway, unlike the summer, this dress is a better version of the last one!
The fabric is a kind of rayon I guess. I got it from the clearance section, and these pieces are never labeled. Pff, half of the fabric on the racks isn't even labeled. Another reason to dislike the local fabric store. Anyway, I used the patterns from last year. They were quite horrible! I didn't transfer the adjustments I made in the dress to the patterns, but I could remember some of them fortunately. I did not use the slippery stretch fabric, but a soft white cotton as a lining. I gathered the bust again but moved the gathers a bit inwards, and used a dart in the lining because it might become to bulky if you gather both. I also added some length to the dress.
The fabric is a kind of rayon I guess. I got it from the clearance section, and these pieces are never labeled. Pff, half of the fabric on the racks isn't even labeled. Another reason to dislike the local fabric store. Anyway, I used the patterns from last year. They were quite horrible! I didn't transfer the adjustments I made in the dress to the patterns, but I could remember some of them fortunately. I did not use the slippery stretch fabric, but a soft white cotton as a lining. I gathered the bust again but moved the gathers a bit inwards, and used a dart in the lining because it might become to bulky if you gather both. I also added some length to the dress.
This dress is easy to finish because of the way it is put together. You start at the bust pieces and work your way down (or up when going towards the back), so all your seams allowances will automatically fall between your fabrics. I made this in France too, so I had the lots of time to be precise and not take shortcuts. It took me about 5 days from cutting to finishing. It's nice to see that I was proud of the way I finished it last year, while I've done a much better job this year. You can't but learn a lot in a year! I only hope I don't have to wait another year before I can wear it...
(15:30 #5)
(15:30 #5)
Thursday, July 19, 2012
The Perfect Blouse
I am proud to present to you: the best thing I have made - EVER.
I can't tell you how happy I am with the result! The stitching is neat, the buttons evenly spaced, it's a style that has been on my list for a long time, the fabric is fun and great for summer and perfect for this pattern, it was only 3,- and it hardly creases. It can also be worn both with rolled up and long sleeves, loose for casual purposes and tucked in for work. White is still a bit tricky though. Half an hour after finishing I cut my hand and almost bled all over the shirt. The next day I spilled sateh sauce on it. I don't even dare to drink red wine or eat pasta sauce when I wear it...
I can see now what no stress sewing does for the quality of your endresult. I had ten days off, with nothing else to do but sew. I sewed this shirt in three days, sewing about 4 hours a day. Normally I just have one day and I like to get something finished at the end. 4 hours a day is ideal though, and now I've seen what a difference it makes not to be in a hurry, I might just take more time from now on.
What is the most perfect thing you've ever made?
(15:60 #4)
The pattern is Burdastyle 7/2012 132. It's been a long time since I made something from a pattern. I was a good girl and followed nearly all the instructions, did not take shortcuts, and made the inside look as pretty as the outside. All the seams are flat felled and topstitched. I made my first plackets and they turned out great! I was a bit scared of them at first, because the Burda instructions were completely unclear. They could have been written in Chinese for all I knew (I was going to say Klingon first. I've been watching too much Big Bang Theory). So I used Peter's instructions for the Negroni plackets to understand how they work. It was not so hard after all!
I can't tell you how happy I am with the result! The stitching is neat, the buttons evenly spaced, it's a style that has been on my list for a long time, the fabric is fun and great for summer and perfect for this pattern, it was only 3,- and it hardly creases. It can also be worn both with rolled up and long sleeves, loose for casual purposes and tucked in for work. White is still a bit tricky though. Half an hour after finishing I cut my hand and almost bled all over the shirt. The next day I spilled sateh sauce on it. I don't even dare to drink red wine or eat pasta sauce when I wear it...
I can see now what no stress sewing does for the quality of your endresult. I had ten days off, with nothing else to do but sew. I sewed this shirt in three days, sewing about 4 hours a day. Normally I just have one day and I like to get something finished at the end. 4 hours a day is ideal though, and now I've seen what a difference it makes not to be in a hurry, I might just take more time from now on.
What is the most perfect thing you've ever made?
(15:60 #4)
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