Tag Archives: sewing

Scrap Sunday: Dressed for night and day

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I’ve got this custom order for teddy trousers a few weeks ago and could just not be bothered with the whole fiddly concept. But I have finally found the time (and it took two attempts – I hadn’t measured the little fellow and totally underestimated the size of his huge bottom 🙂 )

So, I have this fabric combination since three years precisely (more or less precisely). That had been another request from the same customer: Baby carrier (my idea) with aeroplane pattern (her idea). So now, the fabrics had to be used to make teddy trousers, using the one fabric for the front and the other one for the back.

And before you start laughing at the worn out bear in the picture I’d like to point out that it is actually mine, it just got somehow in the hands of a young teddy thief.

Here it comes:

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and from the back…

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and front again…

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and back again…

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4 pictures to show the tiniest trousers ever might seem slightly excessive but I guess it is a case of a biased photographer 🙂

And coming back to the actual subject of using up scrap fabrics: This has probably been the use up of the tiniest amount of fabric so far (for me, not speaking globally) so a well deserved Scrap Sunday project 🙂

Rainy days

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A couple of weeks ago, a tutorial for a bicycle seat cover caught my eye. I really wanted to make one of these. Which is a problem if you do not have a bike. Well, not a problem but a bit pointless really.

Thankfully then one of my bike owning friends celebrated her birthday and I remembered that post.

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I did struggle a bit to sew the side (which is first sewn into a ring) to the top as somehow the length did not match up. I did not want to pin them together as it is not the cleverest idea to put lots of pins into an up until then waterproof material.

But when I finally had the all changing revelation to use paper clips instead, it was easy peasy. (I am – however – considering to take the cutting out bit a bit more seriously next time – there was an issue with the template and the control square not quite having the required size, aaanyway, paper clips are great to hold coated cotton together)

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Fabricwise, I can proudly say that I fell into my old pattern:

40x100cm were required, I ordered 1m from a 1.5m wide fabric. Just to be safe.

And just to be even safer, I also ordered another one as well. Same size. You never know.

Lots of Scrap Sundays can be filled with the remnant from this bike seat. Or is it technically not scrap if the left over is bigger than the actual project?

I ordered them at Dots n Stripes, a shop with a small but very nice range of fabrics from some of those German and (I think) Scandinavian (maybe) brands I love. I am really pleased to have found it as obviously delivery times and costs make much more sense.

Another recent birthday make was this pattydoo top – using sensibly bought fabric (required amount only, also at Dots n Stripes)!

IMG_2565So, it has so far been a rather successful week, but there are still a few thousand things to get done. (Did I already mention that I have started a Fashion Course? With homework? Ridiculous amounts of homework? Especially over half term when the children are AT HOME)? And it is only Friday. I better go now. Have a lovely day 🙂

 

 

 

 

Scrap Sunday

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Maybe I should keep my challenges to once a month rather than once a week as I have to slightly cheat. Again. The Scrap Sunday project I had in mind for this week, isn’t finished yet. So I will have to reuse an old idea. Again. And it is only week 4 or so. But I made this item this week and I used only left overs. So technically it is fine for Scrap Sunday. Just not what I have planned.

Anyway, we are going to a birthday party today, hurray! The little girl seems to be a huge cat fan but has most likely all available cat books at home already so I decided to try to make a cotton bag with a cat applique. That is quite a challenge for me as I am really not good at drawing. So I did a lot of research (online and picture books in our on-site library) and after hours and hours of erasing wobbly pencil lines, there was finally a recognisable cat shape. See, I really need a shape-only applique. I would never be able to stitch or draw a face on that cat. Well, never say never, but not in the next zillion years.

After that it was straight forward, I just followed my own tutorial 🙂

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I was a bit worried of the narrow curves when stitching on the applique, in fact I had incredibly low expectations in my own abilities but I exceeded them by miles 🙂

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I am in fact so pleased with the result that I will try to draw other shapes (rather than just printing out oversized letters).

I can definitely do hearts. I have done this before. And a star probably. And a duck most likely. And a bunny, I am sure I can get the bunny in my head onto paper. And a butterfly of course. I can definitely do butterflies. And cars. I rather stop here. I don’t want to raise expectations which I am then unable to meet 🙂 .

 

Scrap Sunday: Hairbands

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I’ll keep it short as I will have to type this post on my phone, lying in my comfy hotel bed in Oxford (see how committed I am to Scrap Sunday).

Hairbands as a pretty and simple way of using up fabrics (and yarn for that matter) have been on my mind since a while.

..or Scrap Sunday I wanted to do it properly (starting by actually going away for a weekend) and rather than just taking a piece of fabric and sew it together without having cut it into the right shape as I had done here a few weeks ago:

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I have done some research online and in my daughter’s  drawer. I stumbled over a tutorial by hamburger liebe (online, not in the drawer) a name i actually already knew from some of the loveliest fabric designs  (You really need to check that out)

so I tried her tutorial and measurements and found it a little bit big, even for my adult head. I took it to sewing class to ask the others and my first trial got snatched out of my hands!  Clearly a good size then and it’s just me having a tiny head.20141003_144210

I made one out of a woven cotton and quite like the secure feeling of that one.IMG-20141004-WA0001

After two trials I finally made a smaller one using left overs from my nieces shirt which happens to be a hamburger liebe design. Sooo lovely. I guess that one should go to my niece to match the shirt.IMG-20141004-WA0002

I think I will still continue my trials and make an even simpler and smaller one similar to the one from a high street brand in my daughter’s drawer as it will just suit my daughter’s … ahem … hairstyle better.

And for myself? Well I am a proud fringe wearer so I much prefer something that I can tie each time rather than messing up my fringe…. not that it would be anywhere near as voluminous as Claudia Winkleman’s but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t deserve full attention 🙂

Puh, that was the last time I did that one my phone. Especially as it will still be Sunday when I get home.