Category Archives: sewing

Scrap Sunday: YOU can’t see it but I know it is there

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So, the scrap skirt is still in progress. I have only basically managed to put the lining in. However this lining is the very positive version of one of my problems in life: you can’t see it but I know it is there.

Some people think that I have too high expectations of myself and the things that I am making and that I am never satisfied with anything I do. They seem to think it is a bad thing. Well, I don’t. If you are always just doing easy things and are than happy with the result, you will never improve (a little bit me in knitting really 🙂 )

Anyway, I often have the following type of conversation:

– Oh, did you make this? It is beautiful.

– Yes, I did. But it is not quite what I wanted. Here, it has problem X.

– Oh, but no one can see that. It is different and people will love it.

– I don’t care what other people think. It is not what I wanted. The whole point of making your own cloths is that they fit you perfectly and that it is exactly what you wanted.

I know that sounds rude (this is why I often just think it rather than saying it out loud) and I know that people want to be nice, I really appreciate it but it is true and when I say it is not what I wanted, it is a fact.  And it bothers me be because I know it is there even if no one else can see it.

But I am not alone anymore. In my Friday sewing club there is another equally obsessed person. She made a thin piping between waistband and skirt. (After a long discussion with me which colour would be best 🙂 ) And this piping is almost perfect, there is one spot where it is maximum 1mm wider than on the rest. I had not seen it before she pointed it out. Really. But it is true. If you look closely, I mean really closely, you will see it. (and probably get a restraining order). So I feel for her 🙂

Now back to my skirt, I have chosen a light blue (same colour as pattern in godet) lining for it and while I was basting it to the skirt I was thinking  loudly about the point of the colour choice:

– Does it matter to chose a different colour for the lining? In the end, no one can see it?

And my new found soul mate finished my thought: Yes, but you will know it is there 🙂

IMG_2785Sorry, can’t show you more 🙂

In case you might think I am taking this Scrap Sunday challenge too easy by talking about the same thing over and over again, I have also used up some yarn by knitting a new – festive – window display. I just think that deserves its own post.

And as I know that some people are wondering how I can manage to knit and sew so much with two children around, this is what they do when I am busy:

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They also line up all the toy animals on a yoga mat in the kitchen and put plates with plastic food in front of them. (sorry, no picture there).

It takes them ages to do these things. And then they are really tired. Too tired to tidy it up.

 

Scrap Sunday: To be continued… still

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As I was still busy with the yoga bags this week, I have only been working on my scrap skirt in the Sewing Club on Friday and a little bit afterwards at home. So far, not so good.

I have to say, it seems to be turning out a little bit different from what I would have wanted. The godets might be too small. And too short. Especially as I haven’t even done the hem yet.

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I think I pictured something more A-liny in total but with the godets showing a bit. And I should have done 6 panels instead of 8. I planned 8 as initially I wanted the corduroy lines in the bias, so they meet at the seam and do a bit of a zig zag. But I did not have quite enough fabric to do that and it is such a fine corduroy that it would not have shown anyway. So I cut it straight. And now that central seam looks a bit silly.

Would have been good to make a calico version of this new design. Never mind. I am sure it will not look too bad, just not as I wanted. And I have definitely learned something.

On a brighter note: Don’t forget the yoga bag give away. If you don’t do yoga, don’t worry. The bag doesn’t know that. Just use it as a knitting bag 🙂

Oh and I have also finished the second bag for the introductory offer on etsy. And I have made a few other ones which are already listed in the shop.

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The yoga bag story – that project I could not talk about and a give away

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“Why is she suddenly making yoga bags? Wasn’t this a knitting blog? What is she talking about?” you might be thinking.

Well, it all started with a request from a friend who has opened his own yoga studio back home. He asked me if I would be interested in making bags which he could sell in his studio. This idea came at the right time. I was just thinking to look for shops in the area who would be interested to sell my (mainly knitted) stuff and I was also considering to expand my range to small make up bags as I would be able to use all those cute printed fabrics creeping out of my fabric boxes.

Now, obviously a yoga bag is not quite the tiny cute make up bag but it was a much more real thing.

So I set to work, went to look for suitable fabrics, made design sketches, asked my friend plenty of practical questions and made a calico bag. I then enthusiastically started to cut out a coated cotton (some of them will be made of coated cotton, some out of normal one) and when I had cut out enough for three bags, I suddenly realised a big mistake in my design: The initial yoga bag had a seam at the bottom of the bag but as you carry it on your bag like a quiver, the bottom of the bag will actually be the exposed side. So in that case, it would be a shame if there was a seam.

I still made one of them up but in the meantime I adjusted my design for the cotton ones and set to work.

If you want to know more about the bags (size, material, process of making one,…, please go to the yoga bag section by clicking on the link in the top menu.

To celebrate the start of this new and exciting adventure, I have several goodies for you.

First of all, I will be giving away the coated cotton one with the back seam.

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The fabric itself is waterproof but the seams are not taped or anything. So it will be fine in normal wet weather on your way to your yoga session but it will most likely not keep your yoga mat dry when you were walking through torrential rain for four hours.

Inside, the bag is fully lined and it has a small bag for your phone, keys,… which you can actually remove and take with you (sorry no picture taken)

If you want to enter the competition, please respect the following rules:

1. Everybody who does not live in the same household as me is allowed to enter the competition. (I really do not want my husband to go to his training with this flowery bag).

2. Leave a short comment in the comment box below. This is just to give your name a number.

3. The competition will be open until Wed, 26 November 2014 8am (London time)

4. random.org will then chose the winning number.

5. I will contact the winner by email and inform everybody in a post.

6. And obviously there will be no right of appeal. If you do not trust me or random.org just don’t take part 🙂

For all the others who did not win or are not keen on that particular style, please don’t be sad. I will put my first two other bags in my etsy shop for the introductory price of £15 pounds which will just about cover the cost of the material for one bag.

These will be the introductory offer bags (but please give me a bit of time, I do promise to hurry up – as you can see, for the second one there is still a bit of work to do, not just the listing on etsy 🙂

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Scrap Sunday: Which one is which?

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This week I can not actually show a finished project, I will need more time but here is at least a picture to show you how well I am using up scraps 🙂

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As you can see, it is not quite enough at the pointy end but I will manage.

As you might remember (or not), I have dedicated my Friday sewing class/club to Scrap Sunday (in order to actually be able to post on Sunday) but as almost everybody else is making a skirt I also wanted to make one. So I am using a fabric that I bought about a year ago in my typical fabric shopping manner:

I go to the shops to buy fabric for a certain purpose (in that case something for my children) and then suddenly something completely different catches my eye. In that case a beautiful burgundy corduroy. So I thought a meter might not be enough (for a possible short dress), 1.50 might be better. Just to be safe. And as it is so beautiful, I then bought 2m as you never know.

So, since a year I have almost a meter of scrap waiting for another purpose. (Is 1 meter x 1.40 really scrap?) – time for a skirt.

And as in my Tuesday fashion course we have been talking about godets (extra piece of fabric, to add volume), I thought some kind of cute patterned fabric might just give a simple corduroy skirt this extra kick. And for that purpose, unfortunately a tiny fat quarter bought on my trip to Oxford a couple of weeks ago seemed the perfect match. I think it is a bit too precious to be used for such a purpose. So, I was really thrifty when it came to cutting. And I even consider to keep this tiny piece here but I can not yet imagine it could be used 🙂

IMG_2691(I used the inch side of my cutting board to make it look more dramatic)

Because of my still secret big project, I will really have to keep the skirt project out of my week and will only work on it on the Fridays, so we will see how long it will take me, but just to give you an idea, this is how I want it to look, well, 8 of these panels.

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